Book Review: Invisibility

Invisibility
by Andrea Cremer, David Levithan
Release date: May 7th 2013
Published by: Penguin

Synopsis:

A magical romance between a boy cursed with invisibility and the one girl who can see him, by New York Times bestselling authors Andrea Cremer and David Levithan.

Stephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. Invisible. Cursed.

Elizabeth sometimes wishes for invisibility. When you’re invisible, no one can hurt you. So when her mother decides to move the family to New York City, Elizabeth is thrilled. It’s easy to blend in there.

Then Stephen and Elizabeth meet. To Stephen’s amazement, she can see him. And to Elizabeth’s amazement, she wants him to be able to see her—all of her. But as the two become closer, an invisible world gets in their way—a world of grudges and misfortunes, spells and curses. And once they’re thrust into this world, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how deep they’re going to go—because the answer could mean the difference between love and death.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, but I admit that the summary sounds like the typical supernatural with cliché romance. It should’ve been the red light for me, but this came highly recommended by a friend who I borrow books from. We were supposed to fangirl together, but after reading I definitely need to pass on the fangirling part.

Stephen was born invisible, like he literally came out of his mother and nobody was able to see him. Creepy, right? Later, we learn that it’s because of a curse that was actually put on her mother by his grandfather. He lives in an apartment building alone. His mother is dead and his father has a new family, but still supports Stephen financially. Elizabeth and her family, on the other, has just moved to the same apartment as Stephen. When they met; surprise, surprise! She could see him. The first and only person ever to be able to see Stephen. And then they fall in love.

It seems weird that Stephen managed to live all alone in an apartment building for so long without anyone noticing something weird about him. Even when it was explained that everything he needed, he took to the Internet to get, like ordering groceries online or online school, it still sounded way too easy and convenient.

The beginning of the book actually looked promising and I really thought that I was gonna like it but I was wrong. As the story progressed, I found myself seriously trying hard not to facepalm. And I couldn’t feel any sort of attachment towards the characters. The only one that came close was Laurie, Elizabeth’s younger brother, who’s gay. He was the only rational character. He tries to be funny most of the time but also fails most of the time. The others are just flat-out boring. I think the only unique part about this book is Stephen’s invisibility but then his situation can also be paralleled to other supernatural YA wherein the guy meets a one-of-a-kind girl who is the first ever person who can do something that no one has ever done to him in a supernatural kind of way. I like that there’s a Tiny Cooper reference here though but still, I’m sad to say that Invisibility just doesn’t cut it for me.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Book Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
Release date: May 13th 2014
Published by: Random House
Source: Borrowed
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

We Were Liars is another kind of book that I usually avoid reading. I've read so many reviews about We Were Liars and although majority of the feedback are positive, almost everyone also noted two things about it: the unforeseeable twist and the tear-inducing ending. While I have no problems with plot twists, (I love twists!) I hate tear-inducing endings. I get attached to books so easily that I get so sad when something tragic happens so I avoid them as much as I can to spare myself from heartbreak. It just so happened that a friend lent me a copy of this book and I thought it would be a waste to let the opportunity to read this pass. 

Honestly, I don’t know what to make of We Were Liars. That unforeseeable plot twist that everyone’s been talking about… I figured it out quickly, just a few pages into the book. At first it was just a hunch, but as I read closely and paid attention to every detail, I managed to conclude my hunch to be correct so ultimately, the ending didn’t affect me like it did to others. On one hand, I was legit angry at this book because it seemed to me that this was written specifically to elicit depressing emotions. I don’t like books like this that are made to manipulate the readers’ feelings. But on the other, I was glad because at least I didn’t get depressed by it. But then again, anger toward a book is something that I’ve never felt before so there’s also that.

It wasn’t as if the characters were likeable either nor was the plot intriguing. The Sinclair family is a pretentious bunch, but you gotta hand it to the grandchildren for still having some sort of decency. Emphasis on ‘some’ because the decency doesn’t live long. The story is told from Cady’s perspective, but I thought her voice was really bland. Granted, she’s suffering from some kind of amnesia but still, I didn’t get her. I also didn’t get the thought process of the other liars. The three sisters and the grandfather – basically all the characters! Each and everyone of them were a total mess – just like what the author wrote them to be – but sad to say that it’s the kind of mess I didn’t enjoy reading about.

I’m also feeling a bit salty because the synopsis is way intriguing than the story proper. And the dogs! I think what happened to the dogs was the only legit thing in the book that I got sad about. Anyway, since my feelings about the book is already obvious, I think it’s also worth noting that there’s something about We Were Liars that got me glued to the pages from the beginning until the end. The mystery, even though I already lost interest in it less than halfway through the book, got me absorbed in it that I managed to read the whole book in one seat.

Rating: 2 stars

Book Review: Fire & Flood

Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1)
by Victoria Scott
Hardcover, 305 pages
Published February 25th 2014 by Scholastic Press
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Time is slipping away....

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Victoria Scott's breathtaking novel grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go.

Review:

Fire & Flood didn't really work out well for me unlike what I expected. I fell in love with this book the moment I saw the cover and more so when I read the summary. Hunger Games and Battle Royale, anyone? Some of you might already be shaking your heads at the sound of people battling each other out until the last man is left standing and I can't blame you. THG has set the trend and people are following it and I'm one of them. Ever since THG I only got even more addicted to the theme. It's just so bad that my love for Fire & Flood faded as quickly as it started.

In Fire & Flood, the readers are introduced to the Brimstone Bleed; a race wherein selected individuals compete to win a prize, the Cure, which is capable of healing any kinds of disease. The race is divided into four legs: jungle, desert, ocean and mountain but apart from that, the readers are kept hidden behind the secrets of the race like where it originated, what its connection with the Pandoras, how the participants are selected or what its purpose is, at least until the last chapter of the book. Before reading Fire & Flood, I was told that it was a standalone. It was only until the last chapter that I realized that it's supposed to have a sequel. Before that, I was so bummed because the plot was too slow and it didn't make so much sense to me at all, but when the realization set in, I only felt disappointment. That said, you can say that my expectations were domed to be unfulfilled from the start.

As for the characters, I didn't really feel much for them. I liked Tella at first. Her humor was something I thought I could get used to... until she stopped being funny. Guy, too, gave a remarkable first impression. He was this cool badass hottie with a gaze that can turn you into a pile of fangirl goo. And oh, he has the heart of gold too! But like Tella, his constant show of badassness got me tired of him pretty quickly. Both were off to a great start, but the story developed and their characters didn't. The secondary characters fell flat as well. I had this feeling as if they were 'purposely' made to be distinct, and they were distinct, too distinct that it felt forced. I always look for spontaneity and I'm sad to report that Fire & Flood didn't give me that. The romance is a huge disappointment too. I didn't feel the development at all and I just couldn't understand why Guy fell in love with Tella. Even Titus was so into her but I see nothing special about Tella except her Pandora. So is it only her Pandora's uniqueness that's bringing all the boys to yard? There might be a better explanation for this but I didn't see it.

However, in spite all that, I think Fire & Flood still has some good points. Fire & Flood has a unique concept for a promising story and it offers a different flavor of a favorite genre. Victoria played well with the idea and she brought us some impressive twists too. Normally, I like protagonists with animal companions but the kind of 'animals' Fire & Flood has is an alien concept to me. I know some of you will like it but this is just not the book for me. I still might check out the sequel though, Salt & Stone, which is coming out on 2015.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Book Review: Heartbeat

Heartbeat

by Elizabeth Scott
Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Review:

It seems like the more I read Elizabeth Scott, the more I dislike her books. I've read four Scott books to date, including Heartbeat. The first one I rated 5 of 5 and the next books, I gave 4 and 3 respectively. And now this. Without looking at my rating, guess how many stars I gave this book?

My ultimate problem with Heartbeat is that the protagonist, Emma, is too unlikable. She is very rude and self-centric. I understand that she's grieving from the death of her mother but somehow, she has shaped this grief into hatred and focused it all to her stepfather, Dan. If there's one person that deserves sympathy here, it's him. Emma has a habit of cutting off people's sentences, especially Dan's and she's so disrespectful of him I wondered why Dan hasn't shipped her off to her grandparents. But that's Dan. He's very understanding and he always tries to reach out to Emma, but she keeps calling him off. Even when she hurt him multiple times, Dan stayed good to her.

Emma also has a horrible bestfriend, Olivia. Not horrible in a way that she hurts Emma emotionally or mentally. In fact, she's always there for Emma but everytime they're together, they never talk about what matters. She doesn't call Emma out with how she treats Dan or how stupid she's being. As a friend of someone like Emma, I'd expect her to slap some sense into her because a real friend would help her face her problems instead of avoid it. She's also a some-sort-of-a-hipster. She reportedly brought a typewriter to school when the instructor assigned them to do a research. She hates electronics. Though she has a reason for hating them, I thought it wasn't even remotely valid. Caleb is the same. He's not a some-sort-of-a-hipster but like Olivia, he seems to be encouraging Emma with what she was doing to Dan. He has gone through what Emma and Dan are going through but he is not the Emma in his story, he is the Dan. He knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of hate but oh, why don't you two talk about how you're both suffering. I honestly didn't care about these characters. Except Dan because he's a great person.

Heartbeat is undoubtedly an emotional and heartfelt read. I teared up at a few scenes and literally wailed on some, but because of sympathy for the characters or dislike, I'm not certain. I also liked Scott's prose here. It's true that I'm not a fan of this book and I established that within the first five pages, but it's also true that Scott's words have magic. I literally couldn't put this down. It's just too bad that I didn't feel for the characters.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Disclosure: This e-galley was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Iron Traitor

The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)
by Julie Kagawa
ARC, 304 pages
Expected publication: October 29th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

Review:

I am not a big fan of this book, is what you should know before you continue on with reading this review. But also, you should know that I love The Iron Fey series, and it is the primary reason why I cannot bring myself to let go of this series even though The Iron Prince left me beyond disappointed.

The story picks up from where The Iron Prince left off. Ethan and Kenzie have just gotten back from the faery world and the "tough guy" that Ethan is, he gets all the blame for bringing Kenzie with him inspite knowing about her illness. In the first book, the greatest problem Ethan and Kenzie had to face were the fae but in this book, they get to face the wrath of her dad too. I thought it was the beginning of their normalcy but when Ethan finds out that Keirran is missing, he is suddenly thrown back into the world of fae to search for his missing nephew.

I was reeling with anger and frustration toward the characters as I read the book, but wait! Before I go on with the rant, let me start first with the things I like in The Iron Traitor. Like in the first book, I was filled with shortlived joy when Grim, Puck and Ash appeared. Ash joined the band later in the book but Grim and Puck were able to join the fun. I liked the times when Puck was all-too nostalgic during the journey, always associating Keirran and Ethan's encounters to those that he and Ash once had. These were the few moments that I truly enjoyed in the book. I also like that despite their differences, Keirran and Ethan still have some grave similarities. They are basically living in the same situation - with both Annwyl and Kenzie's lives on the line. They are offered the same options but each chose differently. It has a dramatic feel to it, but too bad the characters essentially killed it. It goes to show that not everything is either black or white; Not because Keirran chose to bargain for Annwyl's safety in exchange of his everything doesn't automatically make him a saint and the fact that Ethan didn't make a bargain for Kenzie's doesn't make him a bad person. The Iron Traitor delves into the various consequences those two choices present; but regardless, the result is ugly.

So here I go with the rant:

Majority of the things I disliked in the first book, sadly, are still present here. I'm grateful that Julie finally lessened the overly-romantic moments between the couples and I could finally read them without cringing but in place of this, Julie has gone over the board with reminding her readers of how tough Ethan looks like to the unsuspecting eyes. Kenzie already nicknamed him "tough guy" so I don't need Ethan himself to constantly remind me how parents, highschoolers and strangers probably see him as a "brooding thug" or a "dangerous hooligan". Don't flatter yourself too much, Ethan! Kenzie, as well, still did not impress me in this book. Her supposed strong points as a character such as courage and cheerfulness in the lieu of her illness fell far too short for my liking or for my sympathy, for that matter. There's also the matter of Annwyl. I didn't even like the girl in the first book but she still managed to disappoint me in this book. Annwyl is such a weak character. She could've done so many things to prevent Keirran from all the insanity he's doing but oh, she looks so beautiful and delicate and she's useless and oh, sometimes I want to strangle her! Julie spent more time shaping her not as her own character but as Keirran's love interest. But speaking of strangle, the person I really want to hurt the most here is Keirran. They said love can make people do stupid things and if there's a competition for whomever does the stupidest thing because of love, I bet my two cents Keirran would win it. I understand that he is truly, madly and deeply in love with Annwyl and the fact that he's willing to do anything to save her is very chivalrous and romantic but for the price of what? The dude still keeps throwing his promises away (like in the first book) and killing ancient faeries to uphold something that's not even a sure bargain.

The Iron Traitor presents answers to the questions that stemmed from the first book and even from its parent series. The readers will learn a lot more about the Forgottens like where they came from, as well as the real reason why Meghan cut-off all her ties to her family since all those years ago. I know I didn't like this book and the book before this but ohhh I still want an ARC of the third book! (Even though I'll probably end up ranting about it again. My heart is confused! T_T)

Rating: 2/5 stars

Disclosure: This book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Bitterblue

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)
by Kristin Cashore
Hardcover, 563 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by Dial
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

From Goodreads:

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Review:

Graceling, the first book in Graceling Realm series, or The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy as I'd like to call it, has been one of my favorite books to date. The second book, Fire, didn't amaze me like Graceling did but I liked it a lot nonetheless. But as for Bitterblue... Well, I was hoping that this would at least be as good as Fire, if not as awesomely amazing as Graceling and also, I reaaally really really tried my best to like this, but I just couldn't. Maybe it's because I haven't recovered from my all-week obsession with my love, The Queen's Thief, and that when I read "thieves" from the synopsis, my expectations immediately shot way up high... Only to fall way too low.

Unlike Graceling and Fire which were more action-packed, Bitterblue focused more on mysteries and solving ciphers and puzzles that Leck left during his reign. Even several years after Leck's fall, the people of Bitterblue's Kingdom (which I already forgot the name of) are still struggling to recover from the horrors that were brought upon by their previous ruler.

The mystery was one of the most frustrating parts of the book. On one hand, it was one of the things I liked the most. I'd always liked that feeling like you already know the answer to the mystery and then BAM! You find out that you were just being misled. But on the other hand, I felt like the mystery was overdone and the secrets were redundant. Another thing I liked was, of course, *fans self* Po!!!!! I totally squealed like a fangirl when he showed up. Unfortunately for Katsa though, I used to fangirl about her but she lost her shine in Bitterblue. As well, the sweet moments between the two felt contrived.

Bitterblue, as a character, was an unremarkable one. I felt detached from her and I couldn't bring myself to care about what would happen to her. Her supposed love interest, Saf, intrigued me at first but as the story progressed, I became indifferent toward him. The most surprising character for me was Giddon. I hated him in Graceling but he was very likable in Bitterblue. I loved the friendship that developed between him and Po and I liked that he was a good friend to Bitterblue too. The romance here was quite subtle, though there was sex. I love subtle romance but I didn't appreciate the one Bitterblue had. (If you've read this book, I'd bet my two cents it disappointed you too.) The other side characters, most especially the palace people, were the most annoying! They made the stupidest decisions and they were all "crackpots." Even after I found out what made them the way they were, it was too difficult to sympathize with them especially when after they'd apologized, they still did the same mistakes again and again until the eye rolls became inevitable.

Bitterblue has all the aspects I liked in YA fantasy: a historical setting with a sneaky thief and royal people with cunning plans. Too bad that prior to reading this, I was rereading QT so I really couldn't appreciate all those aspects. I don't normally compare books - actually, I hate to compare books - so it hurt that during reading this, I kept thinking about how it fell flat compared to QT. I waited years to read Bitterblue and the disappointment aside, I also felt refreshed (and a little sad) knowing that another series I loved has come to an end. There's no doubt that Kristin Cashore is a talented writer and I would still love to read more of her future works.

Rating: 2/5 stars