Review No. 19: A Sudden Light - Garth Stein

Genre: Gothic / Fantasy / YA

Edition: ebook

No. of Pages: 400

Expected publication date:  30th September 2014

Published by: Simon & Schuster UK

Source: Netgalley

Series?: No

Get this book: Amazon




Description: Trevor Riddell is a 14 year old boy (in the summer of 1990) who is trying to bring his parents back together after they decided to 'take a break'. His father dragged him along to 'visit' his sick grandfather at Riddell House, the legendary family mansion. Things are not what they seem at Riddell House, however, and Trevor  strives to uncover the centuries of secrets buried within its walls. Are there really ghosts in this mansion or has Trevor's mind snapped under the stress of his parents' impending divorce? Read it to find out.

What I think about it: From the beginning, this story is surrounded by a melancholic vibe. Equal parts terrifying and entertaining, it entrances the reader with its special magic. There are some points in the story where the main characters do things that are very irritating but for the most part they're alright. The story is well paced, it doesn't move too fast and it's not so slow that it bores the reader either. By the end of it all, the characters and their unique stories have taken a hold of your mind and invaded your heart. I loved it, even though it tore my heart to shreds.

Character Analysis: (I am not going in to every character, that would take ages! And has the potential to spoil the story.)
Trevor- A.K.A. Clever Trevor. Ah, Trevor........such a simple yet stunning character. I liked him for most of it. He went through quite a journey and came out a changed person (in other words, his character development was amazing).

Serena- I disliked her as soon as we met her.  Her character hits my morals the wrong way and I can't like her.

Ben- I admired him a lot. He did scare me for the first half of the novel, then he grew on me. But I think I did adore Harry more than him.

Conclusion: 4.5/5 stars. This is one of those stories, it's gonna be in my mind for months to come.

Review No. 18: A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

Genre: Humor / Contemporary / Swedish Literature

Edition: epub

No. of Pages: 298

Published on: July 15th 2014

Published by: Atria Books

Source: Netgalley

Series?: No.

Get this book: Amazon






Description (taken from Goodreads):
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.


What I think about it: It's been days since I've finished reading this book and I still cannot think of the perfect words to describe it. I went into this book expecting it to be a fast, funny read. It was really easy to get through and it was very humorous at times, but this book was so much more than that. It dealt with some really serious issues (depression, loss, love, family, helplessness, and so much more) but it was executed in such a way that the reader, does not feel the seriousness of the situations. I loved it, and I think, I will be carrying around the lessons I learnt from this story for a long time. This brilliant masterpiece was one of those unforgettable, life-changing moments that stay with us forever.

Character Analysis:
Ove- I adored his grouchy mood and sharp tongue. His quiet strength is admirable. He's an extremely loveable character.

Cat Annoyance- I loved this cat! Such attitude and personality! So unique and wonderfully hilarious.

Conclusion: A solid 5/5 stars. I highly recommend this book to everyone. There's something in it for everyone.

ARC August 2014 TBR

 Hello,
         Yesterday, I was hanging around on twitter and I saw a tweet that mention Arc August. I was curious and did a bit of research. So, what is this Arc August thing?
         Well, as book bloggers we get a lot of Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) right? How many times has that pile grown to unmanageable heights? Too many, am I right? Here's a possible solution to this problem that has plagued us so much in the past.
         ARC August is essentially a month long read-a-thon of the review books we have in our possession. The Goal is to finish and review as many ARCs as possible in the month of August.
        If you're interested in taking part, you can sign up here.

    My goal for the month is to read all of the books I have for review. I'm going to be reading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I'm probably not going to read them in that order, but you can look forward to the reviews of these books in the coming weeks.

 If you're participating in this read-a-thon, please leave a comment telling me which books you plan to read. Or tell me if you've read any of the books on my TBR.

                                                                                                                        Until next time,

                                                                                                                         Silver  

Review No. 17: Keeper - Ingrid Seymour

Tour Page & Schedule



Genre: YA / Urban Fantasy

Edition: ebook

No. of Pages: 400

Published on: March 3rd, 2014

Published by: PenDreams

Source: CBB Book Promotions

Series?: The Morphid Chronicles #1

Get this book here.

I'm really sorry if any of the above information is wrong. I tried my best to be as accurate as possible.


Description: Greg is a Morphid. He's been looking forward to, and at the same time dreading, his transformation for weeks. He wants to belong to a powerful caste but he's afraid that he'll be placed in a common caste like his parents.
                     Sam is an average girl with heartless parents and a dream to be independant.
                    Unfortunately, Fate disagrees with the both of them. Now, Greg is forced to protect Sam while she struggles against her nature.

What I think about it: This was a well written tale. It pulled me onto a rollercoaster of emotions. Honestly, I didn't expect to care so much about the story but at times I was almost brought to tears. This novel is more character based than action driven. Therefore, it felt as if the events were dragging sometimes. However, this is not a bad thing, as the characters drew me into their stories anyway.  The characters aren't perfect by any means, really. The decisions they made had me gritting my teeth most of  the times! But they're teenagers, of course they're going to make silly choices! My point is, this was really, really well done! I didn't enjoy every second of it, but it was entertaining.

Character Analysis:

Sam- The clueless, average girl with distant parents. She was likable for the first half of the book, then she did some stuff and I got really irritated with her. By the end of the book, she was back on my likable page.

Greg- The Morphid who didn't want to be common. I felt for him.....until I met Ashby. I mean, I could see where he was coming from but I really didn't care if Sam ended up being indifferent to him.

Ashby- The other half of Sam's soul. I really, really liked him (even if he does have a strange name). The romantic in me was backing him up all the way. *sigh*

Conclusion: 3.5/5 Stars. If you're looking for a story that makes you feel, this one is for you. 

About the Author:

  

Ingrid Seymour loves, loves, loves to write. She’s a young and new adult author. She writes in a variety of genres including romance, urban fantasy, paranormal and horror. She loves pizza and sushi, Sunkist and gum. She believes in vampires, witches, but not zombies (uh-uh, never!) She writes to loud music, daydreams constantly and spends too much time in twitter!! Find her there? Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It’s a dream come true.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest |

Goodreads | G +

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Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

signed paperback of Keeper & Bracelet (US)

Prizing provided by the author

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review No. 16: Blood Oath - Samantha Coville

Genre: Fantasy / YA

Edition: ebook

No. of Pages: 189

Published on: April 29th 2014

Published by: Smashwords Edition

Source: Goodreads group; Making Connections YA Edition (free in exchange for an honest review)

Series?: The Secret of the Halflings #1

Get this book here.




Description: Raya Sarian has always been different. Her father is a Siren, her mother is a Human. Raya is a Halfling. Her father has been absent for most of her life. Now, she must live with him and clans of blood-thirsty beasts for a year. Will she survive the year in the company of dangerous enemies?

What I think about it: This is a fast-paced, addictive read. Once you've started to read it, I don't think you'll be able to stop until you've read the last word. With only 189 pages, I had no problems getting through this book in a day. The portrayal of Sirens in this novel is something I've never seen before. They are equal parts terrifying and beautiful. They're also nothing like mermaids. Surprising, isn't it?
                                    The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the insta-love. It is kind of explained but I'm generally not a fan of this type of love in books. Oh yeah, and the main character annoyed me at times. *shrugs* What can you do, right?

Conclusion: 4/5 Stars. Go read it, you're in for an interesting journey. 

Review No. 15: School of Deaths - Christopher Mannino

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal

Edition: ebook

No. of Pages: 270

Published on: May 2nd 2014

Published by: Muse It Up Publishing

Source: Goodreads group- Making Connections YA Edition (free copy in exchange for an honest review)

Series?: No

Get this book here.






Description: Thirteen year old Susan begins to lose weight at an alarming rate. She eats more and more food but she continues to look like a living skeleton. She's starting to worry that she might have some kind of terminal illness, the likes of which has never been seen before. She soon discovers that her soul is being pulled to the land of the dead and she will die if she doesn't live in the land of Deaths for a year. She's forced to attend the College of Deaths (it turns out that Grim Reapers are actually real, but they're known as Deaths). Suzie is in for an interesting year in this all-male world of Deaths. Will she survive in this world where everyone is against her? Why is she the only female Death in a million years? Read it and find out.

What I think about it: The concept behind this novel grabbed my interest from the very beginning. An entire world of Deaths, a school where Deaths must learn how to reap souls! It was fascinating! There was surprisingly little action, but things were certainly mysterious enough to keep me distracted at every turn. I did have a problem with the romance that was introduced later in the book but it was bound to happen from the very beginning (a world filled with males and only one female, at least one of them was going to have feelings for her). Aside from that, this was a well-written fantasy/mystery and I quite enjoyed it.

Character Analysis: (I'm only going to talk about a few characters, so please don't be mad if I leave out some important characters)

Susan (Suzie) - She's a curious person by nature. Once she had her eyes on the puzzle there was no stopping her from solving it! I wasn't attached to her but it was interesting to see her story.

Billy - Maybe he's her friend but maybe he isn't. He has some kind of 'mood swings' that leave us wondering.

Frank - I think I can honestly say that he was my favorite character from this book. He is really sweet but there's more to him than meets the eyes.

Conclusion: 3.5/5 stars. Go check it out, it's a fun, easy fantasy read that will have you in suspense throughout the entire thing.

The Fault in Our TBR

 So, I'm going to assume that you guys don't know what this is. The Fault in Our TBR is a 24 hr reading marathon that is being held on 28th, June 2014. That's tomorrow!
 This read-a-thon is being hosted by two lovely booktubers:
 mandersonxoxo
and
Kiara Soleil

You can sign up to participate here.

So, the read-a-thon starts at midnight wherever you are on the 28th (and it lasts for 24hrs). I think that's really all you need to know.

This is my TBR for tomorrow:

I think this is about a school for grim reapers and the protagonist is the only female grim reaper in existence. This causes her to be in a lot of trouble, I suppose. I'll have to read it to find out.














I can't remember what this one is about and I'm too lazy to explain it right now. Go check it out here. If you're interested, of course.















Okay, so those are the books I'll attempt to read tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. My TBR is subject to change but I'll try to stick to these two books.
Tell  me in the comments if you're participating and what you plan to read tomorrow. Until next time, happy reading!