Randa's E-book Life

The cover:I like it. It’s not bad neither good. However, I do love the font *_*. And if you didn’t know, this is Hanna Marin on the over. What’s cool, is that on the back cover you can see the real model for Hanna, it’s done in all the books. The storyline:Where should I begin?Let me get directly to the point after the summary.Summary:Flawless picks up right where Pretty Little Liars left off. In this sequel, we get to know more about The Jenna Thing, Toby and each girl’s secret.Aria is no longer seeing Ezra, and somehow she gets caught up with Sean, Hanna’s ex-boyfriend. And her family’s situation is only getting worse.Spencer’s attitude has completely changed. She’s now dating Wren, her sister’s ex, and she thinks everything is still fine. Until, her deepest secret is going to be out. And then things crumple down.Emily is really messed up. She can’t make up her mind about her feelings. She becomes friends with Toby, and finds herself really liking him. Thinking by doing that she’s proving to herself that she’s not gay. Well, guess faith had other plans for her.Finally, Hanna is dealing with her own demons. Not that this isn’t enough, her father comes back to add fuel to the already strong flames. Everything seems to be working against her.And guess who’s ruining and manipulating them? Of course you’d guess, it’s “A”.The girls meet and actually talk to each other, in the last chapters, in Foxy, a charity party, where they seem to not be able to find Emily and they think she’s in serious danger.the book ends with them finally acting like friends and thinking that they’ve got everything figured out and there’s no more “A” until shim (a.k.a Him/She) sends a very threatening SMS to Emily. And that’s the end.What I Liked/Loved:- The storyline. It was amazing.- The suspense and twists were unexpected.- The way the chapters were laid and how each chapter had a very interesting title. It’s like I had to decipher the title and make possibilities of what might happen.- The ending :).What I disliked:- Sometimes I would find the story fast paced and other times it’d be really slow.- The characters were just not reliable. I know there are teenagers like them, but it was just too much.The characters:Aria: She’s a very charismatic character. Although sometimes she becomes really obsessed with fixing everything and becomes whiny. Despite all of this, she’s strong, protective and very friendly. Sometimes I find her a bit naïve even.Spencer: The perfect student and child has gone wild. Since kissing Wren, Spence became more careless about everything. She tricked her parents and Melissa (thought she tricked her…). But her biggest secret yet, is about to be revealed and crash everything around her.Emily: She’s in my opinion the most honest and the nicest character in this book (if not the series, but I can’t tell from two books.). She struggles with her true self and with everything going on in her life. Between her swimming, her feelings for Maya that she keeps burying deep within her and her new friendship with Toby, she has no time to deal with her secrets coming out.Hanna: She the funniest, the most active character by far. She shops, gossips, keeps secrets and tries to get Sean back. Until her father comes back and brings a bunch of “gifts” for her, one of which turns out to be as deadly as ever.Toby: I seriously have no idea what to say about him. In the books, he is friendly, nice and keeps trying to make out for the bad decisions he made earlier in his life. Until he ends up, well, you’ll know when you read the book.Other characters worth mentioning are: Sean, Hanna’s ex-boyfriend and Aria’s current boyfriend. Jenna, Toby’s stepsister who is blind thanks to Ali. Andrew, Spencer’s date to Foxy. He’s the first of the class and the class president. Wren, Melissa’s boyfriend until Spencer made up with him and now he’s her boyfriend. Melissa, Spencer’s older perfect sister. Maya, the new girl living in Ali’s house now. She’s Emily’s new friend and possible love interest. Ben, Emily’s ex-boyfriend and fellow swim team member who keeps teasing her about being a lesbian and doesn’t stop. Favorite quotes:Emily gritted her teeth. “Yeah, but Toby is much, much nicer.” She also wanted to add, And don’t worry, he’s white, but she didn’t have the nerve. --- Chapter 18: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH NORMAL, AND MAYBE YOU’LL BE NORMAL TOO.P.S. You hurt me, so I’m going to hurt you. Or maybe I should hurt a certain new boyfriend instead? You guys better watch out—I’ll show up when you least expect it. — A --- Chapter 20: LAISSEZ-FAIRE MEANS “HANDS OFF,” BTWONE NEW TEXT MESSAGE, her little Nokia said. Emily felt her heart speed up. Poor, confused Emily. I bet you could use a big warm girl hug right now, huh? Don’t get too comfortable. It’s not over until I say it is. —A --- Chapter 37: STRING BRACELETS ARE SO OUT, ANYWAY.Conclusion:To be honest, I wish I’ve read the books before watching the show. Throughout the book I’ve been either spoiled or bored because I kind of knew what was going to happen.Also, I read it in a very stressful and confusing time, so I didn’t enjoy it really and kept going back and reading each page because the next day I couldn’t remember what I read the day before.So yeah, this is why the book was ruined for me. The point? This book is really good. And I’m sure if I read it, like in nine months, I will probably give it 4 or 5 stars. One more advice: Don’t read spoiling reviews or blurbs before you read the book, they might ruin the experience and the suspense element. What’s next? Perfect of course!! I want more of “A”!!! :D.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5The cover:I like this cover. It suits the story better than the new cover featuring the TV Show’s actresses as the characters because they simply don’t fit the descriptions of the girls in the story. Also, I think the best covers are the Australian ones, their covers for the series are simply beautiful *_* (except they don’t have a cover for this particular book –the first one in the series-!).The storyline:Okay. I had the most fortunate and unfortunate luck to start watching the TV Show based on this series before starting the books. It was both good and bad. Good because I knew what to expect from the book and was thrilled to find more details and twists that are not available in the show. Bad because I was spoiled most of the book, I kind of knew what was going to happen. And also because the characters in the book aren’t like the ones in the TV show.However, I’m reviewing the book objectively as if I haven’t watched the show. So this is my honest review of the book separately.Summary:For those of you who have never watched the show or heard of it (like me less than 2 weeks ago…), here’s a short spoiler free summary for you :).This book is about five best friends Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer. They’ve been best friends for sometime now and it’s the end of seventh grade. They’re now having a sleepover at the night to celebrate the beginning of summer vacation, however, Ali disappears that night.The book starts by explaining what happened the day Ali disappears, but then picks up three years later with the girls getting ready for Junior year. They’re no longer talking to each other and are living separate lives although they are still in the same small-town of Rosewood. It gives us a glimpse to what happened to each girl separately and how they’ve been dealing with Ali’s disappearance. And throughout the story, we get to know more about each character’s relationship with Ali and what secrets she had on them. How they’ve been living and what’s up with them now.Then suddenly, Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Aria start receiving anonymous text messages about past secrets that only Ali knew about and new ones that no one knows about.At the end of the book, the girls try to bond back together.What I liked:- The storyline itself is very unique and compelling.- It is full of mystery, sadness, twists, scary moments, thriller, loss and heartbreak.- The girls’ friendship is very unique. They had each other and all of a sudden it was taken away from them. We all could relate to that.- I loved the fact that each chapter is told about a different characters. It is mostly in this order: Emily, Spencer, Hanna then Aria. But it changes a bit at the end.- There’s no specific narrator. The author tells you the story as she sees it.- It deals with real high school problems.- “A”! I love “A” as crazy as it sounds!!

The cover:I love the UK covers of this series. They’re my favorite covers of all time. But this one I didn’t like much when compared with the US one. Maybe because the US cover has a new font style, the model looks a lot like Kaylee and it has pink not to mention that sentence “Twilight fans will love it” is not on it, this series is nothing like Twilight (Thank God!).The storyline:What can I say? This book blew me away!!! Literally! I don’t know what I was expecting or what I was not expecting, but it had definitely exceeded my expectations.The turn of events and the way this book had a new storyline yet it was also a continuation of the previous one, I just didn’t know what to expect.First, as always, here’s a summary of what happens in this book, it’ll be probably short because I don’t want to spoil anything, but as a warning, you should not be reading this review unless you’ve read If I Die, otherwise it’ll feel like I’m throwing random information and surprises at you.Summary:The story continues a month after Kaylee’s death, with her trying to understand what happened and act normal by going to school and “pretend” to be normal. Yet, her life has never been more abnormal than the first week of her school. Now that she’s dead, training for her new job as an extractor, trying to build a new friendship with Nash, Sabine and Sophie, and being with Tod, they don’t seem to save her from the Netherworld nor to stop Avari from playing one more game.After thinking they got rid of him, he’s back now stronger and deadlier than ever to strike one last time and do whatever it take to get what he wants, Kaylee’s soul. This new event changes everything. It uncovers more secrets, strengthens the relationships and causes more death and destruction then ever before.Now Kaylee must make decisions, ones that her friends and families’ lives depend on them, and put her own afterlife at stake.What I loved:- The storyline itself was unique (again) and had so many twists and surprises. I couldn’t keep up!- The writing is wonderful, as usual and it was fast paced in a very good way. I didn’t feel like anything was rushed or out of its place. It was clear, simple and direct to the point.- The characters, and all of them (except Avari for the first time) are wonderful. The new friendships between them were very good to see and know it existed. How they became close and protective of each other. And especially the new Kaylee, in If I Die I didn’t like her a lot. She kept acting as if in denial. In this book however, she matured a lot because of her death and because Tod is mature too. She fights better, thinks better, rationalize better and tries her best.Also, we get to meet the old characters too. It was very refreshing and scary at the same time, because I could since the end coming.- The twists, the action, the romance, the death, the gore all were present in Before I Wake. It was just awesome.- The ending. What in the world just happened?! *_*What I disliked:Absolutely nothing! Well, after a second thought, maybe I dislike not having an excerpt from With All My Soul!! The characters:Kaylee: Our main character and new undead half bean sidhe and half extractor. From the beginning of the book until the few last chapters, it’s very clear that Kay is not familiar with her undead status and that she’s always lost, lonely and feeling numb and empty. However, when Avari shows up we get to see the strength she really has. She smarter, faster, stronger and more loyal to her loved ones determined on protecting them than ever. In this sequel, we get to see the kick-ass side of Kaylee, and it’s very good :).Tod: Okay, seriously, who doesn’t or wouldn’t like Tod? He’s awesome! Each and every single funny moment in this book existed thanks to him. He’s always there for Kaylee and both his mother and Nash and always shows support, directly or not. He’s the voice in mind in this book since Kaylee is lost, she keeps wandering back to him to help her since he’s been thru all of it. He’s never been more emotional, serious and funny than this time. I was so glad to see him have a bigger role in this book, and not just because he’s Kaylee’s boyfriend now, but also because he’s Nash’s brother and a very important reaper who is dedicated to his job.Nash: I really didn’t know what to expect from him in this sequel. I knew he was devastated, sad, betrayed and heartbroken and didn’t know whether he’d forgive either Tod or Kay. But he did! Somehow at least… He’s been struggling a lot since My Soul to Steal and trying to understand and deal with what has been going on. But things caught up to him and he made some very important decisions. No need to say that he’d do anything to protect everyone he cares about with every power he has left.I’ve been sad though to notice that his role is no longer as big as before, although from the first book it was obvious that he’d never have the biggest spot, but I think he fits perfectly for this small role as a friend and brother they all need.Sabine: She’s definitely my new favorite character in this series. I was hoping she could become a bit more friendly and less deadly than before, and I guess you don’t get to expect that much from a mara! But well, she kept trying her best to keep her temper under control and be nice ( as nice as a nightmare can be) to others. But her strength, anger and fright are all in a good use when you’re facing hellions.Emma: Another character I was pleased to see more of in this book. It was really nice to know that Kaylee had someone like Emma who is her best friend and now knows everything about Kaylee and her supernatural life. Despite her fragile and cute looks, she’s very strong and has strong beliefs in her friends, especially Kaylee, and would never doubt them.Thane: Oh well, I had no idea he’d be back. I know I’m usually in favor of the bad guys, but Thane I hate. I just hate him for many reasons which I could count but then would spoil this review (more than it is already spoiled). But I can say that he has he’s own twisted malicious ways of helping himself and with no intentions of doing so, helping others. He’s just like an add-on.Avari: I don’t think I need to say anything about him, actually. He is my favorite hellion of all time. He’s manipulative, smart, thinks fast, acts quickly and especially deceptive and likes to play games. This summarizes him very well, I guess. However, we get to know the reasons behind his obsession with Kaylee’s soul and how far he will go to achieve his goals.Luca: The new addition to the group of extreme supernatural teenagers. A necromancer who turns out to be Kaylee’s partner in her job as an extractor. And Sophie’s boyfriend. He’s very nice, cute and friendly and he would die for Sophie.Other characters worth mentioning are: Sophie, Kaylee’s cousin and now ally. We get to see another side of her as well. Invidia, the hellion of jealousy. Belphegore, the hellion of vanity and the one who killed Sophie’s mother and other four girls back in My Soul to Take. Madeline, Kaylee’s boss at the reclamation department. She’s very serious and hard to negotiate with and yet she’s understanding and can tolerate some rules. Kaylee’s father, who’s trying to get over the fact that he’s daughter is undead and that she hangs around with Tod. At night. Alone. Harmony, Nash’s and Tod’s mother whom I totally missed and yet didn’t get to see a lot of her in this book. And finally, Sophie’s father, Mr. Brendon, who wasn’t present either. Favorite quotes:I WAS A virgin sacrifice. And yeah, it’s just as creepy as it sounds. I died on a Thursday, at twenty-seven minutes after midnight, killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn’t get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school… . --- Chapter 1.Scott and I had never been close, but I wouldn’t wish what he’d suffered on my worst enemy. Except maybe Avari. And Mr. Beck. Okay, there were a couple of enemies I’d wish insanity, possession, and brain damage on, but Scott wasn’t one of them and I was glad his suffering had ended, even if it ended in death. --- Chapter 8.“Why?” Snot dripped from Sophie’s nose and she wiped it with the back of one hand. “He tried to lock me up in the Netherworld and now he’s killing everyone I know. Why is this happening to me?” Sabine rolled her eyes. “Because you’re the beautiful fairy princess and the evil Lord of Hell can’t secure his kingdom until he’s feasted from your flesh and slaked his thirst with tea brewed from the ashes of your incinerated bones.” Nash groaned, and Tod laughed out loud. Sophie hiccupped and turned to me, frowning. “Is she serious?” –--- Chapter 14.I could keep posting all of my favorite quotes but then I’ll have to post the whole book to be done with it :D. Conclusion:I’m happy to say this is by far the most exquisite book I’ve read this year.It just blew me away.I’m sad that this series is coming to an end and at the same time I’m very excited for With All My Soul

The cover:This cover makes you wonder what will Lucretia uncover behind the fold? It is simple and clear. A very well done cover for this particular book. And it proves that the saying “Never judge a book by its cover.” is true. The storyline:This story is full of intense moments, sadness, realistic facts and scary moments.I do not won’t to spoil this book at all because you need to read this book for yourself to know what I’m talking about you, but here’s a short summary so you know what this is about:The story follows twelve year old Lucretia, also called Loochie, and her journey of discovering loss, death, fear and illness.She’s lonely and lives with her mother. She has one friend, Sunny, only who has cancer and went to get her treatments. Loochie’s twelfth birthday passes by and she decides that she’s going to wait for her friend’s comeback to celebrate with her.When Sunny comes back, Loochie discovers it might the last time they hang out together, so she prepares everything. But while she’s waiting for Sunny to come down (because they live in the same building), she discovers that something went wrong and that her best friend disappeared and it has something to do with The Kroons, the people who’ve been smoking a drug since anybody can remember and have been kidnapping kids when they weren’t stealing from people.Loochie decides to risk her life in order to help her friend escape. After she goes after The Kroons, Loochie discovers unspeakable horrors, faces death and says goodbye to the only person who has ever mattered to her.What I loved:- The writing style was very basic, simple and clear.- The story is told from the author’s point of view, which was fitting for the story because we get to see the big picture and know how all the characters in a particular scene are reacting.- The real story here is very touching and real. I think the book tries to deal with the fact that even children have losses and fears that can affect them very badly (I know that from personal experience :)). This book dealt with this issue very well in a very simple, direct and sad way.- The characters were all realistic. There’s a huge part of imagination added to the story which only made it more believable because children deal with such traumas in a very imaginary way. I could relate each and every character in this book, even The Kroons, to someone real I know in real life.- The ending left me speechless and asking for more.- And finally, it’s a novella, which I think was perfect for this story.What I disliked:- Cigarettes, smoking and drugs are mentioned several times in this book with minors under 13 using them and saying at one point that smoking the cigarette helped. It would’ve been nice (if not better) to say that drugs and smoking are bad and deadly for any person let alone a 12 year old girl. There’s no mention of the deadly effects these things do to everyone. The characters:Lucretia (a.k.a Loochie): The main character in this book. She’s twelve years old and lives with her mother. You can say she’s an outcast and nobody wants her in their circle so she has one friend only. Loochie has a very strong relationship with her best friend, Sunny, and we can see her loyalty, love, strength and determination when Sunny goes missing and she goes after her to bring her back. I really like her, because for a twelve year old girl she’s very smart and brave.Zhao Hun Soong (a.k.a Sunny): She’s Loochie’s best friend and cancer patient. She loves Loochie so much that she wants to take her along for the journey. Toward the end, Sunny starts to express her distaste for her condition and the medication.The Kroons: They are people who used to be normal but a long time ago, before they started using a drug called Crack which turned them into monsters and now they can’t live without it.Other people worth mentioning are: Loochie’s mother, who works all day and raises Loochie by herself. Lois, Loochie’s older brother. He doesn’t live with them anymore and has no longer a strong relationship with Loochie since he moved out. Favorite quotes:Most twelve-year-olds don’t know much about death, and that’s the way it should be. But a handful get the knowledge too soon. You can see it in their eyes, a sliver of sorrow floating in the iris, visible even at the happiest of times. Those kids have encountered that enemy, too soon and will always bear its scars. --- Chapter 1.Loochie had given her the wig. Sunny gave the boots in return. Sunny shouted, “I love you, Loochie!” Loochie couldn’t respond for fear of letting Pit know she was still there. But inside her head she could hear her own voice, loud as a siren: I love you, too, Sunny! I loved you! --- Chapter 12.Sunny’s death was no delusion, though. Neither was Loochie’s grief, which lasted a year. The doctors and her mother, and later even her brother, dismissed Loochie’s story, but she never doubted that it was true. Louis had turned out to be right about one thing, however: Being young didn’t protect anyone. Horrors came for kids, too. She understood that now. But that didn’t have to be the end of the story. Because of Sunny, so much joy had come for her as well. --- Chapter 16.Conclusion:This was a fantastic short read. It was sweet, sad and realistic.I hope I can get my hands on the sequel novella, The Devil in Silver, which comes out August 21st of this year.I recommend this book to anyone who loves realistic fiction, horror, short stories with great storyline and dealing with real issues.

The cover:Poor Alex :s.I love this cover. It shows exactly how shocked, sad, depressed and lonely Alex felt in solitary.The storyline:Usually when the first book in the series is really good, you fin the sequels to be a bit disappointing, at least that’s what I experienced. Not in this series.I loved this book more than Lockdown, I didn’t think it could get any better but it did! Mr. Gordon blew me away with this book. I was amazed and in love with every aspect of this book.So, let’s go for a short Summary:So Lockdown ended with Alex, Zee, Gary and Toby jumping into the river and making a run for it.Solitary starts from where Lockdown exactly left off. I’m not going to spoil this for you. But here’s what happened in short phrases.Alex continues to tell us what happened, in detail, after they made the jump. After he barely survives the river, he gets taken to solitary (as you might have guessed from the title) for a month as the Warden orders. In that period of time, Alex, sees and experiences for the first time the real horrors of Furnace. He thought that general population was hell, he had no idea that the real hell is under the cells.While he’s in solitary, he gets to experience the madness first hand. He finds new friends, looses ones too and gets to meet the worst creatures he had seen yet. Alex goes through the worst of it all and faces a deadly end.What I loved:- The writing as in the first one, was amazing. It was well paced and everything was in enough detail and yet it had some aspect of mystery. So although there was enough decryption, there were moments when you could sense something was kept hidden.- The storyline however is completely different. We get to see other aspects and discover more about Furnace and its horrors.- The imagination that was used to create such an wakeful prison with completely inhuman and merciless creatures was amazing. There were creatures that just made me look away and check the corridor in the darkness. That doesn’t happen often with any book, which means this book is scary.- The twists, the gore, the action,, the setting, the blood, the creatures, the darkness, the evil, the unanswered questions, everything in this book is deadly and leaves you with a strange feeling.- The characters, by which I mean Alex and Zee, somewhat grew up and developed a new sense of responsibility and commitment. They matured in this book in a lot of ways regarding the way they thought and acted.- The ending left me this close to opening the third book, Death Sentence. It was gripping, awful and sad all at once.What I disliked:- The beginning was a bit odd, slow paced and different. I guess that’s because I was expecting a conversation and action from the very beginning. But now I understand very well why it was written the way it was.It’s not something that bothered me at all once I understood what was going on.The characters:Alex: I really respect and love this character. God only knows what he’s been through and yet it seems like he always gets rational again after talking with Zee or other allies. He’s been through it all; sadness, weakness, loneliness, home sic, anger, rage, suicide thoughts. But he always showed how strong, determined, loyal, rational, logical, smart and dependable he can be. I’m afraid for what’s going to happen to him next but at the same time I’m sure he’ll just do it all over again and surprise the Warden.Zee: Alex’s friend and accomplice in escape. Despite his small size and weak body, he keeps supporting and trying to protect Alex whenever he can. He is clumsy at times but he he’s very friendly and smart. He goes through a lot too.Donovan: Alex and Zee’s best friend who was taken at the end of Lockdown by the blood watch returns in this sequel but he’s presence is neither pleasurable nor much. I have no idea what to think and I’m still having some hope for him.Gary: A new Skull leader who decides to jump with the boys at the end of Lockdown. He’s very hard to understand and get along with. He shows no sign of mercy.The Warden: Pure evil. He’s (or it’s?!) the one who runs Furnace. His appearance alone leaves goose bumps let alone his closeness and presence near you while he’s talking. There’s a lot of mystery about him and his hands are in too deep with what’s happening in Furnace. He shows constant appreciation for Alex and that he wants him to be a blacksuit sooner than later.Other characters worth mentioning are: The rats which are experiments that didn’t go well. They hunt whatever and whoever is in their way never thinking twice. Simon, Pete and Ozzie who are residents at the pits of Furnace. They’re friendly people with their own stories and history. The wheezers of course, they turn out to be the “doctors” in charge of the boys once the blood watch takes them. And last but not least, there are the blacksuits which are the guardians of Furnace and sort of bodyguards too, the dogs and we get to hear about Alfred Furnace, the mind behind, well, Furnace.Favorite quotes:Until that moment, none of it seemed real. Maybe I was so tired I couldn’t process it, it was all too absurd. But right then, with the warden’s decaying breath on my face, I realized that just when things seemed like they couldn’t have gotten any worse, they had. A lot worse. --- Welcome Party.Because time had no meaning, reality had no meaning, sanity had no meaning. And when everything else has been taken away, you have no meaning. You simply don’t exist. --- Thoughts from the Abyss.But far worse was the fact that, for several seconds after waking, I couldn’t remember who I was. --- Excerpt: Welcome Back, Old Friend.Conclusion:I’m doing everything in my power to not go stray from my August TBR and read the third installment in this series, Death Sentence.I wasn’t disappointed in this sequel at all and I think it is better than the first book when it comes to action and horror.

The cover:I love this futuristic cover and how the colors are used. Each time there was a “port” word or paragraph related, I went back and stared at this cover, trying to imagine exactly how it looked like and what they were talking about :).The storyline:This is my number one favorite dystopian book of all times and of 2012 especially.From chapter one, I knew I was going to love it.Summary:First of all, the whole story here is set in a future underworld called the Community because the Surface (or as they call it the “Old World”) has been demolished by nuclear war.People in the Community, who are called Subjects, aren’t just normal people, they don’t feel anything. They have V chips in their brains which keep them from feeling anything but pain to prevent Wars and cruel works within the human race. There is also the Link, which is a sort of connection that keeps the people in the community always connected to the main Community Systems. So they’re always monitored and information are always playing on their vision and in their minds. They’re basically humans turned into robots.However, Zoel, the main character in this book, is a Community Subject who starts glitching. Meaning, sometimes she becomes no longer connected to the Link, therefore, she can think, feel and sense everything around her in color.She struggles to live in the Community with her glitches becoming more insistent and random, because if she acts anomalously and gets caught by any other Subject, Monitor or Regulator (police officer in our terms), she’ll be either reprogrammed which means she’ll never be able to feel anything or have her thoughts in her mind again, or she’ll be deactivated, which the equivalent to killed in our world.Throughout the book, we find Zoel discovering the truths about the Old World that the Community kept hidden in order to prevent Subjects from ever thinking of escaping or going to the Surface.Also, she meets new people whom later have helped her, betrayed her and fallen in love with her. And gets introduced to the Resistance (a.k.a the Rez as Adrien calls it) and becomes their newest hope.Towards the ending, Zoel becomes stronger, determined on helping everyone and most of all free and hopeful of a better future.What I loved:- The world Heather has created is unique and full of surprises. You can’t predict anything because you’ll be surprised at what happens next each time.- The writing was smooth and clear.- The story itself was well paced and everything happened when and where it should have.- The characters were realistic and mysterious. You could never trust any of them. They all had secrets and lied about something or have been lied to.- This book had romance. And I don’t like romance at all but I loved this romance. It wasn’t rushed, pushed nor delayed. It came naturally. Even the small time when there was a love triangle, it wasn’t like the usual ones, like I thought, it was a good and honest one. And I think Heather did a great job with it :).- There were a lot of intense moment in this book in terms of action, expectations, hopes, fear, terror and discovery.- The twists in this book were priceless. I had my head spinning each time I found one and didn’t predict it! It doesn’t happen a lot to me. So this book kept me double checking my theories and facts each time there was something suspicious.- The ending. It wasn't like a cliffhanger or anything. It ended peacefully, if I might add. It just left me with tons of unanswered questions and speculations. I was dying to read the sequel and then remembered that this book is not even out yet!What I disliked:Okay, seriously?!Maybe the way Zoel sounded a little dump at the end for the tiniest moment?But it didn’t affect me at all.The characters:Subject Zoel Q-24 (a.k.a Zoe): The protagonist in this story. From the very first chapter, I liked her. She’s strong willed, friendly, kind, determined and very trust worthy. And most importantly, she loves her family and wishes that one day they’ll love her back. She goes thru a lot of difficulties in this book most of them which are emotional ones, since she’s never felt anything and doesn’t even have names for what she feels. Also because she has a Gift, the gift of moving things with her mind that is called Telekinesis which she can’t control, at all. At the four last chapters, I could clearly see her leader instincts kick in, especially in the 23rd chapter. She was amazing!Adrien: You might wonder why I haven’t written Subject in his name, well, because he’s somehow not one. He’s been a member of the Rez since he was born. He meets Zoe in the first quarter of the book but because she had a hardware attached to her (not going to spoil anymore details!) she couldn’t remember him later. She didn’t need to. He earned her trust all over again by himself. He fights for what he believes in and he’s very dedicated to his job. He’s also trust worthy and a very good friend. At the end, it becomes unclear whether Adrien is on the good or bad side but later we find out (and so does Zoe a little behind…). His Gift is the ability to have glimpses of the future, especially when there’s danger looming closely.Subject Maximin (a.k.a Max): Okay. So, to be honest and clear, he is my very least favorite character in the book. Anyways, he’s in the same class with Zoe and she always gave him extra lessons. Until she found out he was a glitcher too. Not that this was an enough surprise, but he also showed in so many direct body languages that he “wanted” her. I have nothing good to support Mr. Max, he has almost always a bad temper, he hates everyone and loves only Zoe. He doesn’t care about her hopes and wishes to help other glitchers, and sometimes even hurts her with his words. Hmmm, yep, I hate him a lot! His ability obviously fulfills his needs, and is very suitable for him actually, he can impersonate anyone with his Gift.Other character worth mentioning is: Molla, another glitcher who can see thru things like walls or even a body. She develops a crush on Max and has an unfortunate accident. But don’t worry, she lives.Favorite quotes:When I have a favorite books which I adored and memorized every sentence and expression in it, it’s hard to pick favorite quotes. Because I just loved it all!But here are three that should help you choose to read the book :).The retina display flickered into view and scrolled a chatter of data at the edges of my field of vision. Auditory inputs clicked back online too, a slight hum in the background. One by one, each of my senses dimmed, replacing my connection to the physical world with the connection to the Link. In a blink, the small bit of color in my room seeped away to a monotone gray. --- Chapter 1.A smile played at the edges of his lips. “You wanna join the Rez?” “Of course! What else would I do once we escaped? I want to help Molla. And I want to stop the . . . the . . .” I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t even have a word bad enough for the Uppers who’ve done this to us.” “Godlam’d shunting bastards is my name of choice.” I laughed a little. “Okay.” --- Chapter 15.Molla stiffened beside me. “Regulators,” she whispered, terror making her body start shaking again. She grabbed Max’s arm, I wasn’t sure if it was to steady herself or shield him. “Where?” Adrien said, looking around in confusion. “Twelve of them on the other side of the door up there,” she said. “They’re waiting for us.” “Cracking hell,” Adrien and I said at the same time. --- Chapter 22.Conclusion:This book is totally my favorite dystopian book by far. And it would take a lot of another book to change that. Maybe after all, I should check out Divergent?!While reading this book I remembered one of my favorite movies of all time, Equilibrium with Christian Bale, I just think they have the same concept which made easier for me to understand and imagine what was going on :).This book is a must read for any dystopian fans who’d like to be amazed and fall in love with a real good book.

The cover:I love it!I don’t think this cover could’ve been any better because it really does give you an idea of what you’re about to start reading.The storyline:What I want and will say won’t do this book justice at all. It was pure awesomeness and way better than I expected it to be.The story is being told from Alex’s point of view as he tells us how he got in that hell hole in the first place and how he lived in there for almost a month or two (or even less, since you can’t keep up with the timing in Furnace…) before deciding he was going to escape.Throughout the book, we get to know more about Furnace, Alex, the inmates, the Blacksuits, the Weezers, the Dogs and the Warden.What I loved:- The story itself is unique, well paced and set in a wonderful and imaginative prison in the depths of earth.- The writing is smooth and somewhat realistic. You could easily imagine Alex and the others.- The amount of horror, gruesome, twists and blood in this story made me wish it was a movie. It would’ve made a great horror movie.- The characters were very reliable (both good and evil ones).- The story itself was chronologically very well organized. While I was reading, I could easily keep up with things and when they happened. You didn’t need to go back and check for reference…(as it usually happens with horror books which contain flashbacks or re-tellings).- Instead of having numbers for chapters, there were titles which you could think of as the general idea of that chapter or a key sentence so you could try and guess what’ll happen in that chapter. I thought it was an awesome idea. Small thing but I appreciate it :).- At the end of each chapter, you’ll find a small cliff hanger which will make you continue to the next chapter and therefore unable to stop reading the book. I thought it was great.- The ending was simple, blank and yet it had something that was telling me I should get prepared for what to come, because now that I’m used to the way the story goes and to the writing, I suspected something is going to happen.What I hated: Nothing!!!The characters:Alex Sawyer: The main character. 14 years old. He’s a criminal but not a murderer. Framed by the Blacksuits of killing his best friend and dragged to Furnace, Alex couldn’t believe how his life had turned upside down so fast. As he tries to get along in this hell, he makes friends, enemies, uncovers the horror in Furnace, fights for his and others lives and decides that there is a way out.Carl Donovan: He’s one of those unlucky who were brought to Furnace when it opened for the first time. He’s big, strong, never smiling, keeps to himself and he’s Alex’s cellmate. After getting to know Alex, they become friends and you start to notice that he is the voice of reason in the book, always keeping an eye on Alex, saving him, teaching him the rules, warning him and helping him along. As their friendship becomes stronger, Donovan faces his worst nightmares.Zee Hatcher: One of the three boys who were with Alex the day they took him to Furnace. He slowly begins to trust Alex and then they become close friends. Despite his small size and young age, Zee tries to always protect and help his friends, that is when neither the Blacksuits, the Dogs nor the Skulls are involved.Other characters worth mentioning are: The Skulls, the Furnace’s gang who terrorizes everyone. They’re bloody, dirty, with bad history full of killings and death. The Blacksuits, the army that makes sure everyone and everything stays in and in there particular places. They’re cruel, deadly and emotionless. The Weezers, my favorite evil characters in this book until I get to know more about Warden, the one who runs Furnace. They come at night and take few of the inmates and drag them to their death. They wear masks, keep flinching and twisting and when they open their mouths, the worst sounds of hell come out.Favorite quotes:I have so many, as you’d expect, but here are random three ones.“I feel like every nerve in my body is being pricked with a red hot needle,” I replied, making Donovan wince. “I feel like someone has skinned me alive and is now toasting my internal organs with a blowtorch.” He actually turned a little pale at that one. “I feel like I’ve been bathed in acid—” “Okay, enough,” he interrupted, holding up a hand. “I’m about to eat breakfast.” --- The Warden’s Warning.I was so tired and scared that my mind was delirious, and the more I lay there thinking about it the more I was convinced that Furnace was Hades, Gehenna, the pit where sinners are sent to rot away for all eternity. It made perfect sense—the warden and his devil eyes, the blacksuits with their superhuman strength, the wheezers that looked like the tortured ghosts of Nazi storm troopers, and the way that poor Monty had been scoured of everything recognizable, forced to become a demon that thrashed and ripped and killed. --- A Distraction.I hid the gloves underneath the mattress at the base of my bed while Donovan kept watch. I wasn’t too happy about the idea of going up in flames in the middle of the night, but we had no choice. It was either there or in the toilet cistern, and the thought of being blown up while taking a dump was infinitely worse. --- Jumpers.Conclusion:If you’re into dystopian, horror and/or thriller books than this one is definitely for you. Even if you’re new to these genres and you want to start reading a book that has all three of the above.I couldn’t tell how much I loved this book no matter how much I wrote, so I’ll just get on with the sequel, Solitary ;).As a side note: All the while when I was reading Lockdown, I kept thinking about House on a Haunted Hill and it’s sequel. It was a perfect match for this book, in my opinion :).

The cover:This is Amber?? If so, I can see why she has no idea why Mason is in love with Darcy. Darcy should be much more prettier than Amber, but I can’t see that.The cover however, I love :).The storyline:This book really surprised me, a lot!It exceeded my expectations to be honest, because I didn’t like the first book, I thought this one too will disappoint me, but it didn’t!The story continues exactly from where the first book left off with Darcy facing the new enemy, Amber. From there, new revelations are discovered as well as new twists, mysteries, new friendships and enemies made.I got to see other sides of the characters (both good and bad sides) and also got the opportunity to know the secondary characters and some of the Pack’s past in the area.What I Liked:- The writing improved a lot and you notice the improve immediately when you start reading from page one. It got smoother and the pace became easier to follow.- I found myself familiar with the characters and their surroundings which helped me enjoy the new plot.- The twists and the amount of action added were very well done.- Less kissing and touching (finally!!) made it possible for the real storyline to develop and for us (who don’t like romance) to enjoy the book more.- I really loved the concept of different and mystical supernatural creatures living together and how Werewolves and Vampires seem to be close friends and allies.- The ending!! What is it with me and cliff hanging endings?! I wouldn’t imagine what happened to happen at all despite the fact that I knew Amber was hiding something.What I didn’t like:- Mainly, one thing, Darcy! Okay, so the author, Belinda, made Darcy act and sound like a complete teenager whenever Mason was around, and Darcy kept saying how much she loved him and that all she wanted was him, and then all of a second, after a brief conversation with Vlad (no not Dracula, but Devlin’s nephew) she begins noticing how handsome Devlin is!! And she starts to act and think in a way that I got embarrassed in her place by just reading it!I thought it was a bad thing for the author to do. This story does not need a love triangle or a stupid protagonist who’s controlled by words and hormones.- What Also bothered me in the book was the repetition of certain words and expressions I almost ripped my eyes out each time I found them again! I want give you examples for two reasons: one, I’ll spoil the book and two, some of those excruciating expressions aren’t suitable for a YA book blog.The characters:Mason: My respect for him grew. He’s a true Alpha and deserves his title. He keeps everyone organized and thinking in the right direction no matter what. Despite what he goes through in this book, he fights it fairly, honestly and intelligently.Darcy: She’s a pain in the head. Mason was right when he said “Trouble is her middle name” because it is! Wherever she goes trouble goes with her, however, she showed a huge amount of will power and strength, an ability to keep calm when needed and her true loyalty and dedication to do whatever it takes to keep her Pack safe. I admire that.Daniel: A very trust worthy second in command guy. A big brother and best friend to both Mason and Daniel. He shows support and courage throughout the book. Daniel is the best friend everyone needs.Devlin: Is the type of best friend I want. He’s a very honorable and trust worthy vampire who loves Darcy as a friend or more and would do anything to keep her safe (reminds me of Elijah actually from The Vampire Diaries). He’s also a very trust worthy friend of Mason’s. He played a great role in this book and will (as I suspect) in the next sequel, Tempting fate.Vivien: A very powerful witch who’s also a friend of Mason, Darcy and her mother. She’s very protective of her friends and doesn’t show her emotions most of the time.Amber: Ah, I was going to skip over her because I don’t won’t to spoil the review, but I’ll try to speak of her without doing so, shall I? Amber in an old friend and crush of Mason. She, along with her father, where seeking power by making Mason mate with her. but when things got clear and Mason got to see the real her (thanks to Daniel) he canceled the mating ritual. Since then, which was five years ago from the date of the book, she’s been trying so badly to get back to Mason and failed miserably each time. But when she gets back this time, she comes prepared and determined to eradicate Darcy and win Mason to her side forever. This is what Forget Me Not is all about. So yes, Amber is the villain in here and you won’t be disappointed with what she’s got up her sleeve.Other characters worth mentioning are: Vlad, Devlin’s nephew and newborn. Zane, the Vampire King, and The Fates.Favorite quotes:Surprisingly so, I have many favorite quotes, but as usual here are three random ones :).I hadn’t been to visit Devlin since his young nephew had moved in, and when I’d gone exploring through the different rooms to see if anything had changed, I wasn’t prepared for the massive black coffin resting on a makeshift platform displayed in the center of the bedroom. --- Chapter 15.Take her for instance.” He paused long enough to look at the television screen. “Buffy loves Angel, but then along comes Spike. Two different vampires, and she winds up loving them both. I read the fan pages all over the internet, these two males have large followings, but when I assume their personalities, I get nothing. --- Chapter 17.I loved everything about Devlin’s study, and it was probably one of my favorite places in the house. Floor to ceiling bookshelves with volume after volume of books covered most of the walls, and the whole room had a warm, comfortable feel to it. --- Chapter 18.Conclusion:This book was good.I could see why I could love it, it has a unique storyline and writing style with plenty of twists and action.I want the third installment in the series, Tempting Fate, now!

The cover:Richelle’s books have the best covers ever. I love each one of them mainly because I can see how the characters look like and the models on the cover resemble them by far.My favorite thing about the Bloodlines’ covers however is the font in which the title is written, it’s beautiful.The storyline:I honestly have no idea what to say.I’m always left speechless after reading Richelle’s books because of the wonderfully killing ending she gives us each time.The story continues a month after the ending of Bloodlines with Sydney going to give a testimony against (or to help) Keith.Things develop from there and as you’d expect from Richelle’s books, there’re plenty of twists and ups and downs in the story.What I liked (and loved!):- The writing as usual is super great. I’m always amazed at how realistic Richelle’s writing is. The story went smoothly and easily.- I found the way the storyline was told was somewhat different from Bloodlines’, I don’t know why, but it was still good.- I loved how the secondary characters got to have a much bigger role in the sequel. They had a lot to say and do and it effected the story that much.- The ending as usual… speechless!!!What I didn’t like:- For some reason, the storyline’s pace went slowly at times, I just couldn’t believe I was bored in this book!- Sydney’s character definitely got on my nerves this time. I always respected her intelligence and courage, but this time she became stupid or she didn’t want to understand and somewhat rude. I definitely hate rude characters.The characters:Adrian: Oh poor, nice and honorable Adrian. I loved him in this book. He showed sides to himself we didn’t get to see in both Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. What got to me most is his passion for Sydney and his respect for who she is and what she does. He also showed commitment and intelligence, you’d be surprised at what he was hiding.Sydney: I think I already said what I thought about her so I’ll just tell you what I did like in her personality. She showed her usual commitment to do her job as constructed and to protect her vampire friends as long as she can. Overall, since she’s the protagonist in this spinoff series, it was felt like the story wouldn’t develop without her, which is wrong. She has a great value in the story but not that important. Sometimes she forgets that there are others with her who can help.Jill: I really like her and admire her for holding on despite what she’s been going thru with Adrian and Micah. She a very brave Moroi.Eddie: He’s this person who keeps to himself and yet does as asked from him. He’s smart and tough and set to protect Jill at all costs.Angeline: Most of the times I laughed in this book were because of her, especially at the beginning. She’s a constant reminder of trouble and wherever she goes problems follow. But she has a very big and friendly heart and would do anything to protect those close to her.Dimitri: Should I really say anything? He’s the superhero who comes to the rescue each time something bad happens. Also, he’s mostly the mind of reason along with Sonya. He just makes everyone respect him since he never hurts or offences anyone. Even Adrian couldn’t argue with that.Sonya: She’s a very nice and friendly Moroi whom Sydney befriends later. She goes through hell in this book and later gets saved by the clique.Other characters worth mentioning but won’t be mentioned to not spoil the story are: Trey, Chris, Clarence, Brayden and last but not least the infamous and mysterious Marcus Finch who is not present in this book but there are many talks of him.Favorite quotes:“What’s this? It looks like a lily.”“It is,” he said. “No offense, but this lily is kind of more badass than yours. If the Alchemists want to buy the rights to this and start using it, I’m wiling to negotiate.” and start using it, I’m wiling to negotiate.” --- Chapter 24.Conclusion:I think I was somewhat disappointed in both Sydney and how the story went in The Golden Lily. I expected more action and twists and more from Sydney.I can’t wait to get my hands on The Indigo Spell next year!!!

The cover:I find the cover suiting for the book and the storyline, although I completely refuse to think that the girl is Darcy. Because if she is, then I have no idea why Mason is swooning over her… no offence.The storyline:What can I say…This is the first book I read about werewolves, and I almost swore it would be the last one. If I wasn’t supposed to finish it because I’m in the blog tour for the sequel Forget Me Not, I would’ve stopped reading it from chapter 2!! With this being said, I’m glad I finished it. It ended perfectly ^__^.With no further delay, let me get straight to the point:What I disliked (because they are far more than what I liked):- The beginning. It was the worst beginning I’ve ever read. All of a sudden, we’re with Darcy, Mason, Jasmine, Daniel and someone else playing football and then Darcy talks about the Mystic Wolves and shifting…. Just what in the world? No introduction? I spent four chapters just trying to figure out who was who and did what! Enough said in here.- The characters. I disliked all of them at the beginning because of the following reason. But once the story started developing, I respected the main characters (Mason still in the danger zone…).- The storyline was so cheesy and somewhat erotic. - The writing style. I have no idea if this is a YA or Adult book, but from what I found online it’s mainly categorized as YA, which is madness. If all werewolf books were like this one, I’d keep on not reading them. There were times when I questioned why I was reading this book, it is full of nonsense romance and touching and kissing and cheesy talking. Oh God, I’ll stop at this point.- Making fun of Twilight?? huh? Even though I’m not a huge fan of the Saga but I didn’t like the fact that it was made fun at. Not cool.What I liked:Oh, finally, starting chapter eleven, I was rewarded with what I’ve been anticipating since the beginning: action and true storyline with serious twists and werewolf talk. Although it might have gotten better because finally vampires are in the house! ;).- Starting chapter eleven, the writing became much better, I lost myself in the book.- The storyline got a total different turn with many twists and actions and less crazy romance.- The characters became more familiar and more dependable on.- I loved how we could finally see and understand each relationship whether it was friendship, family one or a love interest. It was so unnerving.- The end left me speechless that I started the second one without realizing it!! It was that good at the end!The characters:Mason: The Alpha in the pack and Darcy’s supposed mate. His character is very good mostly, I just hate it when he acts in a cheesy way saying cheesy lines. But overall, he reached my expectations for a werewolf and a leader. I respect him a lot.Darcy: She almost made me insane at first. She kept acting like a teenager and whining and always turned on whenever and wherever Mason showed up without mentioning how much she tries making everything sound funny. However, when things became serious, I saw what he saw in her, a strong and powerful female with a goal to protect her friends, loved ones and pack from any danger ahead. At the end, I also respected her, not as much as Mason but better than before.Jasmine: Really??? This might be spoiling but I didn’t like the fact that the author killed her in the very first chapters! Anyways, Jasmine is Mason’s only younger sister and Darcy’s best friend. She gets killed which makes a huge impact on all “supernatural” creatures.Daniel: Mason’s second in command and the main characters’ best friend. He’s always smiling and at the same time serious and ready for being called by the Alpha.Devlin: An Enforcer and a vampire who plays a great role at the end. A trusted friend of the Alpha’s and Darcy’s. He is very honorable and trust worthy.Favorite quotes:“Why am I the only one wearing a helmet?” I reached up to adjust the strap so it didn’t dig into my chin. “Because I’m a vampire, and invincible,” he retorted. “Well, I’m a werewolf, and being supernatural isn’t going to protect your head from being smashed open like an egg on the asphalt.” I knocked my knuckles against his head. “Although, you are pretty hard headed and may bounce a little at first. --- Chapter 18.Conclusion:Oh my God, what a journey. Despite of what I said above, I’m kind of glad I read the book. It helped me have an idea on werewolves and an insight on what werewolf books are like.Would I recommend this book? If you love steamy, romance filled books and werewolves than yes. If not, I still think you should read it because at the end, you won’t be disappointed :).

Rating: 4.5/5The cover:This cover is just pure. It is well connected to the story and it represents the love that develops between the two main characters and the barriers they had between them. The storyline:This is the first dystopian YA book I’ve ever read and I was lucky enough to have it as my first. In three words: it was amazing.It is hard to summarize what happens in the story because there is so much going on at the same time. And I’ll probably just spoil the book for you, since I’m in love with this book I won't be able to contain myself and I’ll just spill it all out. So, this time, I’m going directly to what I liked and what I didn’t but before that here’s one sentence which a quote actually from the book that summarizes the story very well :Things are not what they seem.What I loved:- First of all I should thank Claire for the amazing story and how unique it is. I wished I was living in that time and place. The story is so alive and full of emotions.- I thought the concept of human beings being separated according to their genes was amazing.- During the story, we get to read from different point of views. I thought it was suitable for this book. This way we could know what was going on with each important character during the same period time or just after it (Something happens with one character and in the next chapter we get to hear what happened with the other one just after the previous chapter or at the same time, depending on the characters him/herself).- I loved the characters, all of them (except the Wardens, Ashby, Cusher and the whole Three Mills staff to be honest. I thought they were predators).- I loved the futuristic setting where everyone have an internet connection and have interfaces and no one used normal PCs or phones. It was pure pleasure to me ^_^.- The relationships between the characters kept going on and twisting until I didn’t know who was telling the truth. That kept me reading until the last page!- This book is full of mystery and is somehow thrilling. It has death, murder, torture, betrayal, love, fraud and many more. It’s like a whole unique world that Claire created and it kept only getting better.- I appreciate the London atmosphere in the book. I kept imagining the surroundings (thanks to the books I read about and set in London ^^) and the characters’ accents while reading.- I’m not a romantic person whatsoever, but the romance in The Glimpse made me wish I had someone like Cole. The romance was clean, slowly developing and safe. I appreciated that.- May I say the ending was so great in a cliffhanger way that I kept re-reading the last three chapters looking for answers I didn’t find. Which made me wonder, is there a sequel? *praying for a sequel* What I disliked:- The story at the beginning was slow paced, for me. Now that could simply be because of how I kept reading few pages while I was suppose to study for my finals. I just felt things started too slow, but maybe it’s because I love the action so much I can’t wait! The characters:Ariana Barber (a.k.a Ana): is the main protagonist. A 16 years old at the beginning of the book, the age in which she was diagnosed as a BIG 3 sleeper. Then she’s 17 and one month away from turning 18, in the rest of the book. So all of the story happens during that month or so. Ana is simply smart, beautiful, stubborn in a good way and yet friendly, nice and understanding. I think in all the books I’ve read by far, she’s my favorite protagonist. This is a character you could count on if you were alone with in a deserted place full of Zombies (She hates zombies, by the way ;)).Jasper Taurell: is a pure boy that Ana befriended when she first moved to the Community. She fell for him and then they were bound waiting for their joining when she turned 18. (Joining is technically marriage. Except there’s no option for a divorce once joined). He somewhat bothered me at the beginning of the book like something was wrong with him. And then I understood why. He is handsome and smart but he has this feeling about him that I don’t like. Oh! and at the end of the book, I couldn’t believe what I read! Sorry, Jasper, I just don’t like you nor do I sympathize with you.Tamsin: is the long lost friend of Ana. They’ve been friends since they were fourteen but seven months before Ariana’s bounding, Tamsin disappeared. She’s later discovered by Ana and yet again, they get separated.Lila: is a girl living in the City (where the “Crazies” live). She and Ana meet when Ana goes to the City searching for… someone. During the story they become friends.Cole: is supposed to be a terrorist and a suspect in three different cases. Ana helps him after knowing he’s Lila’s brother. Towards the end, a love sparkles between them. He’s strong, determent, sometimes scary, intelligent and loves music.Ashby Barber: Ana’s father. I don’t think I ever hated any character’s father as much as I hate him right now. He’s a puzzle to be solved, yet it is obvious he’s ignorant when it comes to others’ lives and selfish. So selfish.Other characters worth mentioning: Nate, Cole’s brother. Jack Dormant, a Warden working for Ashby.Conclusion:This book is essential to any dystopian reader. You won’t be disappointed.I have a strong feeling this book is going to be my favorite read in 2012, and so far, it is!I should thank Faber & Faber for granting me the opportunity to read the book. Thank you.

The cover:Okay. This goes to my favorite covers ever section! I still think the cover of the first book is better than this one (I love the reddish pinkish color ;)), but they can’t keep the same one now can they?This one is gorgeous too!The storyline:This sequel blew me away!It was somewhat different from what I expected. There are few things I really don’t like about it. Which obviously has to do with Kate (no offense to her fans.). What I loved:- Amy has a wonderful ability to explore and explain every setting of the story. It was amazing how I could simply imagine myself with the characters surrounded by these amazing settings.- The involvement of the characters was great. I loved how each character had a reliable place in the story and everyone was involved, including Georgia!- The dilemma in the story is gripping. And near the end, some twists were beginning to come out that I had to question what I read in the previous chapters.- The mystery was great.- OMG! The action in this sequel kept me going on :D.- And finally, the ending. What an ending! I finished this book at 2 a.m. and I was like someone had hit me on the head! I had tears in my eyes and I wished (Still…) I had the sequel! You’ll be left breathless!What I disliked:- The beginning wasn’t as good and as strong as I ‘d expected. It was slow paced and made me somewhat question what was going on.- The writing style was somewhat different; there were some expressions that didn’t fit the story at all, and it made me wonder that maybe the relationship that Kate wants is mostly physical. In other words, it felt like romance was being forced in the story. The way Kate’s character has evolved, I was wondering why for God’s sake she was acting so un-lady like (I wouldn’t want to see a 17 years old girl give the middle finger to someone who is centuries older than her! No matter how rude he was.).Conclusion:This was the longest review I’ve written as far as I can remember.To be honest, I wasn’t sure this book would get past 3 flowers (stars) for me. But after almost 10 chapters, I was sold, and I decided it won’t get less then four. And then, when I finished the book I decided 5 won’t be enough!!!This book was a mystery and a puzzle to solve for me. I think the way things were made by Amy was the right way since I completely totally trust her. I love this book, and this trilogy is going right with The Hollow Trilogy by Jessica Verday as my favorite trilogy ever!!!If you love mystery, twists, romance, novels set in foreign countries and want to experience something unique, I recommend you read this series. You won’t regret!One more phrase: I can’t wait for the final sequel!!! Come on 2013, come fast!

The cover:It is gorgeous, isn’t it? This series has one of the most beautiful covers with meaning related to the storylines :).The storyline:I have been dying to get my hands of this sequel to Deadly Cool for a long time now. After reading the first book and then reading the sneak peek, I was craving for the rest.This story is set two months after the events in Deadly Cool.To summarize what happened without spoiling things (much..) here’s what’s going on:So, after the murders at Herbert Hoover High, Hartley Featherstone became a writer at the HHH Homepage. When their Homecoming Queen-hopeful, Sydney Sanders, cheats in a test, she gets suspended and banned from going to the dance. While this stared all types of gossip, Hartley saw it as a great story for the school paper, trying to get Sydney to tell her how she got the answers to the test.When Sydney is found dead, by Hartley again, in her pool at home while she was tweeting, everyone is sure that she committed suicide by taking her laptop with her into the water while it was plugged.Unfortunately, Hartley is not convinced that it is suicide, and soon enough, finds evidence that proves Sydney wasn’t intending to suicide, which means it wasn’t a suicide but a homicide which Sam calls Twittercide (I love this word!).From this point on, things get more and more complicated and we find twists and mixed signals between Hartley and Chase.And of course, the ending was epic! Yes, Hartley almost got herself killed, again! And no, it wasn’t Chase who saved her ;).What I loved:- The writing is very good.- The storyline was somewhat mysterious, twisted and realistic.- The characters were all likable.- The romance between Chase and Hartley wasn’t rushed. Everything was (and still is) going slowly. So Hartley isn’t making any stupid fast decisions.- There were a lot of funny moments where I had to read the passages over and over because they were funny and I had to get the full meaning sync in.- The pace was good.- Sam’s creation of amazing words to replace swearing is just phenomenal!! I couldn’t stop grinning each time I found “Holy fluffin’ fudge!”.What I disliked:- Hartley’s personality is somewhat different from the first book. She kept acting in a stupid way and repeating “Dude” a lot, which is not cool! (to me that is).- The story in some passages of the middle chapters was blank. I was not moved at all.- The mystery in Social Suicide wasn’t that hard to solve in my opinion. I was actually able to pinpoint the killer from chapter 6. Don’t get me wrong, I love being correct, but I love it when the twists and mystery are too much complicated that it makes it harder for the reader to have a clue.The characters:- Hartley is the female protagonist. She’s somewhat smart and brave. She can’t hide her feelings and usually goes directly to the point. She has crash on Chase, who’s the school paper editor although she’s not sure it is a crush and keeps convincing herself that it is nothing.- Chase is the male protagonist (I think). He’s strong, good looking and mysterious. He rarely smiles and almost never compliments Hartley. He takes he’s job at the school paper very seriously.- Samantha a.k.a Sam is Hartley’s best friend and her number one fan and supporter. She helps Hartley throughout the story and I love how we get to know her more in this sequel and see her other sides and obsession for making Hartley her dressing doll ;).- Kyle is Sam’s boyfriend. I wasn’t expecting much from him but he turned out to be very nice! He’s most known for spreading rumors but in this sequel we see that he’s ready to do anything for his friends (Chase and Hartley) and girlfriend.There are other main characters in this story who are: Mr. Tipkins, the Math teacher. Connor, Sydney’s boyfriend a.k.a ex-boyfriend. Quinn, Sydney’s ex-BFF. Chris, a team member at the school paper. Nicky whom you’ll need to find out who he is and others.Favorite quotes:The amazing opening:YOU HAD TO BE INCREDIBLY STUPID TO GET CAUGHT cheating in Mr. Tipkins’s class, but then again, Sydney Sanders was known for being the only brunette blonder than Paris Hilton. --- Chapter 1.Sam’s eyes got all big and round. “She went in the pool,” she finished for me. “Ohmigod. She was killed while tweeting. It was Twittercide!” --- Chapter 3.“One crack about the tiara and you’re a dead man,” I warned him. He put up his hands in a surrender motion. “I wouldn’t dream of it, princess.” I shot him a death look… --- Chapter 20.Conclusion:This book was hilarious. It made me laugh, think, get scared and even be sad. I was somewhat disappointed but not very much.If you enjoy contemporary reads with less romance, more mystery and twists all about a murder, then this book is for you.

What I loved:- The story is set in London. What’s not to love? Smile.- The writing is very good and clear, and somehow Jennifer delivers the right feelings of the surroundings and the characters. Whish is awesome.- The story is unique. I had no idea what was going on except that I had a good guess that the ending was a happy one.- The suspense is really good.- I was afraid that the romance would overweight the real story but it didn’t. The whole aspects of the story were very well balanced.What I disliked:- Nothing.Conclusion:This was an amazing contemporary read. After I was 3 chapters in it was decided that it’s going to be a favorite read for me and that it would get no less than four stars. But later on, things got even better and the story took different directions. So 5 stars it is!If you’re a contemporary fan and wants a quick read that has romance, I recommend this to you.

What I loved:From the beginning, I was intrigued by the world and the characters Kimberly created. There wasn’t a single familiar thing about them.The story itself is unique and interesting with a world were people are classed and each class has her own language and they’re forbidden from speaking others’ languages. And I thought it was pretty amazing how things developed.Having chapters with particular characters’ points of views was great. It didn’t occur every chapter but only when we needed to know what the other character, that Charlaina was dealing with, was thinking. They were accurate and in the right place at the right time.The characters were unique and distinct. Each time Charlaina described who she was talking to or seeing, you could know exactly who he/she was. Even Sabara was unique and intriguing.Unlike other readers of this book, I found that the ending had an opening for a sequel. It was good not great but it left me hoping for what to come. Oh, and the sequel, The Essence, is just a fitting title for the next one Winking smile.What I disliked:What I do agree on with some other readers however, is that Max’s character felt like it had to be there for Charlaina to have a love interest. It wasn’t a bad thing but I would’ve loved to see Max earn his place in her heart and do other things in the story rather then just always be around Charlaina pledging and protecting her. To me, he didn’t play an important role at all. Xander was much better…Conclusion:This is one amazing first book. I can’t wait until The Essence is out next year!!I recommend you go check it out if you’re into dystopian novels and unique stories.

What I liked:-The use of British words was a nice touch Smile. I loved it.-The beginning was pretty good. It was the 2nd best part in the book.-I got intrigued when Elijah was mentioned near the end of the book. Which is the best part in the story.-The characters in this sequel were all very good. I’ll miss them all :).-The fightings were nice.-As usual, the end was great! It made me anticipate what to come despite my disappointment.What I disliked:-It was so predictable. Things were starting to repeat themselves which is crazy!-In conclusion to the previous sentence, I was bored to death. In addition to the predictability, the writer, (who is not L. J. Smith by the way!! 0_o), kept over describing each move, each breath, every time the weather changed, the house, the characters… It left no room for imagination! The point of reading fiction books is to get your mind somewhere else where you could imagine things.-Unfortunately, the only part of this book where I had no idea what to come next was the ending.-Oh My God Stefan! I used to hate him, then after reading the previous books I felt sad for him. In this book, I hated him again! He was so reckless…-Agh! The events! I understand that this series is supposed to explain how Stefan became the vampire we now see in The Vampire Diaries TV show, but the things that kept happening were planned instead of just happening. Instead of creating other events and memories we don’t know how they resolved, yet, the events were based on current episodes of the show, therefore, I didn’t want to know how strong they fought Samuel after compelling Stefan or how they thought they killed him because I already know he survived and he met Stefan again!Conclusion:Oh! I’ve been disappointed :s. I had great expectations for this one because it’s the last book in this trilogy and I don’t know if there will be other sequels :(.Anyhow, I do appreciate this book. It had many favorite moments in it and the characters were lovely. It’s true it bored me, but at the end it had a different touch in it than the others in the series. It could have been much better.I don’t really regret reading it. And this was an honest review from me and it’s my point of view. Keep in mind that many readers have enjoyed it much better than I did and even gave it 5 stars :).Full review here