Showing posts with label jay kristoff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jay kristoff. Show all posts

Favorite Books I've Read This 2016

Tuesday, December 27, 2016



Before the year ends.... I'm presenting you..... My Favorite Books of 2016!!

This is my first ever "Favorite Books I've Read This [insert year]" type of post. *hooray* It's also the birth of my blog last December 20.... It's been 2 years and this is the first time I've ever made a post like this.... WHY?? WHY??? I don't know why, but I hope you enjoy this list and tell me if some of these books made it to your list, too. :P

I haven't read a lot of books this year because of school. So far, while writing this, I already read 17 books only and 7 of them are my absolute favorites! I have no reviews on some of the books listed below because it usually takes me 2-5 hours to finish one book review, meaning, during the times that I read those books, I've got no spare time in my hands to write a review on them (sadly).

[You can click the book titles to be redirected to my book review. Some of them does not have a book review, though]

by Rosamund Hodge

This is a modern retelling of the famous fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, which, by the way, is my absolute fave! So, yeah, I guess, it's no biggie of a question as to why Cruel Beauty is on the list, right? But being bias aside, this is a fantastic book and I loved it, but I wasn't in love with it. I have some slight issues with it which you can read, just click at the title.

Reasons why I loved it:
  • It's a dark and twisted fantasy, and Ignifex [Beast] is drool-worthy, and it's so hard to hate a beast like Ignifex.
  • The world is absolutely mind-blowing in some levels. It actually reminded me (kinda) of Howl's Moving Castle, because the castle is shaping itself. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind with the idea of the world but it's actually great and magical.
  • The plot-twist. I love a good plot-twist!
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

 Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

 With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

 But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.

 As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.


6 The Light Between Oceans
by M. L. Stedman



I haven't watched the film yet, as of this moment, and I gotta ask myself: WHY WHY WHY? Okay, I also don't know the answer to that but I am prolly gonna watch it after publishing this post, so yeah, I think I'm gonna buy tons of tissue for that one.


I can't ever fully grasp the moral and emotional tug the story had in my heart. I love the whole story building because it just sucked me right in and I know I want to know how the story will go. I am a sucker for emotional stories and a good cry always makes a book or a movie my favorite. 

This book made me feel all sorts of emotion, from happiness, to sadness, to just PURE sadness, and of course there was a point when I nearly want to throw the book because of frustration and anger and confusion. I was confused that I cannot decide what is right and wrong anymore. I was sad because of that so I left everything to the book. I told myself that I would accept whatever outcome the book will give me, and yes, I loved the conclusion of the book. Saved me from all the stress of thinking about what I wanted to happen.

This is kind of a slow read because the book captured everything up to the small details and I guess that made it more colorful and a great read.
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

 Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

 M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

 The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
5 Me Before You
by Jojo Moyes

I read the book because of the movie and I was not disappointed. Like The Light Between Oceans, this book made me question myself a lot. Would I want this life for Will, or was it wrong for Lou to try and stop Will from ending his life? I have a lot of questions and reservations while reading the book but eventually I learned a lot and I have accepted the ending of the book and I know that that ending was what made me love the book even more.

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.


4 It Ends With Us
by Colleen Hoover

27362503


I'm always doubtful of a CoHo book... I've read a few handful of her works before and I love her writing style because it captures her readers easily but I always have a problem with her plot. But as you can see, three CoHo made its way to my list, and the first one is It Ends With Us.

I so love the theme of this book because it tackles a delicate issue about men physically hurting women. This abusive cycle of men having the upper hand when it comes to strength is absolutely terrifying and it pains me that some women experience this in their relationship, so I am thanking Colleen Hoover for making a novel which can serve as the voice of these women and I hope that this book can make them feel that they are not alone in this world, and I also hope that they, too, can break the chain and be free from the monstrosity that is caging them from being happy and free.

I may not know the depths of what these women feel and this book showed me that there are circumstances that prevents them from leaving, but I hope that men will also find it in themselves to cherish their woman. If the man truly loves his woman, he will be brave enough to let her go when he knows that he has it in him to hurt someone he loves. Tying a woman to an abusive relationship is cowardice in itself, and it's not love.




SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST

 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 named 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, but Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

 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. It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

 This book contains graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.


by Colleen Hoover

Hi another CoHo book. This book is brilliant, you know? Have you read/watched One Day? One Day is one of my favorite films of all time and they were a bit similar in a sense that one day every year, they will meet each other and spend the whole day together. Another one that is quite similar is the Before Movie Trilogy [Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight] which is also my favorite. Despite being similar to two of my favorite films, November 9 is also unique in its own way and it will actually make you cry tons of tears. I really love this book that I would probably recommend it to everyone.


Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
2 Maybe Someday
by Colleen Hoover
24445517

I loved all of the CoHo books in this list but I gotta give some extra loving points for Maybe Someday because of the music! The book has its perfect guy who plays the guitar and the girl who writes the perfect lyrics to his music, what else can we ask for, right? I know, it's too perfect to be real so there must be something close to imperfection right there, and yes there is! I don't know if I am supposed to say this but our perfect guy is deaf and it just added another touch of color in our seemingly black and white notes on a music sheet story.

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope…. 

Maybe someday… 

Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…
by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 

Reasons for loving Gemina:
  • It's totally kick-ass
  • It is UNIQUE
  • Drawings from Marie Lu
  • PLOT TWIST! Another PLOT TWIST! F*** another PLOT TWIST! Yeah, it was kind of hard to dodge all those plot twist bullets.
  • Too. Many. Deaths. :P
  • Characters from Illuminae were back!!!
Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

 The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

 Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

 When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

 But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

 Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

Gemina [The Illuminae Files #2] by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

"A  whole sky of different stars"


MIND=BLOWN! Yep, another mind effin' blowing experience from Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff. EEEEP, bravo!! I can't put these into words, but if I don't, my reactions will probably get lost in the paradox that the universe is correcting, which for me, means that my mind will dump some stuff into oblivion. Sorry, that's how it works.

Gaah, I'm literally squealing like a lunatic with the ending of the book. Wait.... lol. I'm composing myself. Now if you're thinking that Illuminae was effin' awesome, well, try riding the Betty Boop and get your ass to Heimdall and tell me that Gemina freakin' surpassed all expectations that Illuminae just gave you because I'm not kidding when I say Gemina is gazillion times more awesome and action-packed than Illuminae. I still love Illuminae just the same but damn, this book is a roller coaster ride of surprises.

Aside from the thrilling action-packed story, the illustrations were still freaking awesome and add to that the journal illustrations from Mari Lu, the author of Legends Series, well that has gotta count for something, and that something just spelled A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

29236299



Title: Gemina

Series: The Illuminae Files #2
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 2016
Genre: Sci-fi
Setting: Outer Space [Jump Station, Heimdall]
Format: Paperback, 659 pages
Copy Source: Gifted by Kathleen
Rating: 4.9 Roses

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

The sequel happened, I think, just minutes after the ending of Illuminae, where, on the other side of the universe, our two new main characters can be found. Hanna Donnelly and Nik Malikov is aboard the jump station, Heimdall, where the Hypatia (where Kady and Ezra is aboard) is trying to get to for safety. The book is still told in series of cctv footage, IM's, emails, and documents that are presented into court because someone's gotta go to prison for trying to wipe out Heimdall and Hypatia, right?

At first, I didn't really liked the idea that I won't be seeing Kady and Ezra in this book because I was really excited to see how they were doing right after the end of Illuminae. Progressing, I found myself liking these two new dark protagonists. Hanna Donnelly is the daughter of Heimdall's captain who happens to cross paths with our Nik Malikov, who is a part of this sort'a notorious criminal group called House of Knives (HoK), some time in the past and became her provider in the illegal drug department. Yeah, these two are pretty effed up in some ways. But anyway, they're cool. Kick-ass in their own little ways.

The romance element is just right for me. I liked that Hanna is not overboard in love to this bad boy Nik even when they were working together as kind of a team on the first part of the book. She knows that she has her doubts about her present love interest but this is unlike any other book where all the readers know that there's something brewing in there and it will happen despite everything that is on her plate. This is not that type of love story. She remains where she's ought to be and just broke free when she needed to be, so the brewing romance between Hanna and Nik is just perf.

This is a pretty long book and despite the illustrations, you'll still find that it's a freaking long story. There's just so much happening inside this long book that you will think halfway through, "How will this end?", and then you're like 100 pages before the end and you're like, "There's so much happening!! How will this end?", and yes, it's just hard to be sitting on the edge of your seat you feel like it should end right there somehow but disasters just keep coming in all directions and it's getting hard to breathe because of all that is happening. You would think that the worst part is over but no, the worst of the worst just keeps coming at you in surprisingly thrilling actions that would make your jaw drop, with a hint of a smile, in the end saying, "WHAT THE FAAA!!! THAT ENDING!!!! WATDAFAAA!!", yeah, that was my reaction, but that's not half of it. My reaction was just indescribable. *laaaugh!*

I want to talk about the book more but I can't anymore. I might slip and ruin the experience of reading the book blinded, but if you read it already, some of my thoughts can be found below, let's talk!


* * *

Reading Gemina months after Illuminae got me blinded and in a state of i-don't-remember-much-of-illuminae, so a little recap from BookSeriesRecaps will help you big time. There was so much that happened in book 1, so much spaceship names to remember and I forgot them all so it's best to have a little recap just like I did because rereading the entire book would take forever and that will suck for an excited person like me. HEHE

I guess I was expecting too much from this book because Illuminae is so grand that it demands its sequel to be grander and surprisingly, Gemina exceeded all expectations and it still made my eyes go wide not once, not twice but three effin' times! The first one was kind of predictable for me but it still made me go WTF you *bleep bleep bleep*!! The second one was like WOOOOAH there you pooh bear, you're makin' my head dizzy!! The last one was the BEST! My eyes just popped out of its socket. But fear not, they're still intact, they're just cool like that, detachable and all. So kidding aside, yes, the last part leading to the ending was just PERFECT. I don't know if I should be dismayed because of the cliffhanger but it hanged in a perfectly good state and it wrapped up, AGAIN, in a way that will make you curious and excited for the next book. Gosh, that ending was perfect.

Now, how would the next book top this masterpiece? Ugh, I can't even begin to fathom the possibilities that are brewing inside these authors' minds! GENIUS!




ALL LIFE FORMS ABOARD MY VESSEL:
THIS IS WHERE YOU SHOULD STOP IF YOU HAVEN'T READ GEMINA YET :P 
BYE FISHES!

  • Okay, is it just me or I just did not get the point of the whole lick-the-lollipop virus thing-y? I thought there would be a clever twist to that one, but lo, I really don't know its purpose and where it came from and why it was included in the book. That virus song is part of the book and it would make no sense if its sole participation is only to annoy the heck out of all the people riding the elevators. I am really hoping that there's more to that one. Gemina is still an unfinished story and Hanna still has some explaining to do on the next book so maybe the next installment would give light to my little issue? :D
  • Ha! Ha! The author never fails to fool me!! I should've known not to get fooled by the deaths of major characters! HA! I mean, Illuminae totally got me into believing that Kady and Ezra fckn died heroes but they are ALIVE! HAHAH!!!! You got me there! And yes, I thought I won't be fooled this time around because there was this nagging feeling within me that I should be careful into believing these authors hahahah. So the first thing I watched out for was the traitors. I know there would be traitors within a 5-cm radius of our lead character,  and yes, there was, and I was like, "huh! you can't fool me!", and I thought it would end there so I totally let my guard down and there goes the authors attacking me while my defense was down, and there goes me believing that Nik was dead and then Nik was dead the second time around and then Ella was dead and then Ella's dead the second time around and then Hanna was dead and then just.. I thought it was tragic that everyone died.... Literally EVERYONE. But yeah, I was fooled!!! Breaking Dawn Ptart2 all over again feels. Yes, that's how good it is, damn. These brilliant minds never cease to amaze me.
  • I don't know what is happening when all hell broke loose! I have to reread and reread because there's this paradox and the universe is going to destroy itself and oh my gosh. I mean, the whole time I was reading the book, it was hell all over the place with the killings, the alien parasites, the traitors, etc. and then there's this two universe that will *poof* if our little Hanna fails, so yeah, no pressure there, highness!
  • The deaths! The death tolls were seriously high in Gemina! I seriously love the X-ing part of the enemies. I mean, they were bunch of idiots! They were being played by girls and they were slowly being decimated because they're bunch of idiots.
  • Halfway through the book I was wondering who analyzes the footage shown on the black pages. It is freaking creepy, the way I feel like the slimy slithering alien parasites were thinking and speaking in their minds, gosh, creeps the eff out of me! And then, at the end of the book, I just thought that maybe it was AIDAN, because it downloaded all the files just in case none of them survives to tell the tale. And I'm really guessing it was him. Gah, so creepy!
  • All in all, despite the similarities, it's totally different from Illuminae. Illuminae has zombies and hackers and space airplane soldier (I don't know how to coin it) as lead characters while Gemina has alien parasites and multiverses with a martial-artist-strategist and drug dealer as protagonist. The alien parasite is not as scary as the zombies in the first book though. It is not terrifying and it did not play a much bigger role in Gemina.

If you haven't yet, you should definitely read both books or you'll miss out on all the fun the universe has been having! :D

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Tuesday, January 5, 2016



I was freaking excited when I received this book as a gift during our class christmas party. I had sore throat that time and i had a hard time speaking because my voice is super hoarse but when i opened the gift, I squealed an ugly squeal because the orange cover peeked and said "Hi!!!". I wasn't really expecting it because it's too expensive so it's a real shock.

So anyway, I finished this super thick book in 3 days I think? I read it with my classmate and I was forced to finish it one night because he finished it super fast, and I was like, "What the??". So I finished 400 pages or less in just one night.

I was astounded even when I started this book because it is really creative, and even though I only watched one star wars movie in my entire life, the book reminded me of that in the beginning. And then came Star Trek because of the space ships I think? and when I was in the middle, all I can think about is Legend by Marie Lu set in space.

This is my first sci-fi and I can say it's a good experience. I try all kinds of genre and reading my first sci-fi ever did not disappoint me. I prolly am going to watch all Star Wars movie in one go when I am already done with my holiday stuff with le fambam soon.


Title: Illuminae
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers on 20th October 2015
Genre: Sci-fi
Setting: Outer space
Format: HArdbound, 599 pages
Copy Source: Gifted
Purchase: NBS[PH] | Amazon | B & N
Rating: 4.5 Roses

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.
  • I cannot tell you enough how f*ckng beautiful this book is. Every bookshelf should own an Illuminae because it's really beautiful inside and out! Plus, all curse words are censored in black pentel pen like thing-y. I mean, what other book does that?! Yuhh, the awesomeness can't be contained, what with the schematics of the space ships, blowing of planets and all those cool intergalactic, interstellar whatever stuff that is going on inside this 599-page book! YOU.SHOULD.DEFINITELY.READ.ILLUMINAE!
  • This book is a crazy experience for me. Not the usual type of book I read all the time because the story is told in transcripted files from intercoms, cctvs, chatbox, and others. It was really cool even though I had a hard time following in the first half (I was bored, in other words), but after 200 pages, I think, I.WAS.HOOKED!
  • The second half was a real page turner. You can't even fathom the crazy stuff that happens along the way. So many deaths and shocking revelations that you never want to close the book until the end. And when I say SHOCKING REVELATION, you'll really get shocked big time. I don't want to spoil anything but there is a part in the book where I literally stood up and said HO-LY SHEEZ! with wide eyes and I had a hard time moving on after that. Guhhh.
  • I think it's been such a long time since I last read a book with relationships that aren't built on sexual tension. Ezra and Kady's relationship is a series of funny IM's and conversations that makes you want to smile or giggle or laugh. Their banter turned to not too sweet conversations in the span of the book. I tell you, this is the only book where you'll get OD'd with chat flirting.
  • The ending was way better than I thought it would be. It wrapped up in an awesome way that gave way to the second book which is really intriguing, by the way, because you know that there's a bigger war in play and Illuminae is just the freaking start. Illuminae blew my mind and I have no idea what more secrets and bam bam bam! the next book would offer! I.AM.EXCITED!!
  • All in all, PEW! PEW! PEW! Read or I'll shatter your space ship into tiny gazillion pieces!
    Glimpse inside the dust jacket and inside the book itself. Amazeballs *O*
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