piątek, 8 marca 2013

Follow Friday #12


Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read weekly. You can join me and post the links to your own #FF posts in the comments below.


The question this week is...

Q: What is a book you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

This is an easy question for me. I really dislike Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Despite it being a quick, fun read, it often left me upset or even downright disgusted. One day I will write an honest essay about it with everything that bothers me in these books. I'm just waiting for the final book to come out.

As for the book that I loved that wasn't popular - Insignia by S.J. Kincaid is in my opinion grossly underrated. It's a great, gripping sci-fi book that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you're reading it!

What is your answer to this question? Link me your FF/answer in the comments, so I can peek. 

You can follow me via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, Goodreads, e-mail or/and Twitter.

Review - THE ETERNITY CURE by Julie Kagawa



TITLE: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
AUTHOR:  Julie Kagawa
GENRE: dystopian, paranormal
PUBLICATION DATE: May 3rd 2013
SOURCE: ARC via NetGalley


BLURB:
 In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood 

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence. 

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago-and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time. 

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.
REVIEW: 

I have been anticipating this book ever since I read The Immortal Rules (review here). Do you know that feeling, when you're waiting for something you're about to burst, but at the same time you're scared because what will happen if you're disappointed? That was me. Needless to say, I shouldn't have worried. Julie Kagawa did it again. She wrote an amazing book.

We rejoin our main hero of the story, Allison, a few weeks after the events from The Immortal Rules. She's looking for Sarren, who kidnapped her sire. Along the way she meets an unexpected ally and learns what a blood bond means to a vampire.

Just like in The Immortal Rules, I loved Allie and Zeke (whom we meet again, thankfully). I've never exepected to even begin to like Jackal. Some of you may remember him as the cruel rider king from the first book. I really liked the fact that he couldn't be pigeon-holed into simple black-or-white category. Jackal's often ambiguous behavior left me very satisfied - it made him more three dimensional, and his interactions with Allie, and later Zeke and Kanin, a lot more interesting.

The whole book is action packed despite being 400 pages long. It's hard to put it down and I practically devoured it in my inability to wait to see what happens next.

I'm not saying that The Eternity Cure doesn't have any flaws. There are scenes I found a bit dragged out and some characters that fell flat. But those are seriously minor imperfection that didn't stop me from enjoying the book as a whole.

I sincerely recommend The Eternity Cure to everyone who loved The Immortal Rules. If you love vampires, you should check out this series. If you hate vampires and think they're overrated - you still should check out this series and let it change your mind. Because it most probably will!

Overall rating:
5 out of 5 stars

poniedziałek, 11 lutego 2013

Review - PRODIGY by Marie Lu


AUTHOR: Marie Lu
GENRE: dystopia
PUBLICATION DATE: May 22nd 2012
SOURCE: own
BLURB:
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

REVIEW:

I read a lot of the recently published YA over the course of last year and I can admit that Legend was – and still is – one of my favorites. Needless to say, I was both anticipating and dreading the day I could finally read the sequel, Prodigy. Turns out I shouldn't have been so afraid – I'm happy to tell you that the second book in the trilogy definitely lives up to its predecessor!

Prodigy picks up almost exactly where we left June and Day in Legend. They're going to meet the Patriots in Las Vegas. Marie Lu doesn't let her characters – nor us – catch any breath before we're thrown into the world of conspiracies, murders and revolution. We get to see both sides of the coin. On one hand, there are Patriots who are fighting against the oppression of the Republic's government. On the other hand, a huge part of the book is dedicated to June getting to know the new elector, who doesn't seem to be as bad as the Patriots paint him... What is wrong and what is right? Will June and Day make the right call? Answer to this question, and many more, is in Prodigy, and hopefully in the next book.

Just like Legend, Prodigy is an action packed, emotional roller-coaster. The world building improved and Marie Lu's writing style is more mature, more seasoned. To be honest, I was scared for a second there that the writer's going to take the love triangle route. The possibility of that – rather disliked by the readers – trope still remains, but I have faith that Marie Lu will surprise us in this department too.

Compared to the Legend, the voices of the two main characters got definitely stronger and a bit more distinctive. I enjoyed both point of views, with June's astute attention to detail and Day's confusion.

The secondary characters are probably the only thing I had an issue with. They felt paper thin, one dimensional, expendable. Other than Day and June and partially Kaede, I didn't care about anyone in particular. It's a shame, really, because good secondary characters could liven up the plot and dialogues with the diversity of personalities.

Big props to Marie Lu for including LGBT hints! Not only does she mention a crush one of the resistance boys has on Day, but also dedicates an entire subplot involving June's brother and...

But let's not spoil the fun, shall we? All I will say is that I like how it's not a big deal in Legend's world. Love is love, regardless of the gender. I feel like it should be something explored more often in futuristic YA books.

To sum up, it's a great sequel! Definitely worth reading and I don't feel disappointed. All that waiting had paid off and we got a riveting book that is hard to put down. I recommend to read it in one go, because you will be unable to stop.

Be prepared though, everybody. The ending will shatter your hearts into smithereens.


Overall:

niedziela, 10 lutego 2013

Stacking the shelves #2

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews (click if you want to find out more). It's a meme about showcasing the books we received this week! Let us see the ever-growing TBR-pile!


I've finally decided to come back. 
Reviving this blog is a major decision for me, so let's hope I won't regret it!



Three titles, thanks to NetGalley!

 



This week I'm planning on reviewing:


Please link me to your mailboxes, weekly memes and so on, so I can drop by!

piątek, 8 lutego 2013

Follow Friday #11

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read weekly. You can join me and post the links to your own #FF posts in the comments below.


The question this week is...

Q: Happy Mardi Gras! If they were throwing the HOTTEST books off of a Mardi Gras float -- what would you do to have them thrown to you…?

Oooh, what a tough question! I would just try to convince them. Somehow. With my non-existent charm. Maybe it would work? ;D
Slightly off-topic, but the hottest books I'd love to read right now are the sequel to Julie Kagawa's Immortal Rules and S.J. Kincaid's Insignia. Pleeeeaaase.

What is your answer to this question? Link me your FF/answer in the comments, so I can peek. 

You can follow me via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, Goodreads, e-mail or/and Twitter.

czwartek, 7 lutego 2013

Blog Revival!

Hello, my dears!

I come bearing great news - I've decided to revive this blog after a long - almost 8 months, to be exact - hiatus.

First reviews and memes coming soon, so stay tuned!

wtorek, 15 maja 2012

Semi-hiatus announcement

Due to upcoming exams and assignments piling up terrifyingly fast, I decided to go on semi-hiatus. I will still be posting reviews on the blog as well as guest posts and/or interviews, but I will not participate in weekly memes. My reviews will be posted not as often as usual, too.

I deeply apologize and I promise to be back fully after exams! Wish me luck on my Bachelor's degree thesis writing. :)