little librocubicularist

Anna Dressed in Blood: Meet Anna and Cas

2016-05-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

Have you heard (or read) the news? Anna Dressed in Blood is jumping in the bandwagon and is about to become a movie, too!

If you haven't heard of the book, here's a little something to help.

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

I barely read the articles about the movie adaptation updates of Anna Dressed in Blood. But I know that Stephenie Meyer is one of the producers, and that the two lead actors were already chosen. (Click here if you want to read the actual entertainment news article.) Maddie Hasson (ABC Family's ‘Twisted”) and Cameron Monaghan (“Shameless,” “Gotham”) have been cast in the upcoming film from Fickle Fish Films.

I'm not entirely sure about how I feel at the moment. I read Anna Dressed in Blood back in 2012, and I really liked it. For someone who does not really tolerate horror-ish creepy stories, I honestly enjoyed reading about Anna and Cas. And it's not scary at all, although there are really some creepy parts in the story. It was one of my favorite reads in 2012. But I'm not sure if I really want it to become a movie, because these book-to-movie stuff sometimes ruins the story and the characters you love. And I really don't want to risk it.

The actors are also not sinking in my brain yet. I am still not feeling the Anna and Cas vibe with Maddie and Cameron. But that can be fixed in the movie (hopefully).

Anyway, have you read the books - Anna Dressed in Blood and the sequel, Girl of Nightmares?

What do you think of this news? Any thoughts on the cast?

Stacking The Shelves (13): April 2016

2016-04-30T23:45:00.000+08:00

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

*******

April has been a busy month for me and my personal life. That is why I haven't blogged as much as I used to like the past two months. I also haven't bought any book this month. But thankfully, Harper Collins sent me three ARCs that I can feature in this month's Stacking the Shelves post. Thank you, HC Int'l!

ASK ME HOW I GOT HERE by Christine Heppermann
FRANNIE AND TRU by Karen Hattrup
NIGHT SPEED by Chris Howard

These ARCs are all set to be released this May, and I am extremely excited to read all three books. I have actually started to read Ask Me How I Got Here. It is about a girl who decided to have an abortion and her life after that. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yet because I'm just a few pages in. But so far, it's okay.

Again, a big thank you to Harper Collins for these ARCs!

So, what do you think? See anything you like? You can leave your STS links below and share the books you got this week. Thanks for dropping by!

For a more updated book haul and some bookish posts, check out my Instagram account:

@helloteepee. Thanks!

NBS EVENTS: Jennifer Niven Book Signing Tour

2016-04-29T23:30:00.000+08:00

I know I am a week late with the announcement, but it doesn't matter. It does not change the fact that Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places, is coming to the Philippines this May. So get your books and camping gears ready, as we prepare for another book signing event.

What: Jennifer Niven Book Signing Tour

When: May 28, 2016, 1 p.m.

Where: Northwing Atrium, SM City Cebu

When: May 29, 2016, 2 p.m.

Where: 2nd Level Mega Atrium, SM Megamall

For full details of the event and the discussion,

here's the link to the National Book Store event's page

But if you're too lazy to click and wait for another page to load, just read on.

***

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Knopf
Number of Pages: 400
Date Published: January 6, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Goodreads:

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.

About the Author:

Jennifer Niven

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven has always wanted to be a Charlie's Angel, but her true passion is writing. Her most recent book, All the Bright Places, is her first novel for young adult readers and tells the story of a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

All the Bright Places is an international bestseller. It was the GoodReads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction of 2015, and named a Best Book of the Year by Time Magazine, NPR, the Guardian, Publisher's Weekly, YALSA, Barnes & Noble, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library, and others. It was also the #1 Kids' Indie Next Book for Winter '14-'15 and SCIBA's Young Adult Book of the Year, as well as being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

***

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(From the National Book Store Facebook Page)

When and where are the book signings?

May 28, 1:00 p.m., at the Northwing Atrium, SM City Cebu
May 29, 2:00 p.m., at the 2L (2nd Level) Mega Atrium, SM Megamall

Is there a registration fee?

No. There is no registration fee.

When will the registration be?

Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. on May 28 at the Northwing Atrium, SM City Cebu, and 10:00 a.m. on May 29 at the 2L Mega Atrium, SM Megamall. Each guest will be asked to fill out the registration form upon arrival. First come, first served. Guests must present their book to get a numbered Signing Pass. The book must have either of the following as proof of purchase: Price Tag or Official Receipt from National Book Store, National Book Store Express or Powerbooks.

How many books can I have signed? Is there a limit as to how many people can have their books signed?

Each guest is allowed one (1) copy of ‘All the Bright Places’ by Jennifer Niven to be signed. Although National Book Store will take every effort to get as many books signed as possible, depending on the number of attendees, we reserve the right to limit the number of copies per person or limit the number of people in line. First come, first served.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the books?

Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, National Book Store Express or Powerbooks. The books must have either the price tag or official receipt.

Do I need to buy on-site?

No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have other items signed?

No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the author.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes. There will be an official photographer from NBS who will take your photo with the author. However, we strictly allow only one photo per person.

How much are the books?

All the Bright Places (Hardcover – P649)
All the Bright Places (Trade Paperback – P439)

BOOK BLURB: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

2016-04-16T19:00:00.000+08:00

SIEGE AND STORM (The Grisha #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Number of Pages: 435

Date Published: June 4, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

***

My Thoughts:

Honestly, I don't know how to start organizing my thoughts and feelings regarding the second book of The Grisha trilogy. Although I sort of figured out its widespread appeal to people who loved it so much, I am still not at awe with the books. So, if this review seems kind of all over the place, I apologize in advance.

If you have read my review for Shadow and Bone (the first book of the trilogy), you would know that I am not as happy as I thought I would be during and after reading it. Maybe it's just not the book for me. I don't actually hate it, because I really did enjoy some parts. I just didn't like it as much as most of the readers did.

In the second book, Siege and Storm, we get to see most of the characters from the first book and a couple of new ones are also introduced. We also get to explore farther away from Ravka, and read about new places and its people. This is one of the few things I like in Siege and Storm - it sort of widened its scope in terms of the characters and places. I specifically like the new characters in the second book. When I read about them, there's the weird voice in my head saying, "Yes! Finally, someone interesting and entertaining." Because I really didn't find the characters in the first book that appealing. And yes, the new characters (I won't say who they are), are surprisingly fun to read, and someone you'll actually look forward to. I also enjoyed that they traveled more in the second book. And there are more action and fight scenes, a lot more tension and complications with the country's problem, and a lot more personal and political struggle.

Despite my subtle dislike for Alina and Mal's character, I have to admit that they have developed better in the second book. They are not as annoying like the first time I read about them in Shadow and Bone. So, there's definitely some improvement in them. But I'm still not as attracted to them as I usually am with the lead couples of a book. Alina has somehow changed in Siege and Storm. And to be honest, I like the darkness surrounding her character. It makes her a bit more interesting and gives her more depth.

Lastly, when I started reading the book, I am actually liking the direction the plot is taking. It's becoming more clear and concrete. The first book was kind of disorienting and vague. But with second book, you actually see the path the characters are taking, not literally of course, and not to the point that it becomes predictable. You still don't know what will happen. But towards the end, I kinda lost the excitement I felt when I started reading the book. I'm not sure why, but it just happened. The ending was okay, though. But it did not persuade me to immediately read the third book.

After giving a short discussion of the things I liked in Siege and Storm, the things I disliked comes next. Honestly, I can't exactly recall and describe the things I disliked in the book. The most pressing concern is that the book is probably not my cup of tea. I like high fantasy books, but so far, the first two books of the Grisha trilogy was not able to capture me entirely. I was not hooked completely. I tend to get into and out of reading it. It's not one of those books that makes me rethink of doing other things so I can finish it and read what happens next. Also, the characters probably played a major role with my detachment to the books.

With all those stuff being said, Siege and Storm was a bit better than the first book.

Blog Tour: LOVE ME NEVER Review + Giveaway

2016-04-11T20:00:00.000+08:00

LOVE ME NEVER (Lovely Vicious #1)

Author: Sara Wolf

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Number of Pages: 352

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance/ Dark Comedy

Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.

Don’t love your enemy. Declare war on him.

Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she’s lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.

All the girls in her new school want one thing—Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter’s never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he’s never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.

Jack’s met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.

The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.

The game board: East Summit High.

The reward: Something neither of them expected.

***

My Thoughts:

When I first heard of Sara Wolf's Lovely Vicious trilogy, I knew I had to read it. Despite the "cliche-ness" of the plot based from the blurb, I still want to read about a spunky female lead who somewhat hates (and is at war with) the most popular boy in school. There's just something about their "cat and mouse" sort of relationship that's exciting to read. And we kinda know how this will end, don't we?

Love Me Never did not disappoint. Yes, it had all the elements of your typical high school drama - the new girl, the popular guy everyone's in love with, the mean girls, the social heirarchy. But despite that, it delivered a very captivating (and entertaining) story, with a very interesting lead character. It was told in alternating point of views, but mostly in Isis', and the way she tells the story is so snarky, and angsty and super fun. I can't even imagine someone reading this book and hating Isis to the core. She's smart, she has a great sense of humor and she's just a huge chatterbox. I just knew I would love her the moment she made her sarcastic and smart remarks. Jack Hunter also played his Ice Prince role very well. And I love it when these two people are in close proximity with each other. It just screams tension, banter, pranks, a lot snarky comments etc... which is one of the things that I look forward to when reading the book.

Despite the fun I had reading Isis Blake, the pain and sadness seem to still resurface in every page. I know something dark is brewing within them; that there's tragic past hidden behind the each character's shell. And although it's still vague, you'll just feel it and know it in your bones. It will taunt you and intrigue you, making you want to grab the next books of the series. And upon finishing the book, it made me question my initial thought of the book's cliche plot.

All in all, Love Me Never was both extremely fun and entertaining, but kind of sad and distressing as well. I don't know why, but I just felt sad for these characters. It was short, sweet and fast-paced, that will make you feel a lot of things. The characters were very interesting, not just Isis and Jack. When you read about, it makes you want to know them more, and that's a good thing.

And that cliffhanger. Damn that cliffhanger!

About the Author:

SARA WOLF

Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as the Lovely Vicious series. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

(Ends April 22, 2016)
One (1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Crazy: UNKNOWN by Wendy Higgins Cover Reveal

2016-04-07T23:00:00.000+08:00

UNKNOWN (Unknown #1)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Expected Publication: August 16, 2016

Genre: Apocalyptic Sci-Fi NA Romance

Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technological communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.

Ms. Higgins, you got me at brother's best friend!

Give me a book about a girl who is secretly (or not so secretly) in love with her brother's best friend or her best friend's brother, and I swear I'll read it. It's one of my guilty pleasures. Not only does UNKNOWN have one of my favorite tropes, but it also sounds so interesting - a new adult apocalyptic novel that seems to be about survival and romance. That's somewhat a first for me. So, I'll definitely be watching out for this one.

So, for the much awaited cover reveal of Unknown...

If you want to know the origin of the story, here's a LINK to Wendy's blog post.
You can also read unedited chapters of Unknown on Wendy's WATTPAD account.

About the Author:

WENDY HIGGINS

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology The Great Hunt, and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue.

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford University.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

BOOK BLURB: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

2016-04-05T23:45:00.000+08:00

ILLUMINAE (The Illuminae Files #1)

Author: Aime Kaufman; Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Number of Pages: 599

Date Published: October 22, 2015

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Goodreads:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

***

My Thoughts:

Young adult science fiction (or sci-fi in general) is not something I would usually "go to" and read. Stories about the universe, aliens, space travel, or intergalactic politics and relations is not something I like to read about a lot, and I don't normally enjoy them. So despite my extreme desire to buy Illuminae, I still had hesitations. Also, I do not know if the story will live up to the book's physical awesomeness. I had a fleeting thought in the back of my head that people liked it only because of the book's unique and cool appearance, and that the story is presented in a different way, not because the story was that great and impactful. But thankfully, I was wrong.

Illuminae is aesthetically pleasing and very entertaining. Not only does it look so good both inside and out, but the story is quite impressive as well.

I admit, one of the factors that made the whole Illuminae reading experience wonderful was holding the book itself, flipping through the pages and not expecting what to see on the next page. Because normally, all we see on books are texts, paragraphs and the occasional illustrations. But with Illuminae, it varies. You get to see and read interviews, chats, reports, and a lot more. The book is basically like a compilation of printed documents, arranged in a way that tells one kickass sci-fi story, which I really liked. And as I have mentioned, I don't read a lot of science fiction books because I tend to get a bit overwhelmed by intergalactic events and a lot of the space battle stuff at times, but I still greatly enjoyed Illuminae. It's like a picture book that kids really love; one great picture book but for young adults and older readers who do not need parental supervision to read hidden (literally) swear words and a bit of sexual innuendos.

Aside from the book being so aesthetically pleasing, the story is hugely entertaining as well. It was fast-paced and I really had fun reading it. It's hard to put the book down because the story is surprisingly engaging. There were a lot of things happening in the book, and you can't even begin to imagine how they will overcome their problems; how they will escape the enemy; how the lives of thousands of civilians will be saved. The story of the deadly virus spreading among the population, Lincoln about to blow up Alexander and company, plus Kady and Ezra's falling out and falling back together - it was good and startlingly impressive.

The characters were so lovable as well. Kady and Ezra were fantastic. I love how bad-ass Kady is, with her spunky personality, pink hair, witty and sarcastic remarks, and to top it off, she's an amazing computer hacker. Ezra's character is also so fun to read. He has this weird sense of humor and you feel like he's a good kid. I like how so "teenage boyish" he is when he is conversing with his friend, Jimmy. I also like how he interacts with Kady - their conversations, the awkward stages of their relationship... I just ship these two so much, and I love reading their 7-minute chats.

But the book is not just merely entertaining with rainbows and butterflies, and cute teenage flirtations amidst the impending catastrophe. It was action-packed, with some morbid and bloody deaths. There were even parts of the book where I was sort of at the edge of my seat, and I felt like I was watching an episode of The Walking Dead even though I don't really watch the show. There were parts that made me sad and broke my heart into pieces. I greatly admire how Illuminae was able to meet the balance of action, drama, humor and romance.

One of the only issues I had with the book is probably keeping track of some of the character's names, the acronyms, the space and battle terms. There are so many that it becomes overwhelming at times. I don't have some kind of uberbrain that can process that load of information. My brain isn't wired for sci-fi, I guess. But despite my limitations, I still really enjoyed reading Illuminae,

There's another thing that irked me, but I can't discuss it without giving out spoilers.

*SPOILER*
Do not read!
Skip to the end if you haven't read the book
You have been warned.

Aidan is creepy. I feel like he has this weird feelings for Kady that I really find disturbing. Ugh! It makes me shudder sometimes when it talks about Kady in stalker-y way. And I hate how Aidan told Kady that Ezra was dead. Although it was a necessary course of action in order for Kady to save everyone, I hate it. Some small part of me actually believed he was dead, and my heart broke for Kady. I felt her pain, her loss, her loneliness. It was just sad. And Aidan is really annoying. But my annoyance defused a little in the end.

Okay, rant over.
*END of SPOILER*

To sum up, Illuminae is an amazing read. Although I haven't read a lot of sci-fi to actually validate the awesomeness level of the book, I think it's still amazing.

Stacking The Shelves (12): March 2016

2016-04-02T21:00:00.000+08:00

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This March, I feel like I have purchased quite a number of books, even though I know it's not a lot compared to some people's monthly book hauls. It has been a long time since I bought more than two books in one month. The cause of this impulsive book buying is the extremely low price of some great hardback titles in the bookstore. Honestly, I only wanted to get Lady Midnight because that was the only book I really saved up for. But the other books were so tempting, and when I looked at the prices, I know I just had to grab them and go (after paying, of course).

Now, my March haul...

This is from Netgalley:

LOVE ME NEVER (Lovely Vicious #1) by Sara Wolf

***

These are the books that I purchased:

LADY MIDNIGHT (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare
LOST IN TIME (Blue Bloods #6) by Melissa dela Cruz
THE ART OF WISHING (The Art of Wishing #1) by Lindsay Ribar
CODE NAME VERITY (Code Name Verity #1) by Elizabeth Wein
SOMETHING REAL (Something Real #1) by Heather Demetrios
INVISIBILITY by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

All of these are bargain books except for Lady Midnight, which I bought at its regular retail price. The cost of the hardbacks were approximately 80% less than its original price, while the paperback was around 60% off. Now, who would want to pass up the opportunity to buy extremely cheap books? Good thing I had some extra money with me.

These hardbacks were bought at the same bookstore where I bought Lady Midnight. Lost in Time was from a store that sells preloved books. Hurray for bargain and preloved books! I honestly don't know how I could live without you. :)

So, what do you think? See anything you like? You can leave your STS links below and share the books you got this week. Thanks for dropping by!

For a more updated book haul and some bookish posts, check out my Instagram account:

@helloteepee. Thanks!

Waiting On Wednesday Updates

2016-03-30T23:55:00.000+08:00

Hello beautiful people of the blogoshpere! Today is Wednesday, but as you can see, this is not a "Waiting On Wednesday" post. If you care to look at the post before this, it was my WoW post last week. Meaning, I haven't been able to put in some substantial blog content for the past seven days, and I aplogize for that. I don't want to be that kind of blogger who just posts memes or scripted weekly features, so I'd rather not post at all. Sorry for the weeks worth of inactivity. I have been distracted quite a lot, and I was really not in the mood to read lately, so my planned book reviews and posts did not materialize immediately.

Now, I am posting to give you a short update on the things I have been up to these past few days, the stuff that kept me busy and the distracted me from drafting blog posts, and the like...

READING UPDATE

I haven't done a lot of reading lately because I'm in some sort of reading slump. I pick up a book, read a few pages, and then put it down again and do something else.

Right now, I'm trying to finish two books: Clockwork Prince, which I already read a few years ago; and Siege and Storm. It's taking me quite some time to get through Siege and Storm. I started this around mid-March, and until now, I'm still not done.

I just finished Illuminae last night, and it was a great read. Hopefully, the review will be up soon.

12:20AM update: Just finished reading #Illuminae, and... *speechless* pic.twitter.com/iXJ4HN1weg

— reading brown matter (@callmeteepee) March 29, 2016

TV SERIES UPDATE

Sad to say, I am not up to date with the latest episodes of the television series I am watching these days, save for one or two. I have been neglecting most of them. Even though I don't want to, I just don't feel like watching them right now. The series (or Korean drama, rather) that I am actually watching and waiting for each week is Descendants of the Sun, and Page Turner.

OTHER UPDATES

If you have read one of my previous posts about an online book community app, you probably know that I am kinda obsessed with it. I'm on it most of the time, just talking to people, commenting on reviews, recommending books and the like. It's called Books Amino. I am also on Swifties Amino and on K-Drama Amino. These three apps are the cause of my distracted state these days.

There is also another app that I am loving right now. It is called Legend, and it animates texts, like the one I did at the top of the post. It's so simple to use, and the designs and animations are great. You can save them either as GIFs or videoclips which can be used in blog posts or videos.

WOW (6): The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

2016-03-23T15:00:00.000+08:00

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week, I am going to feature a book that a lot of people are waiting for. It's one the many books that are highly anticipated this year - the conclusion to The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.

The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy #3)

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Expected Publication: March 29, 2016

Goodreads:

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

I am really excited to read what happens to Kestrel, to Arin, and to every one actually. The Winner's Curse (the first book) surprised me when I read it last year. I thought it would be some kind of sappy love story cloaked by adding some fantasy elements into the plot. But it was not. I actually enjoyed reading about warfare and the economy, fighting and taking over lands, and vying for superiority and power, and whatnot. I also kind of liked Kestrel and Arin, although I couldn't care less if they end up together or not. I just want to see more of Kestrel being badass and showing her mad battle tactics skills or something like that. I hope The Winner's Kiss does not disappoint readers. *fingers crossed*

What are the books you're "waiting on" this week? Leave your links in the comments below.

And thanks for dropping by! :)

BOOKS AMINO Ruined My Day (Sort Of)

2016-03-23T13:00:00.000+08:00

This post was initially called BOOKS AMINO (Kinda) Ruined My Life. But I changed it, and opted for a milder title because there people who only look at titles, and they might get too worried and condemn Books Amino without reading the whole content of the blog post. And NO, my life is not actually ruined. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern. But although I am somehow exaggerating with that blog post title, I can tell you there's a hint of truth to that.

Before anything else, let me introduce you to Books Amino.

Books Amino is a free iOS/Android application that lets bookworms and book lovers from all over the world interact. It's like a social media app for book lovers that lets them post and share pictures and blog posts, vote on polls, ask questions and let other people answer, and the like. It's a book community - a bit like Goodreads or BookLikes in a sense, where you will find a lot of bookish people posting what they are currently reading, their book reviews and joining book discussions. But unlike Goodreads, I think Books Amino is geared towards user interaction more than actually reviewing and managing the books you have read (or to read).

Now, let me tell you how it kinda ruined day (Yes, I'm exaggerating.)

I had it all planned out - I was going to finish the book I was reading yesterday, write a review afterwards, prepare drafts for some possible future blog post, and if I still had some time, start reading another book. But a moment of weakness sent all these plans crashing down when I opened the Play Store app and searched for Books Amino. I don't even know why I downloaded the app in the first place. I just saw that one of the people I follow on Instagram shared that she has an account. So, at around 9 or 10 in the morning, I signed up and made an account, but I did not even follow her. I just started playing around the app, commenting on posts, chatting up with other members, voting on polls, and the next thing I knew, it was already midnight. I did not accomplish anything from my to-do list, and I know I was doomed.

Despite that terribly unproductive day, I still enjoyed being on Books Amino. It's fun talking to fellow bookworms. Some of them have book blogs, some are booktubers and bookstagrammers, and some are just avid readers asking for book recommendations, or looking for tips on how to stop themselves from excessive book buying. I actually enjoyed commenting and liking people's posts, and voting on polls. I know I can do that on twitter as well, or just jump from one blog to another. But it's easier to access the posts of the users in the app, thus making it more convenient for people to interact. It's like a downsized version of the book blogging community.

With all that said, I think you should give it try. Download the app, create an account, interact with users, find me (helloteepee), chat me up, or do whatever. If you don't like it, it's easy to uninstall and never look back. That's what I did to Snapchat. I can't figure it out, so I deleted it.

I'm new in the the Books Amino community, so I can't exactly tell you the ins and outs of the app right now. I'm still trying to figure it out myself. But so far, it hasn't been that hard to use. And if ever you find yourself not knowing what to do, there's always the "Tutorial" on the sidebar.

There are also other separate Amino apps you can download for free, like PLL Amino for fans of Pretty Little Liars, Doctor Who Amino, Supernatural Amino, Swifties Amino or K-Drama Amino and a lot more. Just a fair warning: I have read lots of accounts saying how addictive this app is. So beware!

Here are some of the Amino apps I have on my phone right now. My Books Amino account is the one I use often, but sometimes I jump to the K-Drama app. I haven't explored the Swifties app yet.

Disclaimer: This post does not really intend to promote the app, although I kinda advertised it to all of you already. But my main purpose of blogging about the app is to tell you why I haven't been reading, why I haven't posted a review when I should have, and why I was kind of MIA on Twitter or Instagram. I have been distracted, that's all. Thank you!

COVER CRAZY: A Few Weeks Worth of Book Covers Revealed + Some Bookish Updates

2016-03-19T21:00:00.000+08:00

For the past few weeks, a lot of authors and publishers (through bloggers and other websites) have been revealing some teasers and covers for some of the most anticipated books to be published and released this 2016. And every time a cover reveal pops up somewhere on the internet, I immediately want to blog about it. But then comes another one, and another, until I don't know how to manage the supposed cover reveal blog post anymore.

Now, I decided to just put it all out there in one blog post. So, for the past weeks (or months), these are the book cover reveal, bookish news and updates that I have come across on social media sites.

COVER REVEAL

A Court of Mist and Fury

(A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)

by Sarah J. Maas

Here's a face off bewteen the US and the UK/ANZ covers.

They are almost the same except for that background detail.

[source]

Nevernight

(The Nevernight Chronicle #1)

by Jay Kristoff

[source]

Lock & Mori: Mind Games

(Lock & Mori #2)

by Heather W. Petty

[source]

Frost Like Night

(Snow Like Ashes #3)

by Sarah Raasch

[source]

A Million Worlds With You

(Firebird #3)

by Claudia Gray

[source]

Replica

(Replica #1)

by Lauren Oliver

Here is the actual back to back cover of the book,

[source]

Crooked Kingdom

(Six of Crows #2)

by Leigh Bardugo

[source]

United

(Alienated #3)

by Melissa Landers

[source]

Ghostly Echoes

(Jackaby #3)

by William Ritter

[source]

Gemina

(The Illuminae Files #2)

by Jay Kristoff and Aimee Kaufman

[source]

It Ends With Us

by Colleen Hoover

[source]

The Fate of the Tearling

(The Queen of Tearling #3)

by Erika Johansen

[source]

Swear On This Life

by Renee Carlino

[source]

RoseBlood

by A.G. Howard

[source]

***

OTHER BOOK NEWS AND UPDATES

ALLY CARTER

This coming April 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Ally Carter's I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, the first book in the super awesome Gallagher Girls Series. Because of that, Disney-Hyperion will re-issue the entire series with all new covers and all new, never-before-seen epilogues for all six books! [source]

If you must know, I love the Gallagher Girls series. There are a few blog posts here dedicated to this series including the one where I swooned over how gorgeous both the US and the UK covers of the books are (here), the I reviewed (sort of) the fifth book (here), and the time I featured it for a reading challenge (here). And I am so excited when it was announced that there are going to be new covers and epilogues will be added. Without further ado, here are the new covers:

MARIE LU

Marie Lu is writing a new book! A duology, actually. The title of the first book is WARCROSS which is set to come out in 2017. It is about two teenage bounty hunters who are hired by a young billionaire to catch a hacker in the world’s most phenomenally popular virtual reality video game. [source]

Wow! I cannot wait for this new Marie Lu book. I love all her books, so far. And hopefully, I'll enjoy and love Warcross as well.

SARAH J. MAAS

Sarah J. Maas has revealed the title of the fifth Throne of Glass book -- EMPIRE OF STORMS. [source]

That's it, I guess. That's all the bookish updates I have gathered for the past couple of weeks.

What do you think of the covers? Are you excited for any of those books shown above?

WOW (5): Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

2016-03-16T18:00:00.000+08:00

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week, I am "waiting on" Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry, which is the second book of the Thunder Road series. I have been wanting to read this book since I finished reading Nowhere But Here last year. After finishing the first book, I immediately wanted more. Since the second book is not out yet, I kind of binge read Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series instead (which is also a great series).

Walk the Edge (Thunder Road #2)

Author: Katie McGarry

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Expected Publication: March 29, 2016

Goodreads:

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds.

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

Good girl meets bad boy. Both of them help each other in some way, and eventually, the good girl and the bad boy develop feelings for each other. And they lived happily ever after? Sounds kind of cliche, but I'm sure Katie McGarry will make it stand out and give readers an unforgettable and worthwhile story.

What are the books you're "waiting on" this week? Leave your links in the comments below.

And thanks for dropping by! :)

#StayPeculiar: MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (Movie Update + The Hand-Me-Down Story)

2016-03-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

Weird introductory question:

When you and your boyfriend/girlfriend break up, do you keep the things he/gave to you?

The reason I am asking this is because it's how I happen to have acquired a copy of Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. And every time I hear or see Miss Peregrine, I always remember the story of how got my hands on the book. If you want to skip the story, it's okay. You can just scroll down below and jump right on to the movie update.

It all began with my friend's love life...

I have a friend, and she had a rich boyfriend back in 2012 who buys her anything. I swear! Anything! The boyfriend bought her books (from The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks to Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's, and a few more) bags, stuffed animals etc... When they broke up, she wanted to get rid of all the gifts he gave to her. Guess what she did? She gave away all the stuff the ex-boyfriend gave to her. And being the fabulous friend who loves to read, she handed most of the books down to me, including Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Our other friends got the stuffed animals and all the other non-book stuff.

Almost four years later, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children remains unread. I have been wanting to read it, but I guess the creepy pictures in the book freaked me out a bit. I started reading it a few years back, but I set it aside and never really got back to it until now. Yes, I will find time to read the book before the movie comes out.

In case you have know idea what this book is about, or you haven't seen it out and about, here:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Number of Pages: 352

Date Published: June 7, 2011

Publisher: Quirk

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

MOVIE UPDATE:

The big screen adaptation of Ransom Riggs' best selling book stars Eva Green (as Miss Peregrine), Asa Butterfield (as Jacob Portman), and Samuel L. Jackson (as Barron), and it is directed by the one and only, Tim Burton. The official movie poster and the official trailer has already been released, and the movie will premiere on September 30, 2016.

Even though I haven't read it yet, I am still extremely excited to watch this movie mainly because of Asa Butterfield and Tim Burton. But mostly, Asa. In case you did not know, he also stars in some other popular movies like Ender's Game (with Hailee Stiendfeld), Hugo (with Chloe Moretz), Nanny McPhee Returns, and The Boy in Striped Pajamas.

The Movie Poster

The Movie Trailer

What do you think of the poster and the trailer? Have you read the book(s)? Are you excited for the movie?

BOOK BLURB: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

2016-03-14T19:00:00.000+08:00

SHADOW AND BONE (The Grisha #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Number of Pages: 358

Date Published: June 5, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

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.

***

My Thoughts:

The Grisha trilogy is one of those books that has developed a large fan base since its release. It's a high fantasy young adult series set in an alternate Russian universe, centered around Alina Starkov, an orphan girl who did not know she was a Grisha (or a human with some sort superpowers) until a near death experience almost took her and her best friend's life. Sounds interesting? Yes, it does. And the fact that a lot of readers loved it made me want to read the books even more.

When I started the book, I did not get into it right away. I'm not even sure why. But to be honest, I almost marked it as DNF because I did not really like the way it started. Alina Starkov, the main character was not someone you easily get attracted or drawn to, personality-wise. I also did not find any other character pleasing or interesting enough who will fly me through the pages of the book. Thus, making it a little hard for me to continue the story. Add to that the disastrous reading slump I'm currently overcoming. But I grew patient, took it slow, and convinced myself that I will finish the book even if I only read a chapter or two a day. And about halfway through the book, thankfully, it got a little bit better.

Before all the problems with the characters or the story, there's a always one huge obstacle readers face whenever starting a high fantasy series - familiarizing yourself with the places, the map and the foreign or new terms used in the book (or at least that's how I usually feel). In Shadow and Bone's case, I had a little difficulty getting used to the Russian terms, mainly because I find it hard to pronounce some of them in my head. Getting to know the country of Ravka is a little bit easier because of the map. After a while though, you'll get past all that and finally have a hundred percent focus on the characters and the story.

The story itself is interesting, and it makes you ask questions that will tempt you to read on and find out the answers. But it was not captivating enough for me to have read it overnight or 2 days at most. It was actually good, and the pacing was just right. But it did not "wow" me. It did not blew me away. It was fine, but not as fascinating as I expected it to be. I had high expectations, and I was kind of disappointed.

One of the main reasons that I blame for me not ultimately being engrossed by Shadow and Bone is the characters. In the story, we meet out three main characters: Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, and the Darkling; and some of the minority like Genya, Ivan, the Apparat, Baghra, Zoya etc... The problem I had with the secondary characters is that I did not get to know them well enough to actually care if they are alive or not. The main characters, on the other hand, are just not very likeable in my opinion. Alina was a little boring and flat. I think her extreme desire to be accepted and to belong, plus her feelings for her best friend, overshadowed her personality. It was annoying how she behaves sometimes. Mal's character is overrated. Or maybe I just did not get to know his personality like Alina does to really see the swoon-worthy side of him. And the Darkling. He is mysterious, exudes danger, power and darkness. He's just as expected to be.

I honestly don't know how I would rate Shadow and Bone. I liked it, and I'm sure I'll read the next books. But I did like it enough to immediately jump to the next. It was good and interesting, and I am curious as to what happens next, yet I am a little hesitant. But all in all, I think, in one way or another, I still enjoyed reading Shadow and Bone. I hope the second book is better.

WOW (4): It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

2016-03-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

A few days ago, Colleen Hoover revealed the cover of her upcoming book, It Ends With Us. Honestly, I totally forgot that she will be releasing a new book this year. This has been on my TBR since I don't know when, and I am super excited for another CoHo book, but with all the wonderful releases this year, you just can't keep track of everything all the time.

It Ends With Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Expected Publication: August 2, 2016

Goodreads:

Lily hasn’t always had it easy but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston and started her own business so when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon name Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

Thoughts about the plot? It feels different from all the other CoHo books I've read. I don't know how to explain it. But it does. Maybe its that "all too human characters" description on the last paragraph of the blurb, or it's the story itself. It's normal. No aspiring musicians, no confession paintings, no November 9 meet ups etc.. My mini review of Ugly Love might help explain it better. Nonetheless, I'm still excited to read It Ends With Us.

Here's a short teaser from Colleen's Instagram:

#Spoilers #NotReally #FalseAlarm Last teaser until like July. Lily meets the parents. #ItEndsWithUs #OhDearGod

A photo posted by Colleen Hoover (@colleenhoover) on Mar 7, 2016 at 10:55pm PST

What are the books you're "waiting on" this week? Leave your links in the comments below.

And thanks for dropping by! :)

BOOK BLURB: Adulthood is a Myth, A Sarah's Scribbles Collection

2016-03-08T21:00:00.000+08:00

Adulthood is a Myth: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection

Author: Sarah Andersen

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Number of Pages: 112

Expected Publication: March 8, 2016
Genre: Comics / Graphic Novel

Goodreads:

Are you a special snowflake? Do you love networking to advance your career? Have you never wasted a fresh new day surfing the internet? Ugh. This book is not for you. Please go away.

Sarah's Scribbles — casually drawn, perfectly on-point comics by young Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Andersen — confront head-on the horrors, anxiety, and awkwardness of modern adult life. From the agony of holding hands with a gorgeous guy to the yawning pit of hell that is the wifi gone down to the eye-watering pain of eating too-hot pizza because one cannot stand to wait for it to cool down, Sarah fearlessly documents it all.

Like the work of fellow Millennial authors Allie Brosh, Grace Helbig, and Gemma Correll, Sarah's total frankness on extremely personal issues such as body image, self-consciousness, introversion, relationships, and bra-washing makes her comics highly relatable and consistently hilarious.

***

My Thoughts:

Before any thing else, have you seen this scribbles? This is what made me want to grab this book and devour its greatness. Thankfully, Netgalley has the book available to read before it was released to the whole world.

pic.twitter.com/d68hQmXIGW
— Sarah Andersen (@SarahCAndersen) February 3, 2016

pic.twitter.com/GEvZSvCmlu
— Sarah Andersen (@SarahCAndersen) December 23, 2015

Girls are amazing. pic.twitter.com/8fAZCXr5Br
— Sarah Andersen (@SarahCAndersen) January 23, 2016

Adulthood is a Myth is basically a collection of spot on scribbles of awkward yet true-to-life situations that most of us (if not all) experienced once or twice (or many times) in our life. It is a very entertaining book, and will have you leafing through the pages in one sitting. Once you reach the last page, you'll be wanting and begging for more, because it's that fun!

As I was reading and looking through the cute and quirky drawings of Sarah Andersen, I can't help but smile at some of the frames that I really felt was "so me". I am probably not the only one, because I've read quite a number of reviews saying that this book describes their life so well, that Sarah Andersen is their spirit animal, or something like that.

So, if you want something to refresh your mind for a bit, or you need a little break from all the complicated drama, the never ending conflicts or the extremely out of this world plots of fiction books, or you simply want yourself entertained, grab Adulthood is a Myth now! It's out now!

BOOK BLURB: Eve & Adam (Eve & Adam #1)

2016-03-07T23:45:00.000+08:00

EVE & ADAM

Author: Michael Grant; Katherine Applegate

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Number of Pages: 291

Date Published: October 2, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Goodreads:

And girl created boy…
In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

***

My Thoughts:

Evening "Eve" Spiker broke her leg due to an accident, and was transferred to an elite facility, Spiker Biopharm, owned by her mother to be treated better. While waiting for her leg to fully heal and to appease her boredom, she was granted access to one of programs that lets you create you very own human simulation. Add into the mix a dysfunctional best friend, a vengeful young employee who is a possible love interest and some mentally unbalanced scientists and doctors set out to make money out of illegal means, you get THIS BOOK.

The book was not bad. It was interesting enough for me to finish reading up to the last page, and there were mildly entertaining parts. It was fast-paced so you do not have to worry about parts being dragged on way longer than they intended to be. But I honestly thought the story would have a great twist that could boggle readers. It didn't. It simply laid everything out there. Although there were still some secrets that needed revealing and some past that needed to be dug up, it did not have the "wow" factor at the end.

The characters were also a little difficult to connect with. Some of them were funny and likable, some were not. But the thing was, the book did not tell enough story or background about who they were and their relationships for readers to be attached and actually root for them. This lead to questions like: Why was Eve named Evening? Is Solo's real name Solo? And Why Solo? How did Aislin and Eve's friendship over the years developed? - something like that. It lacked character substance.

Science is a great part of the book. The whole genetics thing was something I actually liked. However, I found the story not very convincing and there were some parts that I can't seem to fully understand why it was supposed to happen, like Adam (and he was supposed to be a main part of the story being in the title and all). In my opinion, even if you remove the Adam part, the story will still go on. Also, the way it was written was not extraordinary to make it stand out.

Despite all that, I still enjoyed reading the book, especially the last few chapters. I was breezing through the running and fight parts. I didn't even notice I was at the last page already.

I do not know if there will be a second book. As listed in Goodreads, this is Eve & Adam #1. But there is no official statement if a second book is on the way. The ending of the first book does not hint a second book.

WOW (3): Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

2016-03-02T23:00:00.000+08:00

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week's WOW book is... Lady Midnight. I have seen this book being featured on a lot of blogs lately, and I am so jealous of the people who received their ARCs weeks (even months) before the release of the book. I know. I know. It's been receiving a lot of hype, and it's likely that a lot of people will not read Cassandra Clare's new book because they think she's just milking out her Shadowhunters stories for cash. But to be honest, I don't really care if it's for money or whatever. As long as it's a good book, I'll read it. And I saw Alexandra from Goodreads post a review that fueled my excitement for the release of Lady Midnight.

"Saying LADY MIDNIGHT is an emotional roller coaster ride is an understatement. I'm shell-shocked by Cassandra Clare's improvement in writing, world building, character development, EVERYTHING."

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Expected Publication: March 8, 2016

Goodreads:

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

What are the books you're "waiting on" this week? Leave your links in the comments below.

And thanks for dropping by! :)

Blog Tour: HOLDING COURT Review + Giveaway

2016-03-01T21:00:00.000+08:00

HOLDING COURT

Author: K.C. Held

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Number of Pages: 352

Release Date: March. 1, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty--and completely unavailable--Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"--spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

***

My Thoughts:

Holding Court is an honest-to-goodness fun, entertaining and very interesting read. I don't know how it managed to feel light and easy while being mysterious and a little creepy altogether. But that's what it is - an odd mix of surprisingly delightful comedy wrapped around the mystery of a disappearing dead body. Although the story had a few mildly negative quirks, all in all, it still delivered pretty well.

It took me quite some time to finish reading the book, but I must say that it was definitely fast-paced. There were a lot of elements that kept me gripped into reading the story. Not only did I want to know who the dead person is, how he/she died, why and who did it, I also enjoyed reading about Jules, and her sudden random outbursts. That is also one of the things I really liked about the book. Aside from solving the missing dead body problem, something to look forward to is Jules' weird prophecies, because it will make you anticipate the coming scenes or situations when that prediction finally happens.

But to be honest, it's a little hard to keep track of Jules' random outbursts because they are so random, and they don't make sense at the time she actually blurt them out. By the time the prediction comes true, I'd be asking myself, "When did she say this?" And I'll go back and try to find that scene just to make sense of it all. So, just a little heads up. You might want to take note of Jules' sudden blurts. It might help you figure things out later while you read, especially when you have a crappy memory like me. I also had an issue with how people responded to Jules' psychic abilities. It's like they just easily and openly accepted that she can predict something in the future; that she is a psychic.

As I've mentioned, Jules is a pleasant character to read. She's full of quirkiness, and adorable weirdness, and sass. I also like how she sometimes verbally vomits words. She's entertaining and charming in some odd way. What I can't fully make sense of is her intense crush on Grayson Chandler (I will get to him later). Cami, the loyal and equally loud best friend, and Jules' Grandma, the aura-seeing matchmaker, were also as fun to read as the main character herself. When all of them are in the same room (or the scene, rather), it just explodes withe colorful conversation, light teasing and banter. And although Jules' mom was hardly ever in the picture, it's good to know that there's a great mother-daughter relationship.

“Good, because if you get yourself killed I’m going to eviscerate you, too.”
“That doesn’t really make sense, Mom.”
“Good-bye, Jules. I love you very much.”
“Love you, too.”

Now, onto Grayson Chandler! Drum roll please...

Truthfully, I really don't get Jules' feelings for Grayson. Yes, he is handsome, has nice abs, looks good in tights, and all that. But I was never really hooked by his character. It would have been better if Jules was able to justify her feelings well for Grayson, with substance, and not just form. I would have liked it better if Grayson did something unforgettably nice to Jules, or something remarkable that affected Jules for life, or if he had this amazing personality. But hey, who am I to judge? It's Jules' feelings, not mine.

For the other characters, Angelique was the one who I thought had the most potential to be well-loved. But it felt like she was just cut off at the end, Regardless, I still had fun walking around the castle with her and Jules, and learning how to fake being a psychic. That was actually pretty neat.

I also liked the Sherlock and Taylor Swift reference, being a fan of both myself, like this:

“I thought I’d put on a deerstalker cap and an Inverness cape and walk around with a pipe in my mouth.”

“That ought to be effective.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘elementary,’ my dear Watson.”

or this:

“Okay, now you’re making me nervous. What are you doing?”

Oh, you know, dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you’re looking for has been here the whole time. Except that aside from the cheer captain part, the girl in that song is nothing like Bree. “Just hanging out on the bleachers,” I mumble.

But sadly, I did not get the Princess Bride references because I haven't seen it yet. Maybe if I had, I would have enjoyed it more.

The big reveal of who the killer was and the motive did not "wow" me. I was waiting for it to be something huge or scandalous and whatnot, but I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I expected too much. But nonetheless, the uncovering of the mystery was still something to look forward to.

There was one big revelation by the end of the book that seriously surprised me. I was really not expecting that. I had a little suspicion, but what I thought was a bit far from what happened. When I read that part, I was literally gaping and I reread those few paragraphs a few times just to make sure I read correctly. That was just jaw-dropping because I did not see that coming.

To sum up, Holding Court is a delightful read. If you want something funny and light but somewhat mysterious, this is your book. With lovable characters, an interesting plot, some comical dialogues, and a dash of medieval setup, Holding Court might be your next funny and unconventional read.

About the Author:

K.C. Held

K.C. HELD was born and raised in California with stopovers in Honduras, Mexico, and France. Married to her high school sweetheart, and mom to two avid bookworms, she holds an MFA in costume design and is an accomplished seamstress with a background in opera, theater, film, and television. Although she once spent a summer working in a castle, there were no dead bodies involved.

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GIVEAWAY

(Ends March 18, 2016)

One (1) winner will receive Holding Court swag pack containing a magnetic prophecy kit, signed bookplate, coloring postcard with stacked coloring pencil, and a bookmark.

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Stacking The Shelves (11): February 2016

2016-02-27T23:00:00.000+08:00

*******

Hello beautiful people of the blogoverse! This is my first Stacking the Shelves post this year. To be honest, I have not purchased any books since the year began because I have no money to spend on impulsive book shopping extravaganza. I am saving the little cash I have with me for something big. Hopefully, I'll be able to share that soon.

So, let's get on with it. Here is my February book haul...

These two books were free on Amazon when I got them.

Being Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #1)by Kelly Oram

Shattered Promises (Shattered Promises #1) by Jessica Sorensen

These books are from Netgalley.

Adulthood is a Myth: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection by Sarah Andersen

Holding Court by K.C. Held

And these are the prizes I won from two separate giveaways.

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

I really wanted to own a copy of Illuminae because I saw how amazing the inside of the book was. And finally, I have it. Thank you to Tressa of Wishful Endings for the giveaway. Here's a glimpse inside Illuminae, in case you haven't seen it yet.

I also won a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Giving Journal from Ate Camelle of Home of a Book Lover. Thank you! It's a fancy planner (with coupons and neat things inside) that you get from collecting stamps from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

Here's a glimpse inside The Giving Journal

So, what do you think? See anything you like? You can leave your STS links below and share the books you got this week. Thanks for dropping by!

For a more updated book haul and some bookish posts, check out my Instagram account:

@helloteepee. Thanks!

LOVE BOOK #06: Ugly Love

2016-02-27T22:00:00.000+08:00

The sixth, and probably the last, Love Book for the February Reading Challenge is Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. Last I heard, this book is actually going to be a movie soon, and they are already filming. So if you want to know more about it, or if you're planning to read it before the movie comes out, read on!

UGLY LOVE
Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Number of Pages: 337

Date Published: August 5, 2014

Genre: New Adult Romance

Goodreads:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

***

My Thoughts:

I have read most of Colleen Hoover's published works, and I am always looking forward to what her next book is going to be. She's one of the few New Adult authors who is on my "auto-read" list. There's just something in her stories that catches my interest and gets me hooked. And all of her books can easily be distinguished from one another because each one has a unique element in the story.

As someone who has read most of her books, I would say that Ugly Love is not my favorite. Don't take it the wrong way. It's not bad, but it's just not the best in the bunch (in my opinion). It was a good book. It was entertaining and fun, sometimes steamy and hot (not suitable for very young readers), it was also devastating and heartbreaking, and Tate and Miles were a great couple. And just so you know, I am really drawn to books with the "best friend's brother" or "brother's best friend" plot, and Ugly Love falls into that category (and I really enjoyed that). But when you compare it to Colleen's other books, I'd prefer the others. Maybe because Ugly Love doesn't have that "something special" added to it. Like in Maybe Someday, there's music and songwriting; in Slammed, there's slam poetry and the forbidden student-teacher relationship; in Confess, we have this painter who brings people's confessions into life through his paintings; in November 9, srangers who had this insane connection agreed to meet only every November 9th of the year; or in Never Never (which was co-written with Tarryn Fisher), there's the mystery surrounding the two characters who just suddenly, lose their memories. This is the unique element I was talking about earlier. And sadly, I was not able to find it in Ugly Love.

Nonetheless, Ugly Love was still a great and enjoyable read, even though there was a part in the book that will break your heart and make you cry. You'll also swoon over the hot guys in this book. And just a fair warning, there's some seriously hot and steamy, probably dangerous, stuff here (I already mentioned that above). That's just what Colleen Hoover does. She'll give you hot guys and amazing girls, she'll make you cry buckets of tears, but in the end, it's always satisfying.

By the way, did you know Nick Bateman will play Miles Archer, the male lead in the movie? Yep, this dude right here.

And to entice you even more, just watch this movie teaser:

As of today, I don't know any new updates on the movie. Sorry!

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is the author of ten New York Times bestselling novels. She self-published her first novel, SLAMMED, in 2012. Five months later it debuted on The New York Times. Colleen has since signed with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Herlatest novel, November 9, was released in November, 2015.

Ugly Love, a novel she released in August, 2014, is currently in pre-production with Hackybox Pictures and is slated to release in 2016.

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COVER CRAZY: LOVELY VICIOUS Series by Sara Wolf Cover Reveal by Entangled Teen

2016-02-25T01:00:00.000+08:00

Cover Reveal:

Lovely Vicious Series by Sara Wolf

presented by Entangled Teen

YA Contemporary Romance / Dark Comedy? YES PLEASE!

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for the

Lovely Vicious Series by Sara Wolf

presented by Entanged Teen!

Can you say binge read series!

Love Me Never (Lovely Vicious, #1)

Author: Sara Wolf
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release Date: Apr. 5, 2016

Jack’s met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.

The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.

The game board: East Summit High.

The reward: Something neither of them expected.

Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments...

Pre-order:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo |

Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Spread the word and share the widget!

Forget Me Always (Lovely Vicious, #2)

Previously published as Savage Delight, this fully revised and updated edition is full of hilarity, drama, and heartbreak. Forget Me Always coming November 1, 2016, but stay tuned for reveals of the synopsis and exclusive excerpts!

Pre-order:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks |

Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Remember Me Forever (Lovely Vicious, #3)

Previously published as Brutal Precious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of emotion, healing, and love. Remember Me Forever coming May 2, 2017, but stay tuned for reveals of the synopsis and exclusive excerpts!

[About the Author]

SARA WOLF

Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as the Lovely Vicious series. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.

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WOW (2): Adulthood is a Myth, A Sarah's Scribbles Collection by Sarah Andersen

2016-02-24T08:00:00.000+08:00

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week, I am so pleased to share a book that I have been wanting to read since the moment I knew there was book about it. It is a collection of short sketches or scribbles (comic-style) by Sarah Andersen about the true to life accounts of awkward situations we often get ourselves stuck in.

Adulthood is a Myth: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection

Author: Sarah Andersen

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Expected Publication: March 8, 2016

Goodreads:

Are you a special snowflake? Do you love networking to advance your career? Have you never wasted a fresh new day surfing the internet? Ugh. This book is not for you. Please go away.

To give you a taste of what's inside this quirky book, here's a tweet from the author/artist herself. You've probably seen this circling social media websites by now.

pic.twitter.com/d68hQmXIGW
— Sarah Andersen (@SarahCAndersen) February 3, 2016

What do you think? Have you heard or seen this book around?
What is your WoW book this week? Share your WoW post on the comments below.

LOVE BOOK #05: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

2016-02-23T23:00:00.000+08:00

The Love Book to be featured today is the first book of one of my favorite series of ever by one of my favorite authors of all time.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

(Gallagher Girls #1)

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Number of Pages: 284

Date Published: April 25, 2006

Genre: Young Adult Contemporay

Goodreads:

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

***

My Thoughts:

I read this book in 2010... back when I was a teeny bopper, super fangirl, easy-to-please girly girl myself. The plot, the cute cover, and the catchy title (I am a sucker for long catchy titles e.g. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Catastrophic History of Me and You) sold the book to me. And I really enjoyed it.

I must admit, this book is not the as perfect as I sell it out to be, and it may not be for everybody. But the series, as a whole, is just so daaaaamn amazing. With lovable characters, sassy covert operations you wish you were in on (or not), bad guys who are not afraid to hurt young girls, and an ancient boarding school with a colorful history and secrets of its own, you are sure to have one "helluva" school experience with this series.

The Gallagher Girls series is perfect for transitioning into the YA group from Middle Grade. It starts out cute, a little bit funny, and very suited for youngish readers. But as the story of Cammie and her friends gets told from book to book, and as the characters age, it becomes more serious and a bit more complex (even dangerous), less teeny-boppery and girly,.. it becomes more and more thrilling and worthwhile.

I don't really know how I can fully express my love for the Gallagher Girls books from start to end. When I started the first book, I wasn't really expecting anything big. I continued reading the next books and my love grew from there. Maybe it's because you see (or read) how the characters you've become attached to grow and change. And when the series ended, it was bittersweet. It's just like High School Musical when the gang graduated, but better and more heart-warming.

Aside from the great story, did I mention that the books have gorgeous covers and wonderful titles? I've blogged about it before. If you want to check it out, here's the link.

I have also reviewed the fifth book, Out of Sight, Out of Time. But fair warning, the review may contain a little spoiler (the names mentioned, the blurb etc...) Read at your own risk. Here's the link.

About the Author:

Ally Carter

Ally Carter writes books about spies, thieves, and teenagers. She is the New York Times Best-selling author of the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series. Her books have been published all over the world, in over twenty languages.

ALL FALL DOWN is the first book in her highly-anticipated new series, Embassy Row. Book 2, SEE HOW THEY RUN will be in stores Dec 22, 2015.

She encourages you to visit her online at allycarter.com and embassyrowbooks.com.

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