Review No. 11: The Terrorist's Daughters - Brian Arthur Levene

 Genre: Adventure/Action

Edition: E-book

No. of Pages: 252

Source: I received a free copy from the author and the lovely Lisa in exchange for an honest review. Thank you guys so much for your patience and understanding.

Series?: This is the 1st book in the T.O.G.G.L.E. series.

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Description: The lives of three girls changed dramatically after they were forced to leave Chicago and move to Pakistan. Their father became a completely different person in this new habitat and the girls were compelled to endure the terrible acts he committed. Their mother turned into a drug addict and didn't lift a finger to help her daughters. At the end of their tolerance level and with one of their sisters missing, two of the girls run away from the tyrant they once called 'father'. Along the way, they meet up with some interesting characters who all seem to want the same thing they are after; A chance to begin a new life.

What I think about it: Well, firstly, I think you should know that this book deals with abuse. If you're uncomfortable with this topic then please, find another book. Okay, with my warning out of the way, let's go on to what I actually think about the book.
                                     It was so intense from the first page that I couldn't stop reading. I had to get to the last page, I just had to know what was going to happen as soon as possible! This story brought out its claws and dug into my mind, it gripped on so tightly that I don't think I'll be able to dislodge it any time soon. Ah, it was wonderfully thought provoking and entertaining. There was never a dull moment in this novel and I loved that. I must admit, however, that at the beginning I was a little worried that we'd only see one side of the picture (the girls' thoughts on religion) but I'm happy to say that the balance was perfect. We saw different characters with separate views on religion and that evened out the canvas. Thank goodness!
                                     On the flip side of the coin, there were a few moments in the book where I had to stop and gape in disbelief. 'What?.....No, that didn't just happen!.......I'm sure I didn't read that right.........*rereads what I just read*........Huh......'  That was my reaction to some of the things that occurred, particularly around the last few chapters.

Character Analysis:
Ambriel-  She's the character who's missing. We only know her from the memories of her sisters. She was eccentric and everyone believed that she was crazy but she was brilliant! She was really rebellious. She was the one who came up with the escape plans before she went missing. I think she was my favorite character even though she wasn't actually there.

Aalia- She's the one who most lead now that their sister is missing. She is very good at 'reading' people. She's also good at manipulating them.

Zahra- She's the youngest and she has a really special mind. She know things that she shouldn't know and things she doesn't even remember learning. Keep in mind that this is not a fantasy book. She doesn't have special powers but something about her is strange. To find out more about that you'll have to read the book.

Omar- His daughters call him Lucifer and ,in truth, he's not far from that description. He's one of those characters everyone wishes would die from the force of their killing intent towards him. There's not a single likeable bone in his body!

Conclusion: 4.5/5 Stars. I highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a short, action filled story with a generous helping of suspense.

Review No.10: The Golden Apple - Michelle Diener

      Genre: Fantasy
      Edition: E-book
      No. of Pages: 298
      Source: Netgalley
      Series?: I don't know if this will be a series but there is going to be a second book; The Silver Pear.


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Description: Kayla's father, the King, makes her the prize in a deadly tournament to win her hand in marriage and a Golden Apple that can heal any injury. The Golden Apple is the ransom Rane must pay in order to save his brother from Jasper, the man who holds his brother captive. It's a trap. Kayla must go on a dangerous quest with her betrothed through a forest filled with wild magic. Will they stay alive long enough to have their happily ever after?

What I think about it: So this story is loosely based on the fairy tale The Princess on the Glass Hill. I've never heard of this story before and ,therefore, I am unfamiliar with the basics of the tale. I don't intend to read it any time soon as it might trouble my view on this novel. The story was wonderful, it was beautifully written and the plot was well executed. I enjoyed it while it lasted, it was after all a short book and I flew through it quite quickly. The magic system in this book was interesting and I was fairly creeped out for the first few chapters. Basically, when magicians use magic in this world they leave behind a residue in the aftermath of their spell work. This residue is called Wild Magic and it is true to it's name, it's an unpredictable almost sentient being that changes the way of nature. Absolutely fascinating.

Character Analysis:

Kayla- She's not your average spoilt princess. This girl has some fire in her soul, she's passionate and stubborn and also kind. She's the superwoman in this book but she feels her share of fear.

Rane- He's the typical male hero with honor issues but he's also so much more than that. He's a worry wart. He cares for Kayla but he seems to be a heartless person. The mystery of his personality is something that needs to be untangled while you read the book.

Eric the Bold- An evil sorcerer who is using Kayla and Rane for his own purposes. He is one of those villains you just hate with a passion. I really can't stand him and I'd bet you wouldn't be able to either.

Conclusion: 4.5/5 Stars. It was captivating. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel when it's published.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon

I've just learnt about the 24 hr read-a-thon that's happening on Sat 26th of April 2014. So grab a stack of books and let's read! If you're interested in doing this read-a-thon you can sign up here.

I will be reading:
The Golden Apple- Michelle Diener

I'll probably add on a book or two but this is my TBR for now.

Please tell me, are you participating in this read-a-long? What books do you plan to read?

Review No. 9: Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

  Genre: Middle-Grade/YA Fantasy
  Edition: Paperback
  No. of Pages: 548
  Source: My Personal Library
  Series:  The Inkworld Trilogy  














Description: Inkheart is the first book in The Inkworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke. The story centres around Meggie and her father, Mo. One night Mo reads aloud from a book and a few of the characters slip out of the pages. Nine years later, Meggie must face things she never believed existed outside of stories.

What I think about it: I've re-read this book about half of a dozen times already and each time I read it I feel as if I'm coming home again. The pages welcome me like a long lost friend. The story goes at a pace that suits it best, it's not fast but it's not slow either. The setting was also fabulously written, I felt as if I could really see the mountains surrounding Capricorn's village. The writing is entrancing, I loved every minute of it. Even the parts filled with fear and worry!

Character Analysis:

Meggie- She's the 12 year-old daughter of Mo. She loves her father to pieces. She loves him even more than her books and that's saying something since she likes to read so much. She was a really easy character to relate to and I really adored her bravery.

Mo- As I mentioned before, he's Meggie's father. He's a single parent who is absolutely besotted with his daughter. She's his world. Mo has the ability to 'read' characters out of books. He lures them out of their stories with his voice alone. He's known as Silvertongue to the characters he pulled out of their book.

Elinor- She's Meggie's Great Aunt. Elinor owns a huge library that goes throughout her entire house. I would love to have a library that big. Wouldn't we all? I don't think she's read all of them, she's more of a book collector than a regular bookworm (or book lion).

Dustfinger- That's a strange name, isn't it? Well, Dustfinger is one of the characters that Mo accidently read out of a book. He's shrouded in mystery and he puts on a brave face but he's a coward at heart. I think I loved him more than any of the other characters in this book.

Basta- He's one of the villains that came out of the book. He's short tempered and quick to draw his knife. But he has one weakness, he's the most superstitious character I've ever met.

Capricorn- The evil, evil dude of this book. He's also one of the villains who came out of his own story.  I don't think you'd ever want to meet him in the dark of night, that's for sure. He has no sympathy, in fact, I don't think he can feel emotions at all. He's absolutely heartless.

Conclusion: 5/5 stars. This story had magic touch its core. A kind of magic that pulls the reader in completely. I must continue with this trilogy as soon as possible.

Check out my video review of Inkheart.

Review No. 8: The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan

Description: The Red Pyramid is the first book in a trilogy called The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. The novel begins with an introduction to Carter, one of the main characters. He goes with his dad to visit his sister, Sadie, and they take a 'field trip' to the museum. While they are there, their father blows up The Rosetta Stone and released a bunch of Egyptian gods and goddesses. Their dad is imprisoned by Set , one of the gods, and now Carter and Sadie must rescue their dad and save the world along the way. Of course, it's not as easy as it seems.

What I think about it: I could probably spend days trying to accurately describe this book; words do not do it justice. It was absolutely fantastic! The characters were amazing, the world building was perfect and the plot was action filled and brilliant. I enjoyed every minute of it! Although, the switches in points of view were sometimes confusing.

Character Analysis: (As always, I'll keep this very brief because if I say too much I could spoil things for some readers......so I'm sticking to the 2 main characters)

Carter - He's really the one who likes to follow the rules and he yearns for his dad's approval. I felt an immediate connection with him and I looked forward to the chapters that were from his point of view.

Sadie - She's the rebellious sibling. That really sums it up. She also really enjoys teasing Carter about anything and everything. I couldn't really connect with her the first time I read this book but now I think she's grown on me.

Conclusion: 5/5 stars. This is one of my favorite books and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Review No. 7: John Dreamer by Elise Celine

  

Description: Our main character, Andy, awakens in a great white room. In this strange place there are seven chairs. Each chair is different in style and size and has a name-plate at the back. Soon, people start popping into the room with the personalities to match the chairs. These seven characters are stuck in this room with nothing to do but enjoy the clashing of their personalities. The only way of escape is by fulfilling their dreams. What will happen in this Great White Room? I have no intention of telling you, read it to find out.

What I think about it: Firstly, this cover is gorgeous! I would seriously consider picking this up just because of the cover. Secondly, this book is a contemporary hidden in a fantasy's clothing. What more could I want? It was a quick, light read (with only 203 pages it had to be!) and I enjoyed most of it. Towards the end, however, it turned a bit cheesy and......wait for it.......unrealistic! Now, going into it, I knew it would be unrealistic because the thing is fantasy! If it's not a little 'out there', it's probably not in the right category....so I expected it to be unreal but come on! My dear novel, if you claim to be unrealistic, at least be unpredictable. Too much cheese makes things unhealthy and I do not want you to become ill.

  There were many gems of wisdom hidden in this novel, I'd recommend it to anyone in need of motivation. It was very inspirational.

                                 

Character Analysis:

Andy- We're seeing from her point of view. Therefore, we are her. I had no problems aligning my thoughts with hers. She was very likable, in my opinion.

John- He's such a sweet character that at times I thought he was an angel. Or something. He's the kind of guy that most girls dream about marrying. 

Roy- He's a bully. He picks on some of the characters and he never has anything good to say. He's instantly unlikeable.

Linda- She's shy and really quiet. She stands to the side and observes most of the time. I liked her silence.

Matt- In a few words; he's the target of the bully. He's innocent and somewhat sensitive.

Marcus- 'The Geek' of the group. He's really smart but a little too lost in space.

Olivia- She's the rich, spoilt, self-absorbed brat. Or at least, on the outside she appears this way.

The Guardian- He's very theatrical and kind of crazy. He reminded me a lot of Dumbledore from Harry Potter. He was also always speaking in riddles.

Conclusion: 3/5 stars. I liked it but I didn't love it. If you're looking for a quick read that dips into fantasy then please, do not hesitate to pick this one up. Give it a chance, maybe you'll like it.

Before I forget, I'd like to mention that I got this free copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. Thank you guys so much :)

Buy this book:

Amazon

My Video Review of John Dreamer:

Thank you for your time and patience.

Review No.6: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

  Description:
                        Finn has never known anywhere but Incarceron. He's been imprisoned ever since he can remember........Claudia is the daughter of The Warden of Incarceron. She's about to be imprisoned in an arranged marriage........Finn and Claudia's worlds collide! Finn will need Claudia's help to escape from the Prison and Claudia needs his help to escape from her arranged marriage. This will not be an easy task because Incarceron is alive!

What I think about it: 
                                   Okay, let's get one thing straight: I don't love this book to pieces. I thought I would fall madly in love with it.....I was wrong. Now, don't get the wrong impression, there are some aspects that I enjoyed while reading this novel. For instance, the world building was absolutely amazing. That is, I didn't get a bunch of information dumped on me, at any given time, that I didn't understand. It was a suspenseful ride around every corner, and that made it all the more enjoyable. There was , however, one instance where I saw the outcome way before it was even properly hinted at.......that was satisfaction and disappointment in the same breath.
                                  The story was interesting and I was enjoying it. Until a certain point in the story where the characters started to annoy me! I'm not someone to back down from a challenging read so I stuck to it, in the vain hope that I'd start liking it again. Alas! It was not meant to be. Once the characters started to irritate me, that was the point of no return, I couldn't like the novel any more. I must point out, however, that most of the male characters were in my good graces. It was the female characters that got on my nerves.

Character Analysis: 

Finn- The hero of this tale. He's a typical hero; kind, brave, sometimes foolish with neverending loyalty. I thought I was going to hate him from the beginning. Turns out, I actually like him.

Keiro- He is Finn's oath brother. He's arrogant and self-centered at first glance. Please look deeper into him, if you're going to read this book. Everyone loves to hate him! Everyone but Finn, that is. I adored Keiro, I must admit that my determination to like this novel had everything to do with him. Doesn't everyone love a bad boy?

Claudia- Selfish, spoilt BRAT. Can you tell how much I dislike her? It wasn't always like that. At the beginning , I liked her spirit but as the story drew on I hated her.

Jared- He is Claudia's Tutor. I loved him! He's gentle, wise and kind. He also has some kind of sickness that's slowly killing him. Why must it always be the ones who are nice?

The Warden- This guy seems evil and cold to the core. Does he have a heart?


Conclusion: 2.5/5 stars. I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Unfortunately, I will not be continuing with the sequel and it is unlikely that I will ever pick this one up again.

My Video Review of Incarceron:

Thank you for your patience and time.