Book Review: Windfall (Weather Warden, #4) by Rachel Caine

 

Read from January 12 to 22, 2015

You think you’re having a bad day? Joanne Baldwin has lost her job as a Weather Warden and saving the world doesn’t usually come with a decent pension plan. It also doesn’t come with any guarantees of landing a day job that won’t suck or finding a mystical cure for her critically ill Djinn lover. Burdened with a difficult sister in need of rescue, accused of weather-related murder, and finding herself in the middle of a Djinn civil war … well, Joanne’s bad times are just getting worse.With enemies approaching from all sides, not to mention mounting credit card bills (Manolos don’t come cheap, you know) Joanne is praying for a windfall. But the mother of all hurricanes approaching the Florida coast isn’t quite what she had in mind.

This was so so so so much darker than I ever thought this series would go! Ending this book was a lot like going through a terrible life experience and then being unable to grasp what the hell happened!

I just love the characters; that simple fact never changed! I loved the old and the new characters. Caine's characters have so much personality that it's hard to think of them as fictional! That's one amazing thing about her writing!

Also, I feel as if the series matured into something bigger with this book. New variables were thrown in, new dangers, new allies, and a whole new plot! Honestly, this book was a "storm". There was so much going on and everything matters.

I loved the interludes! You don't realise who is talking in the interludes until you approach the end. And that had quite a big impact; when you do realise who's voicing the interludes, you wish you had read them more keenly. That was really sad! And since I don't wanna expose major spoilers, I sound like a lunatic! Lol! But really though, I'm more upset than I thought I'd be by the tragedy towards the end of the book.

I'm excited to see what the rest of the series will be like, since Caine ended Windfall with quite a huuuuuuuuuge cliffhanger ;)

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Blubber by Judy Blume

Read from January 16 to 18, 2015

It's easy to bully someone, especially when they're weak and different, and everyone else joins in the game. That's why they all call Linda 'Blubber', including Jill. Jill can't stop joining in, even though she can see how much Linda is hurting.

When I started this book, I was pretty upset with how narrow-minded Jill was.  It frustrated me to no end and I really didn't like her character.

But it wasn't until Jill became victimised that I understood what Blume was trying to point out.

They're kids and their focus doesn't extend much past their own problems. It's the popular kid that's the focus point of all the bullying. And everyone takes part in bullying as long as they're not the victim. It's pretty sad to see how it just unroll from there, especially when I've never experienced anything that cruel at that age.

I especially loved the author's note at the end where Blume honestly explained the situation in real life, which really got to me.

The ending was pretty significant too. There was no significant conclusion there; to me, that implies that regardless of the cruelty of bullying, life goes on as normal.

Overall, this book may be a book for younger kids, but reading it is important for all age groups. It gets a very important message through to the reader. That in itself makes this book a very deep one.

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Read from January 08 to 14, 2015

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.After. Nothing is ever the same.

I was definitely not prepared for this level of awesomeness! John Green is just so amazing and I think I joined his fan club! :P

For starters, the Before section of the book was all fun and games and all the rest of adolescent life moments. I tabbed so many pages in this section because I just loved his writing! His analogies were genius and just so beautiful! His writing just carried me through the book, and the only word that comes to my mind to describe how I felt is 'spellbound'.

I felt the mood shift once I reached the After section of the book. It got more serious, darker and more philosophical (sort of, I think?) I've tagged markedly less in this section. The beginning of this section was truly, painfully sad. It just broke my heart; my vision blurred a bit with tears even (I hate getting emotional when reading). But the mood lightened towards the ending, and even though it wasn't as light-hearted as it was in the beginning, it was less tragic. I couldn't help realizing that Green pretty much mimicked the natural process of grieving here: you don't forget but it gets easier with time.

Subverting the Patriarchal Paradigm made me laugh so hard! And it was so beautiful though! I just love how they carried it out to move on from the tragedy. This was a huge turning-point, and I'm just glad that Green made the reader her(or him)self feel that.

Looking For Alaska was absolutely beautiful, in my opinion. It showed life for what it is, and it didn't hesitate to show the reality. This book taught me so much, and I feel so lucky for having come across this book. I don't think I've learned this much about life from a fiction book! Haha! I'm so excited to see what the rest of John Green's amazing books are gonna be like!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan & Kelly Link

Read from January 03 to 12, 2015

"If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons to stay indoors and fall in love."

I buddy-read this with @bookswithchai on Instagram! 

MIDNIGHTS by RAINBOW ROWELL = This story was really cute and it's sort of something I wish would happen to me. LOL! I really loved Noel! ;)

THE LADY AND THE FOX by KELLY LINK = This story was a bit disjointed, in my opinion. I was pretty confused thought out the story but was a bit less confused at the end :P

ANGELS IN THE SNOW by MATT DE LA PENA = I loved this story! It had so much sentimentality in it and that was beautiful!

POLARIS IS WHERE YOU'LL FIND ME by JENNY HAN = Aw! This broke my heart!!! It was really beautiful and I loved Natalie! Han's writing is awesome!!!

IT'S A YULETIDE MIRACLE, CHARLIE BROWN by STEPHANIE PERKINS = OMG I loved this story!!! Marigold and North were so cute and I just loved the two of them together! This story absolutely warmed my heart! :)

YOUR TEMPORARY SANTA by DAVID LEVITHAN = Wow, this story went so deep! I really enjoyed it though! :)

KRAMPUSLAUF by HOLLY BLACK = I really liked this story too! That ending was so meaningful and I loved the party! XD

WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE, SOPHIE ROTH? by GAYLE FORMAN = I loved this too! It was all so beautiful and I just wish something like this would happen to me! As always, Gayle Forman's writing is amazing!!!

BEER BUCKETS AND BABY JESUS by MYRA MCENTIRE = I loved this story too!!! It was so cute and I loved Vaughn! A very nice Xmas story!!! :)

WELCOME TO CHRISTMAS, CA by KIERSTEN WHITE = OMG this story was so sweet!!! It was brimming with Christmas warmth and I just loved it so much!!! :)

STAR OF BETHLEHEM by ALLY CARTER = This story was really beautiful! I loved everything that happened and it was such a wonderful story! :)

THE GIRL WHO WOKE THE DREAMER by LAINI TAYLOR = This was an okay story but I expected better!

my Goodreads review 

Book Review: Chill Factor (Weather Warden, #3) by Rachel Caine

Read from December 29, 2014 to January 03, 2015

Weather Warden extraordinaire Joanne Baldwin, who protects the human race from monster storms, was killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. She's been through a lot – and stuck her neck out many times – to save innocent lives. Now she is rolling the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid from destroying the world...A teenager has holed up in style at a Las Vegas hotel with the most powerful Djinn in the world, planning who knows what kind of mischief. The Wardens' senior leadership is dead, Djinn are disappearing, and a secret society wants to help Joanne destroy the teenager, even if doing so kills her again. But everyone in Vegas has a game going, and Joanne has to learn the rules fast because the stakes have never been higher – and all hell is about to break loose..."

This book was darker than the two books before it! New elements were introduced, tragedies happened, miracles happened and Jo stayed the sassiest heroine ever! :P

I'm in love with Jo's character! She's so strong and so sassy and so awesome! I'm gonna keep rooting for her no matter what! Also, I just keep loving more and more of her and David! This book had so little of them together but I loved the few moments they shared, and that ending killed me! :'( Buuuuuut, I'm still giggling over the (spoiler) that happened! ;)

I'm pretty torn about Lewis! But I still love his character! Also, I love the team-up that happened at the ending 'cause that was a whole overload of awesomeness! :P

Once again, I'm pretty happy with how the story turned out but am still so unhappy that I don't have the paperback with me! Sniff, sniff! But I loved the plot twists that made me swear my head off and the characters that made go head over heels for them!

my Goodreads review

My December Book Haul

 

Here's my December Book Haul!!!

 

I bought so many books last month and I'm so happy that I did! XD Most of them are from Magrudy's and the rest from Sarasavi Bookshop :)

 

Here's my book haul:

 

• The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black 

• 10000 Ghost Stories by Lisa K. Weber & Jason Hook 

• The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken 

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 

• Dreamless by Josephine Angelini 

• Half Bad by Sally Green 

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 

• Nevermore by James Patterson 

• The Selection by Kiera Cass 

• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 

10 books in total!!! How awesome is that?!? :D

My December Wrap-Up

 

WOOHOO!!! I read 5 books last month!!! :D

 

I read these three books, a borrowed book and an eBook! I'm so happy about the progress! :D

 

My Christmas Wrap-Up is:

 

• Where She Went by Gayle Forman - 5/5 stars.

• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - 3/5 stars.

• Ill Wind by Rachel Caine - 4/5 stars.

• Villainous Victorians by Terry Deary - 5/5 stars.

• Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine - 4/5 stars.

 

Aaaaand my favourite book of December 2014 is Where She Went by Gayle Forman :)

How about you guys? How many books did you guys read for Christmas? :)

Book Review: Heat Stroke (Weather Warden, #2) by Rachel Caine

Read from December 22 to 29, 2014

Accused of murder, Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin was chased across the country—and killed—by a team charged with hunting down rogue Wardens.Five days later, Joanne had a lovely funeral and was posthumously cleared of all charges. Her human life was over, but she had been reborn in Djinnhood. Now, until she masters her enhanced powers, Joanne must try to avoid being "claimed" by a human. But when a hazard that only a Djinn could sense infiltrates Earth's atmosphere, Joanne must somehow convince someone to do something about it—or the forecast will be deadly. So who said being all-powerful was going to be easy? 

I loved this! I wish David appeared more in the book but I still loved! It's hard not to like Jo! ;)

The plot is so much more complex than in Ill Wind and I absolutely loved it! I loved the new characters and the new complications!

I loved how less "localized" the story was in this! It had more hero material and higher stakes! I also loved how all the big shots are more intertwined in the story!

And the ending was so awesome! It was all so fast-paced and exhilarating! I just loved it! Everything was happening so fast and I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to keep pace with the story! Lol!

All in all, I loved this too and I can't wait to see what the next book has in store! Also, I wanna read more of David and Jo! They're so perfect for each other! 

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Ill Wind (Weather Warden, #1) by Rachel Caine

Read from December 19 to 21, 2014

First in the new Weather Warden series...  Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...  

OMG I loved this!!! Seeing all the not-so-positive reviews on Goodreads, I thought I might not like it, but this is actually pretty good!

I loved Caine's universe here. The powers of the Wardens were complex and goddamn powerful, and that was just totally cool!!! And Jo's superior abilities were mindblowing! I love how Caine explores the Wardens' power over their elements; she makes it so complex and beautiful that I've decided on labelling Wardens as totally cool! ;)

Also, I love Jo! She's so sassy and such a smart-ass that I can't help loving her character! And OMG, David is such a hottie!!! And I'm in love with their relationship!

And I love Lewis!!! It's so hard not to! That dude's so hot and totally swoon-worthy! I'm just so in love with Daniel and Lewis!

I loved Caine's writing! Her style is really attention-grabbing and I just can't stop reading what she's written! Love it!

Overall, this was one hell of a roller-coaster ride and I enjoyed it every step of the way! And that ending was shocking!!! ;)

my Goodreads review

My November Wrap-up

I'm glad to say I'm not worse than I was last month! This time it's four books as well! Same as last month!

Here they are!

• Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - 5/5 stars

• To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - 5/5 stars

• Inheritance by Christopher Paolini - 5/5 stars

• If I Stay by Gayle Forman - 3/5 stars

It's really hard to which was my best read of the month; definitely To All The Boys I've Loved Before or Inheritance. Those two were incredible!

So, I'm not sure whether I can keep up my pace this month as well because it's gonna be such a busy month, but I have already finished my first December read, so I have faith! :)

Stay tuned for reviews, guys! :)

Book Review: Where She Went (If I Stay, #2) by Gayle Forman

Read from November 30 to December 01, 2014

If you had a second chance at first love . . . would you take it?It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life. And three years he’s spent wondering why. When their paths cross again in New York, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.Perfect for fans of John Green and David Levithan, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Wow! This is such a huge leap from the first book! It's like, not only did the characters mature but so did the author! It's such an amazing experience!

I loved it from the moment I started reading it! I found it hard to believe that the same person who wrote If I Stay ended up writing this awesomeness!

From the first chapter, I was hooked! I loved Adam so much, and am so happy that Forman decided on doing this book in his POV! I actually liked the change in POV between the two books! In my opinion, it allowed the reader to understand both the characters and love them both! That was really nice!

I missed the classical music that was such a major part of If I Stay but I still can't find fault with this book! Really, it was amazing!

And that ending melted my heart! It was just so perfect and I would never ask Forman to change it! Really beautiful!

Overall, this book was faaaaaaar better than its predecessor and I am so glad I decided on continuing to read this series because this book was so worth it!

my Goodreads review

Book Reviews: If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) by Gayle Forman

Read from November 29 to 30, 2014

'Just listen,' Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.'I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen.
'Stay,' he says.
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.But life can change in an instant.A cold February morning . . . a snowy road . . . and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one.As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.Haunting, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, If I Stay will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be.

Well, this was an okay read. I liked it but I didn't feel the story much. I don't hate it but it was as emotional as I expected it to be. Frankly, I had higher expectations.

Mia was pretty cool and I really liked her family. I was actually quite inspired to try out the soundtrack of this book because I really loved how passionate she was about music.

I'm really happy that this was more of a family thing than a romance-centred story! That I loved because that's what it should be about!

This book actually made me tear up twice! And I love that! :P

Overall, this was okay, but I started the sequel already, and that seems better.

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Inheritance: Or The Vault of Souls (The Inheritance Cycle, #4) by Christopher Paolini

 

Read from November 13 to 29, 2014

It began with Eragon....It ends with Inheritance.Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to imagine. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaesia? And if so, at what cost?This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini's worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

I just finished reading this seconds ago and OH MY GOD I DON'T KNOW HOW TO COPE WITH THIS ENDING!!! It was so beautiful, so amazing, so epic! I will respect Paolini forevermore because of how genius his writing is! Hands down genius!!!

It was so hard when I started nearing the end of the book and I kept putting off reading continuously because I really didn't want it to just end! The whole series is one of the most amazing I've read and Inheritance was just the epic ending it deserved! So damn amazing!

I connected so much with the characters and it was so heartbreaking at the end! Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, Thorn, Arya, Nasuada, Roran and everybody else in this series will be forevermore an unforgettable part of my life! I don't think I'll ever let go of them! :')

This was such an amazing, epic, beautiful ending to one of the best series I've ever read and I don't think I'll ever not get emotional over this ending!

Se onr sverdar sitja hvass.

my Goodreads review

Book Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before (To All The Boys I've Loved Before, #1) by Jenny Han

Read from November 24 to 27, 2014

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

I have no idea how to describe how amazing this book was! Absolutely amazing!

From the first, I loved Han's writing style! It was so conversationalist, and that just formed this deep bond between me and Lara Jean! I just absolutely loved all the characters though, especially Lara Jean!

This made me feel all the emotions; I was sighing, laughing, shouting, scolding! The whole spectrum of emotions! Haha!

In a way I think I absolutely loved it because I was able to connect with the Song girls's experiences: the death of a parent, taking care of the family, trying to keep it together, being inexperienced in the dating front, etc, etc... So many connections and that just made me love this more!

This book is a must-read for all people out there and Jenny Han just got an express ticket to my favourite authors club!

my Goodreads review

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

HAPPY 2015 EVERYONE!!!  

2014 was such an amazing year, and I got introduced to so many amazing new things! What I really got down into in 2014 was #bookstagram! I started my book photography account sometime in August and now I'm all the way up to 900+ followers, which is so amazing! 

I wouldn't be posting reviews semi-regularly either if I hadn't started my Instagram, so yay! :P 

Thank you so much, guys, for standing by me and supporting my blog and Instagram! I hope y'all have an amazing 2015 and that all your dreams and hopes will come true!

Also, I'm really sorry I didn't post throughout November and December but I've been busy with family trips and whatnot! I'll be posting my reviews and wrap-ups real soon, so stay tuned! :)