All These Things I've Done

Title: All These Things I've Done
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Release Date: 6 September 2011
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Birthright #1
Pages: 354

Synopsis:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty.

And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend.

That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Anya is a headstrong girl who is mature for her age, and very practical.
Though it made her seem weak willed, or like a push over at times, her ability to keep valuable information to herself has saved her many times, and I admit, if I were in her position I would have died just for getting in trouble with my words.
At times you want just her to talk back to the aggressor, batter them down with witty words and comebacks and spill secrets of their torrid affairs, but then you find out the trouble she circumvented just by choosing her words carefully.
Which makes her very unique in the YA world of course, what with all the back-talking, trigger-happy people who tend to rant speak on impulse and make the situation worse.

She is a girl who can make mature decisions, sometimes risking her pride, without compromising her family's safety, notwithstanding certain relationships of course.
She is obviously the authority in her family, with her brother impaired by an accident, a 12 year old sister and her grandmother strapped to machines. She relies a lot on what she learned from her father to take care of them, flying under the radar- because her father was the previous crime boss of the Balachine crime family and people would gladly blame them for things they did not do.

But then trouble always has a way of finding Anya. One of the perks of reading crime family books is that you can rely on having a backstabber in the family.
Which of course, ultimately causes much trouble for Anya and her immediate family.
She goes through much, and having her ex-boyfriend poisoned by the chocolate manufactured by her family that she gave him does not exactly help her "fly-under-the-radar" status. Suffering through arrogant adults, emotional issues in her personal and family life, and being in a school where teachers on your side are an 11:1 (you can guess the number that likes her), Anya won't fail to keep things up.

This book ends with many questions as to what will happen next, and with such a charged ending like that, no doubt many will be waiting and haranguing their bookstore for the next.

The idea of this dystopia is pretty interesting. Here we don't see much of political/government interest in our characters, but with a focus on just the crime force and the police. Which is a fresh breath of air compared to the other dystopian novels where the government always has something to do with the plot.

Also, the idea that caffeine is prohibited, although only in that country and not Europe and Russia as it seems, paper is scarce and you need a permit to use them, water is costly, disease are rampant- this is actually quite believable. (except for the caffeine part. My lovely choco+coffee= cafe mocha is too dear to me.) It would suggest that the environment is declining at a higher rate, therefore making things seem more drastic.

However, Anya's practical side becomes her demise. There are several moments when it was rather dull and the most you could do was just skim through those chapters until something interesting comes up.
It makes her very uptight, or to for want of a better word, boring. Thank goodness it does not span the entire book or you see hordes of snoring people.
Yes, she is somewhat dull, but that is the downside of having a practical character. To look at it more optimistically at least, we'll have no bouts of screaming at the silly actions of fictional characters.

Now I shall wrangle my piece on the cover.
First off, what is this book essentially about? A crime family, or even more interestingly, a Russian chocolate mafiya family. With a the predecessor's daughter as our protag. It involves intrigue! Mystery! Family shenanigans! Star-crossed lovers! Assassins!

And then you look at the cover. How is that supposed to market to the appropriate audience? If say a person wanted to read about a CHOCOLATE mafia family with a whole bunch of troubles you can stuff inside would a book with a chocolate heart seem appealing? Heck, it looks like something that would appeal more to the contemporary crowd.
Sure sure, there are some words on the bottom, but when you enter a bookstore you would need some pretty strong bionic eyesight or you wouldn't be able to see those small faint gray words.

The ideal cover would be... you know those family portraits? Where everyone is wearing all formal clothes some parlour with the head of the family in the middle, and the rest of the people positioned by rank, whatnot. But with a focus on Anya. Cliched, but you gotta admit it has glamour!

Gabrielle Zevin brings something new into the world of young adult Dystopia, and though this didn't the right spots with me all the time, I'll still recommend this to people who are looking for a new voice in dystopian fiction and enjoy mystery, romance, some strong crime family business, adventure and of course, chocolate.

4/5

Excerpt

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Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: 15 November 2011

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Series: Shatter Me #1
Pages: 338

Summary:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice:

Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

As is with much dystopians and post-apocalyptic novels, we are left in the dark as to how we reaches its terrible, miserable, rotting state. All we know is that something really really bad happened with the environment, then this army comes along and promises to save them from their terrible terrible life, and of course they're corrupted, and they rule with their fist. of. TERROR.

Juliette is this girl who thinks she's a freak because she has the Death-touch (THE cheeseDEATH-TOUCH. GET AWAY FROM HER.) and she's in prison/asylum, as a sort of quarantine to stop her from running around on a world wide massacre, giving people her touch of death because that's what people think she'd do.

One day in her dark and dank prison, a new cellmate gets shoved in. Surprisingly, it's a boy, and he's not insane! Things happen along the way.... and Juliette gets attracted to the boy, Adam, but then she's recruited by the army to be their lethal and dangerous weapon because, yeah she can massacre everyone.

Of course Juliette doesn't want to go on a spree of wanton destruction and death (heh, I like the word wanton) but the other option is back into her cell. Talk about Scylla and Charybdis.
She tries to escape- and with the army on her heels and some baggage to boot, who said life would be boring for Juliette?

***

I was rather disappointed by this book. I wouldn't say it was that bad, it was actually quite good, but not that good. It just didn't hit the spot for me.

After hearing so much rave about the book, I decided to give it a go and judge for myself whether it is, as many reviewers claim, AWESOME.

BUT NOOOOO. It bordered on the line of above average, rather good story line, but NOT as awesome as they have claimed.
The bulk of this book involved foundation building, background building, and most of the action or pacing just led up to escaping where she was or joining the group against the Reestablishment.

The anticipation... was not there. Juliette has numbed her feelings, yes. But in doing so, you have made the voice of the book more unemotional. Less vibrant, so to say. I did feel the moments of her passion, but the words used seemed to induce more monotony, as compared to life.
Useful, when you want to get the point across of her being broken and glum, then using more colourful words when describing her with Adam, or when describing her powers.
But seeing as these moments don't happen much, it sort of makes the book... feel like a death toll. It dampens your spirits. I want to feel the anticipation, but under the circumstances, you just feel quite tired.

But I did enjoy the way Tahereh Mafi's detailed description of well, everything, making much use of metaphors. Although sometimes it may be rather overkill, it helps to paint a more accurate image in your head. It may also suggest that Juliette, being so sensory deprived in her gray dungeon of doom and gloom, or more commonly known as prison, she just soaks up everything she sees and compares it to what she used to know. After getting into the book, you would get quite used to it. Well I'd be shocked if there were no detailed descriptions in every chapter.

The striked out words in the book added a more unique element to the book that we rarely see in other books. It was something new, and I enjoyed how they showed Juliette trying to hide the facts, omitting hurtful memories from the past. They also answered many of our questions pertaining to the mystery of her family, background etc. It was also pretty wicked that it looked handwritten. Like the author took out the manuscript and started crossing out words by hand.

I also liked the way they described Warren. The slightly deranged megalomaniac who may be quite, rather, maybe very, infatuated with our protagonist. And here we have our classic villian. I can imagine him with a goatee and an expression of villanous delight. He tries to convince dear Juliette to join his side with her death-touch powers with nice dresses, food, and 24 hour security. Who doesn't love a guy like that?

Now to the romance. You can call this a romance novel. Oh yes, very much. Juliette and Adam burned my eyes off with the times they tried sneaking their in their little romantic interludes. Thank goodness this is Young Adult or we'll have about 150 more pages.
Just a sidenote- is the word 'dystopian' synonymous with the word 'romance'? Not that you can't have romance, but the scale in which we have it is... astonishing. The love at first-kiss thing is getting rather old.
Then again, for those who enjoy romance in their stories, it would be pretty happy-making for them.

Some cover love coming up. I also love the cover. Look at it! Isn't it one of the nicest you've ever seen this year? Oh drool. The dress. The fierce girl rocking the dress and the cover. It also has the symbolism of Juliette breaking away from what she used to think. Does it look good on my shelf? Yes it does. Can I say the same for the story? :'( Pity for a book with such a pretty cover.

Would I recommend this book? I would.... but only when you've read all other better books. I can only cross my fingers and hope that if this is just the foundation builder, the next one would get down to buisness and hopefully get me more into the groove. Personally, I think you should read it to find out your own thoughts on the book.
Having said that, this would appeal to most dystopian fans, romance readers, people who enjoy rather unsettled characters and those who prefer some military action.

4/5

Excerpt

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Clockwork Prince

Title: Clockwork Prince

Author: Cassandra Clare
Release Date: 6 December 2011

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Series: The Infernal Devices #2
Pages: 497

Goodreads Description:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

It was such a delight coming back to the world of Shadowhunters. The most insteresting parts were trying to decipher the ancestors of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Alex from The Mortal Instruments and go "I know who your descendants are!". Oh what fun times me and my darling book have.

The Infernal Devices is set in Victorian London, the same world in TMI. It is the Shadowhunter world in the past, and we get to see how the problems they have to deal with are equally aggravating and fun.

In the Clockwork Prince, The characters continue to deal with the Magister and his nefarious plans. Apart from getting grief from the Magister, Charlotte's leadership is challenged by some members of the Council of Shadowhunters.

The institute is under pressure to prove itself, which is most certainly hard in these dark days.

Turmoil has not spared the other members of the institute- Will has to confront the demons (or should I say demon?) of his past, Tessa finds out more about her true parentage and her family, Jem has to deal with his illness and other matters of the heart, Sophie recieves quite some attention from a man she doesn't know if she can trust, and Jessamine runs off in the night in boy clothes.

With such troubles plaguing them, who are we to be bored?

The London that Cassandra Clare described.... What is with authors making me fall for this industrial city? It certainly is a mystery, as to how the moved from London in TID to Manhattan in TMI but ah I'm sure it'll be revealed in later books.
It is the London with their grand balls, albeit rather otherworldy, (okay that sounded rather wrong. But what can I say? I'm a teen!) and and the sooty rain of the dirty streets, filled with slummers and drug dens. You cannot help but glue you eyes to the page in the oh so valiant hope that you can learn more (Please sir, can I have some more?) about this place we only know through our musty history books. Of course we can now experiece it in the full colour that the author's words conjure.
Piled with the mysteries that the characters have to solve, the betrayals they have to face, the emotianal outburts, and some firstbase action, it makes the experience much more interesting.

Tessa is the strongwilled heroine we see in most books set in the Victorian era, but with none of their unpleasantness and harping on the liberties of women or whatsoever. She simply is, no speech needed.
She is also witty, a refreshing change from most dull heroines, which is most probably why she is not just another heroine. She can actually reply Will with the same dry humour, which is a feat in itself. Her ability to shapeshift into anyone and tap into their memories is what makes the story extraordinary as she is needed several times to utilise her talents throughout the books. When in her head, it is rather disconcerting as she has to sort though their memories but no less riveting.

William Herondale. Be glad I'm dedicating a paragraph to you and your arrogant descendants. For those who have read The Mortal Instruments, it is easy to see the resemblance between Will and Jace- If only we had this series in the first place, and we wouldn't have to doubt Jace's parentage at all. But ah- another book, another series, another time. They are both infuriatingly arrogant, rude, tactful, witty- expect lots of dry humor- and of course, with the pretty boy look. Hmmph.

But then again, we don't know for sure if Will is Jace's descendant, but I'll give it a 60 % chance. Jace is a mini-Will! How can he be not of his kin?

Other than than, on to things related to Will. The description of Wales, as compared to the cramped houses of London, was enchanting. Wide open spaces with grass and the fresh smell of untainted air, oh I sound like a travel brochure! It just fills you with wistfullness- but then (as expected) Will will say something deprecating of Wales along with a quote from another piece of poetry and your happy afterglow just pops out.

Cassandra Clare begins to write more of Jem, sometimes incorporating his Chinese heritage- and surprisingly, his chinese words are actually intelligible and used in the correct context! Oh I love authors who don't use google-translate. I enjoyed the Jade-topped cane that he uses frequently, and you will eventually warm up to him (if you haven't done so already). As the parabatai of Will we see him care for him as if he were his own brother. We also find out how and why he became Will's blood brother, which is another insight into the strange goings of the Shadowhunter universe.

The ending. THE ENDING. To give fair warning to dear readers, it is an infuriating cliffhanger that really makes me wish Henry created a teleporter for me to recive the next book now. Why do authors torture us dear readers so?! The agony is ripping us all apart *wails futilely*

For those who have not read The Mortal Instruments- do not worry. Reading it will not change anything in the plot, just increase your familiarity in the world they live in. The Infernal Devices can be read without reading The Mortal Instruments because it is a whole different time period, and they can't really affect each other too much unless you create a time paradox plot or something. But then it'll be Sci-Fi. Which is basically fantasy on drugs. Though hmmmmm it would be insteresting to see Will and Jace banter with each other..... But I digress.

This book really did well as a sequel, and I loved it more than the Clockwork Angel, and it kept me reading it in one sitting- if there's one thing you cannot disclaim to Cassandra Clare's talents, it's her ability to immerse you in her book, and make you love every moment of it as well.

5/5

Excerpt
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The Faerie Ring

Title: The Faerie Ring

Author: Kiki Hamilton
Release Date: 27 September 2011

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Series: The Faerie Ring #1
Pages:352

Goodreads Description:

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

This book has become my new love. I LOVED it. The way Kiki Hamilton writes... she makes you feel like you're in the moment. Right now I just want to step inside the book, and live Tiki's life for a while.

Set in the age of the Industrial Revolution, Tiki and her friends are children- runaways, orphans, the sort- living in an abandoned clockmaker's house in central London, and make a living through pickpocketing and thievery.
On one winter's night, Tiki pulls off her biggest steal yet- a ring from Buckingham Palace. And not just any ring, but the Queen's ring, which symbolizes a peace treaty between the royals and the Fey. Of course terrors reign throughout. Floods, hailstorms, the Queen falling ill- you know, the usual. Tiki has a situation on her hands, and has to rely on her friends, including trusting people she's wary of, in order to put to rest the trouble she caused.

Before starting the book, I wasn't too enthused about it, as the cover didn't really attract. It would be way more cooler to be a scene from the industrial revolution or some thing with just the ring, the blood red of the gem winking at you amidst the otherwise drab jewellery.... or maybe to combine the two, a torso shot, with a person in a ballgown, and a hand by the side, with the ring on the middle finger... but ah, fantasies are fantasies, though I hope there will be an improvement on the next cover! It does not do the plot justice.
But anyways, the moment you start reading, it is impossible not to get drawn into the story.

I felt that the author described life in the Industrial age so well, where child labour is not unheard of, the divide between the rich and poor, from the illustrious life of the people living in the higher echelons of life to the pockets of pub-goers and the grimy life the people of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, oh she made me fall in love with the London of that that time. The way Kiki Hamilton writes, you wouldn't know she's just a debut author, more especially with the way her scenes blend so nicely from one to the other.

The mysteries in this book, especially the ones behind Rieker, Larikin, and the ones surrounding Tiki's birthmark so byzantine, and more infuriatingly so, we are left hanging on them. TORTUROUS, I tell you. TORTUROUS.

But I felt that plot resembled Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord, though Hamilton's has a more otherworldly twist to it. However, it stills retains its own originality in the way it is narrated, the voice and the events that transpire throughout.
Another nitpicky grievance I have is with the planning process. So Tiki's got the ring. But how she plans to recieve the money for it was rather... childish. Well duh, considering it's vagrants that came up with the idea, but it's the stuff of fantasies, that is rather... difficult to pull off in real life. The ball, I don't know how a gown can transform you. Or that security would be so lax. Or that you needed a situation and the perfect solution was presented.
But other than my grumblings I still enjoyed those scenes very much.

As for the characters, there was more of a focus on the protagonist and Tiki's band of merry children seldom take the scene. A pity, because I liked Toots and Shamus so much. Just a thought here- if Shamus was Irish, shouldn't his name be spelt 'Seamus" instead? Hmmm...... curious. I can't choose a favourite character, because they were at their best when working together. Reiker's secrets, Leo's and Tiki's ability to think on her feet worked together in harmony

I really took to this book, reading it was the funnest thing I did that day, and uggness, I can't wait for the next book! I need to know what will happen next! If you enjoy an paranormal-adventure book, with little mysteries and some royal fun thrown in, oh you will love this.

5/5

Purchase: Amazon| The Book Depository| Indie Bound

Tournament of Heroines

The YA Sisterhood is hosting another tourney, this time featuring HEROINES. *hyperventilates*

I love a good heroine. There is such a lack of good heroines these days. They just... lack. But of course not all heroines are flimsy and annoying and there are some I'd just like to get autographs from.

Just for general knowledge, A heroine (taken from the tourney's webby) is a female character who:

• Is admired for her noble qualities
• Meets the world head on
• Can be anyone you admire, for any reason
• Extraordinary in some way or another
• Inspire you, make you want to be better, proves that our world doesn't have to be a man's world etc...

My first three votes(you can vote for up to ten) are for....

1) Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter.

- Because I'm a crazy Potterhead and Ravenclaws are so cool. Loony Luna at the top of them all. Why not Hermione? Because, because, uh, *whispers accusingly*she's not eccentric!

2)Anabeth from Percy Jackson

- Oh man. Anabeth. is. the. best. person. ever. But Harry Potter comes first. Sorry love, you weren't born yet.

APART FROM THAT, Anabeth is smart and she can defend herself scarily well with a knife. Which probably makes her the most dangerous demigod. ever. Look at Artemis Fowl!(even if he is a boy) He's got the brains, but no fighting skills. tsktsk, what a waste.
Anabeth makes reading the PJO series all the funner, especially with her nicknaming Percy "Seaweed brain". She just grew on me. She's a damn awesome heroine, but the details of why are... fuzzy. She's just what she is, a Greek Heroine.

3) Rose from Vampire Academy

- Who doesn't love a heroine who can kick ass like Rose can?

Her attitude is charming, and she's so spunky. She is the life of the series. Everyone is so prudey and dull and she comes storming in with her "I am woman, hear me roar!"ness. Oh, how I chortle at her shenanigans.

Fine, I admit, I'm biased.

My votes are biased. Horribly so. Which is sort of the point isn't it? If you like a character, you become biased for that character, that's why you vote for them in the first place, eh? Anyhoo, I love these characters to the death. They are just too awesome! *wipes away tears*

Cross my fingers, Hope they get through the nomination round and win SO I CAN CONTINUE MY BIASEDNESS. hohoho. An outlet!

Who would you vote for? (you know you're a potterhead.)

If you want to vote for your heroine, click on the banner above! It'll bring you to the website and you can vote away! The tourney ends on Thursday, 24 November, so better hurry!

Inheritance

Title: Inheritance

Author: Christopher Paolini
Release Date: 8 November 2011

Genre: Young Adult High Fantasy
Series: Inheritance Cycle #4
Pages: 849

Goodreads description:

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 chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

I read it with relish. Christopher Paolini's writing has improved throughout the years, and this book made me feel more involved and adding a lot more anticipation, unlike the previous books which where not as easy to plow through.

Eragon has also grown through the book, in age as well as wisdom and skill. He is no longer the farmboy living near Carvahall, rather the powerful dragon rider who is vital to the success of the Varden. He has become more matured and does what he needs to do, with the consequence in mind. We still see his caring side come out though, more so when his cousin Roran is hurt or if anyone is in need.

Just for the record, I felt that the book was aptly named. Inheritance also symbolises a passing down of sorts, and we sure do see lots of that too don't we? As the last book, it certainly deserves to be called Inheritance as we see that finalising in here.

Before reading the book, I was afraid that I had to reread the previous because I may have, accidently, forgotten what happened... BUT NO FEAR! There was an recap of the first three books in the beginning and I could thankfully start the book without having to flip through the other books furiously to reference facts. That, was a lifesaver. Whoever thought of that, you are a genius and you deserve a ton of chocolate for your geniusness. Geniosity. Geniusism. Genibity. Genie!

But I digress.

The battle scenes were. SO. EPIC. The alternating POVs Between Eragon and Roran reallyn made it even more so, as we see what's going on inside against Galbatroix and outside where the bloodthirsty soldiers clashed and blood flowed.

The eagerly anticipated encounter with Galbatroix was amazing. How would they fare against his power? What will they do? Or more importantly, what can Galbatroix do? I assure you, it is gobsmackingly amazing.

Meanwhile we see the Varden facing off the large manpower of the Empire's soldiers with vigour, Roran at the head. He fights and adapts well to the weapons he must use, though he is most impressive with his mighty stony hammer. We get to see the action and feel your blood racing as you get caught up in the exhilarating legendary battles only high fantasy books can deliver.

There are certain bombshells in this book and surprises around the corner and woah yes they are mindblowing. They open up many things for scrutiny and the turn of events are unexpected. You would not think of that happening in the first place. But it was definitely fun to see it unravel! Several chapters were chill inducinig as you feared for their lives certain were exhilarating as you get caught up in the plot. Oh the joy of reading!

The ending was exquisite. It doesn't just end there when war is over, but we see what they do after the war, which is of course a daunting task. We also see Angela's divination come about, which makes it ever so bittersweet.

My favourite character is Angela. And Nasuada.

Angela the queer herbalist has been as mystery to us all throughout the books. Who is she? What is she? What can she do? I admit, the element of mystery has made me like her more but damn, it would be nice to know her once and for all. Always there with Solembum at her side whenever the Varden is in need, I have come to await her arrival, for she always makes it more amusing.

Nasuada is the strongwilled leader of the Varden. I prefer her to Ajihad for the Varden head for she will do everything she can to ensure the success of the Varden, even to put asaide her hate with the Urgals after they killed her father. Without her, the Varden is helpless. She has the charisma and leadership skills that is rare amongst people, and people actually listen to her, despite her gender.

Just to say, I ship Aryagon. DO YOU KNOW HOW SAD AND DEJECTED I WAS WHEN THERE IS NO FINALIZATION DONE BETWEEN THESE TWO?!?! Damnit this isn't middle-grade, you know. It's not a romance novel but that doesn't mean a little can be injected inside, right?! RIGHT?! Ah troll, this is just too sad. Think of all the possibilities! graaaaaarrrrrrgghhhhhhhh. This reader is going to strangle you for leaving me hanging unhappy. YOU HEAR THAT, AUTHOR?!?!?!

Inheritance was the perfect ending to the Inheritance cycle except for certain *ahem* things that fail. to. happen. , and I could not imagine it any different from what it is. It is what it should be.

5/5

Destined

Title: Destined

Author: P.C Cast & Kristin Cast
Release Date: 25 October 2011

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Series: House of Night Series #9
Pages: 325

Goodreads Description:

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet -- which would be a whole lot easier if the High Council saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together -- if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia's handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there's the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more -- or possibly less -- than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there's something strangely familiar about him . . .

Will Neferet's true nature be revealed before she succeeds at extinguishing Light? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox's humanity in time to protect them all? Find out what's destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

*throws book across the room*

If this isn't masochism I don't know what it is.

I have dutifully waited and bought every single book in their series, even the useless handbook. I have spent time, TIME that could have been better spent reading other book, finishing this book in the faint hope that maybe the plot would straighten out and poof! great story again! AND THIS IS WHAT I GET?! AGAIN?!

This book, is the equivalent of a teenage soap opera. A very squirm-in-my-seat-why-is-this-happening-?!?!?!?!-bad soap opera. Get ready for a very ranty review with lots of ARRRRRGGGGGGHHH moments involved.

Let's talk about the cover first shall we? The cover, like all the other covers, are more revealing in nature, but not AS bad as the previous cover, which made it look like a PNR cover.

This one, is an upgrade.

We know it's Aurox, with the hair thing going on and the bull shadow thingamajig behind him. And look! It's only a partition in the front that does not make me want to hide this from my younger cousins! But you know what they say about covers.

First I shall rant on Heath Luck. I reallyreallyreallyreallyREALLYreally don't like Heath. In the first few books he came across as this really despo ex-boyfriend who acted like a druggie half the time(but, but zoey! I need you! slobber bite kiss kiss) and never made any sense.

I don't like the way he acted. I don't like seeing him in any scene. I don't like desperate people. He seems to screw e v e r y t h i n g up. WHY WON'T HE STAY DEAD?!?!?!?!

His surname is a colossal joke. His new name also sounds like a colossal joke. It woud fit in a Transformers movie as a Decepticon. "My name is Aurox and my fist is the last thing you'll ever see!"

Relationships (Translation: Sitcom Drama). Oh man. Daddy problems? And WHY THE HELL DOES EVERYBODY NEED TO BE PAIRED UP?! *tugs at hair in frustration*

Lenobia was supposed to be a Vampyre version of Artemis, in my head, THEN SHE HAD TO HAVE A LOVE INTEREST HUH? She was the one person, the one rational person I liked and then.. and then... okay maybe I liked the cowboy dude but that's not the point! She can always get a boyfriend after all the mess right? right? but noooooooo she had to have a love interest at such a crappy time.

The twins. They were the epitome of 'bff'-ness. I refuse to think that a person's personality can change so fast, nor can I believe that we can be oblivious, OBLIVIOUS to the personality of people.

Oh hey look here! (infodump here). Oh hey look there! (infodump there). *takes out umbrella* STOP. RAINING. INFODUMPS!

Anything that needs be known should be said in the previous instalments! This is the what, ninth book? Too late for these things, amigos.

Zoey says:"I don't want to lead any battle. You do it. Or ask Darius to. Or even Stark." So on and so forth.

I am so sick and tired of her self-denial. Girl you must be from Egpyt cuz you living in de-nile! Hurhur. The Nile. De Nile. Denial. AHAHAHA CORNY MOMENT! But back to my point.

She does not accept that she has got to get her girl-pants together and face reality. She's very "I don't want to do this, oh groan, misery, misery, quibble." Darn if you don't want to do it, don't!

Oh but I have to admit, Zoey's use of words are so cute. Gigantic+huge= Gihugic. lolololol I just sat there staring at the word until I figured it out. Then came awesomesauce. As a teenager, I have never heard anyone say anything remotely close to the word "awesomesauce". That was one weird moment when I had a bout of what-is-this-what-is-that-why-why-WHY-?!. Which does happen a lot throughout the book. Just saying.

Apart from Zoey's cute colloquialisms, I have a bone to pick with Neferet. If she never wanted to RULE THE WORLD none of this would've happened and I can stop stabbing myself with this series.

• Why did she make so much trouble? to RULE THE WORLD!
• Why did she want a stupid vessel? to RULE THE WORLD!
• Why does Zoey have so much annoying boyfriend shit? Because Neferet wants to RULE THE WORLD!
• Why does Lenobia have a love interest? Because Neferet wants to RULE THE WORLD!
• Why is Dragon wife-less? Because of Kalona's spawn.
• Why the shit do we have Kalona and his spawn? Because Neferet wants to RULE THE WORLD! (see how tiring this is getting?)
  
  
• Why did she want to RULE THE WORLD? She had a shitty childhood. And she's power hungry.
• How does she plan to RULE THE WORLD? Killing puny humans and everyone in her way.
• Who is in her way? Zoey Redbird!
• How does she plan to get rid of her? RULE THE WORLD! (see where this is going?)

Because of her great idea to RULE THE WORLD! , Zoey has to fight her. Then you can refer to bullet points 7 and 8 and revel in the thing we call CIRCULAR REASONING.

On a side note, she can advertise to villians you know. "Why limit yourself to a country when you can RULE THE WORLD! Expand your horizons by joining me today!" Add a megawatt smile and some intense graphics and she's set for advertising heaven.

By this point you'd expect me to run out of interrobangs, BUT NOOOOO. There's more.

WHAT IS WITH THE POP CULTURE REFERENCES?!?!?!!? LOTR, Sookie stackhouse, youtube, darling you gotta be kidding me. They really annoy me. I happen to like LOTR and Sookie Stackhouse (sorry youtube) AND THEN YOU COME BARGING IN WITH YOUR REFERENCES.

Call me a hypocrite for the Transformers reference but at least I know WHEN to put it in. What about Zoey? Was it neccessary? Was throwing in dear old Shelob and Frodo neccessary? The Ring(?!)? The remark about Sam and the Two-ies? Really? REALLY?! The answer is a big fat NO.

The ending. THE ENDING. I like taking about endings a lot. But this makes me want to AJSHLKSDAKLAKSDJ strangulate the book. What the crapozoid?! That was one weird ending. No me gusta. NO. nonononononononono. The location is bad. What it concerns and how it led up to that bamboozles me. And guess what? You'd probably know what they're in the midst of, because IT IS THE SAME WITH EVERY OTHER BOOK. Go check the previous installments. Go check the last few pages. What are they doing? What are they doing? Gee let me see. A RITUAL. Why does that not surprise me?

* throws book across the room again*

If you want to read this... Okay there's something wrong with you too. LET US WALLOW IN OUR POOL OF MASOCHISM TOGETHER!

But if this can make me rant like a mad woman on capslock... I suppose I'll buy the next one too.

2.5/5

(If you noticed the jarring jumping from topics in this review, I had to leave the room a few times to vent my anger and therefore= no smooth flow of thoughts. Personally, I'l blame the book. #blaming everyone but yourself)

2012 Debut Author Challenge

When I saw that the Story Siren had put up post on the Debut author challenge for the next year (only 2 months more, mind you.) , my first coherent thought was...

Hohoho. Okay that was rather cheesy.

So the Debut Author Challenge 2012 is a challenge hosted by The Story Siren. It's the fourth time she's hosting this, and the objective of this challenge is to read & review a minimum of 12 young adult or middle grade debut novels between January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013.

The rules are also pretty simple:

1. Have a blog/Goodreads account to write your reviews
2. Reviews must be in English.
3. Books read must be Middle-Grade(ages 9+) or Young Adult(ages 13-17)
4. Books must be the Author's YA/MG debut and published in 2012

The deadline to sign up on the linky for this challenge is May 31, 2012 and you can do so here.

For more information on the challenge, you can look here.

I decided to join this challenge because it's fun to see what the new batch of authors have to offer. So far the main theme for most YA fantasy books is Faeries, Vampires, Witches, Greek Mythology, Werewolves and Angels. It would be fun to see what these authors might do with these themes, or what they might do differently. But of course I don't limit it to fantasy. It'll be fun to discover and unearth new stories of mystery, romance, intrigue, adventure... oh the joy!

Here are some of the books I am looking forward to in 2012:

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - 1 May 2012

"What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil."

The Selection by Kiera Cass - 24 April 2012

"For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare."

The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards - 17 January 2012

"Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.

When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler ... Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all."

That's just a peek into what I'm looking forward to in the debut novels of 2012. What are you looking forward to?

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Release Date: 7 March 2007

Genre: Middle-Grade Adventure, Science Fiction
Series: The Mysterious Benedict Society #1
Pages: 492

Website Description:

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"

When this particular ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, and test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

I found this book when I randomly poked a book to see what I would get.
I have to admit, the cover seemed rather... bland. It just didn't invoke any response in me, y'know? My reaction was more of "Oh hey, what a nice cover. 4 children running around, nice pastel-ish background. meh." It's equivalent to sayin "LOL" without actually laughing. Which a lot of people do. Just saying.
But what reaaaaaally caught my eye was the synopsis.
It caught me at "Are you a gifted child looking for special oppurtunities?" Wowzah. It was in red, not glaring red, but when words are capitalized and thrown in your face like that, you tend to notice. It then mentions tests. Mysterious ones. Mind-bending ones. That really made me interested and excited. And then a secret mission. Man, they really like to test the will of my wallet huh? My will crumbled and my wallet felt the strain of guilty pleasure.

I was not disappointed. I should have read this book earlier!
Everything caught me. The characters, the queer tests, the mission they went out for, the things uncovered, and to top it off- The ending was wonderful . Never will there be something as astonishing yet smile-making as the way this book ended.

Communicating using Morse code and cryptic words was also interesting, but risky. I was in constant dread for The Mysterious Benedict Society (can I call them TMBS? okay.) as I was certain that someone would discover the flickering lights and thier whole plan would come to shambles. Also the idea of influencing the mind, in such a interesting way! kept me reading on with vigour. How would they overcome this? How would they solve this? What is going to happen along the way? These question kept me awaiting each chapter with eager anticipation.

I also enjoyed seeing how TMBS worked as a team in order to succeed, with Sticky their walking encyclopedia, Reynie their clever mystery-solver, Kate their acrobatic extraordinaire with everything you need, and Constance the strong willed stubborn girl with her snark and intelligence.

Hmmmm the book could have improved on the cover's interestingness by making it seems less ambiguous but yet again, the title seems to suggest a mysterious setting in the first place, eh? I suppose it could incline more to the inviting mysterious, rather than the bland adrogynity of it all because people have GOT to get their hands on this book! I pity those who know not of this marvel, they are missing out on all that is good of life and living and ropes and secret societies and of puzzles.

The pace could also be faster, instead of chewing on a lettuce like a turtle. I don't mind reading a tome as long as it's interesting, which it is, but still... there is the little tendency to get a little dull. A bit like the cover.

My favourite character definitely goes to Kate. Kate, Kate, Kate. She lived in a _ _ _ _ _ !(Sorry, can't tell) How cool is that?! Her bucket sounded unconventional, but it has pulled TMBS through many tight spots. Although I would recommend a bucket cover. Her bucket is like Doraemon's (Japanese cat person) pocket! Whatever you need, Kate has... in her bucket. She intrigues me everytime she appears, and I can count on her to liven the story up.

This book was WONDERFUL, what with the adventure and the puzzles and the awesome plot and I'm definitely going to get a copy of the sequel right now. I can't wait to see what TMBS will do next! Chop chop everybody, things to do, books to buy!

5/5