In My Mailbox (#2): Indulgence

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Ms. Kristi of The Story Siren. Everyone is welcome to participate. If you want to know how you can join, you may visit IMM Page at The Story Siren's website.

Here are my recent books:

From the bookstore:

The Books Thief by Markus Zusak

Gone (Wake Trilogy, Book #3) by Lisa McMann 

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, Book #2) by Ally Carter

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

In my Kindle:

Shadow Demons by Sarra Cannon

I'm currently reading Uncommon Criminals and I plan to read Shadow Demons or Forbidden afterwards.  I've finished DELIRIUM a few months ago and I love it, so I grabbed a hardcover copy for my collection. 

What's new in your mailbox? Let us know! :) Happy Reading!

Book Review: BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)
Author: Moira Young
Publication DateJune 7, 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. Elderry
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Dystopian

Summary on Goodreads:

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.

My Thoughts:

There has been a lot said about this book and this might not be the only review you’ve ever read. I’m not sure if my opinion will be any different from the others, but I will try my best to express my thoughts as coherent as possible.

I finished this book this morning at 1:30 AM and I immediately told my friends about it. I can’t wait for them to know how I enjoyed this book. I guess it’s one way also for me to release a bit of my emotions. 

BLOOD RED ROAD is an emotional, engaging and heart gripping story about a girl’s journey to save her beloved brother—no matter what the cost she has to pay… even if there is only one bloody road to take. 

When I asked myself “What do I love about this book?”, well, I can’t really say. There are so many good things about it that until now I couldn’t seem to get more of it. 

LUGH GOT BORN FIRST. ON MIDWINTER DAY WHEN THE SUN hangs low in the sky.
Then me. Two hours later.
That pretty much says it all.
Lugh goes first, always first, an I follow on behind.
An that’s fine. That’s right. That’s how it’s meant to be.

The time I started reading that passage, I know I’m going to love this book. A few weeks back, I thought of the opposite, because some reviews say that it’s difficult to understand. It was a bit hard to read at first but it’s not hard to understand at all. Some words were intentionally spelled incorrectly and the way the characters speak may bother you in the beginning. But I think it's one of the author's way to let the readers experience the characters better and become fully aware of their situations. They didn’t learn how to write, neither they learn how to read. That’s how their world is. I’d say it’s quite effective and it offers us something to bear with the characters. 

If you seen me an Lugh together, you’d never think we was the same blood.
Never think we grew together in the same womb.
He’s got gold hair. I got black.
Blue eyes. Brown eyes.
Strong. Scrawny.
Beautiful. Ugly.
He’s my light.
I’m his shadow.
Lugh shines like the sun.
That must of made it easy fer them to find him.
All they had to do was follow his light. 

The characters play a huge part in the story and that’s why it is important to me that I like the characters especially the leading ones. There are moments that I hated Saba for being so hard to her sister, for being so stubborn and rude not only to Jack but to everyone who tries to help her (sometimes I wanna slap her face! if only I could). She keeps pushing them away and she’s trying so hard to keep other people out of her life. I hate her because she only thinks of her brother and nothing else, even for a fact that she still has Emmi, her 9 year old sister who needs her… and if only Saba could have a choice, she’d rather leave her behind. I felt too emotional when I think about her and their relationship. How can you hate your own blood that much? I hate her for those reasons…  But there are things I love about her too. She is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, a cunning opponent. She doesn’t give up, and I don’t remember a single moment she lost hope. And it’s true when she said she’s not a quitter. She’s one of the smartest and strongest heroines I ever encountered. 

The Rule of Three: You save somebody’s life three times, their life is yours.

Jack, the handsome daredevil—nobody knows where he truly came from, and until now I am intruiged by the secrets he must’ve been hiding. I’m not sure if there’s any but the story doesn’t tell us much about him. I guess that’s another reason to wait for the next book. I bet you’ll love him as I do. I always looked forward to read about him and Saba. He kept me entertained especially during the times when Saba is a little too hard to bear. He makes her lighten up a bit and he makes her feel calmer. He’s strong and smart and funny too. There’s so much more about him that meets the eye, and I hope to find out on the next book. I love Jack, that’s it. 

If you ever need me… we’ll come. Wherever, whenever… you send this ring an we’ll be there.

Friends don’t owe, she says. Friends don’t repay.

One thing more I love about this book—FRIENDS. You can never have too many friends especially during the times of your biggest needs. I love them all: Emmi-her sister, Jack, Maev, Epona, Ash, Tommo, Ike and even Lugh. That makes the story even more exciting and intense. I hope you find time to know more about these awesome characters. Oh, I almost forgot Nero, he's Saba's intelligent crow! I’m sure you’ll be pleased to meet them. 

As much as I want to say more about this book, I know I should stop before I give you more teasers which might spoil your future reading. I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did. I never thought that I would love this book so much. I recommend you read them thoroughly and don’t miss a thing. I never had any boring moment when I read this—it’s a sad, beautiful story, intense and highly captivating! It’s like reading The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner combined. And if the Hunger Games has the Girl on Fire, Blood Red Road has an Angel of Death.

Moira Young has written a story so beautiful and emotional, it made my chest rise and my heart melt at the same time. A must read and I highly recommend it.

My Rating:

Book Review: LOVE STORY by Jennifer Echols

Love Story

Author: Jennifer Echols

Publication Date: July 19, 2011

Publisher: MTV Books

Genre: Young Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

My Thoughts:

There are two reasons why it is sometimes hard to write a review. First, if a book is not good enough, and second, when it's too good and you can't seem to find the exact words to give the credit they deserve. 

There are seems to be a thousand words in my mind when I read this book, but I end up speechless when I finished it. The moment I began reading Erin and Hunter's story, I couldn't put it down. That's the reason too why I was awake at 2 am when a 5.2 earthquake hit our area. I realized soon that maybe if we need to get out of the house that night, I would still be carrying this book! lol!

There are so many things I love about this book and a good plot is one thing. I also like the characters especially the leading ones--Erin and Hunter. Both of them are easy to love, and I understand their feelings well through the stories they write. I find myself re-reading most of the pages before I turn to the next. Sometimes I just stop for a while and I think about a certain part of the story… trying to see clearly the image in my head. There are so many good moments in this book and I will let them linger for a while... 

More than just about unspoken love and the consequences of it, this book is also about pursuing your dreams. It's about finding your self-worth, what you can do, and what you can achieve. I am impressed by the author, because she didn't only created a beautiful love story, but an inspiring one as well. If you are someone who dreams to be a writer someday, I think you should read this. I'm sure there's a lot to learn from this book. I expected it to be good, but surprisingly it's so much better.

I love the story as a whole and the way it was written is really fun to read. The romance flavor plus the pretty steamy moments between Erin and Hunter kept me entertained. I love how Erin and Hunter managed to express their emotions--pain, anger, affection, and the unspoken love they have for each other through their written stories. The only thing that I didn't like much is the ending. It was good but it could have been better. For me, it was a bit rushed, and I felt that some pieces are missing. But nevertheless I'm happy with the story and I know that this won't be the last time I'm going to read this book.

"We all do our best work when we write the story we want to read." And I think this is something the author enjoyed reading… because it is definitely a book worth keeping.

My Rating:

WWW Wednesdays (#2)

This is regular meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Here are my answers for WWW Wednesdays (July 27, 2011):

Please leave a comment and share your answers (if you don't have a blog), or you may leave your link to your own WWW Wednesdays post. Thanks! HAPPY WWW Wednesdays!

Cheaper Tuesday (#2)

Here's my 2nd Cheaper Tuesdays post for the month. 

These are kindle ebooks and currently available from only $0.99 to $4.99.

Beautiful Demons is the 1st book of Peachville High Demons Series by Sarra Cannon. I wasn't expecting too much when I bought this book but I end up liking it. Inner Demons and Bitter Demons are not disappointing as well, and they are definitely worth my time. I'll be grabbing Shadow Demons soon!

Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday (#1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

Please avoid spoilers. It may ruin other people's reading.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with your answer (if you don't have a blog), or you can leave us your own Teaser Tuesday link so we can visit and see your answers on your post :) 

Happy Teaser Tuesday everyone!

Book Review: HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter

Heist Society (Heist Society #1)
Author: Ally Carter
Publication Date: February 9, 2010
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Genre: Young Adult, Chick Lit

Summary on Goodreads:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected. Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help. For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts:

This one really has a pretty good cover. I'd say it's one of the reasons why I love this book. After reading so much Dystopian novels lately, I find this one refreshing. It's different from the books I've read before and I was surprised to see myself engrossed in the story. At first it was hard for me to understand what's happening. I admit I was totally lost and confused. I can't seem to get in and I needed to re-read some pages so I can understand the thoughts and actions of the characters. It's kinda confusing at the start, and there are things I hadn't fully understand, but I did enjoyed and love this book. 

First, I was impressed by Katarina Bishop. Sometimes I wish I was like her... no, not a thief, but someone who is really good and smart at the same time. I admired her confidence and character. She's not annoying that makes her an effective heroine. Secondly, I like Hale... (what's his name again?) oh well, I wish to know! And I hope to find out on the second book! I think I'm crushing on him ;) And the rest of the young thieves--they're all amazing. I like them all. I don't remember any particular event where I hated one of them, or annoyed somehow. I think this is one good reason why I really enjoyed this book. You just want to continue reading and knowing more about the characters. Let's just say, they're the younger version of Ocean's Eleven, lead by a cute, smart and petite teenage girl!

Over all, I really like this book. There are twists,   adventures, mysteries, and a bit of romance that makes it so hard to put down. And speaking of romance... I am so curious about Hale and Kat's relationship, I wanna know what happens next. They didn't even kiss! (or did I missed it?). Well, I will definitely read Uncommon Criminals. Too bad I don't have a copy yet! 

My Rating:

In My Mailbox (#1): A Few Grabs!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Ms. Kristi of The Story Siren. Everyone is welcome to participate. If you want to know how you can join, you may visit IMM Page at The Story Siren's website.

This is the first time I join this meme. It looks fun and I'm excited to share what I've recently grabbed.

I went to the bookstore this afternoon and got myself a few books to add in my shelf. I super enjoyed my trip to the bookstore cos it's been a while since I last bought hardcovered books. I grabbed:

Hex Hall and Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (you can also find my review here: Unwind Review)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Love Story by Jennifer Echols
Heist Society by Ally Carter

I already finished Hex Hall, Demonglass, Timeless and Unwind. I've read them all in my kindle and became my favorites so I bought hardcopies for my collection. I'm also reading Heist Society right now and I'm loving it already, so I grabbed a copy in paperback :)

What's in your mailbox this week? Please share us your grabs... You can leave your link of your own blog post or share your answers in the comments below (if you don't have a blog :) Thanks for dropping by! Happy reading!

TGIF at GReads (#1) Where Do You Keep Your Books at Home?

I am ready for the weekend! Anyway, this is the first time I participate in TGIF hosted by Ginger of GReads. 

This week's question is:

Where do you keep your books at home? Are they organized?

And here's my answer:

When I was still living with my parents, I kept my books in a small pink shelf. It was literally small since I didn't buy much books then, and the only ones I have are inspirational and devotionals (plus my bibles). When I got married, I moved here with my hubby and then I started reading fiction books (thanks to Twilight). 

I only have 2 places at home where I keep my hardcopies of books, one inside our bedroom, the other one is in the living room. 

Inside my first bookshelf, I have the Twilight Saga on top. It's the first series I owned, and it was the reason why I began to love reading fictional novels. It was a birthday gift from my ever-loving hubby that's why it's so special to me. On the second shelf are also my most favorite books--The TMI series, The Clockwork Angel, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner series. (I let my brother borrow The Maze Runner that's why you can't see it there :) 

Below them resides my other books, some of these are my most favorites too. I wanna put them along with the TMI series,  but my hubby says it would be too heavy and the glass might break. I have no choice but to put them at the lower shelves together with my least favorite books.

So this whole shelf is exactly where I keep the books I love most. They're not plenty, because I only buy hardcopies of my most favorites. Basically, this bookshelf also contains all the books I finished reading, except The Lovely Bones which I don't plan to read anymore (I watched the movie and liked it, but the book is too disturbing for me).

Inside our bedroom, I have a 2-layer bookshelf. This was installed by my hubby beside our bed, so I can grab a book before I settle in. The lower shelf contains my unread books. And you can also see my bookmarks on those titles  I haven't finished yet. The top layer is where my bibles and devotionals reside.

Most of my books (ebooks) are on my kindle. Take a look at the few titles I bought from Amazon. There are still samples which I haven't started yet. 

The last but not the least... may laptop! I organized my kindle books and other ebooks on my laptop. Most of them remained untouched :( So here's the screenshots (I thought I need to include this):

That's it! That's where I keep my books. What do you think? :)

Please share us your answers in the comments or you may leave us your link for your own post. You can also visit GReads to link your blog for the re-cap of weekly posts. I'd love to see your answers! :) Happy reading!

Booking Through Thursday (#1)

This is the first time I participate in Booking Through Thursday. One of the questions I find interesting is this one:

All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

My answer:

Before I buy a book, I check first the reviews and ask friends about it. But I also trust my instinct when buying a book. If it has good feedbacks and it feels like I'm going to love it, then I buy it--hardbound. If I couldn't wait any longer for a book that is not yet available in the bookstore, I buy it in kindle format instead. If I end up loving it, I still bought the hardcopy afterwards to add to my collection. Otherwise, I just read on my kindle. So yes, I rather OWN the books than borrow them :)

How about you? do you rather own the books or just borrow them? Let us know... 

Please comment and leave your answer here (if you don't own a blog) or you can share us your link for your actual answer in this post. Happy reading!

Book Review: UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

Unwind (Unwind #1)
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publication Date: November 6, 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-fi

Summary on Goodreads:

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My Thoughts:

This story takes place in the United States somewhere in the near future. After a civil war--known as the Second Civil War or the Heartland War--fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 years old to be unwounded--taken to "harvest camps" and having their body parts harvested for later use. The reasoning was that, since 100% (actually 99.44% taking into account the appendix and "useless" organs) was required to be used, unwinds did not technically "die", because their individual body parts lived on. In addition to unwinding, parent who are unable to raise their children to age thirteen for retroactive abortion can "stork" their child by leaving it on another family's doorstep. If they didn't get caught, the "storked" baby then becomes the other family's responsibility. (Wikipedia)

Most of the times I checked the reviews first before buying a book, but there are times that I go by instinct alone. The first time I saw this, I knew that it is something I will surely enjoy so I downloaded the sample in my Kindle. I have to say, this book is engrossing, I was instantly on the verge of my seat  up to the last page of the book sample. Due to some unavoidable reasons, I wasn't able to buy this book sooner, and I wasn't able to continue reading until yesterday! I am a bit moody and it's hard to go back to the book I once set aside, no matter how good it was that time. So I admit, I still waited until I was in the mood to continue. And now, I am a bit regretful that I didn't finish it sooner, because I have to say this book is brilliant! The second time I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed to the story, and once again, I was on the verge of my seat (oops, my bed literally).

I learned to love the characters not only Connor, Risa, Lev, but also Cyfy, Hayden, Emby and the Admiral. They were perfectly crafted which made them realistic to me. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control that's why they decided to send him to the harvest camp for unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state and a victim of shrinking budget and is not talented enough to be kept alive. Lev on the other hand is a "tithe"--raised by his religious parents for the sole purpose of being unwound. These characters along with Cyfy, Hayden, Emby, and the rest of the unwinds have their own stories to tell... each sent me a feeling of despair, pain, anger, sadness, compassion and love. I pitied them, I sympathized, and I hoped for them. Many times, I held my eyes to keep myself from crying. I was moved. 

From time to time, I find myself thinking about the choice I have if I were on their shoes. What if I was one of those teenagers to be unwounded? Would I rather choose to be killed and die whole than have my body parts harvested to use by other people? And with the society who sees the "unwinds" as trouble and unimportant, would I choose to be partly great than to be entirely useless? And what if someone I know or love is in the same circumstances? The thought of seeing someone I love go through unwinding made me feel cold and numb inside.

Truly, this book is engrossing, thought-provoking and ultimately compelling. Some says this book is gruesome and terrifying--maybe because it tackles issues on abortion and contains some parts that are somewhat distressing. I admit I was a bit shocked while I read the part where the unwinding process is being done. It was so vivid and I could almost picture the scene entirely. That part was mind-blowing. 

I am also impressed by the pacing of the story, the turn of events were unpredictable and it made the book more exciting and intense. It was surprisingly good.

Over all, I think this YA Dystopian Novel is a must-read. I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it. 

"In a perfect world mothers would all want their babies, and
strangers would open up their homes to the unloved.
In a perfect world everything would be either black or white,
right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference.
But this isn't a perfect world.
The problem is people who think it is."(Unwind)

My Rating:

WWW Wednesdays (1)

This is the first event I join in, a regular meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Here are my answers for WWW Wednesdays (July 20, 2011):

What are you currently reading?

I'm about to start Heist Society by Ally Carter. I've read great reviews about it, so I'm so excited to read it.

What did you recently finish reading? 

I just finished Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and I am actually starting to write a review. I hope you come and check it out later :)

What do you think you'll read next? 

It depends whether I'll end up liking Heist Society or not. If I love it, I'll definitely read Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter afterwards. Otherwise, it's Shadow Demons by Sarra Cannon, Love Story by Jennifer Echols, Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, or Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder. I have lots on my list. I choose a book to read depending on my mood :)

Please leave a comment or share your answers (if you don't have a blog), or you may leave your link to your own WWW Wednesdays post. THANKS! :)

Cheaper Tuesday (#1)

Hello everyone! I thought of featuring some cheaper books (starts at $0.99) I found from Amazon, mostly are Kindle edition. Some of these books can be sold in paperbacks but the prize is much higher than the prize in kindle format. I'll be posting some good books every Tuesdays and I hope there's one or two that will suit your interest. Happy Reading!

Do you have some cheap books to share? Let us know! :)

Book Review: SIRENSONG by Jenna Black

Sirensong (Faeriewalker #3)
Author: Jenna Black
Publication Date: July 5, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Summary on Goodreads:

When Dana is invited to Faerie to be officially presented at the Seelie Court, it’s no easy decision. After all, everyone knows Titania, the Seelie Queen, wants her dead. But Titania claims not to be the one behind the death threats; and her son, Prince Henry, makes the decision a whole lot easier when he suggests Dana might be arrested for (supposedly) conspiring with her aunt Grace to usurp the Seelie throne. So she and her father better do as they're told . . .

The journey through Faerie is long—and treacherous. Dana thought it would be a good idea to have friends along, but her sort-of-boyfriend, Ethan, and her bodyguard’s son, Keane, just can’t seem to get along, and Kimber’s crush on Keane isn’t making things any easier. When a violent attack separates Dana from their caravan, the sexy Erlking saves her just in the nick of time . . . and makes it clear that he hasn’t given up on making her his own.

Arriving at Titania’s beautiful palace should be a relief. But Dana is soon implicated in an assassination attempt against Titania’s granddaughter, and is suddenly a fugitive, forced to leave her father behind as she and her friends flee for their lives. Will she be able to prove her innocence before the forces of the Seelie Court—or, worse, the Erlking—catch up with her? And will she save her father before he pays the ultimate price in her stead?

My Thoughts:

Ever since I’ve read Glimmerglass and Shadowspell, I became so excited about Sirensong. I’ve waited so long for this book to come out, and it seems forever before I finally got my copy. So here’s my review: 

Glimmerglass and Shadowspell were both fascinating to me. I fell in love with the story and that made me very eager to read the final book. When I started reading Sirensong, I was immediately transported to Dana’s world, and easily catched up from where Shadowspell has left off. Since the two books revolved around Avalon, Sirensong took place mostly at faerie, which I find refreshing. I specifically enjoyed the part where Dana, her dad, her friends, along with Prince Henry and the whole entourage entered the border between Avalon and the Faerie world. The image was so vivid and I could imagine myself being transported to the world of faeries too. 

The story focuses on Dana’s travel to the Seelie Court, and the book offers more surprises than the first two books. I felt the excitement of traveling through faerie and to finally meet the Seelie Queen. I was also thrilled when the author allows us to see more about the Erlking, and that made me like him more. He’s dangerous, smart, cunning and gorgeous too! I like the idea that someone as powerful as the Erlking, highly-feared by everyone, is protecting Dana. How many times did she saves her at the nick of time? But Dana on the other hand keeps on avoiding him, and hardly trusted him, which you’ll probably find annoying sometimes. That’s one of Dana’s problem—she has difficulty trusting people, even her dad, Ethan and her friends. But knowing her past and her relationship with her alcoholic mom, plus the experiences she had from the time she stepped into Avalon, I get to sympathize with her, and understand her. She maybe stubborn, but she is strong-willed, independent, persistent and smart. She’s determined to protect everyone she loves even if it means risking her life. She never had second thought saving their lives, and she never gives up even when the situation seems hopeless. I admit, I was impressed by such bravery. It was also fun to read more about Kimber, Keanne, and Ethan since they travelled together in the Faerie. There are lots of actions and suspense, and a few funny moments too. You’ll love the Green Lady and you’ll hate the Bogles. You’ll probably miss Finn, because you don’t get much of him in this book, and you’ll love Dana’s dad, because all the doubts will be sweft off once you get to know him better as Dana does. 

I can say that I really enjoyed this last book of the Faeriewalker series, though I didn’t felt the same hype I had when I read Glimmerglass and Shadowspell. Though I love most of the things about it, there are a few things I find a bit itchy. 

One of the reasons I was eager to read Sirensong is because I want to know what happens to Dana and Ethan’s love story. In Shadowspell, it seems that the story will focus on that aspect—Dana’s struggle with her agreement to the Erlking, and Ethan being tied to the Wild Hunt. I missed the love story, which is prominent on the first two books. I think the author left out the romantic flavor and focused on the characters dangerous travel to faerie instead. The travel was long and sometimes I wanna fast forward my reading and hoping that the characters would finally get where they were going. Sometimes it gets a little boring. Nonetheless, I think the author still made a justifiable conclusion to the series. I just wished for less explanations and more of Ethan and Dana’s love story. Other than that, I still think this book is really good. I still recommend it especially to those fans of Faerie Novels. I have to say that this is the only Faerie Novel series I truly enjoyed.

My Rating:

Books to Movies: WAKE Trilogy by Lisa McMann

I am so much thrilled to share with you that NYT Bestselling Author Lisa McMann's WAKE Trilogy is optioned for a movie by Paramount Pictures! And what makes me more excited about it is that they're considering MILEY CYRUS for the lead role! :) :) :) I really hope she'll get the role and I'm so excited to find out who they will cast as Cabe! This is awesome, I can't imagine I would be as thrilled as I am right now.

Here's the link of Lisa McMann's website where you can read the news: The Rumors Are True.

For those who haven't read the WAKE Trilogy (Wake, Fade, Gone), you may want to consider checking this out soon. Here's the summary of the first book in the trilogy: WAKE.

 

Released: December 23, 2008

Published by: Simon Pulse 

Summary:

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant...

You might also want to check the next books on Wake Trilogy:

Abandoned But Not Forgotten

I was looking at my books early this morning when I noticed that I have too many unfinished books, some I haven't even began reading yet. They've been there for a very long time now, and they keep on piling up. I feel sad knowing that I've abandoned lots of books and I know that I need to read them eventually. It's like a school assignment or project that has been left undone, and sooner or later I'll still need to finish them. What's more frustrating is when a new book comes out, I can't wait to buy it and start reading! And this usually happens every time I'm about to start reading those unfinished books of mine! (*sigh)

Does your bookshelf have lots of abandoned books too? How do you feel about it?

Featured Book: BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young

Due to a friend's remarks about this book, I decided to feature this on my blog. This was on my Reading List even before it's release. But I removed this just last week, because of the not-so-good reviews about how difficult it is to read and understand. I have a few experiences on reading difficult books, and I don't want to try reading another one... I'm afraid I would abandon it eventually (and I have lots of them already!). But just today, a friend of mine posted it on our group discussion, and I was convinced to give it a try. You know, I really trust all my friends' opinions about books, since we enjoyed a lot of the same books together (Thanks Mariam for your feedback on this one :). I already put this on my list again and I hope you can find time to check this out too. Here's a peek about Blood Red Road: