Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (VA Reread)

Book Description via Goodreads:

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

The story starts with Rose and Lissa being caught and sent back to school. At the start, Mead immediately showed us the closeness and the strong friendship of Lissa and Rose. It was something that I found amazing.

Mead was also able to capture the truth about the teenage life, especially those who were in ranked high in society. There was risk for their lives and a demand to be present somewhere, to fulfill social duties.

The characters were really well developed. It was nice how I was able to see the character’s lives and how their pasts affected their present. It showed that they were really well thought out. It was really fun to watch how Rose interacted with other people. The flaws in the character were believable.

The storyline was fast paced and smooth. You would really feel bonded to them. Maybe it has something to do with the fierce dedication and the strong bond between them, that they would do anything to protect each other. The vampire mythology and hierarchy were also great factors that made this a good read.

Lesson learned: As teens, most of the time we tend to be self-centred and we need to change this perspective. In VA it was showed that adults do understand us and try their best to help us.

(For the VA Reread Challenge, I will change my review format. Instead of ending with a blurb-ish line, I'll end with a lesson.)

Rating:

Review: Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Book Description via Goodreads:

Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her....

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Source: Delacorte Press (Thanks!)

My Thoughts:

This was the first time that I have read about Sandmen in YA. I really liked it. Sleepless has shown that Sandmen not only put sand on you for you to fall asleep. They also do this because they have a great sense of responsibility that it was almost impossible for them to ignore it. They have taken their duty to continue their lives as humans after some time. It shows that even creatures that are not human, have duties fulfill.

Told in alternating perspectives, Sleepless was revealed in alternating voices from dream and reality. In the first few pages, I found myself struggling a bit. But after a few chapters, I was sucked in. The writing was good. It was humorous, witty and it lightened up the mood of the story despite the sad and tragic scenes found in it.

Julia was a diverse character. She went from being a sad, terrified girl to a carefree, boy-admiring type to freaked out and hesitant to humorous and witty. Her fast changing personas filled her current situation with the right kind of reaction. Aside from serving at the Sweetie Pi and running, Julia was good at coping.

Eron really represented his time. The manners, the talking and the ideas were completely from a different time. It was so funny because it was so different from Julia’s time. Girl shy, responsible and caring, he rivalled Griffin, Julia’s dead boyfriend. While transitioning to human, he found a way to risk Julia in the past. He broke the rules for her. Now that she needs him more, will he risk his second chance to save her again?

I found the characters easy to like. Griffin and Bret, the pranksters and jokers, were what I would imagine a teen guy might be – having fun. Griffin still hasn’t accepted his death. Being a Sandman gave him more than his share of pleasure by giving him control. In some ways, I was a bit confused with him. Before he died, he hadn't really expressed his love and attachment. But after his death, he seemed so desperate. I wished there was something - a scene, a flashback from his "before" with Julia that paralleled the "after."

The story got plus points for the uniqueness, the twist in the Sandmen mythology and the jaw dropping revelations. Sleepless was a dreamy read filled with just the right amount of suspicion, awkwardness and romance. It was a tale of letting go and learning that dreams can turn into reality.

Rating:

Nanowrimo, Me, My Novel & Synopsis

I've heard of Nanowrimo several times before. But I didn't really pay attention to it. My response was more of a nod, an o-kay.

What: Nanowrimo - National Novel Writing Month. 30 days of crazy typing, pausing, thinking, typing, pausing, staring at the screen and writing again.

When: November 1-30, 2010 - Three days from now.

Who: Me! Click here > My Profile. Add me if you like!

Why: I've been writing a bit and brainstorming for a few months now. And it's time to put it into writing. Nanowrimo is something that motivates me. I love challenges. To write 50,000 words in one day? That really is a big challenge for me. I tend to edit a lot. Really a lot. I can't help it. But for this, I won't. I hope I won't.

My novel: Ya Dystopian. :)

Teaser Tuesdays: Sleepless by Cyn Balog (7)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
-Open to a random page.
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

As I help her fasten and adjust it (necklace) on her pale neckline, she reaches up to give me the smallest, saddest peck on my cheek. I made a wish for you, she said. Yet I know that that wish was not for my happiness, but for her own.

- page 187, Sleepless by Cyn Balog

What's your teaser? Comment below and link so I can read yours!

Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

*A little spoilerish if you haven’t read Beautiful Creatures yet.

Book Description via Goodreads:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

The death of Gatlin’s Boo Radley brought about a change in everyone, in how they relate to Lena and to Ethan. It was a wonderful touch – the hypocrisy of the people of Gatlin after someone’s death. This is something that I have also observed in real life. Annoying and entertaining for me. It sort of defined the usual women in Gatlin. They stuck with the practices and when these were no longer needed, they dump them and go back to normal mode. Even Lena has changed, isolating herself from everyone and pulling away from Ethan, and sometimes acting like she was already a Dark Caster.

The things that I really liked about Beautiful Darkness were the new characters, the answered questions, the wider exploration of the Tunnels and the twists and turns. These things made the sequel a satisfying read.

Liv, an adventurous Keeper-in-training, and John Breed, an Incubus who could walk in the sun, were new additions to the great cast of the Caster Series. Through Liz, some of my questions after reading Beautiful Creatures were answered. The supernatural experiences of Ethan were finally explained.

The songs and the visions captivated me. Beautiful Darkness was two stories woven together as one. Past and present coincided in a tangle of magic and involvement. As it turned out, the Greats were not the only ghosts in the town of Gatlin.

When Lena disappeared and went with Ridley and John Breed, Ethan followed. Attempting to reach her through his mind and with the use of a gift, he tracked her down and found himself in the Tunnels where the laws of time and space were not followed. Wondrous, thrilling and dangerous, the Tunnels were filled with magical creatures that posed threat to them. As they raced to reach Lena, they discovered the truths behind the secrets about Gatlin and the Caster world.

Beautiful Darkness is sad, dark and deliciously dangerous. Better than Beautiful Creatures in every angle.

Rating:

Hunger Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Today, I have a wonderful guest - Jackie Morse Kessler - the author of Hunger, which was just released a few days ago! Enjoy the interview and read on for the giveaway at the bottom!

Me: What or who inspired you to write HUNGER?

JK: I’ve had the idea for about 10 years, but I just didn’t think anyone would want to read the book. Luckily, my agent convinced me otherwise! In my author’s note in the book, I mention a number of specific influences, both for the Horsemen of the Apocalypse (including Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Marvel Comics) and for the protagonist (inspired by a friend).

Me: What lesson will readers get from your book?

JK: Eating disorders suck. (And Death likes playing Nirvana on the guitar.)

Me: Why did you chose to write for teens?

JK: I didn’t set out to write a book for teens. I wanted to write the story of an anorexic teenage girl who became Famine. It just turned out that the book I wrote was a young adult novel.

Me: Why focus on eating disorders?

JK: I used to be bulimic. I haven’t been for a long time, but that mindset—the messed up self-image, the voice in your head that tells you you’re fat and worthless—lingered. I wanted to write a story that focused on a girl in the throes of anorexia. The more than people know what eating disorders are, and what they’re not, the more likely that they can help friends who are suffering from these diseases.

Me: What is the meaning of the cover?

JK: I wish I could say that I had anything to do with the gorgeous cover. But the only role I played was to “ooh” and “aah” over it. There is an old-fashioned set of scales on the cover, and that’s appropriate for two reasons. First, the scales are the symbol of Famine. Second, balance is a theme of the book.

Me: In three words, describe what it was like to write HUNGER.

JK: Intense and cathartic.

Me: Which part do you like writing the most? Beginning, middle or end? Why?

JK: That’s a tough question. I can’t write until I have the proper beginning, and usually the first sentence. From there, if I’m on target, the words just flow. I think I like writing the ending more than the beginning or middle because that’s when everything comes to a boil and gets resolved.

Me: So I heard you have a weakness for chocolate. What's your favorite? Do you write while eating chocolates?

JK: My secret is out! (I also have a weakness for Matt Damon.) My current favorite is Tim Tams from Australia. Ah, those are SO good! Sometimes, I’ll have a Hershey’s Kiss when I’m writing, but usually I wait until I’m done.

Me: You have a master's in media ecology. Does this help with your writing?

JK: Not in the slightest. **grin** But I enjoyed those classes. They were the study of communication’s impact on culture, and vice versa. Of course, this was all before Facebook and Twitter. I imagine those classes are different today.

Me: HUNGER is out now. How do you feel?

JK: Relieved and terrified. **grin**

Me: Any last words?

JK: A portion of HUNGER proceeds will go to the National Eating Disorders Association. So if you bought a copy of the book, thank you for helping to make a difference.
_______________________________________________________

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”


Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons? _______________________________________________________

CLOSED
Giveaway

Thanks to Jackie, there are FOUR signed posters of Hunger up for grabs.

The poster looks exactly like the cover art of Hunger.

Contest Rules:
1. Be a follower.
2. Comment with your email address.

Extra Entries: (if you want)
1. Tweet and leave link.
2. Sidebar and leave link.

Open Internationally!
Ends on November 2!

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Book Description:

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

Evie was so full of life, witty and funny. But there was a lonely part of her, one that balances the other side. Seeing through the glamours of paranormals was what made her unique, identified her and set her apart from the rest. What I really liked about her was that she appreciated and longed for the things that we usually take for granted – like a real locker and high school.

The Center served as a home and a place to contain paranormals. Sometimes it was both. But the Center is all Evie has and will ever have, until an unidentified paranormal came along. There was more to the guy than the eyes could see – normal eyes that is. Luckily, Evie could see exactly who he was underneath his ever-changing glamour.

Evie found a companion in Lend, the shape-shifting boy. Lend is unique, cute and a pro at avoidance. Evie developed an interest for him, the same interest that Reth, a volatile and gorgeous faerie, had in her. These two paranormals spun an eventful lovelife for Evie.

The characters were beautiful, stunning and well-developed. Each species of paranormals were reintroduced to me, with a deeper understanding, through Evie’s eyes. I must say, I like the variety of paranormals here, including the ones that have been quite neglected and unexplored in the young adult genre.

The story was magnificently spun around Evie, winding around paranormal and normal spheres, mixing them into a refreshing story world. Exciting, romantic and panicking – yes, I panicked for Evie – this proved to be worthy of high rating. Working for IPCA was adventurous, action-packed and dangerous. I loved it!

Paranormalcy is the greatest debut that I read this year, collecting all the paranormals I obsessively read about and merged their extraordinary feat with technology – something I could never live without.

Rating: