Book Review: Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye (Eon #1) by Alison Goodman

Read from July 06 to 12, 2016

Twelve-year old Eon has been studying the ancient art of the Dragoneyes for two years. But he is playing a dangerous game: Eon is actually Eona, 16 years old and a girl. Her true identity must remain hidden at all costs: it is forbidden for women to practise the Art, and to be discovered would be punishable by death. 

Let down by her injured leg, it seems that Eon is destined to fail in her quest, until a spectacular twist in events catapults her into the opulent but treacherous world of the Imperial court. Without a master to guide her, Eon must learn to harness her unprecedented natural power, while protecting the secret that could cost her everything . . .

Set against a rich backdrop of Ancient Chinese myths and traditions and fraught with tension, this is a classic page-turner.

This book has been on my shelf for so long and I didn't even realize that I've been postponing reading such an amazing, epic story! Haha!

How do I even describe my feelings on this book? It hooked me in right from the beginning, and I would sometimes have to close the book and take a breather 'cause everything just got so intense!

Alison's writing is amazing! I love the detail, the elegance of her words. They just slipped me into her fantasy world and I loved what I saw! Everything was so fantastical and epic, just what this story excelled at!

The characters themselves were amazing! Their complexity surprised me and I loved how politics played such an immense role in character-shaping. I find it very difficult to just name a few of my favourite characters when it comes to this book. I literally fell in love with all the main characters, good and bad. They weren't just characters in this book, they were real people in my head!

And them dragons! Woah! I love the concept Alison has used here! It's just amazing! Whenever the dragons make an appearance I am just blown away by the power behind the writing!

And that ending! Who can not fangirl over that ending??? Haha! I had to take a breather before reading the last paragraph 'cause it was so damn intense! Totally blew me away with how good it was! And that cliffhanger? Dude, I'm so ready for Eona it's not even funny!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) by Kathy Reichs

Read from July 01 to 06, 2016

The meticulously dismembered body of a woman is discovered in the grounds of an abandoned monastery.

'Too decomposed for standard autopsy. Request anthropologic expertise.'

Enter Dr Temperance Brennan, Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, who has been researching recent disappearances in the city.

Despite the cynicism of Detective Claudel who heads the investigation, Brennan is convinced that a serial killer is at work. Her forensic expertise finally convinces Claudel, but only after the body count has risen...

Tempe takes matters into her own hands, but her determined probing places those closest to her in mortal danger. Can Tempe make her crucial breakthrough before the killer strikes again?

I loved loved loved this so much! I picked up this book thinking I'm in for a lengthy boring mystery but ended up loving it in the end!

First I love Tempe! I loved her character since I first read her name was Temperance Brennan coz dude, that's one heck of a cool name! Haha! I loved everything about her character and something about her really appeals to me! Haha!

And then I loved the rest of characters, and the whole team working with Tempe were awesome! I loved their dynamics, no matter whatever disagreements popped up!

And that ending had my heart pounding so fast, I had to keep the book away and take a breather! Haha!

Anyway, amazing book, totally recommend it to everyone out there! I'm dying to get my hands on the rest of series! Haha!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: The Cairo Diary by Maxime Chattam

Read from June 21 to July 01, 2016

"British-occupied Cairo, 1928: " Several young children have disappeared and were then found, horribly mutilated, in the tombs just outside the city. Panic is spreading among the locals after a cloaked giant is sighted. Has a ghoul from "One Thousand and One Nights" been brought to life? British inspector Jeremy Matheson follows the trail of the monster, which takes him into the depths of underground Cairo as well as deep into his own tortured past.
"Mont-Saint-Michel, 2005: " Marion has taken refuge in the wind-swept and remote monastery located on a spit of land on the west coast of France. In the wake of a scandal, caused by her own revelations, that is now reverberating through the French capital, she has been spirited away from Paris and brought here by the Secret Service for her own protection. When she finds a diary dating from 1928 in the monastery library, penned by Jeremy Matheson and hidden inside the jacket of an Edgar Allen Poe book, she is inexorably pulled into the past as she is being watched, and taunting notes and riddles urge her to give back what is not hers. . .

The Cairo Diary had an interesting plot behind it and I was truly caught up in the mystery of the moment. But at the same time not everything made sense to me.

I'm not a big fan of Marion since I found her actions too frustrating at times. I wasn't interested in her story at all really and I feel the author drew out her part of the story for too long.

I found 1920s Cairo more interesting than the Mount Saint Michel time period. The ghul was very interesting honestly and the whole noma thing intrigued me a lot! Haha! The ghul was the star of the story for me! Haha!

Overall, I'm not a big fan of this story. I found it too messy when it comes to details and I found it really hard to finish off reading it!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: You Belong To Me by Mary Higgins Clark

Read from June 18 to 21, 2016

When Dr. Susan Chandler decides to use her daily radio talk show to explore the phenomenon of women who disappear and are later found to have become victims of killers who prey on the lonely and insecure, she has no idea that she is exposing herself—and those closest to her—to the very terror that she hopes to warn others against.Susan sets out to determine who is responsible for an attempt on the life of a woman who called in to the show offering information on the mysterious disappearance from a cruise ship, years before, of Regina Clausen, a wealthy investment advisor. Soon Susan finds herself in a race against time, for not only does the killer stalk these lonely women, but he seems intent on eliminating anyone who can possibly further Susan’s investigation.As her search intensifies, Susan finds herself confronted with the realization that one of the men who have become important figures in her life might actually be the killer. And as she gets closer to uncovering his identity, she realizes almost too late that the hunter has become the hunted. Is she the next one marked for murder?

Picking up this book, I had high hopes since Mary Higgins Clark is a name I've heard and seen oftentimes in bookstores. I was thrilled at the mystery that boggled the characters in this story and I loved the psychological aspect of it but there were a few things that threw me off a bit.

First of all, I found the beginning of the story to be a bit of a bore. I loved the plot line and such but there was so much happening and hardly enough scenes with the main characters taking place.

I think Don Richards should have had more scenes. He seemed like a pretty important character to warrant some. Susan should have had more background. It's like there was a lot of plot-focus but maybe not enough character-focus.

I didn't feel the excitement that usually comes with reading a good mystery until I was past the first half of this story. Only then did I "eat up" the pages trying to make it to the end.

However, I loved Clark's plot line here and the plot twists were amazing! I would definitely pick up more of her books from now on!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Read from June 13 to 18, 2016

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money. So with the help of his friend Preston and his girlfriend, Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something, and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice about it. But then Preston never comes home. And the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead to Preston's body.Terrifying clues that point to Max as the killer…

Honestly, I didn't think I'll love this book as much as I did once I was done with it! It felt really good to read a pretty awesome mystery thriller after so long.

I loved everything about this book except for a few loopholes that I found very confusing and unbelievable, but the end result had me loving it anyway! I loved the character and I loved the plot. I loved Stokes' writing as well. I'm definitely picking up more of her books the next time I visit a bookstore! :D

my Goodreads review