Fallen in love by Lauren Kate

book: Fallen in Love
written by: Lauren Kate
genres: romance, fantasy, young adult
pages: 201
own / library / borrowed
release date: 24th of January, 2012
series? yup, Fallen #3.5
publisher: Random House


note: I do not like the fallen series, and I do not like short 'in between' stories, so it is not very surprising that I did not like this book. This review will be honest, but I'll tell you one thing, if you like the Fallen series you might not like this review...

the book:
The book contains 4 short stories:

1. The story of Miles and Shelby
2. The story of Roland
3. The story of Arianne
4. The story of Luce and Daniel

The stories are all about the same Valentine's day, which they all spend with different people. Also, this book contained an excerpt from Rapture, the final installment in the Fallen series.

my review:

when I read about this book, I was like: 'NOOOO now I have to read this book, too. Why can't she just give me Rapture now so that I'll be done with this series, and can leave it all behind?! Lauren Kate decided to torture is with some 'romantic' stories about the Fallen characters. I still have problems with most of the characters. My main problem lies with Luce. I mean, she annoys me more than Bella Swan, which is almost impossible. She falls in love with a guy that pretends to hate her, then she finds out that she may combust when she kisses him, and she is not scared at all (?) and then she runs away because she wants to know about their past. 

This book added nothing special to the series, it was just another book that had nothing to do with the story, but was just written for the 'fun' of the readers. Well, I like to read something in an 'in between' story that gives me more information about the next book, not something that just makes everything more complicated.

The first story *Shelby and Miles* was not very romantic at all. Basically, I have already forgotten what it was about *sigh* The second story *roland* was better. It showed me that angels and humans can't be lovers, and it'd be a great thing if Luce and Daniel finally figure that out.

In the third story I had a WTF-moment. *MAJOR SPOILER* Arianne is Lesbian *end of the spoiler* sorry just had to tell you... So that was my WTF moment in this story. I think it was the best story, tough it was strange... She was being 'I am good, or I am evil and my lover loves me' which shows us that the lover does not love her at all, otherwise she wouldn't have to choose -.- How come these stories do make people cry?!

And finally, the Luce-Daniel Story. The only Valentine's day they have ever spend together. How heartbreaking *cough* *ahem* Seriously, this piece of the book made me want to step into the book, walk towards Luce and slap her into the face. Or even worse. I just can't stand her... 

And then I read the excerpt from Rapture, and I found out that I would not like this book, but that I had to read it, so that I could have finished the series and continue with my life.

This book made me see that being alone is not always bad, because being together can be awful. I did not like Valentine's day before, and now I hate it... Maybe this is just not my kind of book...

rating:

1 star... Sorry...

what did you think of this book? Share your review/your thoughts in the comments, please!

xo Mar

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

book: the Fault in our Stars
written by: John Green
genres: young adult, disease, romance
pages: 317
own / library / borrowed
release date: january 10th, 2012
series?: nope
publisher: Dutton Juvenile


note:
Dear John Green. You are genius. No, you are more than that. You are the god of writing. Never ever will I read a book the same! This book is life-changing heart-breaking supermegafreakingawesome! I have been looking for the best words to describe and review this book for the past two days, and still I know I just haven't found the right ones. Just this one that flooped out of my mouth after reading. "WOW"

the book:
2 years ago, a miracle happened to Hazel. The tumors in her lungs shrunk, and she could live like a normal person again. She knew this was just pretending, and that she was not cured forever. But she never became her disease, like other cancer patients. She kept on fighting until she conquered her disease, which seems like an impossible mission.
Hazel is part of a cancer support group, which she does not want to be part of at all. Her mom makes her go there, to make some friends. There she meets August Waters, a guy she's immediately interested in. And, to her surprise, he is interested in her, too!
There is only one thing between them and their future, the disease. Will they conquer it or will the disease take their lives away?

my review:
This book was perfect!!! Everyone should read it! The title, which is based on a Shakespeare-quote, was perfect for this book, and I cannot think of any improvements to this book, honestly.
I will list a few things I loved about this book below:

• the characters: They both have this great sense of humor, and they both are not their disease, but just themselves. They love to read, they care about their friends, their love is real, they are honest. Everyones should be like them - the disease...
• the story in general: Most of the books about kids with cancer are boring and just not my thing. This story was great, because it was not a normal cancer story. The characters were not boring, they were not sad, they do other things than suffer, they live. Things happen to them, even when they have cancer. It just seemed so realistic!
• the parts about the Netherlands: I, as a Dutch girl, do love to read about American *or from every other country* people visiting the Netherlands. I love to read about what other people think is stange about the coutry I live in, because to me it is just normal. And I love to read about prejudices made about Dutch people. This book included 'All Dutch people talk in lots of languages' 'there are coffeeshops on every corner of the street' and 'Dutch people dare to ask questions American people would not ask.' And you know, they all are *partly* true!
• the ending of the story: How on earth could you break my heart like this, John Green. This book changed my like. An ending like this will leave everyone heartbroken, and by that I mean EVERYONE! This is a very unusual ending, and it fitted the book so well. It was very sad and funny at the same time. It was like the characters, it was like it really happens. It almost seemed as if it were a non-fictional book. I even looked at the first page again, and read again the words of the author that really said that this was a work of fiction, which left me surprised
• how this book changed me: As Cassandra Clare once wrote: “One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” This book has changed my view on the world. It showed me that we don't have infinity, and that we just have to make the best of the timee we have. It shows us that Dutch people really are lunatics, especially if they're from Amsterdam. It showed me that people that have cancer do not have to be sad always, because they are going to die. It showed me that books really do change your life. It showed me a way more things I had never really thought about before, and made me think about them a lot.
• how this book made me feel: I have never cried this much while reading a book. I have to be honest about this. I do not cry while reading very quick, but this book made me first cry around page 50, and I did not stop crying until hours after finishing this book. The day after reading this I looked like a zombie *in a bad way* and almost fell asleep during classed
• John Green did live in Amsterdam for 2 months! In a street I have been to. John Green lived someplace I had been before. GOD lived in Amsterdam, in my country!!

conclusion:

run to your bookstore. Go buy this book! Is it night? Go to amazon/bookdepository/barnesandnoble/whatever and but this book! But only start reading it when you have enough time to read it in one sit, or you'll end up like a total zombie!! 

total:

I would give this book a zillion stars out of five :) 

100000000000000000000000/5 :) (or just 5/5, since that is the highest rating available...)

xo Mar

If I stay by Gayle Forman

book: If I stay
written by: Gayle Forman
genres: death, young adult
pages: 210
own / library / borrowed
release date: april 9th, 2009
publisher: Random House children's books


note: This book looked so thin, I thought this would be a quick and easy-to-read book. But reading it took longer than expected, it made me think. What would I choose?

the book: 
Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. 


In a horrible accident, Mia's parents die. But that's not all. She herself is severely wounded and ends up in the hospital. Only, there is something strange happening. Why does nobody hear her when she screams, and why can she see her own body lying a few feet away from her? That's when she finds out that she is a ghost. She gets to choose: Will she choose to stay alive, or will she die, leaving behind her best friend, boyfriend and what's left of her family. How valuable is her life?

my review:
This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It was way better! The characters were great, and easy to relate to. Their love for music was awesome, since I love music, too. This book made me want to listen to classical music, something I have never ever wanted to do before.
The plot was very interesting. I have never read anything like this before, which means it's quite original :)
The book was written in a few present-time pieces and a lot of flashbacks, which I totally love. Flashbacks make the story look way longer than it actually is.
The love in this book *only in flashbacks* was great, it was not like boy meets girl and BOOM! love, but more like boy and girl are friends and fall in love slowly. That is so much better than most YA romance!
This book was a fantasy novel, but it was so realistic. It made me wonder if we all have to make this choice someday, and that made me think about it until I got a headache *which took pretty long*, and I think that the realism in this book contributed in the popularity of this book. If she were a 'ghosty' ghost flying around and walking through walls no-one could have related to her as much as you could when she was just a 'normal' girl.
The way the family of Mia and her friends deal with the accident seems realistic, like the author has experienced it herself.
Of course there were the few things that annoyed me, like the shortness of the story and the continuous 'should I stay or should I go' and a few minor other things, but overall it was a quick, great and most of all moving book with lots of almost-cry-moments. *yes, almost, I have not cried, only almost*


overall rating:
3.8 stars!!

In my mailbox #4

IMM is a weekly event hosted by Kristi @The Story SirenThis includes books that we have either bought, recieved, borrowed or traded over the last week.


hi guys,
Last week was very busy, so I did not read or review a lot, sorry. I still do not have any schedual for reviewing, sorry for that... Here's what was in my mailbox over the last week:


Putting boys on the ledge (A girlfriend's guide to the boys, #1) - Stephanie Rowe
Thanks to TKA Distribution :D

Meet Blueberry Waller, whose name is the only interesting thing about her life. Until now.
Not only is Blue dealing with the worst name in the world, crazy parents and a clingy younger sister, she just got a part in the school play. And now she’s acting with Heath Cavendish, total crush-worthy senior. He would never give a second look to a girl like Blue. Except he has.
Her friends say Blue should play it cool, put Heath on the Ledge so she can keep the upper hand. Trouble is, she doesn’t know how to be clever around boys. Thankfully her pal Colin offers his help in teaching her how to get the guy. But he’s just being a good friend. Isn’t he?
Suddenly the wallflower is getting all the attention. But will being in the spotlight keep Blue from making the right decisions...for her?
A Girlfriend’s Guide to Boys: For these four friends, understanding the world of boys is only half the battle.

Torn - Stephanie Guerra
thanks to Marshall Cavendish :D

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight A's, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies. You'd never guess that Stella's dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella's polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels. But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world, a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn't be tried once. It's not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she's ever had and the friends she's known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be. But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn't show anyone, not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

Fallen in Love (Fallen 3.5) - Lauren Kate

What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda.

(I think this will be my valentine's day read)

Paper Towns - John Green

 

Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. She has disappeared. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance ...and they are for him. Trailing Margo's disconnected path across the USA, the closer Q gets, the less sure he is of who he is looking for.

So that's what I recieved this week.

What did you recieve? Link back to your IMM post in the comments :)

xo Mar