ARC Review: The Bargaining by Carly Anne West

Title: The Bargaining
Author: Carly Anne West
Publication: 17th 2015 by Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

The fact that neither of her parents wants to deal with her is nothing new to Penny. She’s used to being discussed like a problem, a problem her mother has finally passed on to her father. What she hasn’t gotten used to is her stepmother…especially when she finds out that she’ll have to spend the summer with April in the remote woods of Washington to restore a broken-down old house.

Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer.

But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future….

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     I knew that this would be some kind of creepy read that bordered on the paranormal genre. But I didn't set my expectations so high. And man, was I wrong!
     Penny is stunned when her mother leaves her with her dad and his step-family. But things take another turn when she has to stay with her step mum for a summer renovating a house as old as the town around it. But there's something sinister connected to this house and Penny might be the only one able to tell what it is.
     This book didn't start off on such a good note. It was kind-of boring in the beginning and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get pulled into the story. But towards the middle, the pace picks up and it doesn't slow down. Suspense after horror after creepiness, there's not one dull moment after the middle mark.
     I am a great fan of horror films and movies, it's mostly due to the fact that they DON'T scare me. But I was really creeped out with this book and I LOVED it. There's so much background that the author put into this book, it all sounds reasonable and spooky. The plot is multi-dimensional and well thought-out.
     Then, there are the characters. Penny was mainly the reason why I gave this book four stars. I just couldn't like her. Although I grew to like her more towards the end, but in the beginning, she was unbearable to me. But my favorite character was definitely April. I LOVED her. She was such a wonderful, three-dimensional character and her role as the step mum was perfect.
     There is no romance in this book. There's a potential of one, but you don't know if the author is gonna pursue it or not. The ending was definitely my favorite part. I loved it. And i loved the note on which the events ended. It wasn't cliche or weird.  Finally, if you are a fan of the suspense and paranormal genre or you are a genuine horror fan, then this book is for YOU!

ARC Review: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Title: I Was Here
Author: Gayle Forman
Publication: January 27th 2015 by Viking Juvenile
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked It

-- My Thoughts --

      When I was accepted to review this book, I was thrilled! Come on, it's Gayle Forman. And I loved If I Stay. So I guess that's the reason why I put so many expectations into this book and it kinda left me disappointed.
     Cody and Meg were two peas in a pod. But that was before Meg took some poison and ended her own life. Now, Cody is not sure of anything anymore. Did she really know her best friend? Who is the infuriating guy -Ben- who Meg never mentioned to her? And what is that encrypted file on Meg's computer?
     Well, I loved the concept of this book. It's kinda dark and a bit sad, but it's about suicide and the impacts it has on the people who remain behind. And it's mostly about Cody and her obsession with finding out why her best friend killed herself. And yes, I do mean it. An obsession. Not a good thing.
      The one thing that I hated about this book is simply Cody. It's really hard to get into a book when you don't like the main character. I am not saying that there weren't any redeeming qualities in her, but overall, she was stupid and a rapid decision maker. Half of the things she did were either invasions of privacy or out of her curious twisted mind. She. Was. Weird.
     Aside from that, this book was actually good. I loved Ben and his complicated relationship with Cody. He was so caring and understanding. I think the romance was what saved this book. I actually liked it a lot and I loved their moments together.
     The ending was a bit abrupt. I think the author rushed through the ending too fast. But overall, it was a nice closure. So, basically, I would have loved this book if it wasn't for the main character. This book is quite thought-provoking and at times intense. So, if you're into these, then you might like this book more than I did.

ARC Review: The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCulloch

Title: The Oathbreaker's Shadow (The Knots Duology #1)
Author: Amy McCulloch
Publication: June 6th 2013 by Random House Children's Publishers (UK)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Fifteen-year-old Raim lives in a world where you tie a knot for every promise that you make. Break that promise and you are scarred for life, and cast out into the desert.

Raim has worn a simple knot around his wrist for as long as he can remember. No one knows where it came from, and which promise of his it symbolises, but he barely thinks about it at all—not since becoming the most promising young fighter ever to train for the elite Yun guard. But on the most important day of his life, when he binds his life to his best friend (and future king) Khareh, the string bursts into flames and sears a dark mark into his skin.

Scarred now as an oath-breaker, Raim has two options: run, or be killed.

A gripping YA action-adventure fantasy, the first part of a planned duology.

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked It

-- My Thoughts --

   I didn't know what to expect while reading this book. I guess I dove into it blind. And it took me by surprise. A superior level of imagery.
     Raim is 15-years-old and going to be a Yun Guard. But all that changes when the knot that has mysteriously been on his wrist for as long as he can remember, suddenly burns away when he binds his life to his best friend and the future prince, Khareh.
     This book is high fantasy and it has been a long while since i have read one like it. It had high levels of imagery and a whole new world to discover. I applaud the author for taking such an approach and making sure that even though the world was three-dimensional and complex, it was never hard to understand.
     Then, there are the characters. I think the only thing that irked me a little bit was Raim himself. He made some very dump decisions and he had such a blind loyalty to his best friend. It bordered on the edge of being irrational. The other characters were not likable either. I couldn't find one that I actually liked.
     There is a bit of romance but it does not take the center stage and I was happy with that. I liked the moments when the two love interests were together but I liked the action-packed moments more. There is also the way Raim acted which was definitely NOT the way a 15 year old boy acts. And the feelings he had were not for a boy his age.
     The ending was definitely very interesting. I liked it a lot. The beginning of this book was too slow for me and it took me a LOT of time to get into it and get interested. But it got better towards the end and I am patiently waiting for the second book!

ARC Review: Playlist For the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Title: Playlist For the Dead
Author: Michelle Falkoff
Publication: January 27th 2015 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.


Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really Liked It

-- My Thoughts --

    I was in mood for some dark contemporary when I stumbled upon this one. I think I put a lot of expectations into this book and it almost reached them.
     There's nothing left after Hayden dies. Only a playlist of songs that he leaves for his best friend, Sam. Sam doesn't get what happened and everything changes when he meets Astrid and her group of misfits. And Sam begins to question everything that has happened.
     First thing I loved about this book is the main character, Sam. I loved him. He felt so real, with his inner turmoil and his insecurities. A real fleshed-out character. Then, there's Astrid. I was very conflicted about my feelings for her. She reminded me a bit of Alaska from John Green's Looking For Alaska. The whole mysterious sexy girl attitude. The other characters were all one-dimensional. I didn't feel much for them.
     Then, there's the romance aspect. The romance was such a sweet and fluffy thing. I loved how it started from scratch and grew into a more stable thing. But the plot definitely surprised me. I didn't expect the ending chapters and they were somehow of a shock, but a good kind of one.
     The reference to the playlist and all those songs was very enjoyable! The ending was bittersweet and hopeful and I loved it. I am not such a big fan of happily ever afters so this was perfect for me. Although this book was not my favorite, I am definitely waiting for more books from the author.

ARC Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Title: This Shattered World (Starbound #2)
Author(s): Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publication: December 23rd 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA Science Fiction, Romance
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Rating: Five Stars
Goodreads

The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: LOVED it

-- My Thoughts --

     I have found my favorite book of 2014, period. I read These Broken Stars such a long time ago and it blew me away! It was beyond amazing and I was afraid this wouldn't match up! It totally did!
     Jubilee Chase is the Captain of the forces on the planet Avon. She's fearsome and fearless. Flynn Cormac is one of the rebels. It's in his blood. He has to do everything to keep his people safe. Even if it means kidnapping Jubilee for ransom. But these two people might actually find unlikely allies in one another.
     I am absolutely in LOVE with the world that these two authors have created. I love their world-building. It's intense and vivid. I could almost picture it in my mind. All those secret passages, the swamp, the cave, the bases. All so believable and so beautifully crafted. They are masters of descriptions.
     Then, there are the characters; Jubilee and Flynn. Jubilee is fearless, smart, cunning, badass and she has a heart of gold. I loved her and loved her personality. She was as cold as iron at first, but she grew on me through the course of this book. Then, there's Flynn. Oh, Flynn "gushing". I don't know how Kaufman and Spooner write these perfectly flawed swoon-worthy male leads that will leave you awwing and ahhing over them (I just made up two words :P ). He was kind and maybe a bit too nice, but I fell absolutely in love with him.
     The romance was sweet, slow, and beautiful. It felt real. There aren't any dull moments in this book. It's fast-moving, suspenseful and thrilling. It kept me on the edge of my seat with every new revelation. The whispers in the first book make an appearance in this one too. And they are seriously creepy. I was creeped out by the scenes with them in it and I LOVED that.
     But my absolute favorite thing is the cameo that the main characters of the first book make in this one! We meet Lilac and Tarver again! I LOVED them in the first book. And seeing them with Jubilee and Flynn was amazing! I loved the interactions and their back-story together was PERFECTLY INTERWOVEN!
     I noticed that some reviewers said that the characters act too old for their age. But I didn't mind then. Imagine living in such a world and going through so many things at such an early age definitely changes a person. For worse or for better. And I understood the way the characters acted and they were smart, I loved that.
     I can go on and on about how amazing this book was but it would never be enough. I am sad that we are drawing nearer and nearer to the end of this series and I do NOT want it to end. It's one of my favorite series EVER and these two books are on my all-time favorite shelf. They are masterpieces and I admire the way these two authors co-write this series. It's flawless. If you're into fantasy, science fiction, and a touch of romance, then you will LOVE this!