Oh my God another post about DNF? Someone was asking me about the DNF and it got me thinking real deep. Why so many DNFs early on this year? Will I read the book which I DNF again after some time? I did actually. For example I was ready to abandoned this weird series about futuristic ship in space but after giving the third book another shot I found I actually like it.
Before, I started blogging I would feel no pressure to read and sometimes would probably DNF a book I didn't like without thinking about it twice. I'm one of those impatient reader and the need for the story to move in a brisk pace is certainly my utmost desire. I don't want to be stuck in pages of a book wondering what it is all about because yeah we have better things to do.
But when I started blogging and getting all this ARCs, I thought a DNF is strictly forbidden because we get the books for free. Yowza!
Seriously, forcing yourself to read something that you could have probably guess how it will going to end or a book which is not up my alley is such a torture! When I get impatient, I'll probably skipp the middle pages to get to the ending. So most of my DNFs are actually books that I've read the early chapters and the last three chapters. I would never ever just totally abandoned a book halfway without finding out how it'll end. No matter how much I hated the characters or the plot.
Phew, I'm glad that I have let those out of my chest. I feel that I need to explain what my definition of DNFs are. What about you guys? To DNF or not to DNF?
Friday, February 28, 2014
Leap into Books Giveaway Hop
3. Open to everyone!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Musings: The DNF Dilemma
Oh my God another post about DNF? Someone was asking me about the DNF and it got me thinking real deep. Why so many DNFs early on this year? Will I read the book which I DNF again after some time? I did actually. For example I was ready to abandoned this weird series about futuristic ship in space but after giving the third book another shot I found I actually like it.
Before, I started blogging I would feel no pressure to read and sometimes would probably DNF a book I didn't like without thinking about it twice. I'm one of those impatient reader and the need for the story to move in a brisk pace is certainly my utmost desire. I don't want to be stuck in pages of a book wondering what it is all about because yeah we have better things to do.
But when I started blogging and getting all this ARCs, I thought a DNF is strictly forbidden because we get the books for free. Yowza!
Seriously, forcing yourself to read something that you could have probably guess how it will going to end or a book which is not up my alley is such a torture! When I get impatient, I'll probably skipp the middle pages to get to the ending. So most of my DNFs are actually books that I've read the early chapters and the last three chapters. I would never ever just totally abandoned a book halfway without finding out how it'll end. No matter how much I hated the characters or the plot.
Phew, I'm glad that I have let those out of my chest. I feel that I need to explain what my definition of DNFs are. What about you guys? To DNF or not to DNF?
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday #63: House of Ivy and Sorrow
by Natalie Whipple
Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: April 15th 2014
Babble:
I have never read Transparent or anything by this author before but this one looks really good. The mix of dark magic and a magic-fortified home is so tempting for me.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Review: The Secret Diamond Sisters
(The Secret Diamond Sisters #1)
by Michelle Madow
ebook, 384 pages
February 25th 2014
by Harlequin Teen
ARC from Netgalley
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD
The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip's most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.
I was expecting for some kind of quirky, funny antics but the sisters are just typical bland characters in my opinion. Savannah the youngest of the sisters is just so desperate for attention and wanted to please her new found friends so much. Coutney the supposedly more mature, smarty pants fell in love with their future stepbrother. And Peyton the oldest sister with a chip on her shoulder just annoyed me so much with her behaviour. It is no suprise that she fell in love with her bodyguard; Jackson.
And don't even get me started with the absent parents thing. Adrian Diamond is such a jerk that I'm surprised that the sisters are willing to put up with such an unemotional available father. Despite its promise of glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas, this book just felt short in my opinion. I'd rather watch reruns of The Gossip Girls to get my share of rich bitchy girls at their best and worst behaviour.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Book Blitz & Giveaway: Shattered Worlds
Hi, everyone! Today I'm having a Book Blitz for the Shattered Worlds Box Set.
Publication date: February 26th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Friday, February 21, 2014
Review: Fire & Flood
Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.
Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race. The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes.
And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?
" I was always the girl who'd rather cheer from the sidelines than participate in something that'd make her sweat. I'm not a softball star or a volleyball champion or someone who knows her way around a basketball court.
But I can run like the wind."
Rather than listing all the similarities between these two books, let me just pointed out why I like this book so much.
1. There's plenty of kick-ass chicks in this one. Tella; the main character is certainly severely outshine by Harper that beautiful killing machine.
2. Every Contender gets a Pandora which is a genetically enhanced animal created to help them in the Brimstone Bleed. And each animal has some kind of powers. There's a lion who can breath fire. So cool!
3. Instead of going alone through the race, our girl; Tella decides to team up with some highly unusual characters. But they work as a team. I love them.
4. Tella's Pandora fox is amazing!
5. I did not see that twists in the story when it ends. Wow, talk about some explosive revelations!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday #62: Stolen Songbird
Expected publication: April 1st 2014
Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.
But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.
As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.
Babble:
I just love high fantasy and this one sounds really good.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Review: Perfect Lies
by Kiersten White
eARC, 240 pages
Published February 18th 2014
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD
The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.
But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.
I know we're supposed to feel sorry for her but she's so unlikeable. She thinks about killing people, or hurting people all the time. And when she's not into violent thoughts, she's into dancing. What? I was wishing most of the time that someone will eventually shoot her to end her misery.
And Annie? I just don't connect with Mary Sue. And she's pretty much one. I know she's blind and all that but being too dependent on people around her just makes it hard. In the first book she's holed up in the special school controlled by the Keane Foundation but now that she's escaped, she is rather useless even with her visions of the future. Thankfully, the story is really short because it's only 159 pages on ebook. Otherwise, I might just go crazy and ended up just like Fia.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
February New Release Giveaway Hop
Friday, February 14, 2014
FF Friday #17
Q: Find a "new to you blogger" and feature their button on your post this week. Tell us why this blogger stands out to you.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Musings: New Year New Design
If you guys have been following my blog for some time, you'll probably notice how often I seemed to change everything up on my blog. A little here, a little there. For almost 3 years, I've been using free blogger template from various sites such as Plumrose Lane, TheCutestBlogintheBlock and others that I can't really remember.
Now with the year 2014, I've decided to finally find a real blog designer to help me out and the result is amazing. I'm no techie and Photoshop just annoyed me so this is perfect. Stephanie and Jessica from Hopeless Romantics help me in no time at all and the best part is that it's so affordable!
If you guys are thinking that a custom blog design is going to cost you an arm and leg..well think again. Check out their portfolio since they have been designing other blogs which also look amazing! I can't stop gushing. What do you guys think of the design? Now on to my next quest; to rename the blog or move it to Wordpress. Oh, dear..I'm going to need a lot of help with that one.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Book Blitz & Giveaway: Cornerstone
Hi, everyone! Today I'm having a Book Blitz for the book Cornerstone by Kelly Walker.
Cornerstone by Kelly Walker
(Souls of the Stones #1)
Publication date: November 30th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Website / Goodreads / Facebook
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Review: The Tyrant's Daughter
by J.C. Carleson
ebook, 304 pages
February 11th 2014
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
ARC from Netgalley
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD
I can't imagined how someone so young can go through all that and still retain her sanity. I mean to discover that your own father is responsible for the death of countless lives is harrowing. And as hard as Laila tried to adapt to her new life, she can't seemed to shake that sense of dread and responsibility that haunts her small family. At first, you can't help but feel sorry for Laila but as the story progress and we get a glimpse of how other families from her own country tried to live in the U.S., it just annoyed me that she didn't do more for them. It took her awhile to finally stand up to her mother who still desperately clings to the notion of life of luxury despite living in a rundown two bedroom apartment. And her younger brother is so clueless and still thinks of himself as the rightful prince to the lost kingdom.
I can't help but think that this is more of an in-between book. We only get glimpses of Laila's life after she left her country and before she actually went back there in the end. I mean the conditions of her family's return isn't that perfect and I get the feeling that it's more like choosing between the lesser of two evils but to realize that this book is partly inspired by real life situations disturbed me greatly.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Review: Siege and Storm
by Leigh Bardugo Hardcover,
432 pages
Published June 4th 2013
by Henry Holt and Co.HarperTeen
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD
Creating a dangerous pair of crazy warrior Grisha twins (otherwise known as Tamar and Tolya) is just pure genius. And the devilishly handsome and totally unpredictable pirate ehem...privateer also known as Sturmhond either makes me want to whack his head so much or kiss him.
An example of how outrageously funny Strumhond is.
He shook his head. "And I'm notoriously immune to tales of woe. So unless your story involves a talking dog, I don't want to hear it. Does it?"
"Does it what?"
"Involve a talking dog."
"No," I snapped. "It involves the future of a kingdom and everyone in it."
"A pity," he said.
The love triangle (more like a square to me) is totally acceptable. The only gripe I have is the relationship between Mal and Alina which is filled with ups and downs. But really I had to hand it to Mal for being so totally loyal to Alina even after all that has happened between them. His undying faith and love to Alina moves me to tears. God, I really can't wait for the next book to see who Alina will finally choose. Mal, the Darkling or maybe Sturmhond?
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