Stacking the Shelves {24}

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where bloggers share recently bought, borrowed, won, and gifted books (print or ebooks)!

{Blog Tour} Book Review: Played - Liz Fichera

Title: Played (Hooked #2)

Author: Liz Fichera
Release Date: May 27th 2014

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Age Group: Young Adult
Source: NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when I saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decided to try to save me.

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

It's been more than a year since I read Hooked, and so it's been more than a year since I started waiting for Played. In the first book, Fred and Ryan got their happy ending, but no one said happy endings are forever. Not even theirs, especially when Ryan's younger sister Riley decides to get all Lannister-like and pay her debt to Sam, Fred's old friend who she turned down.

Jeez, she looked exactly like her brother, with that same know-it-all, confident face that always got on my last nerve.

Sam dislikes Riley by association, and although she's usually all-around nice, Riley dislikes Sam because she has no idea why he's so grumpy, particularly to her. This kind of relationship between two strangers is often irritatingly childish, but not this time because the history between them, albeit indirect, just feels somewhat personal. Talk about living vicariously through books.

The verbal smackdowns don't last long, however, because there's nothing quite like getting stuck in the woods with torrential rains and a sprained ankle to bring two people together.

"I'm in love with your brother's girlfriend," I blurted.

Now there's a real icebreaker. And when they finally get rescued, Riley makes a promise to Sam to help him win Fred's heart (because Fred/Ryan is bound to end up in flames some time soon, anyway, she thinks). Soon, Riley's running around coordinating Sam's wardrobe and cutting his hair, and Sam, knowing she won't take no for an answer, decides to let her have at it until she finally gets bored and moves on. Except she doesn't get bored and Sam finds himself using body spray even without Riley forcing his hand.

All is fine and amusing at first as Sam undergoes a not-to-hot transformation at the hands of the younger Berenger, but that is until their efforts actually start affecting Fred and Ryan. I really pitied the golden couple because dude, I invested one entire book's worth of emotion until that ship sailed! One must not puncture its hull!

But aside from Riley and Sam's conspiring, they have their own problems to deal with. Riley is a confused girl, desperate for people to see her as more than the good girl and the little sister of The Ryan Berenger. Sam, on the other hand, is struggling to get over Fred and to know why there feels to be a mile-long distance between him and his father even when they're under the same roof. These personal problems bring them closer than their scheming does, and slowly they become friends to more-than-friends. Sam knows he should stay away from Riley who seems to bring nothing but trouble, but when he's with her, his indifferent facade gets tossed out to reveal the true him. Their antics were so adorable, as in grin-and-giggle-at-seven-in-the-morning adorable.

While definitely a lighter story than Hooked, I loved Played just the same, possibly even more. It certainly made me laugh more than I remember the first book doing, and it's just what I needed to read for the past few lazy days. Now, how long do I have to wait for book three?

MY FAVORITE PART is Riley's first visit to Sam's house :3

RATING:

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: There Will Come a Time - Carrie Arcos

Title: There Will Come a Time

Author: Carrie Arcos

Release Date: April 15th 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: ARC borrowed for tour
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Mark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost.

Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s not just the enormity of his loss. As her twin, Mark should have known Grace as well as he knows himself. Yet when he reads her journal, it’s as if he didn’t know her at all.

As a way to remember Grace, Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger, and his growing feelings for Hannah threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace—and it’s his one chance to set things right.

Grief is something we all deal with in different ways: some lash out, some harm themselves, and then there are some like Mark who withdraw from the world. When he and his twin sister, Grace, get involved in a car accident that results to her death, Mark lets the loss take over his life, not knowing how to move on without her and wishing he was the one who'd died instead.

"I'm saying there will come a time when you won't be so angry or in so much pain. It doesn't have to be now. You just have to believe that it'll come and let people in."

There doesn't seem to be an end to Mark's pain, until the long-lost package with Grace's things from the accident finally come in the mail. In it, he and Hanna, Grace's best friend, find a journal filled with Grace's thoughts, things she kept hidden from everyone, and suddenly, the Grace they knew feels like another person from Grace as she knew herself. But aside from the girl's secrets, they also find a bucket list of five things she'd wanted to accomplish that fateful year, and the two decide to honor her memory by completing the list for her.

Bucket lists have always equated to fun for me, but There Will Come a Time kind of ruined that for me because can you imagine completing your dead twin's list? Mark could have faced his pain with his family and friends but because of his anger, both at himself and the other driver who caused the accident, he chose to face it alone. As is to be expected, he doesn't get too far with that, often finding solace at the bridge where the accident took place as he tries to get close to his twin sister, the way they were close since they'd been in their mother's womb.

Because how can you really know joy if you don't know despair? Nothing exists without its opposite.

The list helps Mark in more ways than one, but it also tests the few remaining relationships he has. He learns that he doesn't have sole ownership on the grief over Grace's death and that sometimes, relief starts with forgiveness. I read the second half of this book while watching my family frolic in a river, and that made me appreciate how well the author integrated the Filipino culture into her story. Everything she wrote about Mark's family - down to the amazing food, yes - is just so easy for me to imagine happening in real life. And that's where There Will Come a Time really shines through: with how real and well-written it is. Even if you've never known loss as intense as Mark's, I can promise that this book will be an experience for you. Perhaps a traumatic one, but still.

MY FAVORITE PART was Mark finally knowing forgiveness. Tears.

RATING:

Giveaway!

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Character Playlist + Giveaway: Wings - Elizabeth Richards

Title: Wings (Black City #3)

Author: Elizabeth Richards

Release Date: June 12th 2014

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Age Group: Young Adult
Source: ARC from author (Thanks again, Liz! <3)
Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Following the cliffhanger ending of Phoenix, Natalie finds herself separated from Ash and unexpectedly reunited with her parents, including the father she thought was dead. But she can only think of Ash. She hasn't heard a word of him since she and Elijah were brought to the underground headquarters of the Sentry Rebellion. But she vows to find him.

Ash, meanwhile is back in Black City; it's the perfect place to hide from the Sentry government. But not for long. He won't give up on Natalie or bringing an end to the terrible reign of Purian Rose.

If not for this tour, I probably would have put off reading Wings for a long time - that's what I usually do with series enders. Leaving behind beloved characters is a very unpleasant experience for me, as I'm certain it is for all of us readers, and the Black City trilogy is no different.

Wings opens with Natalie in a rebel camp and Ash on the run, but even with the distance between them, they do everything that they can to aid in the efforts to bring down Purian Rose, the tyrant who insists on purging the world of Darklings and everyone else he deems unworthy of living. As the two lovers and their friends race to stop their enemy before he brings the entire world to its knees, there is a constant worrying for the lot of them that makes for one intense, unputdownable read.

I've said this before in my reviews of the previous books but I feel the need to say it again: I love how Natalie and Ash are both proactive, brave and determined to get things done whether they're together or apart - which had me pulling at my hair the entire time (no, seriously) because I was like what the fragg you can't get blown up into pieces before you two bump into each other! God. Theirs is definitely one epic romance that had me tearing up so many times because of the feels. Ash, you're the man. Err, half-man, half-Darkling.

"You were brain dead for a few minutes," Beetle says. "Of course, nobody noticed any difference at first..."

Aside from Natalie and Ash, the other characters also really shine in this book. Each of them plays a huge part in the tight plot, but I would advise against investing your feelings in any of them because the author had no problem torturing them. No one is safe, definitely not the reader's heart. I kept gasping and flailing every few pages or so; the story's that good.

Although the first two books were both truly amazing, Wings, for me, is the best in this trilogy. It further cemented Black City as one of the twistiest, most heart-pounding series I've ever read, and I cannot recommend it enough to everyone looking for the perfect balance of romance and action in their reads. The ending is more than satisfying and wraps up the series very well, but it's still an ending, and I'm still feeling bittersweet.

MY FAVORITE PART was Ash saving Natalie. *sobs*

RATING:

{Blog Tour} Book Review: Infinite Sky - C.J. Flood

Title: Infinite Sky (Infinite Sky #1)

Author: C.J. Flood
Release Date: May 20th 2014

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: ARC borrowed for blog tour

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

A truly beautiful book about the summer that changed one girl's life, as her mum leaves home, travellers set up camp in the family's field, her older brother goes off the rails, and she falls in love for the very first time. Opening with a funeral, Iris is mourning the boy in the casket - but who is it? Sam, her tearaway brother, or Trick, her tentative boyfriend? Over one long hot summer, we find out just how their three lives were turned upside-down.

You know what hurt? This. Book. The moment I finished, I actually kind of regretted reading it because, right at the prologue, I knew it wouldn't end well. I should have saved myself from all the suffering and heartbreak, I thought, but nah. Infinite Sky is worth it.

The book was slow to capture my attention as we are introduced to the remains of what was Iris' home. Her family used to be a happy one, until her mom left to "discover herself" or some shitty reason like that. Iris tried to retain the semblance of a home with her dad and brother - they were all trying, refusing to admit that her mother's absence affected them greatly, but the effort was obviously futile because the void was already there, the three of them spiraling apart. All the tension added to what I knew was a build-up to a huge feels fest.

Iris came across as a confused young girl. She kind of knew what she wanted but didn't have the guts to go after it - at least until she met Trick. Her friendship with the gypsy boy was met with huge opposition because most of the people in her small town, particularly her father and brother, were prejudiced, thinking the gypsies were up to no good, but Iris was quite quick to trust them. Naive, maybe, but seeing the good in everyone was what I liked most about her character.

Having read the blurb, I'd thought romance would be a huge factor in this book, but it's actually not. Iris and Trick became more than friends, yes, but I felt like the story focused more on the effects of their relationship to her family. Her dad and brother were already walking on a thin line after her mom's departure, so her fraternizing with the enemy, as the two saw it, only pushed them over the edge. The whole time I was both disgusted and sympathetic with Iris' family members, even her mom, and that confused me maybe as much as it confused her. And I think that's where this novel really shines: it just makes you sympathize with everyone. That sure is talent.

Infinite Sky tells of acceptance and moving forward, no matter how hard. It reminded me so much of Flawed, especially the ending because both books made me ugly-sob. I don't see myself revisiting this story because it's just too much for my poor heart, but I definitely will be checking out this mysterious second book in the series. Is it a sequel? A companion novel? An alternate ending?! Whatever it is, I need it in my life.

MY FAVORITE PART was Sam drawing on Iris' bedroom wall ;w;

RATING:

#TwoAwesomeAuthorsAreComingToPH

National Book Store continues their being-bookish-and-lovely streak by bringing two more YA authors to the Philippines - if you don't know who they are, you need to get a smaller rock to hide under. Seriously.

Click on photos for full size.

First up is Jenny Han in June! I really enjoyed the Burn for Burn books which she co-authored so if you're new to her works, those are the ones I can suggest you start with.

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And then in July, Stephanie Perkins will be gracing us with her presence! Anna and the French Kiss is still sitting untouched in my shelf because I'm still unprepared for Etienne St. Clair - I hear he's quite the amazing boy - but I guess I'll just have to pick it up soon!

Event Page | FAQ

I expect to see your lovely faces in the next two months, fellow Pinoy book nerds! ;D

{Blog Tour} Book Reviews + Giveaway: Camp Boyfriend & Camp Payback - J.K. Rock

Title: Camp Boyfriend (Camp Boyfriend #1)

Author: J.K. Rock

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Camp Boyfriend is one of those books wherein the characters kept me reading even when they irritated me to no end. Wtf moment, I know. But there's something good to be said when I get engrossed in a book enough to feel so much for the characters, right? Right. Of course.

As I type this review I'm in the middle of reading Camp Payback *points below* so I can say that at this point in the series the characters are all quite immature and narrow-minded, hence why I disliked almost all of them. First of all: Lauren. I hated how she strung Matt along for months, even when her feelings for him had changed and she knew she wanted her relationship with Seth, her camp boyfriend, to last for all seasons. It was unfair to Matt and totally ruined the Lauren/Seth relationship for me, which is sad because I loved them in the novella Camp Kiss.

But the root of Lauren's problems was her inability to stand up for herself. Unconsciously, she tried to please everyone - be it her family or her friends - in expense of herself. The combination of unapologetic nerd and sassy cheerleader that she'd become over the past year suffered greatly when she came to summer camp where everyone knew her as just the nerd, and I really pitied her.

Aside from Lauren, the people around her irritated me so much more. Her insensitive mom and sister I could handle, but her camp friends who were her lifelong besties? They turned up their judgmental noses when they found out she'd become pretty and was dating a jock. And they were all so freaking unbelievable! People change the same way Lauren did, but for some reason her friends didn't and they resented her for being different? They only liked the version of her that kept them happy and fit the mold they'd made for her, not the new and real her she'd turned into. God. I just wanted to Lauren to find better friends.

Camp Boyfriend didn't impress me much, but don't get turned off by all the ranting I did because I assure you, a ton of character development happens in this book. If you're patient with characters and are not too particular with your contemporary, then this is the one for you.

MY FAVORITE PART was a certain someone singing a song he wrote himself <3

RATING:

Title: Camp Payback (Camp Boyfriend #2)

Author: J.K Rock

Release Date: April 29th 2014

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall.

Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry.

With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

I lowered my expectations for Camp Payback because Camp Boyfriend wasn't as amazing as I'd thought it would be, but that turned out to be absolutely unnecessary because, oh my lord, this book packed the feels and swoon that just entertained me for hours.

While its predecessor was also filled to the brim with drama, this sequel just got it perfectly. And it also helped that I loved the main characters individually and as a couple. Alex, the not-so-rebel whose family saw nothing but her mistakes, is actually a brave and straight-forward girl who only wants to live a real life, not be known as the troubled kid of the family behind the Wholesome Home blog. With all the criticisms she's had to face, it's been ingrained in her mind that she's useless and problematic, and I'd have gone crazy a long time ago if I were her.

Whereas her previous summers at camp were nothing but fun, this time Alex has to face a crazy ex who pushes her so hard on the first day that she just loses it and saunters to a complete stranger... and kisses him. Javier, the new kid at Camp Juniper Point who only wants to keep out of trouble, isn't too thrilled when one of the camp girls walks up and kisses him point blank, but he can't deny the attraction he feels for her, especially when she's like a walking sun to his dark life. I loved how their relationship got off a rocky start and then turned into friendship-slash-romance. A lot of people were against the two of them being together, but that only made me love them more.

A far cry from Camp Boyfriend, this book was so easy and so fun to read. The story was very romantic and full of swoon, what with Javier being a fantastic chef - and humming while he cooks! Camp Payback truly is the perfect summer read and until now I grin whenever I think of Alex and Javier.

MY FAVORITE PART was the ending. Sigh <3

RATING:

About the authors:

J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. Although they started out sharing an annual shopping trip, they ended up discussing their favorite films and books, joining the same book club and talking about writing... a lot. Their debut novel, Camp Boyfriend, is the first in a three-book series plotted during family pool parties. Their creative partnership is unique in that they enjoy passing a book back and forth, each adding a chapter and fine-tuning the chapter before. Years of friendship has yielded a shared voice and vision for their work that makes writing a pleasure.

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Multimedia Monday {10}

Multimedia Monday is a feature that I created to share with y'all the movies or TV shows that I recently watched or music that I've been listening to—because a great library won't be complete without a multimedia section ;D

{Blog Tour} Excerpt + Giveaway: Royally Lost - Angie Stanton

Title: Royally Lost

Author: Angie Stanton

Release Date: May 6th 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: Young Adult
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Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for - he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have... is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

Click here for an excerpt! ;D

About the author:
Angie Stanton never planned on writing books; she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural Wisconsin, with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn't work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. Angie is the author of six books including Royally Lost, Rock and a Hard Place, and Snapshot.

She graduated with a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, and is a proud double finalist of the National Readers Choice Awards for Love 'em or Leave 'em.

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Giveaway!

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: GLAZE - Kim Curran

Title: GLAZE

Author: Kim Curran
Release Date: May 22nd 2014

Publisher: Jurassic London
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: eARC for blog tour

Goodreads

Petri Quinn is counting down the days till she turns 16 and can get on GLAZE – the ultimate social network that is bringing the whole world together into one global family. But when a peaceful government protest turns into a full-blown riot with Petri shouldering the blame, she’s handed a ban. Her life is over before it’s even started.

Desperate to be a part of the hooked-up society, Petri finds an underground hacker group and gets a black market chip fitted. But this chip has a problem: it has no filter and no off switch. Petri can see everything happening on GLAZE, all the time. Including things she was never meant to see.

As her life is plunged into danger, Petri is faced with a choice. Join GLAZE… or destroy it.

GLAZE is a book that majority of the world needs right now, in this age when we are so immersed with social media and everything online that we forget how to connect in the real, physical world. Okay, so this book may be an exaggeration of today, but it is still an eye-opener.

Our protagonist, Petri Quinn, feels very left out. She's yet to turn 16, so she can't get on GLAZE like all the other kids in her year. She can't watch what they're watching or listen to whatever they're listening to when they tune out of the physical world and into the virtual world. But when a rally she attends turns into a riot, she gets the blame and is banned from GLAZE for five years - five years that she knows are crucial if she wants to make connections that matter.

Puberty, people, is a bitch.

Petri's mom, creative director at the company that invented GLAZE, has always left her wanting for more love and attention, so for her, getting hooked on to practically the rest of the world is that important. She's just a normal girl who wants to fit in and belong, and I really felt for her when she was given the ban. What she did to override the ban was very drastic, true, but I have to admit that if I were her, I'd have done the same.

"I'd rather risk the chaos of freedom than be denied the choice. Choice is everything."

GLAZE is like everything online we have right now taken to the extreme. Imagine having every information you need about everything and everyone at a single thought. Name? Check. Where everyone bought their clothes? Check. Who planted the freaking apples and oranges in your fridge? Yes, even that. Creepy but essentially, it's not evil. It's actually a lot of good, but a handful of people just had to be blinded by greed and use it the wrong way.

And that's when Petri realized that the community she's longed so much to be a part of was actually imperfect. She and a ragtag group of hackers worked together to bring down GLAZE, only they had no idea just how deep the evil ran. Danger was around every corner and with their enemy able to track their every move, they had to use everything they had if they were to survive.

I really have nothing but praise for GLAZE. It didn't lack in action and it never bored me. It's so easy to read and the sweet romance didn't hurt and didn't overpower the plot, either. In all, GLAZE is a unique addition to the dystopian genre and a book that I can recommend to everyone. Everyone, seriously.

MY FAVORITE PART was the ending. Kick that sucker.

RATING:

Giveaway!

Stacking the Shelves {23}

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where bloggers share recently bought, borrowed, won, and gifted books (print or ebooks)!

The Books & the Art {3}

The Books & the Art is where I feature whatever artsy stuff books inspire me to make, but at the moment I'm quite captured with wallpapers ;D

{Blog Tour} Book Review: Scan - Walter Jury & Sarah Fine

Title: Scan (Scan #1)

Author: Walter Jury & Sarah Fine

Release Date: May 1st 2014

Publisher: Putnam Children's

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: ARC borrowed for blog tour

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best - at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans.

All Tate knows - like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid - may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret inter-species conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it.

Some books you have to savor, others you have to devour, and Scan is definitely one of the latter. Seriously. I read it in two sittings because it was just so hard to stop, and the whole time it felt like I was watching an action flick full of car chases and explosions.

For almost his entire life, Tate's father has been so overbearing and intent that his son be the best in everything, from academics to languages and martial arts, and I really wondered why. I had so many theories that got blasted almost as soon as they formed in my head, and I count that as a good thing.

"Then and now, the H2 are nothing but bloodthirsty aliens, and they need to get the hell off my planet."

But I do know I got one thing right: something was obviously up with Tate's dad's invention because everyone wanted it so much for it to be a simple scanner. So good thing he had his mom and girlfriend by his side as he was on the run with said scanner, because even with his knowledge and talents, I couldn't imagine him surviving alone.

One of the things I liked most about Scan - aside from all the action and conspiracy - was the emotion behind the story. First there was Tate's relationship with his parents. They were a great family until his mom left, and then his dad withdrew, only to re-emerge as a captain to his soldier. All Tate wanted was to please his dad and make him proud, but his efforts just weren't enough. What kept him sane through his dreadful home life was his girlfriend, Christina, and I loved how they were in that point in a relationship where they weren't sure about taking it to the next level. I really pitied them because they were uprooted from their normal lives and were being chased by aliens and god knew who else, and I hope that by the end of the mess they got themselves into, they'll be able to go back into being ordinary teenagers.

Fast-paced and action-packed, Scan had such a unique premise that made it an incredibly fun read. It became so intense at one point that I had to put it down and just breathe. The ending was quite the cliffhanger and it's really difficult to guess where this series is going, so now I'm desperate for the second book! More, please. Now.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were the cool homemade weapons. BRB going to the grocery to- Yeah, better not.

RATING:

Book Review: The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 25th 2011

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: Bought

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

My name - my True Name - is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Now this is how you end a series. The Iron Knight provided all the closure I could wish for - although the novella Iron's Prophecy ruins all of that, not that I'm complaning - and it just made me a very happy fan. The book kept all the unpredictability and constant thrill of the previous books, but for some reason it was just... better.

Even if it takes a hundred years, I will be with her in the end.

I'd known that it was written in Ash's POV but that didn't truly sink in until I had already started reading. In the first three books, Ash felt like an enigma, even when he had already opened up to Meghan, so to be able to enter his head was so much fun. His cool, indifferent facade as the Winter prince hid all his confusion and worry, but here he was finally an open book. And although I've always known him to be strong, the strength he showed in this book was just something different, something more substantial, because it was his inner strength.

Before reading this, I thought Ash wanted to become an Iron faery - don't know where I got that idea since that didn't turn out so well for his brother Rowan - so when I learned of what he was really planning... wow. I didn't even know it was possible, but of course love can make anything possible. If Ash was going to be with Meghan in the Iron realm, he had to earn something while giving up the identity he'd known his entire life, and for someone of his stature, that sure took a lot of guts and determination.

Being away from Meghan took its toll on Ash, but I have to admit that it was more than nice and enjoyable seeing him alone with Puck, Grim, another ally who I shall not name because I seriously did not expect him to enter the picture, and her. Jesus. As if Ash needed something more to add to his confusion. At one point I even got the notion that he was only going on his quest because of the oath he swore to Meghan that he'd find a way to be with her. One thing's for sure: Julie Kagawa sure knows how and when to pull her plot twists. And to torture her characters.

Packed with equal parts action and emotion, The Iron Knight is a worthy conclusion for this series. I don't imagine anyone would be disappointed because it's just that good. I have loads of love for the epilogue, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading the Call of the Forgotten series anytime soon because I hate waiting! >_<;

MY FAVORITE PART was Ash and Puck going fishing in the River of Dreams =))

RATING:

Life of a Blogger {9}

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by Jessi at Novel Heartbeat where bloggers chatter about random, non-bookish topics. This week's topic is bucket list!