Book Review: She Smells the Dead

She Smells the Dead  (Spirit Guide #1)
by E.J. Stevens
Kindle Edition
Published August 19th 2010 by Sacred Oaks Press
Source: Author
Buy the book: Amazon| Book Depository

Summary:

It's the beginning of senior year and Yuki's psychic awareness of ghostly spirits is threatening to ruin her life. Her ability to sense spirits of the dead isn't glamorous like the ghost hunting on television.

SHE SMELLS THE DEAD.

The smell impressions are becoming stronger. Yuki is being visited in her dreams, and she suspects that her friend Calvin is involved in something strange. To make matters worse her crush on Garrett is going unrequited, Yuki's friend Emma is on a rampage against bee oppression, and Calvin Miller mysteriously disappears.

Will Yuki be able to focus her powers in time to save the lost soul who is haunting her? Meanwhile, who will save Yuki from following the spirits into the light?

Review:

She Smells the Dead has the type of premise that is intriguing and something that would surely appeal to teens. The characters are funny and easy to like, especially Yuki. Although I might be biased because we share the same love for anime. She dresses the way she wants and doesn't care what other people say about her. She has two best friends, Cal and Emma, who are both hilarious and real good friends. The first part was generally enjoyable. However, I can't say the same about the second part.

While I love books with fast-moving plot, I didn't like how fast the story went in the book. It almost seemed rushed to me. The case of the dead person in the "bee overlord's" house which I thought was a major conflict in the book ended too abruptly, which was both disappointing and baffling since the first part of the book seemed to have its focus on that case, and also because I was really looking forward to how Yuki would solve the case. The romance was abrupt as well. One moment, Yuki was pining after Garrett and later, when she found out that Cal was in love with her, it only took a snap before she realized that she, too, was in love with him. (?)

I was surprised too when I found out the truth about Cal. I thought it was contrived. There were so many things happening in the book and all those could have worked together very well if they were written in more details. And the ending? I think it was supposed to make the readers more excited for the second book. But to be honest, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. It was so sudden and it just left me more confused than ever.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Disclosure: This e-book was received from the author for free in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Golden Lily

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
by Richelle Mead
Paperback, 418 pages
Published June 12th 2012 by Razorbill
Source: Bought
Buy the book: Amazon| Book Depository

Summary:

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series.

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Review:

You guys. This book was a dream come true! It was everything I expected it to be and so much more. You have no idea just how many feels are wanting to burst out of my system right now and start gushing about the amazingness that is The Golden Lily. This book makes me want to puke rainbows and doodle hearts for all the world to see. Gosh, it’s amazing how one book can make me feel as good as this. I don't do drugs, but this one is probably so much better than all of them combined!

Moving on. The Golden Lily starts a while after Bloodlines. I wasn’t impressed with the plot development as it was very predictable. But I can say that my love for the characters overshadowed my impression for the plot. I swooned when Adrian’s name first came up. The guy is so cute and so hilarious! Whenever he says or does something, I always find myself melting. Same with Sydney! I never gushed about female characters but I have a very huge girl-crush on Sydney. I like that she’s so oblivious to Adrian’s attempts at flirting with her. She doesn’t even know she’s flirting back! But what's good is that her naiveté toward romance isn’t contrived at all which just makes her all the more hilariously adorable. But with this ignorance came the urge to slap some sense to her. She sees Adrian everywhere! She always thinks about what could make Adrian happy! If that isn't love, I don't what is. She could be so very frustrating sometimes but I still love her.

There’s also the issue of her being ultra-weight conscious. I'm happy that this issue was addressed in the book and by no other than Adrian himself. It goes to show how their relationship had grown from nothing to something. Even more than something. I'm so excited to see how Sydney would react once she realizes her feelings for Adrian. Oh, and there's also Jill, Eddie and Angeline. Angeline and Eddie cracked me up so many times! It was hilarious how Eddie always looked horrified whenever Angeline took advances on him. Though I have to say that I wasn't happy with how things turned out for them. It felt like rushed to me or maybe it was just that I was more focused on Sydrian that I didn't notice that triangle the three were forming.

As for Dimitri and Sonya, it was definitely nice to see the two again. Adrian still doesn't feel friendly toward Dimitri, but Dimitri seems to think otherwise. For Dimitri, it was almost as if nothing ever happened between them. Which was also frustrating. I felt bad whenever Adrian gave him the evil eye.

If you liked Bloodlines, you will DEFINITELY, ABSOLUTELY love The Golden lily too! This is even better than the first book! And oh, that ending! You will love it and you will hate it, but ultimately, it will make you want to read the next book!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Book Review: Half-Blood

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Paperback, 281 pages
Published October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press
Source: Bought

Summary:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Review:

This is another book in which I have a serious love-hate relationship with. I love it because it was just soooo good! The main protagonist, Alex, is so badass and snarky and very loveable. Aiden? Hotness personified. Seth? Hotness personified too. The plot is exciting and had me on the edge of my seat countless of times. So, the problem? It bears a striking similarity to Vampire Academy.

Yes, THE Vampire Academy. The book I've read so many times and which I hold very dear to my heart. And it is really disappointing because it's not just the concept that's similar, like how Battle Royale and The Hunger Games are similar. The characters, events... it's sort of like VA with different character names. But of course, Half-Blood is good on it's own too. However, if you've read VA, then you could probably guess what's gonna happen in the book. Those are just minor events, BUT STILL. I don't know the story behind this so I'm not going to comment any further.

Anyway, like I said, this book had me on the edge of my seat several times. It's intense in all the right places. Also, the sexual tension between Aiden and Alex is too palpable, it was hard not to swoon. And the addition of Seth who's probably as hot as Aiden is just overwhelming! I don't usually gush about boys in this blog. My mother would probably spank me if she reads this, but hey! It's true. It's another disappointment, actually. I don't like love triangles especially when both boys are too likable. Another thing I disliked is the amount of foreshadowing! It seems as if Jennifer Armentrout is giving away the plot. But I hope I'm mistaken.

I would have given this a higher rating, but the issue with Vampire Academy keeps me from doing so. I'm not sure if fans of VA will like this or hate this but for the sake of the boys, I still recommend you all to read Half-Blood.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Book Review: Fallen in Love

Fallen in Love (Fallen #3.5)
by Lauren Kate
Hardcover, 201 pages
Published January 24th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: NetGalley

Summary: 

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.


And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.


Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.


True love never says goodbye . . .

Review:

Fallen in Love is a collection of stories that happened on a Valentine’s Day. It includes the Valentine of Shelby and Miles, Roland, Arianne, and Luce and Daniel. To be honest, I had little hopes for this book. I was never that into Luce and Daniel and the other characters. I just liked to read the books because of the story itself. Fallen in Love didn’t exactly start after Passion. Miles and Shelby’s did. For Arianne, it happened during the medieval time. And for the others, it transpired during the travel.

The first short story was of Miles and Shelby’s. It started out quite dull, as expected, since they are my least liked characters in the books. After they separated from Daniel in Passion, Miles and Shelby stepped into an Announcer that was supposed to lead them back home, but instead, it led them to another place in the medieval era. I never pegged them as a couple so it surprised me how things between them developed. I thought it was a little too fast, but it also surprised me how I actually ended up liking their story.

The second story is Roland’s. At first, I thought all the stories would be fluffy, but his is bittersweet. But still, among the four short stories, his is my favorite. The third story is Arianne’s. I don’t read romance between two female, but strange enough, I also ended up liking her story. Like Roland’s, her story is sad and more tragic. She fell in love with a demon who wanted her to join Hell so they wouldn’t have to hide their relationship. But Arianne remained loyal to Heaven, and finally chose to follow Daniel.

The last is Luce and Daniel’s. Although each character has their own Valentine story, all of them happened on a single Valentine’s Day. This is the only Valentine’s that Daniel and Luce shared and it happened because Shelby, Miles, Roland and Arianne helped to make it happen. All in all, Fallen in Love, despite my initial impression of it, turned out to be a quite a good read.

Rating: 3.5 stars!

Disclosure: This e-galley was received from the publisher (Random House Children's Book via NetGalley) for free in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Touch of Frost

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)
by Jennifer Estep
Paperback, 350 pages
Published July 26th 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
ISBN 0758266928 (ISBN13: 9780758266927)

Summary:

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Review:

I like all kinds of mythologies, but no YA mythology has caught my attention so far. I thought Touch of Frost was going to be 'that' book. It showed a very promising start and I found myself quickly intrigued with Gwen's ability and attached to her character. I like that even though she was an outcast and didn't have a single friend, she was fine with it and she acted as if it was normal. Daphne was a likable character too. She's pretty, bitchy and popular and has a huge crush on a geek. And Logan, oh! I fell in love with him even before the book started.

I really would have given this a four or a four point five but sadly, the plot took a turn into the wrong the direction and then it just got lost to me somehow. I can't exactly point out on what part the story started taking a downspiral however, the romance did help on that.

It's funny because there's not so much romance here but what little of it the book has managed to get on my nerves. The romance was not technically an insta-love or insta-attraction. The supposed falling in love happened about halfway through, but given the fact that Logan and Gwen didn’t meet a lot before it, I guess it did border on insta-love, regardless if it was one-sided. I think it would’ve been okay if it were realistic, but it just didn’t feel spontaneous. It was also hard to buy the other coincidences. Again, I wouldn’t have any problems with it, but the execution of those scenes made for quite hard to believe scenarios.

Towards the end though, the book redeemed itself. The twist was unpredictable. At first, I thought I had it all figured out, so it was a pleasant surprise to have proved myself wrong. Overall, Touch of Frost is a nice quick read that I'm sure will appeal to UF readers.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: The Locket

The Locket
Stacey Jay
Paperback, 288 pages
Published January 22nd 2011 by Razorbill
Source: Borrowed

Summary:

On her seventeenth birthday, Katie discovers a locket and decides to wear it for good luck. But when her boyfriend Isaac finds out she cheated on him— with their mutual best friend Mitch, no less—he dumps her, leaving her devastated.

And then a miracle happens. The locket burns on Katie's chest and she feels herself going back two weeks in time, to the night she cheated with Mitch. At first, Kate is delighted to be a better girlfriend to Isaac this time around. But as other aspects of her life become inexplicably altered, she realizes that changing the past may have had a dangerous effect on her present.

Can she make things right before the locket destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?

Review:

This has got to be one of my favorite reads of 2011. Frankly, I think the plot is a little clichéd, but I so love how the story was executed. The summary provides the readers the idea on how the story is going to play out. The Locket begins on Katie’s birthday, October 10. Exactly two weeks after she cheated on Isaac. Katie still feels guilty about it, but she just tells herself to forget about it because it was a mistake and it will never happen again. While she is preparing herself for her date with Isaac, she finds a locket on her grandmother’s vanity. She decides to wear it just as Isaac arrives on her doorstep.

The first time I got to meet Isaac, I couldn’t help but wonder how Katie could have possibly cheated on him. They’ve been together for three years. Isaac seems like a really nice guy and takes good care of Katie. They are both in love with each other too. However, when Isaac finds out about what Katie did with Mitch and dumped her (almost literally), I knew right then that Isaac doesn’t deserve her.

The locket then starts getting really hot and in the blink of an eye, Katie finds herself transported back to the party two weeks ago where it all began. Katie, knowing how the scenes are going to play out, successfully avoids cheating with Mitch. So the next day, she is guilt-free and still has both her best friend and boyfriend on her side.

During the days before October 10, we get to learn more about Mitch, Isaac and as well as the other characters. Mitch is exactly the type of guy you would love to be your bf-bf (bestfriend-boyfriend). He’s sweet, funny and thoughtful. He’s always there when Katie needs him unlike Isaac who values basketball more than anything. And most of all, he knows what Katie needs. Mitch has had a crush on Katie since they were younger. When his two bestfriends got together, he continued to be the third party, waiting by the sidelines until Katie notices him and realize that Isaac doesn’t deserve her. (Aw!)

The Locket is actually a lot darker and twisted than I originally thought. But regardless, I was easily captivated with the plot. There are times when I really, really want to shake Katie so hard for foolishly trying to save her relationship with Isaac. Though, given the time that they have been together, I think this kind of stupidity is almost acceptable. There was also a time that I cried so hard I thought my heart was going to break. I only wish that Jay provided a back story for the origin of the locket so the readers get an idea where it came from and how it could possibly do what it does.

Overall, The Locket by Stacey Jay is a gripping novel that intertwines romance, friendship, self-growth and acceptance of life and facing its struggles as they are. I absolutely recommended this to all readers out there!

Rating: 5/5 stars! - This book is an awesome incarnate!

Book Review: Spellbound (ARC)

Spellbound
by Cara Lynn Shultz
Paperback, 384 pages
Expected publication: June 28th 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Source: ARC from NetGalley & Harlequin Teen

Summary:

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Review:

Reincarnation. Soulmates. Spells. Cursed lovers. Insta-attraction. Too perfect to be true male MC. New girl who thinks she’s not pretty enough and yet, manages to catch the attention of the two most sought-after boys in school. Girl must stay away from boy (because boy is bad news) but boy is too dang attractive to ignore. Well, if you put it like that, Spellbound has all the cliché I dislike in a paranormal YA romance book.

However, strangely enough, Shultz managed to incorporate all these cliché in one book without making it annoying cliché - which, I tell you, is a first among all the other PNR YA books that I read with the exact same elements. And they are quite a handful! Some, I couldn’t finish and some, I was able to finish but not without holding a grudge or getting the urge to hit the characters. I love that this all happened for a reason and not just by some too good to be true fluke of nature.

Brendan’s character is portrayed very well from the start. It’s practically impossible not to fall for him. He’s just smoking hot! It’s also easy to connect with the characters. I like it very much when Emma thinks dirty thoughts about Brendan. The legends told provide for a fascinating, yet creepy read too. Truly, Spellbound is a one enthralling read that intertwines magic, legends and a cursed romance that is surprisingly very well-written you’ll be spellbound before you know it.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

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