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Secrets of Lost Words
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This book sounded a lot like Not A Drop to Drink for me. It's about how water's getting scarce and now there's an apocalypse. Aquifer is quite a disappointing read for me, sadly.Aquifer had me quite confused throughout most of it. Even after I finished it, I didn't know what some of the term actually means. I can only guess. One term is called "undone / undoing". I guess it means killed, but I'm not sure. It was also quite confusing in the prologue. We meet this guy named Jasper and and somehow something shocking happened when he pulled a dead body out of the sea. We were never really introduced to anything and that left me puzzled at what's happening. There wasn't much world-building at all. Nothing about their traditions were explained. Nothing about how the dials and the Amongus came to be. Nothing about the Rats and the histories. I understand that the history is censored in the community but I expected to learn more about when Luca actually discovered what his actual heritage is. There is also insta-love, which a huge no-no for me. The moment Luca saw the girl, it was like, "Whoa there, beautiful, can't stop staring." I hate these insta-love relationships. I feel like the characters are shallow this way. I mean, they feel connected and in love with them just because of their looks. By in love, I mean head over heels in love. This book might've been more enjoyable without all the issues above. I was half frustrated and half trying to get through the adventure. I would've given this one flower but I gave it two because of the good plot we had (yeah, save the world!). This book was reviewed at The Book Belles.
Catching Liam was an okay contemporary. It involves the couple working together to work past their problems which in turn strengthens their relationship and builds their trust. There was something off about Jillian and boy catching is her way of not getting too close to anyone. She pushes everyone away and I felt really sorry for the girl. She also has some serious family drama. Catching Liam is a pretty average contemporary with its happily-ever-afters and everything.
15 Minutes (The Rewind Series)
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: C+Time travel book, you say? I'm there! 15 Minutes is a time-travelling novel that took me by surprise and kept me flipping the pages.Time travelling was a really cool aspect in this novel. It isn't really time travel but more like reliving your memory. You are transferred back in time to observe something that happened to you. You can't change anything or touch anything. The problem in this novel is about the corporation. It wanted to reshape the world so that they hold all the power in their hands.Our protagonist, Lara, lives two different lives. In one life, she tried to go back in time to save her mom from being murdered. She saved her mother but in turn her own life changed into another Lara's. One who was rich and living the life. Now she's living the wrong life, trying to solve her mom's murder case and save the world all at the same time. It may be a bit confusing at times but it's really exciting to read about.All because of the 15 minutes, everything in Lara's life changed. This book was adventurous and figuring things out with Lara was really fun.
Pivot Point
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: BI always thought Pivot Point was a time-travelling book but it wasn't. Our protagonist, Addie, has this ability called Divergence that allows her to live through the results of the decisions she makes. From there, she has a heads-up of which decision to should make.Addie's parents have just divorced and now she has to choose which parent she wants to live with. Her dad is moving to the Norm world and her mom is staying. No matter which path she chooses, there will be consequences. Both paths are filled with adventure and it just kept me turning the pages to see what will happen next. I was never confused which path I was reading about.Living in two different worlds comes with two different love interests! I don't know if you could call this a love triangle since the guys don't technically know each other. If she chooses to live in the Compound with her mom, her boyfriend would be Duke, the all-star quarterback. If she chooses to live with her dad in the Norm world, her boyfriend would be Trevor, the ex all-star quarterback. Damn, she seems to have a thing for quarterbacks (ex or not), doesn't she? I've always had a bad feeling about Duke and thinking that he's hiding someone so I was naturally Team Trevor. I think Trevor is more emotional and more open about his feelings. Even when shit hit the fan, he never made a rash judgment and still stuck by Addie.Of course, when the Search came to an end, she had lived through both paths and she had to make a decision. The ending was a bit confusing and I seriously have no idea what's going to happen in the next book.. which makes me all the more excited about it! Pivot Point brings in a unique idea to the YA world and I can't get enough of it! Split Second can't come soon enough!
Etiquette & Espionage
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: A-Etiquette & Espionage looked like the kind of kickass book I'd want to read and that's why I picked it up. The cover is so gorgeous with the girl, the scissor, and the purple background. This book talks about Sophronia who is sent to a finishing school to become a proper lady. But the school isn't what is seems.My favorite characters were Sophronia, Dimity, and Soap (whose name is actually Phineas). I love how Sophronia always manages to get in trouble. She can't seem to not involve herself in things and her need to figure things out always gets the best of her. Dimity is her best friend. She always supports Sophronia no matter how crazy the stunt might be. And Soap *smiles dreamily*. I think he's love interest in the book but there wasn't romance (which I didn't mind at all). It isn't good for Sophronia to like Soap because Soap is black and he's sootie. Kind of forbidden love, I guess? It might be bad but the thing I loved most about the book is the mechanical dog! Bumbersnoot is so cute and always licking at his coal. Even though he poops out ashes sometimes, I still love him :3In this book, Sophronia definitely has a great adventure. There were no ends to her stunts and she always manages to find a way to get into trouble. The whole group is just Sophronia, Dimity, and Soap (sometimes Dimity's brother is there too). I love seeing them all together, solving the puzzle. They had to figure out where the prototype might be and bring it back to the academy.I wish we found out more about who the bad guys were and why they wanted the prototype. With its endless adventures, enjoyable humour, and kickass heroine (don't forget the dog!), Etiquette & Espionage is definitely one of my favorite books of 2013.
Midnight Frost
Reviewed at The Book Belles.*This review contains spoiler for the previous Mythos Academy books*Gwen is now back at Mythos Academy after her loss of her favorite Spartan. Gwen is heartbroken and moping around all day, which I didn't like to see. I could understand why she was so. But never fear! She springs into action when something bad befalls upon Nickademus and immediately goes on a mission to bring back an antidote to heal him.In some parts of the novel, I had the feeling that this series is getting too long and that they were never going to defeat Loki. I mean, which is going to be the final installment? Book six or seven hopefully? In this book, they had to go find a cure for Nickademus who was poisoned. They had a week for a deadline and they had to go to a place that was said to be cursed. There wasn't much artifact hunting in this book much, but by the end, you can see how they're a step closer to victory against Loki.Overall, the book is okay. I must say Logan is terribly missed because he's one of my favorite characters. Now every thing is back on track with Gwen and the gang, I can't wait to see what they do next in book six!
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: B-A Taylor-Made Life is a heartwrenching story that had me sobbing (which rarely happens because I don't get emotional when I read). It was beautifully written and I didn't think I would like it so much.Gavin and Taylor both had cancer and what they don't have is time. Taylor wanted to have sex with a guy before she dies so she goes on dating sites to try to find the perfect guy. Gavin is the CEO of a video game company. He's rich but he's expected die soon. The thing that brought the two lovebirds together was the cancer program which helps both the mentor and the student fight cancer. They were just so cute together and I was always cheering for them to beat the disease and live for love.I must admit, Gavin annoyed me quite a bit at the beginning of the story. Taylor was all for having a romantic relationship but Gavin didn't want that. He thought the age difference was too much and that he couldn't really justify dating a woman that's a lot younger than him. When Gavin stopped protesting, I liked him because he was sweet, cute, and just so very nerdy :) I was so sad at the end and I cried. Lots. The letter from Gavin was so beautiful and moving. I just couldn't hold my tears in. I'm not emotional at all when I read and I was amazed that this book could make me cry! It just rarely happens... As I said, A Taylor-Made Life is a beautifully written story that brings two people who doesn't have hope and create something miraculous out of it. This is my first contemporary book about cancer and I would love to say that I enjoyed it very much :)
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: C+*A review copy was provided for reviewing purposes*Thank you so much to Megan Curd! This does not alter my review in any waySteel Lily was a book I've been eyeing for some time and I'm so glad to be part of the blog tour! Steel Lily was a great dystopian book. I stopped reading dystopians because they all sound the same after a while. This book has rekindled my love for dystopian books as it brings in a dying world and the Elementalists.I got the good guys and bad guys figured out pretty easily, though it was supposed to be a plot twist. The beginning was a bit slow but it sped up after Avery got to the Academy. I had a problem with references to Sherlock and such. Weren't their information on the world before limited? How do they even know who Sherlock is anyways? It's a dying world, NO ONE READS ANYMORE. But I suppose I shouldn't have thought much about it and moved on. I wish we found out more about Avery's elementalist abilities and what it means to be an elementalist.Moving onto the romance. I really liked Jaxon and thankfully there wasn't another love triangle. Jaxon is sarcastic, humourous and sweet. He hides behind his arrogant cover but you know that he's all fluffies inside! Just my type of boy!Overall, Steel Lily is a refreshing dystopian book. With the adventure and the romance, this book holds promises and doesn't have the same boring feel all dystopian books have.
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: C+I've seen good reviews of this series from my favorite bloggers saying this is a good high school story. I found this pretty good but there were a few things that I didn't quite like.Rose Zarelli is our protagonist. Her dad died from a war in Iraq and she's been trying to deal with her problems just as she became a high school freshman. From the synopsis, you can see how her life sucks in a bunch of ways. Her dad died, her mom closed off, her brother abandoned her. Then, she crushed on this guy named Jamie Forta, which pissed off this cheerleader. Her friend changed and wants to be a shallow cheerleader and have sex with some jerk. Basically, her life sucks pretty bad.Bullying is something kids deal with everyday. Even a kindergartner gets bullied on the playground. I find that Rozett writes the situations pretty well. While not everyone may be extremely bullied like she was, everyone can relate to what happened to Rose one way or another. The distinct teenage voice helps the writing bring Rose Zarelli to life.I did like those parts but there were a few things I didn't like. I feel like Rose could've tried harder in some of the situations and it might have turned out better. I was also annoyed when Jamie Forta showed up and that's all she could think about. That's just some stuff I tolerated.Confessions of an Angry Girl is a great contemporary I enjoyed. I will get on the sequel soon and see how Rose would deal with being a sophomore.
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: DThe Selection was one of my favorites last year and I'm sad to say that the Elite didn't live up to the first book.In the Elite, we get to find out more about Aspen and Maxon. You see America going between these two boys and just how undecisive she is in choosing which boy she likes. It's kind of annoying but also entertaining at the same time. Due to certain things revealed in this book, I don't like or trust Maxon anymore. He seems like he's hiding something and that he might have an ulterior motive. So now, I'm all for Aspen! Woot!Despite sounding not all that excited about this book, it did have its good points. I think it all comes down to The One (the third book), where they finally end everything. Palace life is as always, the girls are always trying to cause each other's downfalls and compete in palace duties. There was a bit on the rebels and I wish we could have found out more about them.While reading this book, my mind was going everywhere so I didn't have much thought to take notes. Basically, I wish this book was better and it could have been better. Now, I'm just waiting on The One.
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: CDare You To is the story of Beth and Ryan. Pushing the Limits was one of my favorite books last year but I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to pick this one up. It has a new set of characters and I find that Dare You To wasn't good as Pushing the Limits.Once again, both characters have some kind of issues and their relationship with each other helps them solve said issues. Beth needs to find who she wants to be and get over being responsible for her mom (who's a good-for-nothing). Ryan needs to stand up for himself and stop doing what his parents wants him to do. The two of them were brought together on a simple dare which turned into something more.As I said, this wasn't as good as Pushing the Limits. I was never really interested in Beth's love story so I kept my expectations low. I didn't find myself feeling for the characters or anything but this book kept me entertained. Beth actually annoyed me because of her unwillingness to let go of her mom and love Ryan. Yeah, that chick pissed me off sometimes. I would say congratulations to Ryan for not giving up no matter how difficult Beth was. If I was Ryan, I wouldn't have dealt with her. Dare You To is the sequel to Pushing the Limits that didn't quite live up to the first book. This still kept me entertained but I think this one is quite over-hyped.
The Elite (The Selection, #2)
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: DThe Selection was one of my favorites last year and I'm sad to say that the Elite didn't live up to the first book.In the Elite, we get to find out more about Aspen and Maxon. You see America going between these two boys and just how undecisive she is in choosing which boy she likes. It's kind of annoying but also entertaining at the same time. Due to certain things revealed in this book, I don't like or trust Maxon anymore. He seems like he's hiding something and that he might have an ulterior motive. So now, I'm all for Aspen! Woot!Despite sounding not all that excited about this book, it did have its good points. I think it all comes down to The One (the third book), where they finally end everything. Palace life is as always, the girls are always trying to cause each other's downfalls and compete in palace duties. There was a bit on the rebels and I wish we could have found out more about them.While reading this book, my mind was going everywhere so I didn't have much thought to take notes. Basically, I wish this book was better and it could have been better. Now, I'm just waiting on The One.
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: AEleanor & Park is something I've wanted to read for a long time but never picked up. Oh, what a mistake that was! This is possibly the cutest and most romantic contemporary I've ever read! It's really realistic and it made me sympathize a lot with the characters. It made me cheer them on and quickly flipping the pages to see what happened next.So this book is about a half-Asian boy named Park and a weird girl named Eleanor. What I liked best about the book are the characters. Usually in YA, you always have this hunky sexy guy and this pretty-but-thinks-she-isn't-pretty girl. That's not the case at all here. Park is the insecure half-Asian boy who's sweet and thinks he's not good-looking. Eleanor is the fat self-doubting girl who always has weird outfits. They don't fit into school at all, yet they come together and are just perfect for each other.What I learned from this: First love is truly awkward. I'm still fourteen and haven't had my first love so I wouldn't know. But from this book, eh.. really awkward. They were never sure what to do and took tiny baby steps to build their relationship. Eleanor was so happy with just the hand holding that she could forget about all the bad things that was happening to her (I admit, I was squealing too...). They went through mistakes and learned how to build their relationship again step by step. It made the romance realistic and made me feel like that's the kind of relationship I want one day.Eleanor & Park isn't the kind of romance book you see in YA these days. That's why it's got such high praises from me. I feel like I can't say enough good things about this one because you need to read it yourself to experience the book to the full extent. The whole book was sweet and I think the characters found themselves through their relationship. They found out what love meant and that love can carry them through any hardships they might have. I would encourage everyone to read Eleanor & Park as it is the kind of book that just makes my heart warm up (and make me die a little on the inside.)
Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.Rating: BThe Colossus Rises is something I came across while browsing through my local bookstore. I usually don't find books that way but this looked pretty promising. I picked this up because a) it looked like a great MG, b) it was recommended by Rick Riordan who is the author of Percy Jackson, and c) it sounds Percy Jackson-esque. The boy on the cover also reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender, which is my favorite TV show ever. It's also written by Peter Lerangis, who wrote some of the 39 Clues books (which I found out later).The Colossus Rises is centered around Jack McKinley and his friends (Marco, Cass, and Aly). They all have this gene that make them have access to super powers. They each have different talents and qualities. Marco is a perfect soldier who is great at physical activities. Aly is a hacker who is great with computers. Cass is a human GPS who is smart as hell. And Jack.. he doesn't really have a talent. He feels like a misfit. I think these characters fit well together. They all make jokes instead of one character who is the one who's funny. They fit together and they make a great team. I love seeing them develop their friendship with each other and learning to trust each other.This book is focused on how their super powers comes from Atlantis, which means there's a bunch of mythology. There were lots of puzzle-solving along the way and we get to see mythical creatures such as griffins. I haven't read a mythology book in a while and it reminded me why I loved it so much.The Colossus Rises is a great Middle Grade adventure book that I can't wait to read more about. From its great set of characters to its dash of action, this one was is a refreshing MG book to read.
Reviewed at The Book Belles.Doll Bones is the first Holly Black story I’ve ever read and I thought it was pretty okay. Doll Bones is a middle grade ghost story. While it isn’t something that would give you nightmares, it’s a children’s tale with some creepy and fun elements.The thing that made Doll Bones so enjoyable was the quest. The three friends (Zach, Alice, and Poppy) were determined to go on a quest to East Liverpool, Ohio, to give the ghost of Eleanor Kerchner some peace and let her rest in her grave. The relationship between the three friends were tested as they all have secrets from one another. The adventure was fun and creepy, told in a third person’s perspective. The secrets were revealed along the way but I’m glad they held onto their friendship and worked past their problems with one another. Even though it’s told in a third person’s perspective, I still connected easily with Zach. He was still a kid and it was easy to see how much he valued his friendship with Alice and Poppy. I don’t get why he would keep his secret from Poppy and Alice. I don’t think they would be mad at him because it wasn’t his fault in the first place. As for Alice’s secret, it was really easy to figure out. Why Zach didn’t figure it out though, I think it was because he’s a guy. Guys don’t think that much about that kind of stuff.There were some other problems I ran into. In the beginning, I couldn’t tell Alice and Poppy apart. They sounded the same even with their different backgrounds. It was only when they went on the quest that I finally figured out who was who. In fact, nothing made the three main characters distinguishable. Zach was just easier to identify because he was the only guy and he was the narrator. Doll Bones is definitely a fun and chilling Middle Grade ghost story. It isn’t anything that’s super scary but still enough to pull you into the quest with Zach, Alice and Poppy. I would recommend this to anyone who are getting tired of YA and wants a good story about friendship and a ghost quest.