Review: Fade by A.K. Morgen

Title: Fade
Author: A.K. Morgen
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Release Date: September 7th 2012
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: What do you do when you realize nothing in your life is what you’ve believed it to be?

When Arionna Jacobs loses her mother in a tragic accident, her world is turned upside down. She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her father. Dace Matthews, a teaching assistant at her new college, is torn in two, unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him.

When they meet, everything they thought they knew about life unravels. Dace has intimate access to Arionna’s mind, and something deep within her fights to rise to the surface. They don't understand what's happening to them or why, and they're running out of time to sort out the strange occurrences around them.

Their meeting sets an ancient Norse prophesy of destruction in motion, and what destiny has in store for them is bigger than either could have ever imagined. Unless they learn to trust themselves and one another, they may never resolve the mystery surrounding who they are to one another, and what that means for the world.

Detailed Review: In the start, it follows up on Arionna's mother who has died. A wolf emerges, complete with a howl with burning yellow eyes. It's already interesting from the very beginning. I was very much fixated on the story and Arionna Jacobs who is yet a girl we're going to find out about. 

'A lone wolf hunkered beneath the trees. 

A wolf? 

I blinked, certain I hadn't seen an animal at all, but I had. A wolf, or the domestic relation anyway, sat in the shadows of the trees, staring in our direction. Even from a distance, he looked as sad as I felt, and I wondered if he'd lost a loved one too. 

Do animals feel loss like us? Do they grieve, too? 

I hoped not.'

ARIONNA; A girl who is strong enough and not afraid, she's a girl who has tons of confidence (yet not so much) and takes risks. I love her for her well-being and her strong will for being who she can be and who she can't be. 

DACE; mysterious, wild and totally out of control (well...sometimes). I love Dace (too). He was completely mysterious and wild as he controls his inner wolf, the feral wolf caged inside of him. He feels like he's completely torn to two as he meets Arionna at a college as a teaching assistant.

Soon the story starts to spin apart as the two meet yet both of them don't know why even though they don't understand what's happening. I felt completely so compelled to this story line and completely mystified as the plot starts to emerge from it's starting point. 

'I didn't know, but I felt now, and feeling hurt. 

The guy tensed as though he felt my eyes on him, and turned in my direction. He stood no less than a hundred feet from me, too far away to see clearly, but every feature of his face swam into focus as if I'd called his appearance up from the depths of my memory. He was gorgeous, with messy golden hair, strong cheekbones, and a sharp, defined jawline. Even his vivid, emerald eyes and the small scar above his right eyebrow were crystal clear to me. 

I told myself to stop staring and look away. That grief had scrambled my brains, and I only imagined things that weren't there. 

I didn't listen to that little voice of reason. 

The boy lifted his head. 

Time seemed to slow, stretching before me in ways I couldn't comprehend. 

Our eyes met across the distance. 

I stopped breathing, heat weaving through me in coils, burning away the hole I'd just discovered, and leaving me wrapped in a soft blanket of warmth. A thousand different sensations whispered through me like a summer's breeze, freezing me in place. Joy, fear, loss, hope, sorrow . . . I couldn't separate one emotion from the other. Before I even had the chance to try, a current of energy washed through me, pulling a gasp from my lips. Strength and familiarity rippled through the air between us. The powerful sensation swarmed over me like a thousand little teeth nibbling on my skin, and shook me to the core. 

I knew him.' 

With this snippet above, I guarantee you'll be rereading this (completely) as I fell in love with this book and couldn't stop putting it down, you should buy this book! 

After reading this review... YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK! MUST!

Brief Review: 'Amazing, wild and creative, Fade was incredible, just simply incredible and heart-pumping, all you have to do is love it.'

My Rating: 5/5  'Totally Amazing.'

Your Reviewer: 

Special Thanks to: 

Review: Streamline by Jennifer Lane

Title: Streamline
Author: Jennifer Lane
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Release Date: March 27th 2012
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He's captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother's crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father's abuse, battered and alone. 

Leo's girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida's top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there's an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter-her father-is in prison for murder. 

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything's on the line . . . streamline.

Detailed Review: When I just started this book, I couldn't help but notice this entourage between being perfect and being abused... Whoops! That just slipt. But anyway the story is about a boy called Leo Scott, like the blurb, Leo is perfect and has it all, he's a kid who is a complete perfectionist. As well as having the perfect girlfriend, Leo does have it all. As long as you don't do a background check... Between the perfectness of his outside life, his inside life is totally rotten. Adding to the equation, Leo's father, Commander James Scott -man of the household- has been abusing Leo since he was eleven. Wow, right? You can't imagine what it was like! 

Leo's father is part of the Navy -lost his parents, the usual- James has been teetering off the edge for the longest time. The world revolves around a few people plus his girlfriend, Audrey who loves Leo completely, she doesn't know about the bruises and cuts. During this dilemma, Leo is constantly fighting a drug abuse which he stole from his mother and next thing you knew, he's battling it, close to suiciding himself. This teen's got issues! Big ones! I particularly loved Audrey from the start. She was my favourite character in the book as well as Leo. Both of them were entirely compelling and richly compromised, these two were the ones with the burdens. Audrey...for her heart and Leo...for his ferocity, I loved these two. 

Well, at first you'll be thinking typical popular, good-looking, smart kid but instead he's got a trouble double life. He's got the worst. It was very sad but Audrey definitely kept him together and himself from falling apart. I didn't cry at this but I guarantee, it might make you! After his perfect life fell apart and almost suiciding himself, he goes to Audrey. The two of them slept with each other, not knowing abou anything but their love. In the next few days, you'll be screaming, alright? 

AUDREY BECAME PREGNANT. 

Yup, that sums it up. I was entirely shocked yet not. Well, we find out James, Leo's father finds out and beats him to-close to death- until he went unconscious. But during this James's gets arrested. He sprained his wrist and ankle and broke his spleen because they had to REMOVE it. Then Audrey lost the baby! It was so horrible! 

As the story moves on, Leo's frustrated because of the pain and the loss of not being able to swim. It soon falls when Leo suddenly decides to join the Navy after it all happens. He finds his father, complete with a beard and trashed house, Leo asks James to help him. Everything changes and soon the date's getting closer and closer. Yet I have to stop my rambling and just finish up, I loved this book so much!

'"We'll be the cleanest college freshmen around,"Audrey said. 

"Except I'm not a college freshman anymore." Leo sighed. "I have to figure out my life."

Audrey wove her fingers into his. 

"It's simple. You're getting an ROTC scholarship to Florida State. To swim with me." 

"I am?" 

"Of course, Mr Scott." 

A look of marvel bled into his wondrous smile as he squeezed her hand. "Yes, ma'am."' 

Well, I definitely recommend this book! It's absolutely great and I think it helps you understand what life really is about. How you can help someone in abuse-ment, how they actually feel. 

And most importantly: Who they really are. 

Brief Review: 'Loved it to the max, I was definitely pulled into Streamline and it's plot. Streamline was more than a book, it was a learning experience of what real life actually is and being who you are, it was an inspiring story.'

My Rating: 5/5  'Totally amazing!'

Your Reviewer: 

Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by US, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: Clockwork Princess

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: March 19th 2013

Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Danger intensifies for the Shadowhunters as the New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy comes to a close.

If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

Face it, that description is enough to get all of us jumpy waiting for this particular book. And that cover. It makes your heart cry. The dress, the clockwork angel. Who else could it be other than Tessa? She looks beautiful in that cover. In the final book of the Infernal Devices trilogy, anything could happen in there. So sit tight when you read this book to stop yourself from flying away in this ride.

Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Title: Rebel Heart
Author: Moira Young
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date: 30th October 2012 (first published 2nd August)
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: "Nothing is certain and no one is safe in the second book in the highly praised Dust Lands trilogy, which MTV’s Hollywood Crush blog called “better than The Hunger Games.”

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.

Detailed Review: Honestly, why must Moira Young spoil everything? But I must admit, she really did a good job. 

   The story starts from Jack's point of view. From the first book Blood Red Road, we know that he's headed to Molly Pratt to inform her about Ike's death. There, he meets two Tonton and the story gets cut off like that. 

   Then, the story goes back to Saba, showing where she left off in her journey to the Big Water. 

   I hated this part the most: JACK BECAME A TONTON.

   And even worse: DeMalo did it with Saba. Um...you know what I mean. I hope. I'm not going to write it out for you in capital letters.

    Lastly, also this: Saba's heartstone got warmer when she got nearer to DeMalo. And it did the same with Jack.

   And I'm sure you'll be wondering, just like me, who really is the person that Saba desires?

   You get to choose: DeMalo or Jack?

   But it all adds up to one big thing, Moira Young just made her best hit in this book. I'm sure that after you've read Blood Red Road you think that's the best she can do, but surprise! Here she comes with this sequel that will blow off everything you thought you knew about Saba and Jack. 

Brief Review:'An astounding sequel to Blood Red Road. Moira Young did her best here. It shook me until I was weak in the knees and had to lie down to read this book. This particular book is worth reviewing. And reading.'

My rating: 5/5  'Totally Amazing'

Your Reviewer:

   

   

Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road
Author: Moira Young
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: June 7th 2011
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Detailed Review: This book totally pulled me in, especially in the last four lines of the third page:

   He's my light.
   I'm his shadow.
   That must of made it easier to find him.
   All they had to do was follow the light. 

The story is told from Saba's point of view. It tells the story on how she journeyed to look for her twin brother Lugh, who'd been kidnapped by the Tonton. Saba has a sister Emmi, which she pretty much hates, because she 'killed' their mother during childbirth. Saba decides to leave Emmi with a friend of her mother's, Mercy, who lives in Crosscreek. After doing so, she moves on.

   After a while, Emmi finds Saba on horseback. Saba got angry and asked her sister to go back though she failed, since one of Emmi's finest traits is her stubbornness. So on they went, together, with Saba putting up with Emmi.

   On the way, Saba and Emmi meet a couple that sails a landboat across the desert, the Desert Swan. The couple- Rooster Pinch and Miz Pinch agreed to help Saba to get to Hopetown, which Mercy had said the Tonton would have taken Lugh to. But in reality, Saba was just another price for the Pinches. For cage-fighting. If Saba tried to escape, Emmi would be killed. 

   So without any choice, she follows the Pinches to Hopetown. There, Saba is exposed to the brutal entertainment of cage-fighting. If a person were to lose three fights, he has to run the gauntlet, and let himself be torn apart by the chaal-crazy audience. For many times, she tried to escape but failed.

   Saba, determined to not let herself fall into the audience's hands, wins every fight, earning herself the name the 'Angel of Death'. 

   During one night in the prison where the cage-fighters are kept, Saba has a conversation with a girl called Helen. She finds out that Lugh was caught because he was midwinter born and the King needed him to give him six years worth of live.

   And also one day, she meets another man named Jack in the training yard where they exercise, with grey moonlit eyes, a crooked nose and a lopsided smile. Saba desires him, but she doesn't know this. Yet.

   One day, in the Cage, she spots a girl around her own age watching her along with a few other girls. They are the Free Hawks, who actually want to rescue all the prisoners destined for the Cage and burn Hopetown down. 

   A plan is hatched. Saba is to lose three times in the Cage and run the gauntlet. The Free Hawks will approach Saba and pretend to tear her apart, but they are actually rescuing her from the audience. But the plan goes wrong because the Sun King, Vicar Pinch or the Pinches' son, changes the course of the run. Saba has to think fast and with the help of her crow Nero, escapes the audience by climbing up the Cage and jumping onto the lighthouse next to the Cage. There, her escape starts. She has to go and see Emmi and then go on finding her brother. But on the way she is stopped by another Hawk, Ash. Together, they help release the cage-fighters and burn down the whole of Hopetown.

   But as they escaped the prison, Saba is looking for Jack. And from one man, she finds out that Jack has been locked in the Cooler, a place for cage-fighters who have been causing too much trouble. With the help of a heartstone, which gets warmer as she gets nearer to Jack, she finds him and free him.Together they run and escape Hopetown. Both of them part ways when they reach the outskirts of the town.

   When they reach Darktrees, the Free Hawks' well-hidden headquarters, Saba once again meets Jack, who tells her he knows the way to Freedom Fields, where Lugh is being held captive until midsummer. The next day, they set off, together with Emmi.

   As they continue their journey, they are joined by two Free Hawks, Ash and a girl named Epona. Jack wants to find his friend Ike Twelvetrees to accompany them to Freedom Fields, against Saba's wishes. They reach a tavern called the One-Eyed Man and find Ike there. After a night's sleep, they set off, now with Ike and his adoptive son, Tommo with them. 

   Saba was curious as to how Ike and Jack knew the way to Freedom Fields. She asks Jack and he tells her they they used to work in the fields with other slaves, growing and tending to the chaal fields.

   As they walk on, they reach a dried-up lakebed. Saba wants to journey through it, but Jack and Ike hesitate. Finally they tell her the truth, that at night, the lake is covered with hellworms. Hellworms are oversized worms with claws and Jack has sustained an injury from them in his previous trip through the lake. 

   But without any choice, they walk on the lakebed, avoiding the cracks. When it reaches dusk, they haven't reached the other side of the lake, so they have to stage a fight against the hellworms. They fight the worms with fire and managed to scare them off, but not without Saba getting injured on the shoulder,

   Soon they find out it wasn't them that scared away the hellworms, it's the leader, which is bigger than the other worms. Jack almost dies by its claws but Saba fights it off. As they continue their journey, Saba faints and Jack carries her all the way to their camp. 

 She then wakes up and also panics that they need to go on to reach Freedom Fields, but Emmi tells her that they have reached it.

   When Saba wakes up again, they continue their mission to rescue Lugh. In a tunnel, where they have to go through to go nearer to the chaal fields in Freedom Fields, Saba admits her feelings to Jack about him and they share a passionate time together. But after a while, they have to move on. 

   So when they officially reach Freedom Fields, they plan the rescue for Lugh. Ash is to go and get the horses ready for Lugh and the others' escape. Jack and Epona have to create a diversion to distract the Tonton so Saba and Ike, disguised as Tonton guards can rescue Lugh from the post he's tied to. Emmi and Tommo are to travel to some distance in the north and wait for the rest there.

   When they reach the point where they are supposed to meet Emmi and Tommo. Emmi is not there. Tommo tells Saba that Emmi had wanted to see Lugh before they'd left. Tommo moved on and waited for her a distance away. After she'd seen him, she made a move to continue their journey. But as she did so, two Tonton guards saw her and caught her. Tommo had no choice but to leave her and go on. 

   Now with Emmi in Pinch's hands, they decide to make a stand on a hill with Vicar Pinch. 

   As Vicar Pinch approaches Saba and they rest, he has Emmi on horseback with him together with two Tonton guards. Pinch threatens to kill Emmi if Saba doesn't surrender herself. After many days of travelling with Emmi, Saba has grown to love Emmi like her sister and gives herself to Pinch. 

   After she did that, sixty or so Tonton guards attack Jack and the rest from behind and they realise it's a trap. They start to fight the Tonton but they were outnumbered. They were going to lose if not for the Free Hawks' help. Saba goes to chase Pinch after DeMalo has freed her. She chases him and ends up killing Pinch.

   She returns to fight with her friends against the Tonton guards. But one of them shot Ike even though Tommo tried to block the gunshot. Ike ends up dead. When the fight has finished, with some of the guards escaping, they held a funeral for Ike and Saba looks for Jack. But he's nowhere to be seen. Tommo tells her where he's gone and she goes after Jack in the field of Hoodoos. Jack tells her that he has to go and tell Ike's woman, Molly Pratt that he's dead. He promises Saba that he'd go and find her in the Big Water, where she, together with Lugh and Emmi are headed to, where the air smells like honey. She gives him her heartstone so it would be easier for him to find her and he says as he takes it-

   I don't need no stone to find you. 

   When Saba goes back to Lugh, Emi and Tommo, they head out west. And this time Saba leads. 

Brief Review: 'Amazing. This book makes your blood race. You'll probably find yourself dreaming of the Dustlands and you yourself journeying through it. Trust me, it gets stuck in your head, even if you read it just once. You won't ever forget it. Also its style of prose will totally leave you speaking jest like Saba.'

My Rating: 5/5  'Totally Amazing'

   
   










Your Reviewer: 

TGIF - Feature and Follow Friday #112

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY is a blog hop that is designed to provide as much exposure towards other bloggers as well as yourself, and to expand following. It's hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each whom feature a chosen blog for a week, it's also an interesting way to get to know one another bloggers.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: 
What is the best cover of a book you've read and didn't like? 

Well I picked Shadows. At first it was interesting but somehow it was hard to understand and then my brain started to wreck because it was getting even more confusing but at the same time I still had some thought but in the end I thought was OK, but not my kinda book. Here it is -

Review: Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

Title: Shadows

Author: Ilsa J. Bick

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: September 25th 2012

Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive.

Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she’d come to love.
But she was wrong.

Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don’t trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive. 

Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

Detailed Review: From the start of Shadows we learn about Jed, who tells his story as 'Once a marine, always a marine'. Jed tells his story about his wife and the child called Grace. He tell us about the war which broke out in Vietnam and at the same time he lost his left eye in the war with a bullet to it. Then he talks about another character called Michael. We learn about Tom Eden. About his relationship with Alex, how close they'd been. As he left her but she came fighting back, being as brave. Tom starts to see things. Like his old best friend, Jim that he shot and how realistic Alex had been screaming for him to help her but he himself felt even more helpless like the rest. In the end he knew these visions were going to get worse ending with-

"Hang on, Alex," he whispered. "Hang on."

Then the start of the actual chapters begin. Alex is cornered by Five Changed people. Two girls and three boys. They wear wolf skins on their heads and at the same time she recognizes one of the boys. And it hit her. This boy looked like Tom, yet he was dead. Or was he? That's when everything hit her. She knew these people. That's when she knew she would die fighting or let Spider take her to the ground. She found a hay hook and slashed Spider then bulleted into her. As the fight broke out and the final moment was Spider squeezing the trigger. 

Then she meets new people and her actual journey begins as she races to find Tom and save others. Meeting her old friends, Nathan and the rest, they devise a plan to find people who Chris thinks they're missing. At the same time, Peter has gone and is founded by the group leader, Finn. Finn brings Peter somewhere where they find a boy, naked. A few people beat him and torture him! Peter thinks Finn's crazy as he tries to calm the boy. And slowly he cuts the child and next thing you know, they decide to do an experiment. 

Part three; Alex has defeated the Five Changed and now moves on with a group to a far world. Grace the little girl is thinking about the last meal she will have as she thinks about a boy she forgot. Jed and Tom goes on a journey to find Alex and keep her safe. Back home, Grace hears knocks and voices and finds out there are three, two rifles and six horses. With Alex, she talks about her life with a few other people she's with. 

All the people make their journey to each other as one try to find the other. As Tom tries to find Alex and so does she. Alex stumbled upon a boy called Daniel. Fighting side by side, they wander until horrible, terrifying events start to unfold. Everything was in a blur as Tom is getting closer and closer to Alex and yet he doesn't seem to understand it. Alex and Daniel starts to move together when a shootout starts and Daniel gets infected. He soon dies by Alex's gun as she races away from him. During the journey Tom meets Luke before this, now they're fighting for their lives as they race away, hearing a whistle. 

Then Tom finds Ellie screaming Alex's name. And finds her in a tunnel which is very far down. Unknown to Luke, they rescue Alex as Luke tries to reason with Tom that they had to leave. 

Part Six; Lena is confronted with the Changed. In another part, Finn saves Davey with Peter by his side. 

In the end, Tom escapes with Luke and finds Cindi, a girl. Tom feels Changed as the girl Cindi tries to understand what it feels like. 

Cindi was suddenly very afraid, but she had to know. "What's it feel like?" 

His eyes were terrible: weary and haunted and far back in his skull. The hollows were as purple and pewter gray as thick clouds gathering for a storm. Looking into Tom's ravaged eyes was like trying to stare directly into the sun for too long: something bright and horrible it could burn you blind. 

"Black," Tom said. "It feels black." 

It ends with Tom admitting to the Change as Cindi felt scared. 

*I felt this was confusing but good read though I have to choose a three out of five for me.*

Brief Review: 'Brave, interesting and terrifying, Shadows was a read that I quite liked but there were parts of the story that made you understand the life line of reality.' 

My Rating: 3/5  'Quite liked.'

Your Reviewer: 

Special Thanks to: