BOOK REVIEW: REVENANTS #1: DIE FOR ME BY AMY PLUM

So, I finished reading Die For Me by Amy Plum and I just couldn't wait to write my review. First of all, I would like to say that I think the concept of the entire novel is just soooooo unique. I mean, yeah, undead/ zombies/ ghosts and all but seriously, how can the undead/ zombies/ ghosts be so damn sexy?! Well, I guess only Amy Plum can do that. Anyway, the protagonists of the story are Kate Mercier and Vincent Delacroix, who is a very sexy revenant!

 Okay, so let's officially start this reviewing by dissecting the characters. So, there's Kate. Well, to be perfectly honest I didn't really like her that much in the beginning. I think she was just too mopey. Well, don't get me wrong, I know she lost her parents only a year ago but she could have made an effort to try to "live" instead of just being Ms. Gloomy and all. But she redeemed herself as the story progressed. I think meeting Vincent was probably one of the best things that happened to her. She seriously grew up and became a stronger character. I think she was also very good for Vincent since she brought life into whatever state his in. But even if I kinda didn't like her a bit in the beginning, I have to say that I loved the fact that she knows exactly what she wants even if her choices weren't exactly the best of the best. I respect her for being decisive unlike other characters from certain books that are just soooooo confused. That tends to annoy me a lot. In short, I like Kate as a character.

Then of course, there's the oh-so-sexy Vincent Delacroix. Man, he puts the sexy in zombie! haha. I seriously fell in love with this character. I know he's almost but barely similar to Edward Cullen from Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga but I like Vincent more. He's stalker-ish in a not so creepy way. Not that I find Edward creepy. But seriously, this guy just drove me up the wall. I loved Vincent. He is a revenant who is trying to live a normal life as much as possible. And then he meets Kate. I have to say I think the two of them were just meant to be. I love their chemistry. There's something about them or probably more about him that's just so captivating. I simply love everything about Vincent.

I also love the supporting characters. Georgia, Kate's sister is someone I absolutely adore. I actually liked her more than I liked Kate in the beginning. Mamie and Papy were absolutely hilarious and at the same time touching in a way grandparents can make you feel. And of course, the other revenants Ambrose, Gaspard, Jules, JB, Charlotte and Charles were just adorable. Jules and Ambrose made me laugh the hardest. I love the fact that even the supporting characters were really involved in the story. They weren't just added there to add more people. They were actually part of it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I honestly could have finished this in one day but I was trying to prolong reading this because I wanted to wait until my orders from the Book Depository arrived. There's some delay somewhere here in the Philippines so yeah, I simply couldn't wait and I ended up finishing Die For Me faster than I was expecting to. I love the way it was written especially the romance between Vincent and Kate. I especially love the scene in Vincent's room where Katie almost devoured him. Well, who wouldn't? A hormonal girl alone in a room with a cute guy? Seriously who could resist something like that? You could either be frigid or just too prim and proper for your own good. haha. That scene made me laugh so hard. I also love the fact that it was set in France, the City of Lights. The way it was described simply made me want to fly to France right now. Anyhoo, I'm recommending this to anyone who likes paranormal reads that's unique in it's own way and I'd give this a 5/5 star rating. And I can't wait to get my hands on its sequel which is Until I Die.

BOOK REVIEW: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS BY STEPHANIE PERKINS

Obviously, I had nothing better to do today so I just ended up reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I’ve been itching to get my hands on a paperback copy of this book but it always seems to be avoiding me. Anyhoo, I got my copy a few days ago with my cousin. The novel’s main characters are Anna and Etienne/ St. Claire.

I loved this book from the get-go. I loved the way it was written. I love the way it makes me feel giddy and happy as I flipped through the pages. I fell in love with Anna’s character. She’s just so adorable and believable as a character.And I could definitely relate to her in some ways except for the neat freak part. She’s a neat freak and as much as I want to be one I just can’t. I’m a messy person and that’s that. haha.Anyway, I loved the way she was written. There were definitely times when I just wanted to smack her or something. She likes keeping things to herself even if she’s very transparent in some ways and somehow that made things a little bit harder for her and Etienne. Anyhow, I still love her. I think she’s one of those adorable heroines in contemporary YA novels.

Then there’s Etienne St. Claire.Oh, Mr. St. Claire where are thou in this real world of ours?How can anyone picture someone this dreamy? Kudos to Ms. Perkins for creating this character. The Brit/ American/ French guy who swept Anna of her feet. I just love Etienne. I love the way he seems to be Mr. Perfect even if he has his flaws. I think the flaws made him more adorable for me.

The book is not just about young love. It’s about conquering your fears and admitting to yourself that no matter how strong or brave you are that a part of you will always be afraid to be alone. And sometimes you just have to fight in order to get what you want. I honestly loved everything about this book. The characters even the supporting one’s were just adorable. It’s one of those reads that I just can’t put down. I definitely see myself reading this again and again in the near future. I liked the fact that it made me smile as I flipped through the pages. There were no dull moments as I kept on reading. I’d definitely recommend this to everyone out there who is in love or at least wants to remember how it feels to be in love. I think I’m part of the latter though. I’d give this a 5/5 star rating. I can’t wait to get my hands on its companion novel which is Lola and the Boy Next Door.

BOOK REVIEW: WHERE SHE WENT BY GAYLE FORMAN

I was able to finish Where She Went by Gayle Forman yesterday and I was seriously touched by this book. It follows the journey of Adam and Mia from If I Stay by the same author. It is set 3 years after the events from the first novel.

I've been looking for this book for quite some time now and I'm just so happy that I was finally able to get my own paperback copy. Anyhoo, the story is told in Adam's perspective 3 years after the events from the first novel.

First of all, I am seriously in love with Adam right now. I know, he's broken with all the angst of a rock star but I just can't help but love him despite his flaws. I loved him in the first novel and I loved him even more here. The book allowed the readers to dissect the way he thinks. I wanted to hug him from time to time. His interaction with Mia was just so heartbreaking I just couldn't help but cry in some scenes. Anyway, I loved the way things were written and I love him despite everything. He deserves whatever which I won't tell it is that he got in the end.

Then of course, there's Mia. I honestly have to say that I wanted to strangle her in some parts of the book. I just couldn't get why she did the things that she did. Adam did not deserve the things that Mia did to him. But then again, when she explained herself I simply could not help but sympathize with her. She was angry and she should be. She lost her entire family in a blink of an eye and somehow she needed someone to blame in order to live. Anyway, I still love her even if she did things that she shouldn't have.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed the first one. Adam's perspective was somewhat refreshing and it helped the readers get to know him even more as a character. The book was simply stunning, heartbreaking, mesmerizing and everything else all rolled into one. I loved this book and I love the way everything wrapped up. I wouldn't mind reading it again and again so I'm giving this a 5/5 star rating.

PS: I just got home from work and I'm just too lazy to take out my phone and use it to take a photo of my paperback so I'm just using something that I got from Google. Thank God for Google Images!

BOOK REVIEW: DEMONGLASS BY RACHEL HAWKINS

I just finished the second book from the Hex Hall Trilogy by Rachel Hawkins which is Demonglass a few minutes ago. And I have to say I’m loving this as much as I loved the first one. Anyway, the novel centers around the adventures of Sophie Mercer and the Prodigium.

Sophie meets her father, James, for the first time in her seventeen years of existence and she’s less than thrilled to be spending some time with him after all these years. I actually sympathized with her in this aspect since my relationship with my own father is not exactly all roses and bunnies. Anyway, as head of the Prodigium Council her father came to Hex Hall to meet his daughter due to the events that took place in the first book. And off she flies to England!

Again, I can’t help but love Sophie. I just love the way her character grew up from the first book. Her smart mouth and sarcasm never fails to make me laugh. I also think she’s one of those heroines that you can’t just help but love. A lot of things were revealed that somehow shocked me.It was a pleasant kind of shock though.I love the fact that she didn’t just mope around like some other female characters after everything that she went through. I just love Sophie.

Then there’s Cal. He had a bigger role in this book and I definitely liked that. It always seemed to me that Cal is not just your typical groundskeeper/ healer/ white warlock.I always believed that he had his own story to tell. Anyway, it turns out he is actually connected to Sophie through…….No, I won’t say it! I don’t want to spoil anyone who has not read this awesome book yet. I seriously loved Cal and I am utterly confused right now because I cannot choose who to root for. Will it be Archer? Or Cal?

And of course, there’s Archer. I missed him in some parts of the book. It turns out he’s actually a warlock raised by The Eye.But even so, I am still in love with him. He’s just so dreamy and everything. haha. I am so confused right now. Will it be Cal? Or Archer? Seriously, how can Ms. Hawkins right two awesome male characters. Anyway, I love Archer and I just can’t wait to read the last novel.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book as much as the first one. I love the fact that Ms. Hawkins did not turn Sophie into a mopey character after everything that she’s been through. Plus, the fact that Jenna is still the pink loving vamp! She’s just so adorable!Anyway, I somehow hated the fact that the ending is such a cliffhanger! haha. Now, I need to get my hands on the third book. I need a paperback soon!

Rating: 5/5 stars
Recommendations: Everyone! :)

BOOK REVIEW: HEX HALL BY RACHEL HAWKINS

I finished Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins yesterday and I've been dying to write a review since. Unfortunately, work got in the way. Again. Haha. Anyhoo, the story is about Sophie Mercer and some other magical/ mystical/ paranormal/ whatever friends of hers who live in Hecate Hall a.k.a. Hex Hall for short.

First of all, I read the book because it was recommended by Sylvia a.k.a. Heinzypop from Goodreads. Haha. I didn't really have plans of reading this book the first time I saw it but since Sylvia said that it was an excellent read I decided to give it a shot. I honestly loved the book from the get-go. There were no dull moment as I started reading it. I loved Sophie. The fact that she is not your average lame protagonist extraordinaire made her really likeable for me. I love the fact that she has a smart mouth! haha. She seriously made me laugh every time she decided to open that mouth of hers. Anyway, I love the way she developed a a character as the story progressed. 

Then there's Archer Cross, one of the magical/ mystical/ paranormal/ whatever friend of hers. I love Archer. He kinda' reminds me of a less brooding Jace Wayland and Will Herondale from the TMI and TID series by Cassandra Clare. I honestly loved Archer. I don't know why but I just love my book boyfriends when they're bad! Anyway, I love his character from the very first time he entered the picture.

Anyhoo, the other characters were loveable for me. None of them annoyed me. Even the Evil Barbie Trio were likeable. I also loved Jenna. She's Sophie's roommate at the dorms, BTW. The story was okay for me. Not too fast paced and not too slow either. I loved the cliffhanger ending at the end and it made me want to read the second book immediately which I did by the way. Overall, I'd give this a 5/5 stars and I'd definitely recommend it to anybody.

BOOK REVIEW: HIS EYES BY RENEE CARTER

So last night I decided to try reading more contemporary novels after I finished Because Of Low by Abbi Glines since I've got nothing better to do. haha. Nah, it's the holy week and it's time to reflect but I can't actually reflect on anything since I'm pretty much distracted by a lot of books so yeah, holy week=epic fail. And besides, I've been reading too much dystopian novels these past few months it's time to change genres. And that's when I found His Eyes by Renee Carter. The story's main characters are Tristan, a blind equestrian player/ rider/ whatever and Amy, his hired babysitter.

Truth be told, I wasn't exactly looking forward to reading this book and I decided to put it on hold for a while since I'm not really into contemporary YA's. I'm more of a Sci-Fi, Paranormal and Dystopian kind of girl but then I needed a change of pace and thus I decided to read this one. I actually enjoyed reading this book and I ended up reading it in one sitting. Haha. That's been happening a lot lately actually.

First of all, I liked Amy. She's a regular girl who is simply trying to make her way and somehow I could relate to her. She's not whiny and she's definitely not pathetic like some female heroines from novels that I've read in the past. She was honest and she had this conflicts and stuff but somehow the author made her believable. I found her personality very refreshing after reading a lot of dystopians these past months. I honestly enjoyed reading from her POV. I did want to smack her at one point but as the story progressed I actually found myself loving her character even more.

Then of course, there's Tristan. Oh boy, did I want to smack him in the beginning. But somehow, I found myself falling for this character. I mean he went through a lot of things in the past year and I do believe that those things can definitely change a person. As the story progressed I think my love for Tristan's character grew. He acted the way he did because he was hurt, afraid, hopeless and a lot more other things that I can't even begin to comprehend. I wanted to get in there and hug him and tell him that everything would turn out all right. I think Amy helped him cope in a lot of ways.

Bottom line is, I liked the novel. I sure did. I ended up reading it in one day. haha. I know it's kinda' cliche like the typical RICH-BOY-FALLS-IN-LOVE-WITH-POOR-GIRL kind of thing but somehow stories like these have worked for me. I love cliche love stories. I am a girl after all and I love happy endings. I think this is a breath of fresh air after reading heavy dystopians these past few months. The book is not just about a teenybopper love story. It's about living life itself. Learning that it can be difficult and rough but we all just have to deal with it.

Rating: 5/5 stars

BOOK REVIEW: BECAUSE OF LOW BY ABBI GLINES

Another Abbi Glines novel that made me love her more. Because of Low is the second book from Ms. Glines’ Sea Breeze series. And it centers around the lives of Marcus Hardy, the unrequited lover of Sadie from Breathe,and Willow.

I was actually expecting a lot from this book since I fell in love with the Marcus Hardy in the first novel.Well, not as much as I loved Jax but you get the picture.I loved all of the characters from Breathe and I did believe that Marcus had his own story to tell. I loved Marcus from the get -go. He certainly deserves to fall in love and be happy. This novel made me love him even more as a person. His charms were definitely irresistible. But for me, I think his most lovable trait is his love for his family. His family is a mess and that’s the reason why he came back after his heartbreak in the first place. Anyhoo, I loved Marcus a lot and I’m kinda leaning towards him at this point.haha.Jax still rocks my world though.

And of course, there’s Willow, Low for short, I really wanted to love her as much as I loved Sadie in the first book. I have mixed feelings regarding this character. I tried to love her as much as Sadie but I just couldn’t. I think she was selfish at times. I think she took advantage of Cage’s(He is Marcus’ roommate and Low’s childhood best friend, btw.)”feelings” for her. There were times when I simply found her too selfish for her own good. I mean I get it you’re a broken girl blah blah blah, she had a lot of fears and everything but she simply could not stand on her own two feet. And she would always run into Cage’s arms whenever she had problems with anything. I just couldn’t like her that much. She could not even decide anything on her own. Like there was this part there when she wanted Cage to “release” her whatever but when she opened his fridge and found out that her drinks weren’t available at once she suddenly freaked out which I believe is contradictory to whatever it is that she wanted to happen. I don’t hate her or anything though, I simply couldn’t love her as much as Sadie. Anyhoo, I think she was able to redeem herself in the end. She grew up and I think that’s good enough for me.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed reading this book but not as much as I enjoyed Breathe. There were times when I simply couldn’t stand Low but in the end I think she grew up and developed her own backbone. I fell in love with Marcus in this book though. And I think Amanda, his sister, is a very adorable character. I also liked the fact that Sadie and Jax did cameos of some sort. Haha. Cameos?? It’s not even a movie. Anyway, I loved this book. Abbi Glines is one of those authors that I simply love. Her writing style makes everything so easy to read. I’m giving this a 4/5 star rating though since Low annoyed me at times. I can’t wait for the third book which will tell us more about Cage. :)

BOOK REVIEW: THE LAST SONG BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

I just finished reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks a few minutes ago. And again, it did not fail to make me teary eyed at some point. I've been dying to read this novel since I finished watching it's film adaptation. And somehow, the book turned out into something unexpected. The story is told in alternating perspectives. From Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) to Will (Liam Hemsworth) to Steve (Greg Kinnear) and Marcus (Honestly, I could care less about this character).

I honestly loved this book as much as I loved the movie. I think the actors did a great job at portraying the characters in the book. It made me appreciate Miley Cyrus as a dramatic actress. Anyway, the character of Ronnie is a complex one. She can be nice, mean, good, bad blah blah. As I've said she's complicated. There were times when I simply wanted to smack her for being the way she is. But as I continued to move towards the end I ended up appreciating her even more. All the rebellious teen with all the angst disappeared and she grew up to be a fine young woman. I honestly loved her more in the book. Coming from a broken family myself I think this book made me appreciate my parents even more. Especially my dad since we're not exactly the best of friends in real life. We don't fight a lot or anything we simply just don't care enough to talk to each other like Steve and Ronnie. Honestly, I envy her relationship with her dad.

Then there's Will. I really liked Will in the novel more. I think he was under appreciated in the movie since the movie focused more on Ronnie. Don't get me wrong though, I honestly think Liam Hemsworth did a great job at portraying Will. I just think he should have been given more spotlight in the movie. In the novel he was not just portrayed as the boyfriend of the main character. He was given more page time and by doing so I was able to get to know the complexity of Will's character. His inner struggles were also given light in the novel and I think that's what made me love him even more. Plus, the fact that I see him as Liam Hemsworth! haha.

And of course, there's Steve, Ronnie's dad. I seriously love him from page one. Probably because I've seen the movie first. I don't know. I just admire his strength and his love for his children. I loved the fact that he tried reaching out to his children after leaving them and all. His death seriously broke my heart. I just love him and I cried as I read his letters to Ronnie.

And lastly, there's Marcus. I could care less about this character. I hated him in the movie and I hated him more in the book. He's a manipulative psycho and he has no conscience. I wanted this character to die a very painful death. Honestly, I don't even have anything nice to say about this character.

Overall, I think all of the characters were written very well. I think their growth and progress as individuals were written wonderfully. I loved the ending in the book as much as I loved it in the movie. I think this is one of those instances when I can't choose between the movie and book adaptation. I loved both equally. Differences and all. I think this book has a lot of morals in it since it's about the different forms of love and forgiveness. I think the world would be a better place if everyone simply learned how to love and to forgive. Anyway, I'd give this a 4/5 star rating.