FEATURE: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

"The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody."

        Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

         Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. 
               When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

            This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven

BOOK REVIEW: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.” 

SYNOPSIS: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.             Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.          Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

BOOK FEATURE: Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

Voilà,” she says, and not like your aunt says it either, unless your aunt is a sophisticated French actress from the 1960s whose breath makes you feel faint—in a good way. I’m not so sure I care at all that she’s better than me, as long as she keeps saying things in French.” 

BOOK FEATURE: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

“The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak.”

BOOK FEATURE: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

“Sometimes, the wicked will tell us things just to confuse us–to haunt our thoughts long after we've faced them.” 

BOOK FEATURE: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

“I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand.” 

BOOK REVIEW:The Young Elites by Marie Lu

“Be true to yourself. But that's something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.”

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.  Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.  Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her

BOOK FEATURE: Angelfall by Susan Ee

“I knew from the start that your loyalty would get you killed. I just never thought it would be your loyalty to me that would do it.” 

    It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

       Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
      Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

BOOK REVIEW: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

       “The only thing you have to do in this life is die," said Mrs. Pinsky..."everything else is a choice.” 

     
SYNOPSIS: On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life--the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

       REVIEW: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker is a must read. It is a book that will teach readers lessons applicable to enhance the beauty of their souls. 

       The plot is not unique. If you've ever heard of Life As We Knew It, you will probably agree to me that this one and that book have things in common. Speaking of, btw as I've read  In The After a month ago, I remember this book. I don't know. Yet without that perfect originality, the author still delivered a solid heart whelming, gripping unforgettable story I have ever read in my entire life. 

BOOK REVIEW: Fallen by Lauren Kate

       SYNOPSIS: What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?

 17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.

       REVIEW: I've read  this book 5 years ago. I received a paperback copy of this during Christmas eve, it was given by my classmate as a gift.

       Miss Lauren Kate delivered us another book to compete at the mainstream appeal of genres for Young Adult that time. If I can still remember, correct me if I am wrong, the time this book was released, Twilight is dominating. So I guess, miss Kate wants to make a bold move and yeah instead of vampires she delivered fallen angels.

BOOK REVIEW: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Rating Standards for Book Reviews

             In case you are wondering how I rate the book reviews posted in this blog, here is where I base my unbiased yet sometimes subjective judgement. Take note that number one serve as the lowest rating while ten is the highest. 

BOOK REVIEW: So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

BOOK FEATURE: The Morrow Secrets (Tallitha Mouldson #1) by Susan McNally

BOOK REVIEW: GONE by MICHAEL GRANT

   

SYNOPSIS: In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as sud
denly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.