Book Review: No Such Thing As Forever by Ali Cronin

No Such Thing As Forever 

by Ali Cronin 

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Release Date: July 5th 2012

Format: Paperback

Purchase: Book Depository 

Cass is Ms Monogamy. Ashley is a player. Donna is a party girl. But what about Sarah?

Her friends tease her for being uptight, but she's waiting for the one. Now she's found him, but is he forever - or is Sarah just his summer fling?

To be honest, it’s books like No Such Thing As Forever that put me off reading contemporary YA. I can only say I’m so glad the majority of contemporary books I’ve read this year have been so much better. No such thing as Forever was, most unfortunately, a major disappointment. The characters were dull and irritating; and nothing about the plot intrigued me. I was just glad that this was a quick read, so I didn’t have to spend so much time reading it.

I was so frustrated with Sarah's behaviour throughout the book that I literally wanted to jump inside the book and throttle her. After she met a guy on holiday in Spain, her world quite literally revolved around him. She had an unhealthy and obsessive infatuation with him; something that annoyed the hell out of me. Calling her “naïve” is probably an understatement; “stupidity”, though harsh, is probably a more fitting word. I hated how she deluded herself into thinking she could have a future with a guy who publicly humiliated her, ignored her phone calls, visited her only when it was convenient for him, and…who only wanted “uber hot” sex with her whenever they saw each other. Joe may be a jerk-no doubt about it-, but I found it was Sarah’s own actions that resulted in all the drama that unfolded.  I mean, did it not mean anything when Joe told her point blank that their relationship wasn’t serious? Was that not the time to walk away? While Sarah may be seen as a realistic character- portraying a teenager experiencing love for the first time, I found it incredibly difficult to relate to her. I mean…not ALL girls who experience first love are like her.

So Sarah’s obsessed, and Joe's a (for a lack of better word) douchebag, unfortunately the other characters weren't much better. The only characters I liked were the guys- Ollie(who's so sweet by the way!), Jack and Rich; who, in my opinion  were the only sensible characters in the book. I felt Sarah's three 'best friends' Donna, Cass and Ash were either selfish or just..incredibly dislikable characters. Ash was ungrateful (Is it too much to say “Thank You” after your best friend after she (literally) saved you from death? ) ; and Cass and Donna just….didn’t strike me as great friends. Let’s just say I’m glad these three aren’t my best friends.

No such thing as Forever, most unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea. I’ve been more tolerant of contemporary books lately, but this just didn’t make the cut. I know many found this realistic, and many of the characters relatable, but, I couldn’t, for the life of me, relate to the characters. However, I’m sure many contemporary fans will find this enjoyable – so, if you love contemporary, then you may want to consider picking this up if you’re in for a speedy Summer read :)

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia

Release Date: August 2nd 2012

Format: Paperback

Purchase: Book Depository

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

It’s not everyday I read about female teen assassins- and one known as the best in the country at that- so when I read “18-year old assassin Celaena Sardothien “ I just knew I wouldn’t rest until I got a copy! With all the hype surrounding the book, I dived into the book with insanely high expectations i.e. expecting it to be the best book in the universe!- but while it was a phenomenal book, it didn’t quite meet my “best book in the universe” expectation. But I still REALLY LOVED IT!

Celaena is not your average teenage girl. She’s a notorious assassin- the best and most feared in the country. Her skills are lethal, and you’d be stupid to want to spar with her! The girl can knock a guy, trained to battle, in 10 seconds flat. But here’s the thing: while I’m not an expert on assassins, I did expect Celaena to be a little more…reserved and more guarded about her emotions. Never would I have imagined she would flirt outrageously with the Prince, constantly thinking of how “achingly gorgeous” and “beautiful” he is. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for her witty retorts and her deadly fighting/killing skills (which more than enough compensated for her annoying habit of praising the Prince’s good looks), I probably would’ve found her a little irritating. Nevertheless, I admired both her determination to become the King’s Champion, and also her extensive knowledge on everything to do with killing people and the weapons involved! The girl is everything I love in a heroine – sarcastic, courageous and incredibly intelligent!

The love interests were both likeable and certainly worthy of being potential lovers of an assassin! I really can’t believe how tolerant I am of love triangles right now – I didn’t even mind this one! Prince Dorian is the flirty and playful one while Captain Chaol Westfall is more guarded, stoic but equally mesmerizing! I’ve officially chosen my team – TEAM CHAOL. So, I like Dorian and all, but Chaol is dependable, caring and the type who watches and loves from afar. He truly understands Celaena in a way no one else does! I REALLY hope Celaena and Chaol will end up together – seriously, after everything he’s done for her, SHE NEEDS TO REALISE HER FEELINGS FOR CHAOL ALREADY!

There was action- lots of action in fact! All the sparing, shooting, knife/dagger-weidling were so incredibly thrilling to read about! And that duels? EPIC. My mind was actually elsewhere when I started reading this particular fighting scene, but soon, I literally forgot what I was thinking when I became immersed in the duel! The plot was a little predictable – or at least the revelation was. I was sort of expecting it to happen and then ta-da! It did! But despite the slight predictablility, I still enjoyed the plot immensely!

Throne of Glass is everything you’d want in a YA book – a heroine who’s kick-ass both in the fighting and intelligence department, two irresistible guys whose presence actually serves a purpose, and some very exciting action throughout! Definitely grab a copy of this when it’s released- you really don’t want to miss out!! 

Book Review: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing The Limits

by Katie McGarry

Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia

Release Date: July 25th 2012

Format: ARC

Purchase: Book Depository

SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.


But when Noah Hutchins--the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket--explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.


Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Pushing the Limits deserves all the stars in the universe. No kidding. Everything about it was spot on- the pacing was perfect, the characters were so realistic, as were the relationships explored; and the story itself? Mind-blowing and riveting. Once I started reading, I was literally sucked in to their world. It’s almost impossible to return to reality after reading something so dark and heart-breaking yet bittersweet at the same time. Pushing the Limits is officially my favourite contemporary of the year! 

It’s been a while since I read about such realistic characters. Echo is this broken soul, having lost her memories of what exactly happened to her that one particular night 2 years ago. Something dreadful happened; something that resulted in the shocking scars running up her arms. Something she has no memory of. What happened that night has tormented her for 2 years; and on top of that, she’s still grieving the loss of her brother who died 6 months before her ‘attack’. Her raw pain, her suffering really touched my heart. How can a teenager have all this agony buried deep inside her? Throughout the books, Echo had to fight her sanity, and also make so life-changing decisions. It was impossible not to sympathise with her and encourage her on. I admired the courage she showed and at the end of the day, she’s not a piece of delicate glass, to be shattered at a moment’s notice. She’s a fighter. And she fights her own internal and external battles. 

Noah, with the reputation of a bad-boy, is so much more than what you seen on the surface. He’s traumatized after the death of his parents – and the one thing he wants more than anything else? To live with his brothers. I loved Noah. Not because of his sexy, smothering looks, but his true self. He loves his brothers more than anything in the world; he would do anything to get them back. Added to this, he truly understands Echo. He’s willing to go through hell with her, protect her and stay by her side. He’s committed and full of determination to do what needs to be done. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m literally in love with these two characters! They’re far from perfect, but together, they’re a perfect match. 

The secondary characters stood out to me as well. Isasah, Beth and Lila should be give the “Best Friends of the Year” awards- no matter what happened, they continued to support and stay by their best friends. No matter what hardships were being faced, they were always there. Seriously, Echo and Noah were blessed with such encouraging and true friends. It was impossible for me to hate any of the characters; sure, they’ve made mistakes – near fatal ones even- but at the end of the day, I understood why they did it. Their actions may not be forgiveable, but I certainly understood the reason. 

This is not a typical good-girl falls in love with bad-boy drama. It delves so much deeper than that. The relationships Echo has with her parents, stepmother, her clinical social worker, and of course Noah take centre stage. I loved the romance; I loved how well the relationship Echo has with everyone is explored; I loved the issues dealt with in the book; and most of all, I absolutely loved these characters. Pushing The Limits is a remarkable debut that you must pick up. It’s a heart-felt story that everyone has to read!

5 stars is NOT ENOUGH. I say ALL the stars in the universe :)

Book Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil

by Wendy Higgins

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 1st 2012 

Format: Paperback 

Purchase: Book Depository

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Sweet Evil is a sexy, flirty and dangerous new addition to the YA world. Though it may not be original, it is vastly different from the majority of angel-related books out there.  I was certainly pleased by how different this is from the usual angel book and I loved Higgin’s new spin on angel lore! Delightfully entertaining for the most part, it’s also heart-shattering and occasionally thought-provoking; whether you’re a fan of angel books or not, make sure to pick this one up and give it a try!

Our main character, Anna, grew on me. At the start, I really didn’t like her. She was too… good and innocent for my liking. She’s the type of girl, who, in class, would raise her hand and ask “ Miss, are you going to collect our homework” (which is totally fine of course, but not when I, myself haven't completed my homework :S); she cannot bear to say the word sex; she has  never told a single lie and the first time she does, she immediately confesses that she just lied. There’s more but basically, the point is: She’s too good. BUT, my impression of her changed as her character slowly developed as the story progressed; her character strengthened after discovering her heritage and understanding what’s expected of her.  And after experiencing some pretty intense things, she's finally become the independent, strong type of heroine I admire. I think I just might like her after all!

Now, my favourite part of the book: KAIDEN. The guy is HOTT; and to quote Anna  “He was smokin’ hot. As in H-O-T-T hott…..This guy was extra-T worthy.”  Yep. I totally agree! And you know what’s better than a HOTT guy? An incredibly hot bad-boy – and he ‘s literally bad. His ’job’ is to be a bad influence to humans, and being the son of the Duke of Lust (you’ll learn all about the Dukes in the book!) , his speciality is obviously getting girls to lust after him! And good Lord, he does know how to woo a girl! (especially with his irresistible “bedroom eyes”!) But while he may have the looks, (and girls), the poor guy has never been loved; nor has he ever opened up to anyone about his true feelings. I loved how the more he stayed around Anna, the more he was able to open up to her and show her his true self!

While overall, the book was enjoyable and praise-worthy, I was a little disappointed with the lack of action and a strong, and satisfying plotline. I would expect some sort of action, however minimal, in an angel/ Nephilim  book- I mean, wouldn’t you want to see sexy angels battle it out?- but Sweet Evil was devoid of any sort of exciting action. It was more Anna’s quest to discover her true identity and her heritage. The first part of the book centres around Anna & Kaiden’s road trip to find her father who’s in prison; and the second half…seemed to focus a lot on Anna's balancing her life with her human and Nephilim friends. It would’ve been more satisfying had there been a climax towards the end. But then again, there were some pretty intense and thrilling scenes! (e.g. That bar scene was EPIC. Kind of makes me wish I was 18 already…and those steamy making-out scenes were so swoon-worthy!)

Despite the issues I had, I still found Sweet Evil a fantastic debut! While it can be read as a stand-alone, I’ll certainly be coming back for more J I can’t wait for the second book to be released now!

Book Review: Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris

Unravelling 
by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia/Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May, 2012 (AU)/24th April (US)
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

UNRAVELLING.WAS.INCREDIBLE. IT WAS FREAKING EPIC! No kidding- I’m IN LOVE with this book; the characters, the plot, the ROMANCE; Everything about the book was flawless! There’s nothing I would change about it. I just wish I could literally jump into the book and experience the adventures with this cast of fabulous and memorable characters (Seriously, my life is so boring compared to Janelle’s! Why can’t I live a life full of excitement and adrenaline-pumping action and adventure? ) The rest of my review will probably be filled with excessive exclamation marks, squealing, fan-girling and just plain…over-enthusiam. So, BE PREPARED. Let’s start with Janelle and Ben! I liked Janelle the minute I met her; and as the story progressed, I began to like her even more! She was brave, determined and selfless; everyone time something happens, the first person she thinks of is her brother- her brother’s safety is her priority. I seriously admired this side of her; it’s not every day you meet someone so selfless and caring! And  BEN! Ben isn’t the popular jock every girl falls in love with; he’s not the ‘girl-tossing-bad-boy’ we’re so used to reading about; he’s not a smokin’ hot paranormal creature in the body of a teenage boy who every girl falls head-over-heels for; he’s certainly notperfect, yet in my mind he IS perfect! In a way, he’s completely different from every YA love interest, but he’s charming in his own way! Okay, I know I’m going around in circles, but if you want to know Ben more, GO REA D THIS BOOK! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with him as well :)! Bascially he’s a mix of everything you’d LOVE in a guy and everything you’d never expect and well…HE’S JUST BLOODY PERFECT, ALRIGHT?! The plot was unique, full of mystery and every page is full of surprises and something important to the storyline. There were all these jaw-dropping moments and unexpected twists that had me falling in love with it even more! There wasn’t one moment when I felt bored. I was also fascinated by the FBI-related cases and scenes in the book. Anything FBI-related, I LOVE! There’s also a lot of physics & chemistry terms which, by the way will usually put me off since I tend to stay away from anything related to physic but in this case, I actually understood everything and couldn’t put it down! Now, I should probably warn you that there’s a lot of swearing. (Or it’s probably just me going overboard since I’m not used to reading books with swearing?) Anyway, here, I thought the swearing actually gave the characters dimension and made them more believable – especially Elijah! Another thing I LOVED about this book was the fact that there WAS NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Oh God, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I literally died of happiness once I realised that there probably wouldn’t be a love triangle half way through the book! Janelle, however has a best friend – Alex. And he totally stole my heart as well! Their relationships is strictly FRIENDSHIP; and I absolutely loved these two! Their friendship reminded me a little of Harry and Hermione ! :D Ohmyfreakinggoodness, that ending ripped my heart to pieces! I had no idea how the author would end it; I thought of all these possibilities and the way the book ended did cross my mind, but I just didn’t want to face that possibility. It was too heart-wrenching! But I guess, I’m still glad the book ended the way it did. I just hope that there will be a sequel! PLEASE! LET THERE BE A SEQUEL!!! I’m really sorry for such a long review, but Unravellling was SO AMAZING that I could probably talk all day and write several pages on why I love it so much! Bascially, tip of the day; GO BUY/BORROW/STEAL A COPY IMMEDIATELY! Unravelling is officially another 2012 must-read!

Book Review: Night School by C.J Daugherty

Title: Night School
Author: C.J Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: January 5th 2012
Format: Paperback 
Source: Won :D

Sometimes school is murder.

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.

This is yet another book I put off reading, because well...let's just say there's something seriously wrong with me :S I absolutely ADORED this book! It was dark, secretive and plain EPIC!

Both the main and secondary characters managed to leave a lasting impression on me- I was surprised at how much I loved each and every character in the book! You'll be swooning over the two main male leads; Sylvain (who's FRENCH by the way) and the famous lady-killer bad boy, Carter West. While these two were potential love interests for our kickass protagonist, Allie, let me assure you; this ISN'T one of those cliched love triangles!

It was such a pleasure to experience Allie's adventures in her new school Crimmia; she was one of those characters that was easy to relate to and I pretty much knew I would like her the moment I met her. Having been arrested three times in a year, she probably wouldn't make it onto my "top-10-people-I'd-love-to-hang-out-with-list",but after getting to know her, I think I'm more than happy to announce her as my new BFF:)

One of the things I particularly loved about Night School was the unpredictable mystery seeping through each page. From the very start, it was obvious that something wasn't quite right with the school; but I had no idea what was wrong exactly. Throughout the entire book, I never knew who could be trusted; Cimmeria Academy is a school clouded by lies and it was literally impossible to discern who was actually being genuinely helpful or pretending to, with some ulterior motive. Half the time I was stumbling along blindly,and then thinking "YES! I can trust this person," only to be left speechless after discovering the shocking truth. I was left guessing until the very end about who was trustworthy or not!

The only thing I wasn't quite content with was the lack of explanation about all the strange things happening at the school. I was expecting a detailed explanation about "Night School",but only got a brief outline. I'm certainly expecting  A LOT of explanation in the next book! But other than that, I completely fell in love with Night School <3 It's chilling, adventurous and full of dangerous lies that will literally make your head spin from trying to unravel the mystery! Plus, there's two sexy guys, anyone would die for :) What's not to love? :)

And check out the awesome trailer!!

Book Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Title: Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway 
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia/Balzar + Bray
Release Date: March 27th 2012 (US)/March 1st (AU)
Format: Paperback 
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

An original debut with a fascinating premise. Hathaway's debut Slide will woo readers with its gripping murder mystery plot line. While truthfully, I didn't find it entirely mind-blowing, I'm sure fans of mystery books will love this.

Slide tells the story of Sylvia, 'Vee', who can literally 'slide' into people. She'll be able to see everything from the perspective of the person she slides into,and may, occasionally 'control' them. The whole 'sliding' into another person was executed extremely well, and it was definitely interesting reading about how she feels being 'inside' someone else's body.

Here's the part where I'm a little picky with; this was certainly a good mystery, but it's by no means a mind-bending and thrilling mystery. I'll admit that I didn't guess the ending, but you know the whole 'the most probable is the least probable' tactic you use to guess who the murderer is?( or maybe that's just me since I read & watch too much crime!) Anyway...it was pretty obvious who WASN'T the murderer, so...by process of elimination, it was easy to guess who was involved. But I was really curious about the reason for the string of murders, so that certainly managed to maintain my interest.

The characters were....written well but not necessarily memorable. My feelings towards Vee was more like 'Yep, she's a fine character, I don't mind her.'But there was nothing about her character that distinguished her from all the other YA heroines. And truthfully, I found Zach a 2D character. His role seemed insignificant and his characterization was just...bland. Rollins, Vee's best friend, was probably the only character that interested me. I just wish his relationship with Vee was explored a little better (I mean, they're supposed to be BEST FRIENDS, except I couldn't feel that 'best friend vibe' from them.)

And lastly, I wish the ending had a little more OOMPH. It had the potential to have such a profound impact on me ( since I recently read a book that had a similar ending and that was the deciding factor between a good and AMAZING book), but everything happened a little too fast and it just wasn't effective enough.

The review might sound extremely critical, but i really did enjoy it. It just wasn't enough to fully WOW me. Give this a try though! I know some people who absolutely ADORED this, and you might too!

Book Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Release Date: January 25th, 2012
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate stars scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood -- not even from each other.

Doesn't it feel absolutely wonderful when you're finally able to read a particular book you've been lusting after for ages, and you end up loving it? Well, that's exactly what I felt after finishing Born Wicked. This 2012 debut is certainly one not to be missed!

Our main character Cate, is independent, selfless and extremely protective of her sisters. Her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness in order to care for them, and the fact that her thoughts always revolved around her sister’s well-being made her such an admirable character. Even when her upcoming engagement was approaching (and it was a huge deal since every girl had to be engaged before their 17th birthday) she never forgot her duty- to take care of her sisters.

While I loved the majority of the characters, there were several that really annoyed me. And I mean, annoyed as in I’d happily stick a knife through their heart and even then my anger probably wouldn't fade. And yes, to those who’ve read this book, I’m talking about infuriating selfish members of THE BROTHERHOOD and SISTERHOOD. I swear the society would benefit from their riddance!

Oh, FINN <3 Yes, here’s another character I absolutely ADORED! His relationship with Cate was so heart-warming and throughout the book, you’ll constantly go Awwwww <3 at the sweetness between the two! I loved how Finn accepted Cate for who she is, even after she revealed to him her deadly secret, and was willing to protect her with everything he had. These two have got to be the sweetest couple ever <3

I also loved how it was evident from the writing and the way the characters communicated that the story was set in the 19th/20th Century. The last two historical fiction books I read felt like modern day characters  living in the past, so I was so glad Ms Spotswood managed to capture the historical aspects perfectly in Born Wicked!

AND THAT ENDING was so cruel and heart-breaking! My poor, poor Finn and Cate both deserved their own happily  ever after, but NO! Some selfish, heartless and completely thick-headed morons just had to ruin everything! Now I'm seriously DESPERATE for the next book! Why, why WHY did it have to end like that? *cries heart out*

Born Wicked is magnificent start to a series that I'm sure will become one of my favourites <3 After reading this, I'm going to hunt down every single witch-related book out there and devour them! My advice: GO READ THIS BOOK NOW! 

Book Review: Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Title: Illuminate (Gilded Wings #1)
Author: Aimee Agresti 
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
Release Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: eARC 
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.

*Phew*! Finally finished it! So, immediately after finishing it, I heaved a sigh of relief and gave myself a pat on the back for sticking with in until the end. Don't get me wrong, the book itself wasn't necessarily bad, but it WAS unnecessarily LONG. I started it last year, read until half-way, picked up another book, and didn't come back to it until early this year. I'll be honest, I did skim through quite a lot of pages, and due to the incredibly long time in which it took to build up the suspense and tension, the climax unfortunately felt very anti-climatic to me. I was reading for the sake of finishing, so the second- half of the book didn't appeal to me the way I would've liked it to.

The characters unfortunately felt bland to me; I never connected with Haven nor Lance, and they just seemed devoid of personality. While I didn't dislike Haven, she truly doesn't stand out amongst all the other YA heroines out there. The only characters that made an impression on me were Lucian, and Aurelia, but neither were exceptionally memorable either ( unfortunately ). I remember Aurelia as the cold, stony-faced boss who would order Haven around and demand everything be done on time, yet there was also a frightened and vulnerable side to her; one that she kept hidden behind her mask of beauty and confidence.  Other than her, ( and sometimes Lucian) the other character failed to leave a lasting impression on me.

Like I said above, the book's downfall is definitely its overly long length. It really killed all my initial excitement until I was soon begging for something, ANYTHING interesting to happen. I'm certain that had this been half as long, with all the parts that dragged cut out, I would be here, gushing and raving about how incredibly amazing it was!

What did leave an impression on me was the special friendship the main characters shared with one another. For a change, friendship takes priority over romance, and I'm sincerely glad for this change! While I wasn't overjoyed at what became of Haven's relationship with Lance (friendship definitely suits them more!), but I'll take comfort in the months they spent as trusted, loyal friends who worked together and helped each other out in times of crisis.

Overall, a highly recommended read for anyone who likes a change from the normal, romance-driven PNR, ( and of course who isn't affected by scary 500+ pages of words to read). There is definite potential in this series, so I'll be looking out for the second book!

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda 
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Release Date: January 17th, 2012
Format: Paperback 
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Thought-provoking and emotional, you'll be swept away with Megan Miranda's raw and gripping debut. Definitely an author to look out for in the future!

I was really cautious upon starting Fracture, since I knew there would be a love triangle, and being the sort of person who absolutely despises unnecessary love triangles, I even put off reading it for a while. But after acutally reading it first-hand, I realised it was far from what I expected. And in a good way too. The "love triangle" in Fracture, is far from the usual angsty, nonsensical extravaganza that causes a perfectly well-written book to become an utter disappointment to me. Fracture was different, however. Everything that usually would've annoyed me - say, misunderstandings between two people, that leads to this whole pointless drama-completely flew out the window when I read this, and even I can't believe how much I enjoyed it.

Oh, Decker! How I wish he existed in real life. I usually don't like two best friends falling for each other (I just think a guy and girl should be able to remain friends without having any romantic feelings develop between the two) , but that thought disappeared gradually as I read on. Decker's exactly the kind of considerate and  protective guy any girl would want by her side.

'"And I lost it. I slept at the hospital.Actually, I didn't sleep at all. I couldn't eat. I just waited. And I made all kinds of bargains with God. Anyone but you.Anyone at all." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Everyone but you." '

 That quote instantly shattered my heart. Delaney is truly lucky to have Decker by her side.

As for Troy...I'm still confused about how I feel about him. From the very first time I met him, it was quite obvious there was something...not right. As I read on, it became increasingly obvious that Troy was messed up, both mentally and emotionally . Yet his actions weren't entirely uncalled for. I mean, we all know it's wrong  to end someone's life, but what if that person would die in a matter of days, or hours and they're actually suffering during their last few hours alive? Would you watch them suffer, feeding them pills to prolong their life, but really only prolonging their suffering? Or would you send them off, to stop their suffering? At times I definitely sympathised with Troy, and as much as I thought him as messed up, even delusional at times, there's no doubt his intentions were good, although his actions may be unforgivable.

Now my mind's whirling with unanswerable questions, and I have no idea whether it's a good or bad thing. What would I do if I only had one day to live? What makes a person human? Do miracles exist? And of course, how can someone, trapped for 11 minutes under in a frozen lake actually survive, especially since she had already died? Not exactly questions I can answer right away, but these are definitely questions that will haunt me for a long time after finishing Fracture.

If you love a good thought-provoking novel, that leaves you in a huge mess wondering what you would do had you been in that situation, then Fracture is the perfect book for you! Beautifully written, suspenseful and truly enlightening, Fracture completely blew me away. Highly recommended for everyone!

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer 
Publisher: Penguin Australia/Feiwel & Friends 
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

EEEEEEE!! A fabulous futuristic re-telling of Cinderella! I remember staying up until 4 in the morning, because I so needed to finish reading it! Seriously, this is no doubt the perfect book to start off the year!

There are likable characters, ones you’ll dearly miss upon the completion of the book as well as those you hate so much you literally want to jump inside the story and strangle them to death. I remember in the original fairytale, both the stepsisters were horribly cruel, but in Cinder, I loved how instead of two malicious sisters, one of them, Peony, was incredibly loving and sympathetic, always helping out Cinder whenever possible. Peony is definitely one of my favourite characters in the book! And there's Iko (I love that name :D ), Cinder's android buddy, who was so cute and funny. Gosh, I loved her as well! As for the stepmother, her selfish and viciously cruel actions will have you screaming your head off and itching to give her a piece of your mind. Slap her, strangle her, murder her- ANYTHING is better than having her thoughtlessly ordering Cinder around, not caring about anyone but herself. There’s also the Lunar Queen, who has got to be the most self-centred devil in the world. Yet as much as I hated her, she was a fantastic antagonist, all the same.

Of course, Cinderella meets the perfect prince! PRINCE KAI. *swoon* I seriously fell for his irresistible charms <3 Kai will soon be crowned the new Emperor, after his father’s untimely death from the deadly plague, and with this coronation and title, comes tremendously important responsibilities that seem like a lot for a mere teenager to cope with. Yet, he is determined to become an Emperor that does his country proud, and will do anything to ensure the country’s freedom from the evil clutches of the Lunar Queen. I seriously LOVED the interactions between Cinder and Kai! I mean, it's not everyday a mere cyborg and Prince talk like they're equals, right? And yet, Kai never treated Cinder like anything but his equal! Cinder and Kai’s relationship developed slowly, and readers will be rooting for them until the very end. I'm such a sucker for forbidden romance; every one of them breaks my heart!

As much as I loved *almost* everything about Cinder, there were a few slight issues. I like unpredictable books, with twists and turns here and there, that take me completely by surprise. I love it when I can’t guess the ending. However, several chapters in, I already knew what would happen in the end, and touché! I was right!But the predictable plot was only a minor downfall, and didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book too much. Another was the lack of Chinese culture incorporated in the story; I remember reading another re-telling of Cinderella, set in Japan, and you could immediately tell it was set there, because of the Japanese culture and customs. If it weren't for the honorific, I don't think I would've been able to tell whether the setting was China or some other part of the world.

Cinder is an imaginative and unique retelling of one of my all-time favourite fairytales, Cinderella. With an intriguing plot, despite its predictability, endearing characters, Cinder is a brilliant re-telling that will leave you desperate for the next book! With that cliffhanger, I, for one, am definitely eager to read the next instalment!