Clockwork Angel (Manga #1) by Cassandra Clare & HyeKyung Baek

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Yen Press

Pages: 256pgs

The Story

A manga-adaption to the prequel of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices is the story of Tessa Gray, a sixteen-year-old American girl traveling alone to Victorian London who runs afoul of the city's sordid supernatural underworld. Rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, Tessa quickly finds herself caught up in an intrigue that may very well destroy her new friends - including the two enigmatic young men, Jem and Will, who have taken her under their wing . . .

The Review

The first book of The Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Angel, was - and still is - my favourite book of  all time from the bestselling author, Cassandra Clare, and I'm so obsessed with it more so than with her other young adult series, The Mortal Instruments, which is also another very popular series among her readers. So with me also having a hardcore love of manga books as well (a bonus on my part) and having two of my favourite things combined into one very neat and beautiful package, it was pretty much a match made in heaven for me and this book and oh indeed it was!

With the manga's plot being much the same as the original book, I really having nothing bad to say about this manga version other than a few of the characters not exactly looking themselves from the ones lurking inside my head. But with that being said, Hyekyung Baek is one of the most brilliant illustrators that I've ever come across so far and if you have seen her previous work you will know why she is one of the greatest out there in the business. Her work is just . . . beautiful. Intricately drawn, greatly detailed and simply wowing to the human eye (I exaggerate I know haha), I'm super glad the artist managed to capture and keep everything I love from the original work into this much smaller, new masterpiece and there were plenty of times in the book that made me swoon because I finally got to see my characters coming to life onto the page with you know . . . not having to make them up in my head. I just LOVED every moment of it!

Now in regards to how the boys were drawn in this particular book, they very much reminded me of the two main lead boy characters from one of my favourite manga series Vampire Knight, and you know who I'm talking about here: the Will and the Jem, Tessa's two handsome and charming love interests who cause all sorts of heartbreak to their readers. At first I was worried when I heard about a manga version of the series being created because I was wondering how on earth the illustrator would capture the likeness of Will and Jem and the ones inside my head, but I worried not more once I saw the two beautiful boys . . . they were just again beautiful. *Le sigh* Words can't describe how gorgeous they look on the black-and-white paper . . . but oh dear lord I simply couldn't get enough of them on the pages! And as for Tessa, she was very beautifully drawn as well but as for Henry's character . . . what on earth have they done to him? Poor fellow. He deserved better facial features. But let's get back to the boys and think about them some more . . . *Le sigh*

Overall, the manga version of CLOCKWORK ANGEL was beyond beautiful - both in storytelling and making the characters I know and love come to life! If you're already a fan of this wonderful series or just have a love of Cassandra Clare in general, this manga version of her book will be the perfect addition to your book collection and right now I'm already gearing up to buy the next manga installment of Clockwork Prince which means more Tessa, more Will, and most importantly . . . more Jem which is a fairly good deal for me!

The Rating

5/5 stars

My Favourite Top 10 Books of 2012!

Since the Apocalypse didn't quite hit us yet (you clever, little prankster Mayans!) nor did any zombies come knocking at my door for a good old neighborly chat, I can say with absolute confidence that we made it folks (like I thought we would) and it's that time of the year again where we say adios to another year and reigning in a new one, which will probably have even more people saying this year is definitely the year of the apocalypse so . . . we'll see about that! But let's not forget we have so many great 2013 books coming our way next year, so the apocalypse can bloody hell wait until I read them all!

But moving on, my oh my has time flown by this year but that still doesn't mean we can't look back on this fabulous year of books and reflect upon it - from the great author debuts, to the newest additions to some of our favourite series and to certain books that may have been published years ago but we've only just come across now . . . overall it was one great book year!

So with today's post and in honour of the awesome 2012 year (which I'm very sad to see go), I'm going to name My Favourite Top 10 Books of 2012 - a post that basically names my favourite books that I was lucky enough to read this year and I'm sure many of you can see some of your favourites mentioned below or maybe not but . . . here we go!

10. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

This book may not have been 'exactly' published this year but I came across it on the book shelf at a store one day and I'm so glad - and thankful - that I picked it up too. I had actually wished I had done so earlier than I did because this was one brilliant book (and a very creative one too) and one you don't want to miss out on! It puts the term 'quirky' to a whole new level and what's not to love about that?!

9. The Passage by Justin Cronin

Only have just recently finished this book, this was a book I was DYING to read for ages but I never quite got around to it until now. Again, this book was not published this year but I'm so glad I was able to read this book when I did because it was just SO AMAZING! It was one of the best dystopian books I've read . . . if EVER . . . so I can't wait to dig into the sequel!

8. The Selection by Kiera Cass

I think this book was one of the most underrated books of this year and one of the most talked about ones as well but . . . I totally fell in love with this book and it was probably the one book out of many that had surprised me the most which I guess well-earned its spot in my top 10 favourite 2012 books! Anyone else dying to have more Maxon in their lives? Yes, I definitely think so ladies!

7. Adaptation by Malinda Lo

This book was an unusual read for me and I love those kind of books that makes me think, you know? Already being a huge sci-fi fan and loving the quirks within its own genre, I think this book just simply . . . NEEDED to be in my favourite top 10 books list from this year! It'll be interesting where book 2 leads us to next year!

6. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The New York Times best-selling author and one of the best out there in the book world, Richelle Mead, has yet again blown us away with her sequel to her Vampire Academy spin-off series of Bloodlines and I seriously need more Sydrian in my life (seriously I DO after what this book's ending gave to me) so pretty please bring The Indigo Spell closer to my doorstep because I NEED it now! Dying here, okay?! 

5. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

It's no secret when I say Cinda Williams Chima's The Seven Realms series has been such a favourite series of mine and with the final installment already read, it's quite sad to see everything come to an end. I'm going to really miss these books! But on the brighter side of things, I can't wait to read more of what's to come from this one awesome author!

4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

What more can I say about this book? Honestly here, what one word would do this book the justice it deserves? I have no idea . . . but if you have read my review on this particular book you would know I simply adore this book! The writing, the characterization . . . pretty much everything in its own mythology and Russian culture was brilliant and I desperately want to read the sequel so bring on 2013 I say!

3. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is the best series ever coming from the very talented author Cassandra Clare! I can never fault this series (I just CAN'T!) and it's so brilliant in every way and cannot be compared to Clare's other bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments. Honestly THIS is a WAY much better series and I'm so anxious for the third and final book, Clockwork Princess, coming out March of next year! I'm SO anxious I tell you! SO anxious!

2. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

You've probably heard me saying this like ALL the time but I'm a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan, so with this book being based on one of his stories (which also happens to be one of my favourites coming from Poe), it was pretty much soul-mate material with me and this book. I just loved it and I can't wait to read the sequel where the masked ball finally happens . . . if you've read online about what the author said about the sequel and if you know of the original story work, you would know what I'm talking about!

1. Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

This book was such a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL book. So vivid in description and captivating in its own storytelling and world - not to mention with its characters, there's no denying that this book earned the number 1 spot for this years favourite book! It clearly earned it from what I've read of it and not to mention my EPIC love for it!

Some other honorable 2012 book mentions go straight to Article 5, Defiance, Everneath, False Memory, Insurgent, This is Not a Test, Reflected in You, Rift, Scarlet, Shadow Bound, Slammed, Sweet Evil and Wings of the Wicked. But trust me here, there were plenty more books to add onto this list but I couldn't name them all . . . it would go on forever! But as for next year's books, I can't wait to see what other awesome things come our way!

Well, there you have it folks . . .

My Favourite Top 10 Books of 2012!

So what do you think of my Top 10 2012 picks? 

What are your favourites from this year?

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.

Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana's body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana's goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells her Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god's help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god's tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless the trickster god can help her to trick fate - or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

The Review

Gods and goddesses, deserts and droughts, love and friendship, fate and freedom. Sarah Beth Durst's newest book release VESSEL had me before the opening of the book's dust jacket. Both engaging and richly detailed in every single aspect of the fantasy genre (which, by the way, this book totally nailed in), never have I read such a beautiful book before and it's no wonder why so many readers have fallen in love with this particular story and with the author herself, because really . . . it was one of the most amazing things I've read this year and it most certainly won't be the last I read of Sarah Beth Durst's work. Just whoa.

Firstly the world-building was just phenomenal! There's no doubt in my mind that the author had taken a lot of her time in creating such a vastly impressive world, and in doing so, she had managed to capture my full attention from beginning to end, enabling all of my own senses as I had immersed myself with this world before I'd even became aware of it. I could literally feel the dusty winds and the blistering heat upon my skin, and taste the sands of the deserts . . . it was beyond amazing and something totally unique within its own genre.

Now right when I had the pleasure of first meeting the main character of this story, Liyana, this brave and very stubborn girl walking this dangerous journey of the impossible, I had absolutely fallen in love with her character and the world she lived in. Liyana for me - from her loyalty to the faith she held for her own people, to her never-ending longing of freedom, and to her values of her own beliefs - was truly inspiring in every action and motive she had when completing her journey in finding her goddess. I just loved her to bits! Not because she was an amazing character, but it had more to do with her true human nature (this amazing side to her personality) and I found her interesting in every way possible because of that!

Concerning the love interests of the story, I found they didn't overtake the plot whatsoever nor made it feel slowed down nor boring. Instead, it made the book even more believable, not to mention it made my own heart ache for our own main character, Liyana, and her conflicting feelings towards the men in her life. But with that being said, considering the ending we received and this somewhat very emotional epilogue, while I can't quite understand how I actually felt about that ending matter, but I still firmly believe it ended  in a natural and complete sort of way, giving it a nice and simply blissful ending. But on the other hand, I also felt sad in the way it ended too. In the beginning I had predicted what could happen towards the end, though I didn't really want it to end in the way. Regardless, I was close to tears at the very end and I hope many others who have the opportunity to read this book will truly come to appreciate it because it was so damn beautiful and emotional!

Overall, VESSEL deserves every single praise it has been receiving lately! Reminding me of the essences of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Colleen Houck Tiger's Curse series, I'm truly . . .  well . . . gleeful in having read this wonderful book and I can't wait to read more of Durst's work in the future. She's a true genius in storytelling by what I've just read!

The Rating

5/5 stars

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 454pgs

The Story

Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey's spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why - either he is her true love or she has killed him.

Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower - a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour.

Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can't imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?

The Review

Having loved and adored pretty much every single book Maggie Stiefvater's has ever written, it's a real shame when I found that her newest release, THE RAVEN BOYS, didn't particularly do too much for me. And sadly, as much as I hate to say it to myself right now and to you guys especially reading this review, but I couldn't connect with this book as strongly as I did with her last book, The Scorpio Races, which was - and still is - one of my favourite books coming from Maggie Stiefvater!

Both different, dark, and heavily detailed in the likes of witchcraft and medium work, THE RAVEN BOYS has it all in the first installment of a very interesting and new series, but the main problem was how the story was told and how often I had gotten confused by it, and perhaps I was the only one feeling this on that part. I mean, while I did get the 'gist' of the story but there were so many things happening all at once and if I were to tell you about what exactly happened and what I had just read . . . unfortunately I would have no idea where to start other than you will have to read it for yourself to find out what it's like for you personally. That's really the only advice I can give you regarding this book alone.

The only redeeming thing about this book I guess was the variety of characters we get to meet, some more interesting and some more appealing than others. The characters on a whole were an okay bunch and each of them tended to have their own set of personalities and stories to tell, but while that was all well and good, there was still just not enough there to keep me invested with the storyline and it made me lack in a strong connection that I would always get from a Maggie Stiefvater book, so it's unfortunate for me really that I felt that way but hey . . . what are you going to do?

Overall, THE RAVEN BOYS would have to be my least favourite book coming from one of my favourite authors and I'm quite disappointed by admitting that openly. With that being said, for those who are already used to the beautiful writing Stiefvater always uses then I would still highly recommend reading this book and who knows . . . you might actually enjoy it more than I did!

The Rating

2 1/2 / 5 stars

A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Pages: 304pgs

The Story

Anna still finds it hard to believe that Seth loves her and has vowed to suppress her powers, no matter what.

But magic - like love - is uncontrollable. It spills out with terrible consequences, and soon, Anna is being hunted.

The Review

A WITCH IN LOVE picks up six months after the first book finished off from where two teenagers, Anna and Seth, were being very much in love and trying to be a normal couple as much as possible. Now from the previous installment, A Witch in Winter, readers were introduced to the main heroine, Anna, a young girl who discovers that she is a witch after performing a love charm on one of the most popular boys at her new local high school, only she never ever expected that it might actually work. In this sequel, the love spell of course eventually wears off and despite Anna's hesitation in starting a relationship with Seth, someone who claimed to love Anna for real this time, Anna cannot help but think that he's only there because of some residual effect left after the spell was broken. But when there's more romantic dilemma on the horizon and with possible dangers coming after all witches - with Anna herself included, she will need to do whatever it takes to save others and herself . . . before it is all too late.

I absolutely loved Ruth Warburton's debut novel, A Witch in Winter, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel because it was SO good. With that being said, I really enjoyed this sequel as well since it followed quite a similar style in pacing and the storyline like from the first book and the characters were even more lovable this time round than I've read previously from them. I guess what I admired most about this sequel was how everything was handled well by the author. Honestly . . . there was a lot going on with Anna and her friends, and Anna and Seth which includes the highs and lows of their new romantic relationship, and I think when you combine all of those crazy events with even more witchy problems, I think all in all Warburton writes brilliantly and flawlessly, and makes things really interesting for the reader!

For our returning characters, I continued to love every single of them and probably a little more in this sequel than from the first book. Now while I thought the supporting characters were super funny and super interesting as well in this sequel (and not to mention super helpful for our main heroine), but I thought our main characters were the ones who obviously stood out from the rest and were continually growing more into themselves and came out wonderfully. Anna for once, our main heroine, was someone I really liked from the first book and I still continue like her. She's stronger, she's more feisty, and as we learn more about her background and of the mother who'd abandoned her and her father long ago, we also get to see more of her confidence rise which was really great to witness. And as for Seth, the love interest of Anna's, he was yet another great character who grew some more as well. Unlike the love-sick puppy we saw Seth to be like (you know, after the love spell he was under and all from the first book), Seth has now come into his own character and he actually blew me away with his bravery and the way he continued to support Anna through . . . well everything difficult, especially when it came to dealing with her out-of-control powers. I just loved that about him. And relationship-wise . . . Seth and Anna were perfect together . . . even if Seth was more enthusiastic about their relationship than Anna was. But she still has good reasons to be hesitant about it which leaves their 'relationship' on the balance . . . you know, not knowing which side may fall.

Overall, both character-driven and with a lot of crazy stuff going on, A WITCH IN LOVE is another great installment to this series with plenty of drama, romance, and witchy history to get you invested with this storyline. While I will admit that I preferred the first book compared to this sequel, however there is much to love about this second installment and I'll definitely be looking forward to the third and final book next year considering how things ended in this sequel . . . oh my, THAT ending!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Pages: 400pgs

The Story

Reese can't remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She's different now.

Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States Government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.

Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David are in Arizona when it happens. Everyone knows the world will never be the same. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway at night in the middle of Nevada, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won't tell them what happened, where they are - or how they've been miraculously healed.

Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police forcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction - and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.

The Review

Malinda Lo is an incredible storyteller - there's no denying that fact. But for her newest release and the first installment of her next YA series, ADAPTATION is a book that cleverly steps away from the fantasy genre and straight into the world of the weird-but-addictive-as-hell science fiction. From birds falling from the sky, people waking up in strange hospitals with little idea on how they got there in the first place and with best friends feeling almost like strangers within their own bodies . . . in all honestly the author had really blown me away with this book and boy was a grand masterpiece for me, especially since I'm a huge science fiction geek so . . . it does take a whole lot of talent to impress me in that genre alone. And Malinda Lo did all of that!

I think what impressed me even more - and went beyond the awesome characters themselves - was the storytelling all on its own and how the author managed to only give us small pieces of a very gigantic puzzle in each of the chapters we read. It really got me thinking, you know? It was also a very clever technique to use too (the one that makes you question everything) because in delivering a book that can quite easily be compared to the X-Files and another favourite book of mine Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson, it's a very hard thing to write and to keep readers satisfied with, but for ADAPTATION in particular it somehow worked perfectly and I thought it delivered everything I wanted in the sci-fi elements because  the book was so complicated and yet so compelling . . . even when you're always left to second-guess what is really going on with the characters and what surrounds them. It was needless to say SO FREAKIN' AWESOME and it's just the kind of book that is so hard to describe to you, so you'll just have to read it for yourselves to find out just how weird, cool, compelling, complicated, and what-the-hell moments this book holds together. Trust me your mind will spin!

While I won't get into too much depth about the characters (it will definitely spoil things if I did!), but what I love about Malinda Lo's characters - especially when it comes to her main ones - is when she explores her character's sexuality and writing about how exactly they deal with these difficult issues for these much older teens to understand themselves. I mean, for me having the simple storyline of girl-meets-boy and girl-falls-for-boy-ONLY is something that feels and comes across as very natural to me when I read young adult fiction because it's always there the girl-boy relationship and that's how most YA books go, and yet Lo puts a unique spin to her own books in writing something that is similar in a way but it was also something that was quite different too: Girl-meets-boy-but-girl-also-develops-feelings-for-a-girl.

Yup. Now for her to make her book that unique in the YA genre I definitely think it's a wonderful thing to have for her older teen readers - even adults, and even when it might cause a slight stir to some readers and make them uncomfortable at times. But I, for one, am very comfortable with it. In fact, I applaud the author for writing it and handling it so well in her writing as she's done in her other books. Whether you approve of what happens or not between the main character and her supporting ones, the author, Malinda Lo, knows her characters and because of her main character, Reese, is conflicted with her strong feelings for a boy AND a girl . . . it's just apart of the story in her figuring out who she is as an individual and to me there's nothing wrong with that . . . so once again it's a wonderful thing and I loved the journey Lo took us on. Especially with Reese's story. It was one hell of a ride!

Overall, once the final reveal draws to a close, ADAPTATION will leave you with so many unanswered questions and yet you will still be gearing up for the next installment which is coming out sometime next year! So if you love the sci-fi genre and all the weirdness of it that you can possibly imagine - a book that will make you distrust everything surrounding the characters and their motives - not to mention secrets that they keep, then I would highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you. Seriously it was a BLAST!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 352pgs

The Story

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart. 

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book!

I'll be honest with you here and say I haven't even heard of this book before . . . that is until I won a copy of it from the publisher. So despite it's not-so-standout-ish cover and not hearing too much about it, I was still compelled to read this book, even though I wasn't exactly sure what it was about nor was I sure about what to expect from a book such as this one. But since I have a slight fondness for 'some' kinds poetry and of the New Adult genre craze that is taking the book world by storm, I have to say I'm so glad to have come across the opportunity to read such a brilliant book like SLAMMED because that is exactly what it was . . . BRILLIANT!

SLAMMED is about a young eighteen-year-old girl named Layken (a very cool and unique name mind you) who moves to Michigan with her mother and her much younger brother as her father had just died. But upon moving to a new town, a new house and an entirely new school, across the street from her she then meets a very young and attractive young man and a charming neighbour, Will, who catches her eye within a moment of meeting him. So when both of their younger brothers - Layken and Will's younger brothers - become instant best friends and whom happen to live across the street from each other, it almost seems too good to be true for these two younger teens and indeed it is: Will, even after taking Layken out on a 'small date', happens to be Layken's . . . well I will let you find out more about what this small and shocking 'secret' but let's just say it becomes really complicated for the two of them and it's such a delight to read about.

Honestly this book and I are meant for each other. I just loved everything it had to offer to me, from Layken's love for her brother to her love and struggle over Will, it all was beyond brilliant and delivered in the best way an author knows how to! I mean just when you think everything is going smoothly and great for everyone, the authors literally 'slams' you with another shocking revelation after another until the point of 'I can't handle this anymore...' comes your way! And when you add some interesting poetry into the mix of it all, it was needless to say something I couldn't stop praising about, so please go read it now!

Overall, SLAMMED was a very surprising read and deserves every single bit of praise it has been receiving lately. Both addictive, compelling and simply lovable in this New Adult contemporary read, I have to say this book is so original and it never lacked in anything, so I would highly recommend this book to you all as it's something that is not meant to be missed out on!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: MTV Books

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she's the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent's not paid. At fourteen, she's the one who gets the job at the nearby airstrip.

But there's one way Leah can escape the reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping over the sea is a rush greater than anything she's ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she's a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they're determined to keep the banner planes flying.

The Review

I was laughing out loud, crying over sad but bittersweet moments, frowning my brow constantly, cursing at frustrating boys and girls, and holding onto my dear life as I experienced the insides and outsides of planes . . . well okay, maybe it wasn't 'holding onto my dear life' but rather on the edge of my own seat as I read about people flying planes. Yup, that's Jennifer Echols for you! SUCH A RUSH is yet another fabulous contemporary book written by one of my favourite contemporary authors of today and I have to say this title right here would have to be my absolute favourite book coming from Jennifer Echols's by far! It was sheer brilliance and I enjoyed so, so much!

As you always get from a Jennifer Echols book, everything from every character to every emotion to every scene - it all just felt so real to me. Now it isn't very often where you come across characters and the plot that they're centered around in to be so honest with one another and be combined together so brilliantly, and I guess that's why I love and appreciate Echols's writing because she knows what to do with her characters and how to remain honest and true with each and every one them as well, and she keeps them exactly like that til the very end of the book. On the bonus side of things, Echols's characters each have their own personal stories to tell - revealing all sorts of strengths and weaknesses about them - and with so little time in a book, I find Echols deals with everything so perfectly. Yes, I'm totally gushing here!

For our main leading girl, Leah Jones, she is far from being perfect. In fact, she's not exactly your typical teenage girl either. Moving around constantly and now living in a trailer park near the airport with her no-good mother - a parent who is barely present in her own daughter's life, it's no wonder why Leah is so alone, cynical, aloof, cold and tough on the inside and out. After all, no one really cares about her. While some readers may find it hard to relate to Leah on a personal level, at least in the beginning, but once you get to know her and of her current situation you will soon begin to feel for this girl which I totally did. Leah, out of all the contemporary YA books I've read so far, would have to be one of my top 5 contemporary main characters. Her voice was just so raw, tense and unique, and if it weren't for the physical book in my hands right now . . . I would've thought Leah was a real person and a true friend to me, so it was a real pleasure to read about her life and the journey she takes.

The same love and high praise goes straight out towards the two leading male 'love interest' brothers, Grayson and Alec. Now I wouldn't go and say both of these twin brothers - yes I repeat TWIN BROTHERS - were necessarily love interests for our Leah since one was a more prominent and significant love interest than the other (it was kind of obvious who Leah loved more) but who cares . . . I loved them both dearly! I won't get into anymore detail about this particular title since I don't want to ruin the book for you, but whether you call it cliche or not, both of these boys are swoon-worthy for many different reasons, mostly because they are polar opposites to one another: Grayson, the bad boy brother, and Alec, the total sweetheart brother. Yeah you get the idea. For me personally, Grayson was the clear winner. Not because I have a soft heart for bad boys (okay sometimes I do), but because he had so much more character development than his brother, Alec, ever did and as much as I wanted to hit him for treating Leah badly at times and assuming some terrible things about her without some clear evidence to back his statements up, but I still adored him and I also cheered for when Leah called him out on those bad things he says . . . which he didn't like at all and it was just hilarious. But if and when you read this book, you will know what I mean when I say Leah and Grayson are so great . . . I mean they were so perfect together and shared this undeniable chemistry so it's no wonder why I loved this book so, so much! Those two did all the loving for me!

Overall, this book was awesome! Awesome, awesome, awesome. Containing both deep characters, intense storylines and a reflective prose made to be loved by all, SUCH A RUSH must be read by everyone, even if you're not the usual contemporary book fan or even if you haven't read a Jennifer Echols book yet. Trust me, this book will take you for quite a ride indeed!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 448pgs

The Story

He craves her like no other . . .

Honoria Todd has no choice. Only in the dreaded Whitechapel district can she escape the long reach of the Duke of Vickers. But seeking refuge there will put her straight into the hands of Blade, legendary master of the rookeries. No one would dare cross him, but what price would he demand to keep her safe?

Ever since Vickers infected him with the craving, Blade has been quicker, stronger, almost immortal - and terrified of losing control of the monster within. Honoria could be his perfect revenge against the duke . . . or the salvation he never dared to dream of.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for accepting my request in reading this book early!

What else can I say except that I just adore steampunk and boy how I missed reading it! In Bec McMaster's debut adult book, KISS OF STEEL, the first installment of the London Steampunk series, it really packs in a punch with some delicious Victorian-like elements, some really bossy characters, some steamy romances, some criminal escapades, some intriguing paranormal circumstances, and not to mention it has a slight hint of mystery in it as well, creating a pretty awesome book in the end and one I adore just as much as I adore the steampunk genre within itself. Again, what can I say? It was pretty awesome indeed.

Right from the start I loved Honoria as a main heroine. While I must confess that I may have laughed at her own name from time to time, especially whenever I said it out loud or in my head, but I loved her regardless. She was feisty  she was passionate, she was headstrong in any sort of situation she faced - criminal or not - and she did deal a pretty hard bargain (no matter its price) to not only look after herself but her family also, and I loved how she was so family-oriented in that way. It was pretty special. I cannot say a single bad thing about her to be honest with you, other than she so damn stubborn! As for her leading man, Blade, a man reminding me so much of Jeaniene Frost's Bones from the Night Huntress series, I have to admit he was a pretty hot character. With his charm, protective-nature and his choppy ways of speaking, Blade is someone you would definitely want on your good side and if you're loved by him, you will pretty much be taken really good care of by him . . . so prepare yourself ladies, he is a keeper in my books!

Story-wise, I thought everything was wonderfully written and there was not one moment where I could honestly say that I had found myself bored because really it was an addictive read and I just wanted to KNOW what was going to happen next to our two favourite main heroes, so I say way a go Bec McMaster for creating such a great paranormal read. Even though vampires may have been cold and dusted a long time ago in any sort of fiction, but McMaster has managed to approach vampires in an interesting way and whether it's going to be a trilogy or have even more books in the series, I still can't wait dive back into another one of McMaster's books. Trust me it was THAT enjoyable!

Overall, if you're a super duper fan of Jeaniene Frost, Rachel Vincent or of Kristen Callihan's work, then KISS OF STEEL will certainly be your kind of read!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Foretold by Jana Oliver

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 416pgs

The Story

Stand by as Riley prepares to kick some serious demon butt for the last time in this thrilling, dramatic and sexy conclusion to The Demon Trappers series.

Riley's always known that Beck had a chequered history, but she's not prepared for what it actually means to be in love with a guy with this many dark secrets. now that he's finally admitted to himself that he's in love with her too, there's no more hiding the truth about his past. And as it turns out, fending off a demon apocalypse is nothing compared to what's to come . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

The fourth and final installment of the Demon Trappers series, FORETOLD, has made me both giddy, anxious, excited, and happy, but it has also made me very sad too. Like with any of your favourite book series - young adult or not - it is quite sad to say goodbye to so many books that have entertained you in the past few years and where you must salute your favourite characters who have kindly shared a little bit of something from their fictional lives and passed their tales onto you. It's something truly special for readers. In this case, I thought Jana Oliver did a splendid job in ending this series and while some events in the book were unexpected at first and while it may have been a really bumpy road for our heroes and heroines in this series, but it was needless to say an absolute pleasure in reading this series and I'm pretty glad the way everything was concluded . . . you know in the way it should have been.

FORETOLD brings out everything we know about our characters and the story itself out into the open, and nothing - absolutely nothing - can be hidden anymore from the readers which will be a treat for you and me both. It certainly was for me! Now unlike the previous three books in the series, this last installment primarily focuses on the relationship shared between Riley, our main character, and her awesome love interest, Beck, where Riley herself must dive into her lover's past even when she has a crisis of her own: Demons. And you know what demons can create for Demon Trappers like Riley . . . trouble, trouble and more trouble!

Our main heroine, Riley, has always been a favourite character of mine despite her great number of flaws from the past, ones that made her even more human to me. Riley, a strong and semi-confident young woman, has gone through to Hell and back to seek revenge for her father's death, and while she may have made a mistake with a certain boy from the previous book (if you've read this series you will know what I'm talking about here), but there's one thing she cares about the most throughout the course of this series and that is the Southern Backwoods Boy himself . . . Beck. Ever since her father passed away, there has been no one else more important in her life than Beck, someone she has now come to love more than an older brother, and even though they still have a lot of things to sort out, but considering this is the last book in the series I can definitely assure you that everything will be sorted out in the right way!

As for Beck, he too was a favourite character mine and it's about time he stole the spotlight away from the seriously kick-ass Riley, and the spotlight was something he definitely got in this final book. Despite his shady past and some things he says without really thinking about, I consider Beck as an all-round good guy, especially when it comes to his protective nature of those closest to him and it was an absolute delight to uncover those hidden layers underneath Beck's personality - the most tender and sensitive sides that we don't get to see all too often - and after we finally get his backstory, one that will make you question him entirely, man . . . this guy has a lot of heart. Gah! All my emotions, people! Now apart from Riley, Beck has probably grown the most throughout this series and while he may be a very complicated character, but he still had a lot to learn and by the time you finish this book you will finally get to understand Beck (all of him), and have plenty of time to swoon over him as well. I certainly swooned many, many times where I almost lost count. Gosh, I just love him AND Riley to bits! Together or not, they are both just so darn cute!

Overall, Jana Oliver has written such a bittersweet ending for the Demon Trappers series and FORETOLD is by far my favourite of all four installments. Left with happy smile on my face (one that may look too psycho for you to understand until you actually read this marvelous book), I can say as a fan of this series that you will not be disappointed and I would highly recommend this series for those who have yet to pick this series up! Oh Beck and Riley . . . gosh I love you two!

The Rating

5/5 stars

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 608pgs

The Story

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed - Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa "ana'"Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells' inner turmoil, Raisa's best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

The Review

Honestly what more can I possibly say about this series except that it is brilliant beyond any other fantasy book I've read in a long, long while and I'm quite obsessed with it. If you've been reading my reviews over this year of Chima's Seven Realms series, you would know how much of a fan I am of her writing and of her characters. So for her fourth and final installment, THE CRIMSON CROWN, Cinda Williams Chima sure doesn't disappoint her readers. In fact, she has excelled my own very high expectations of this final conclusion to her much beloved series and she has blown my mind into pieces!

Even for a very long book I enjoyed and practically inhaled every single moment featured in this book - from the forbidden romances, the deadliest schemes of kingdom politics, the action and the suspense, and even the whole debacle of men and women wanting to destroy each other in order to achieve great power in Chima's medieval-like world . . . it was all brilliant needless to say. But what Chima succeeds well in with her books is with her colourful cast of characters and how each of them are perfectly contrasted within the book's own storyline. She not only brings such power to her writing, but she also has this very unique way of making us readers feel this raw emotion for each and every character of hers. They're just too amazing - the characters - and I could go on and on all day about them.

But what made this book even more gratifying was the two main characters, Raisa and Han, and how everything was concluded at the very end. For me, Raisa and Han are two of my absolute favourite main characters in the entire fantasy genre and never once did I loose my love nor faith for them. Not even when it came to this book. While both of these two main characters may have their flaws and show them from time to time, but in each and every installment that I've read - from books one to four - they have grown and matured so much, which is exactly why I love them because they feel so real and honest to me. I mean, these two characters get under my skin (in a good way of course) and I just don't know what I will do myself since the series has now come to an end. This also leads me to the book's ending. Both sad and giving me the 'over-the-moon' feeling, I have to say this is one of the best conclusions I've read for a favourite series of mine and it was so . . . well let's just say it was such a very happy ending for most of the characters in this final book and it nearly made me tear up a bit, so let's just leave it at that note, shall we?

Overall, both richly detailed and extremely satisfying, THE CRIMSON CROWN blends the wonderful combination of fantasy elements and foreign lands together, engaging Chima's readers from the beginning of the book and leaves you wanting more!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Pages: 400pgs

The Story

Even at camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn't seem to belong to any one species - she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn't . . . a werewolf. With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who's willing to accept the impossible.

As if life isn't hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante. Trouble is, Holiday isn't dead . . . not yet anyway. Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it's too late - all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever. In a world of constant confusion, there's only one thing Kylie knows for sure. Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end . . . maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.

The breathtaking fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C.C. Hunter . . . Whisper at Moonrise.

The Review

You know what? Despite all of the drama and not much happening in the book, WHISPERS AT MOONRISE - even to my own surprise - would have to be my favourite installment by far in C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series.

The thing I love most about the series is that the author wastes no time in throwing the reader straight back into where the action is and doesn't necessarily fluff around with the details that happened previously in the books - she's just gets to the point of it all. I like that forwardness about her. Now from the last installment I read, Taken at Dusk, I found myself quite disappointed in the book because the love triangle featured heavily in the series was way too messy and there was not a lot of action happening either. However, with this fourth installment, even though there wasn't necessarily a lot happening to move the series forward but it still had really improved my mood and placed much more faith for me with this series . . . so it's great to finally fall back in love with it despite the storyline cliches and teenage angst being put here and there. It's a real treat regardless of all that.

Now while I still love and adore the characters including Kylie, her best friends and their super duper camp-leader  Holiday, and while each one of them grows in maturity levels, but the only problem for me - the problem I still seem to be having with this book series alone - is the love triangle and from what I said in my previous reviews for the previous installments of this series is that the author keeps going back and forth between the two boys, Lucas and Derek, and I'm really starting to get tired of it. I love both boys for many different reasons but enough is enough, and boy I can't wait for the final installment to see who Kylie chooses in the end because I'm going to have a party when that time comes. Seriously. I mean I was always on Team Lucas but since he has become a total douche in this book (as sad as it is), I think Derek has a really good shot with Kylie and I just hope she picks him because it's clear she still has feelings and that strong connection with him.

Overall, apart from the love triangle mess, WHISPERS AT MOONRISE definitely steps up compared to the last installment and it was a very fun read. With plenty of action, romance, complicated relationships, and many intriguing new things happening in the world of C.C. Hunter's, I think many other fans of this series will be pleased with this new book and by the time they finish it, they will all be gearing up for the fifth and final installment coming out next year! I certainly cannot wait to read it!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Pages: 360pgs

The Story

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That's what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she's exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn't interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they're coming for her - tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom's overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister's academy gossip and laugh at her Dad's stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything's okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there's no turning back.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for accepting my request in reading this book early!

Without a doubt CREWEL is one of the most creative books I've read so far this year. With the numbers rising in the YA dystopian genre it's very hard to find a title that offers something new, surprises me, and separates itself from the rest of the books in terms of its own imaginative world-building, but fortunately enough this book it did all of that and more. For me CREWEL was a clear standout with its complex concept, an interesting and feisty young heroine, and it also kept throwing twists around at every corner which is needless to say became a very enjoyable read!

Reminding me along the lines of Ally Condie's Matched and Lauren Oliver's Delirium series, CREWEL has a pretty similar society with their governments and cruel leaders who closely monitor its citizens at every turn that they make. Only in this particular world there is a strict system - a pool actually - where people known as Spinsters control peoples' marriages, put restrictions to how many children people shall have in their entire lives, choose jobs for what people should have and even make people forget who they are if they really have to . . . the possibilities of time and the human mind is endless. Then there enters a sixteen-year-old girl named Adelice who is chosen by her society to become a Spinster as she possesses an incredible ability of weaving time on an actual loom, and basically the story opens up her new life and her entire world as well which leads to new love, confronting dangers, and many other terrible things in her seemingly so-called 'perfect' society.

Adelice, our main heroine, was one of those characters that surprised me the most in the book. At the beginning when I had first met with her, I wasn't too sure whether I was going to like this girl or not. She just didn't seem like someone I could relate to . . . but I did. A lot actually. For someone who was so closed off from her dystopian world and someone who has to face so many tough situations being thrown at her constantly, just when you thought she would give up, she just ended up never backing down from a fight and continued to be herself at every possible moment. She never changed and even if she did for a moment or two, it was only for 'pretend' and to show others she was following the rules as she was supposed to, which I guess made me like her even more and more. She was cunning, creative and awe-inspiring. So way a go Adelice! I'm totally on your team right now!

As for the romance section of the book, this element alone was what I feared the most in this title since the blurb hinted at a possible love triangle occurring  Like I say in most reviews, I don't like love triangles anymore than you do (or maybe you love them), unless, of course, they are written well and serve some purpose to the main storyline. In CREWEL's case, the love triangle was pretty good and well written too. Sure I didn't exactly swoon like the good old days over the heroine's love interests, but I still thought the author did a splendid job in adding romance among the rest of this strict dystopian society and both boys in question were really interesting, cute and total sweethearts, but it didn't - in any way, shape or form - affect the course of the book, making me a really, really happy reader and I can't wait for you to meet them. You'll love them . . . I hope.

Overall, CREWEL is one of those books where you sit back, question and think about in depth, even after you finish reading the book. With the world-building being both very clever and unique, and with characters diverse and well-developed, I'm immensely satisfied with this book and so entertained by it too, leaving me wanting more and more from this new YA series! I mean seriously THAT ending . . . hot damn I want that sequel!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars