Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

5 Stars

Spoilers ahead if you have not read the first book. 

I avoided reading Days of blood and starlight for more than a month, although I read the first and second chapter of DOB&S - I felt as if I already knew how the book was going to play out. The first book was outright amazing, except the ending left me confused about Karou’s (heroine) character. The little twist at the end was least to say: baffling. 

Apparently, if you have read the first book, Karou was actually resurrected and is really another person named Madrigal who is a Chimera. I wasn’t entirely confused…I was misled. Was Karou the character who I’ve learned so much about throughout the first book, or was she Madrigal – a character who I was unfamiliar with, until she was hurled at me in the last couple of chapters? It was irritating. 

The plot twist included Akiva (her forbidden love interest) who had misfortunately done something terrible and betrayed Karou. I felt at that time as if it was just a reason to bring about a complication in their romance, so it would not be tedious. 

I was far from right about my predications about the second book. I had thought Karou would show a great distaste to Akiva for thirty pages, and then be all over him. I had thought there will be angst between Akiva and Karou for an excruciating 500 pages, similar to several YA books. I was very surprisingly incorrect. The book was solely focused on character building, world building and most significantly the plot. Truthfully, there was only fifty pages of Karou and Akiva together, and there was barely much romance…more like tension (good tension). 

Review: The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

1.5 Stars

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is nothing but mah. 

Props to the writer who faintly has beautiful way with words, but also has a way with boring me to tears. Yet, I can't tell if I'm bored stiff because of the way it’s written that causes my eyes to go heavy with sleep, or if perhaps it’s the plot. It could be the characters in addition. Or, possibly it’s all three combined together to make tremendously dreary story.

Here’s a little blurb about what the book is about.

The forest of hands and teeth is about a village under the leadership of the strict and enigmatic sisters. This village happens to be surrounded by zombies who continually attempt to break through the fences in order to devour the people. Mary’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother saw the ocean and her story has been passed down five generations. This becomes Mary’s bothersome and egoistic dream to see the ocean. 

Wait, sorry did I say that was a blurb or the WHOLE plot? It’s puzzling because I truly can’t tell the difference between the plot and the blurb. 

You can almost just predict what's going to occur in the story from merely the blurb. 

Fence + Zombies = that adds up to them finally managing to break through the fence, suddenly... doesn't it?

Mary + her ocean dream = her going through a boring journey to see the ocean.

I want to introduce to you the most selfish character in the book.

Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 5 Stars         

“Is he scared of the dark?”                              “Like all monsters. Because it reminds him of what he truly is.”

I still recall the last mythology book I read, sadly. I prefer not to. I mean who would not want to erase the boring journey of Hades searching for his right wife? (If you have not guessed, I’m talking about The Goddess Test)

Cruel Beauty was able to substantiate to me that (Greek) mythology can be interesting in YA fiction, if handled correctly. 

It composed of everything I pursue for in a book:unpredictable Mystery, Imperfect heroine, both fascinating setting plus backstory. And lastly, a story partly based on BEAUTY & THE BEAST. You know, you have not completely stopped being a kid, when you continue to think of Beauty & the Beast as one of the greatest love stories. 

Quick summary of Cruel Beauty: 

Nyx Triskelion, never feels as if she belongs. Maybe, it’s because she’s motherless. Or her father pays more attention to her twin sister. Or perhaps, it could simply be the fact her father betrothed her to an evil ruler of the kingdom for a bargain. Nyx begins to train as young as nine to defeat Ignifex, in order to free herself and release her kingdom from Ignifex‘s curse, that has entrapped and left them isolated from the rest of the world for nine-hundred years. As she puts her plan to action, she realizes not everything is black and white as it seems, and killing Ignifex proves to be more difficult than she imagined. 

Review: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

3 Stars

Neil Gaiman is a fairly good at writing books that will entertain all ages. I suppose he even sometimes has a difficult time deciding what genre his next novel should be categorized, since his story can range from children to YA to adult books. 

I necessarily don't have much to say about 'The ocean at the end of lane', besides essentially that it was a crossroad between children and an adult novel. 

The novel commences with a middle-aged men who after he attends a funeral, he goes to his childhood place, which is a farm at the end of the land. He then abruptly starts having recollections of curious events that happened in childhood, after gazing at a pond. 

The beginning was purely wonderful and enjoyable. I loved the setting of story, and I especially loved the tone of his seven year old self. 

“I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.”

The middle and the ending became neutral. It simply became a book with a lot of weird magic in my view

Review: Evermore by Alyson Noel

1 Star

I felt inclined to write a review about Evermore, considering this is the worst book I have ever read (pun intended). You would be deficient not to notice the similarity between evermore and twilight. I think the author was personally saying, "In your face Stephanie Meyer, let's see if you can write a worse love story than this." Twilight wasn't anything staggering, but at least it was somewhat entertaining. 

I read this book last year, and by now my memory of Evermore has faded. Yet, some terrible recollections remain intact. The plot. 

I introduce to you the most boring plot to be printed on paper. 

- Ever’s parents and sister die (you don't uncover how they die up until the end of the book). Why the author revealed it at the last couple of chapters... Well, only god knows. Nevertheless, I had only one thought about their death: Worst death ever. I was unable to even summon up any sad emotion for her families’ death. Imagine that. I hardly got a description of how her mom and dad were as parents. Aside, from her sister (I sort of bonded with her small sister) who was a ghost that aggravated Ever constantly. Ever was unkind to her sister, continually wanting her to go away - into the after-life, presumably because she was getting sick of her and couldn't stand the sight of her any longer. Seriously, she's your dead sister have a little more compassion, will you? 

Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

                                         2.5 Stars

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Initial reaction when reading the blurb: Yeah, I sooo want to read this! 

Reaction after finishing: mah...

Blurbs are one of the utmost misleading information to be given to a reader. Reading a blurb and thinking it sounds decent is like watching a movie trailer, and thinking the film itself is awesome, primarily based on all the cool visual effects shown in the trailer.


From the rating - it seems as if I enjoyed the Archived. It was entertaining from time to time. The writing was also decent. But as I kept reading along I realized the archive (the main storyline of the whole book) is strikingly stupid. 

This book wanted to be original. 

This book wanted to be unique.

But it simply wasn’t.

“I didn’t want to accept it, but the fact is, they were people. Copies of people. Because the only way to truly record a person is not in words, not in still frames, but in bone and skin and memory.”