Book Review: Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

"It wasn't easy. The world was complicated. Life was hard. And so often, living hurt. So make it worth the pain.”

OVERALL RATING: 6.6/10

            STORY: 7.5/10

            CHARACTERS: 5.4/10

            THE FEELS: 8.1/10

            ENTERTAINMENT: 5.2/ 10

PLOT: 5.6/10

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.
KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it.
AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.
THE WAR HAS BEGUN.
THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.
Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

Reading Progress:

February 21, 2018 – Finished Reading

February 18, 2018 – 

page 346

 

 67.84% "I am still hoping this duology will end with a bigger and more epic plot."

February 17, 2018 – 

page 203

 

 39.8% "I just have to drag myself a little bit longer to finish this. Such a pain in the as*."

February 17, 2018 – Started Reading

December 8, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read

December 8, 2017 – Shelved

Review:

I have really had a hard time finishing this book. I almost DNF it. I was really disappointed on this book that I found dragging myself till the last page. I just did not get the beauty from the world or whatever good thing the author is trying to deliver in the conclusion of a promising duology.

I have read the first book of the series back in December and I have a mixed emotions for it. I did not really enjoy the world--its darkness and creepiness. The same feeling happened to me on this book. I did not really like how dark it is. Maybe, this themed book are not really for me. The monsters and the  world system was really way off my alley. I just found the world very suffocating and almost unreadable. It was really a pain for a type of reader like me to read a this book. I just did not really enjoy the world and I can't wait to forget it.

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab

“I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”

OVERALL RATING: 8.6/10

            STORY: 8.5/10

            CHARACTERS: 8.4/10

            THE FEELS: 8.7/10

            ENTERTAINMENT: 9.3/ 10

PLOT: 8.8/10

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. 

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Reading Progress:

February 10, 2018 – Finished Reading

February 8, 2018 –

page 101

 25.25% "I find this so far very slow. But am happy that I finally got my hands on it. Hoping that I will not be disappointed."

February 8, 2018 – Started Reading

November 16, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read

November 16, 2017 – Shelved

Review:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was not a perfect experience but I still admire the fact that I was able to dive in to the magic this book has to offer. I heard this book on every blogs I follow online and has been hyped by most of the readers. I heard a lot of good and epic things about this book and the entire series-- which made me pick this at last, even it is so expensive.

The world building was mediocre. I felt that it was really slow. The first 50 to 100 pages was not that engaging. I really had a hard time getting all the pieces together at the first part of the book because the world building was also peculiar and confusing. When I reached the 200 pages and up, the story was already so addicting and I finally had a full grasp of the world and the plot. The book became very engaging and addicting. I caught myself flipping pages after pages.

Book Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

OVERALL RATING: 9.2/10

            STORY: 9.2/10

            CHARACTERS: 9.5/10

            THE FEELS: 9.3/10

            ENTERTAINMENT: 8.7/ 10

PLOT: 8.9/10

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself

Reading Progress:

February 6, 2018 – Finished Reading

February 5, 2018 –

 71.0% "I am digging this! At last!"

February 4, 2018 –

 58.0% "I almost DNF this!"

February 4, 2018 – Started Reading

January 1, 2018 – Shelved as: to-read

January 1, 2018 – Shelved

Review:

This was amazing! I did not expect that I will love this book as much as I love it now. I did really enjoy reading it on most part and I will surely recommend this one to my friends.

Book Review: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson

“Don't just act because you can; act because it's the right thing to do. If you keep that in mind, you'll be all right.” 

OVERALL RATING: 7.6/10

            STORY: 7.3/10

            CHARACTERS: 7.1/10

            THE FEELS: 8.8/10

            ENTERTAINMENT: 8.9/ 10

PLOT: 7.5/10

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.
Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge

This is the first book I have read from the author. I have been planning for weeks now to read one of Brandon Sandersons' book and I prioritized to start with his Mistborn series. Unfortunately, I don't have a physical copy of the books and all I have from the author are his stand-alon, Warbreaker and the first book of the Reckoners trilogy, Steelheart.

Reading Progress:

February 3, 2018 – Finished Reading

February 2, 2018 –

page 185

 47.93% ""Don't act because you can;act because it is the right thing to do. If you keep that in mind, you will be alright." Love this line!"

February 1, 2018 –

page 121

 31.35% "I find the characters not well defined. I hope the authors saves this before this book ends."

January 31, 2018 –

page 56

 14.51% "This is interesting, I can feel an X-Men vibe."

January 31, 2018 – Started Reading

January 1, 2018 – Shelved as: to-read

           January 1, 2018 – Shelved

Review: 

I have high expectations on the author and not on this book. I actually dived to this one without knowing anything aside from the fact that the main characters seeks vengeance to the death of his father. This expectations were not meant. I was not that impressed. I might have a different standard--but I just really found it hard to enjoy the book.

The characters for me were week and was so forced. They totally lack refinement and I really hated the way they used "Slontz" and "Calamity" when they swear. The characters (not all but most) were not likable and not memorable. They were so poorly defined that I really had a hard time connecting to them. The potential was there but I think the author just lack an extra mile of doing something to the characters that could have made them special.

Massive Book Haul (January 2018)

A total of 26 books!

The 13 Books I've Read in January 2018

So in the first month of 2018, I read a total of thirteen books. Not bad and slow to start the reading year. Last Christmas I promised myself that I am going to read at least a hundred book this year, a very different commitment compared to last years'--- travel around the Philippines. Majority of the thirteen books I have read are fantasy themed young adult novels. There were quiet a few contemporary young adult novels too, but all thirteen are fiction. 

The first book I have read is Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. I started reading this at the last days of 2017 but I finished this on the 1st of January. So,I think whenever you finished it counts as the month you have read it. Now this book was fun, charming and entertaining. Not that great but definitely a good read. 

The next book I finished will probably be the most disappointing book I have read this year, so far. This book is They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. I did not like this book and I definitely did not enjoy reading it. I just felt this book was so fake and the characters was not well-defined. The potential was there but the author failed to really execute. 

The third I have read was actually a poetry book-- the first by Lang Leav, Love and Misadventures. Another book that I hated. I consider this book a trash. I don't really see why some people loved it. This book was like written by a first grader. Nothing inside the book makes it acceptable to be called a good book.

The next book is probably one of the most talked about books last year, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. This book blew me away. This is the first book that I have read from her and I was really impressed by her writing style. The book was so addicting and the world building was crazy good. The plot twists and the characters made everything about this book so memorable and captivating. I have been shoving this book to my friends the entire month. You need to read this magic as soon as possible.

I read We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson next. This book is one of my most anticipated reads for a very long time. I did like this book but the moment I was reading this my mind was still clouded by the epicness of Strange the Dreamer. I could have enjoyed reading this book more if I just forgot how good the previous read was. But, this book was full of emotions and the writing style was really creative and entertaining. I did not really had a hard time connecting to the characters and I was really connected to the story. This book is a must read also.

The next book I have read is the most surprising read I have so far this year, it is Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I read this book with less expectations and not really knowing more of what the book is. This book surprised me and blew me away. The characters was just okay but the world building was so addicting that it devoured my soul and I just caught myself mouth opened and speechless on the plot twists. This book definitely was entertaining and worth a read. 

The next book is Battlemage by Taran Matharu, the third book on the Summoner trilogy. I was really entertained and impressed on the first two books of the series that I have really high expectations on this one--but this one failed me. It did not really connect to me. The bar was not met. I was really disappointed on this book. This book ruined the trilogy-- a lame end.

The next book I have read is one of the most talked about books last year, it is the Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This book for me was really over hyped. This book was so short but that is not the problem--the problem is, how trashy and poorly executed the writing style was. This book gave me a very weak world building. A waste of time.

The next book I have read was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. I decided to pick this one because I've heard there will be an upcoming movie adaptation later this year. I quiet enjoyed the book at first but I eventually got bored as I read further. This book was not bad but it was not that good also.

The next book I picked was Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becki Albertalli.  I read this book because I was hooked by the trailer that I saw on YouTube. This book did not disappoint me. I finished this book in less than a day. I gave this a five-star rating on Goodreads because I found this book really entertaining and well written. I really love the characters and so as the story itself. I am excited to see the movie. 

The next book I have read was very addicting and entertaining, Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.  This is another book I finished in less than 24 hours. This book was full of action, thriller and suspense. An epic outer space adventure with bad ass characters. I was really entertained by the plot and the writing style. This is not an ordinary book and definitely worth a read. 

The next book is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I started reading this book back in 2016 and I DNF it couple of times. I found this book over hyped by the people in social media. This book was good but not that epic as I was expecting it to be. I DNF it several times and took me almost two years to finish because the world of this book was not really for me. I love the characters but the feeling of the world in the book gave me rain, sadness, smell of feces, corpses, piss and blood. I found this book really entertaining, very dark and depressing.

The last book I have read this month is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book changed me and I am happy for it. This book needs to be read by typically all that knows how to read. This is a modern classic that boldly tackles racism, police violence and many current issues in the society. This book was an eye opener to me. Aside from that, this book gave me all forms of love. I was really happy that I get to feel the life of Starr and her very wonderful family. This book will always stick in my heart.

Summary of book reviews here.