BLOG TOUR: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab

Monday, May 18, 2015









Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Published by: Tor Books on 24th February 2015
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic #1
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
My Copy Source: Pinoy Book Tours


Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.


Multi-designed coat
A thief aspiring to be a pirate
Kings and Queens
Elemental Magic
Dark Magic
Blood Magic
and 
A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC

Okay, what? It's my second time to read another novel with parallel universes! And the fact that they are still completely different and there's so much more to parallel universes that I have never known before is so amazing.

Let me start this by telling you about this new world that I have discovered when the key has been handed to me by Dianne of oopsireadagain. The door lead me to these four Londons:
Grey London: London without magic
White London: Magic hungry London
Red London: vibrant and full of magic
Black London: the fallen London

This is my first ever V.E. Schwab novel and I can say  that I was really impressed at this adventurous tale that it made me love her even though I haven't had any of her past novels before. I've also been reading a lot of positive reviews for Vicious so maybe I am going to try that when I have the money. :D

Let me start this review by enumerating some characters that I loved and the characters that reminded me of someone from somewhere.

Of course there are two characters that became dear to me as it was obvious that they will also be dear to you because they are the main characters in this novel. Here they are:

Kell

OF COURSE KELL! Kell is like super handsome in his quirky own way. He actually reminded me of Howl in the Howl's Moving Castle(HMC). If you haven't watched that one yet, I insist that you do. If you loved Spirited Away, then you'll definitely love HMC, they are both from the same maker.

I am pretty much in love with Howl and I see most of Kell in him.
Kell is pretty damn hot. He's badass and easy to love. Who doesn't want badass?! Certainly not me, I'm drawn to those guys. Oh how I miss Kell right now. 

Here's a photo of Howl for you wormiees. He's kind of the face I've been putting on Kell all this time. Even the coat is fitting. OMG.
+Howl and Calcifer+ by ~Orenji-kun on deviantART

Lila

Delilah Bard, the thief. Everyone who don't pay attention knows her as a HIM. She's a cross-dressing thief and she's wanted. Lila is a strong and stubborn citizen of Grey London who wants nothing more in life than to escape and have an epic adventure of a lifetime.

Another fun fact, she dreams to be a pirate, and I love pirates. I dressed once as a pirate (you can find one photo here)and I absolutely love it. I love books that have hot pirates in it then pair it with mermaids... *stop* I'm straying too far.

Here's another photo that can pass as Kell and Lila from HMC again. Aren't they the cutest? 

cute :)

Some other characters that reminded me of someone from another world.

Fletcher

Do you watch Once Upon a Time? If you do, then you are familiar with Mr. Gold. Fletcher reminded me of him not because he was described like Mr. Gold, but because he owns a shop that resembles Mr. Gold's. If I'm not mistaken, it's called a pawnshop? I don't remember but it's full of trinkets and valuable stuff.

Lila hitting Kell with a book

It actually reminded me of Rapunzel hitting Flynn with a pan. HAHA, in ADSoM, Lila hit Kell with a book! That was so funny.


I love one of the Danes Twins ruler of White London. Now I actually forgot her name. I like her character description, she's like a snake and even though I hate her she has interesting characteristics that made her stood out to me somehow, I just don't have someone in mind for her.


Okay, so now back to the review? All in all, I recommend this book for everyone to read! And read it.... RIGHT NOW! HAHA . The sad part is, the next book is not out yet, and it won't be out til Feb2016:(. I really want to get back to that world again and I am getting impatient but I can't do anything about it. For the mean time though, I found the cover reveal for the next book, I'll post it below, huhu, trying to distract myself for the long wait. UGH.

I love the world built and it made me happy that the fantasy books I've read lately gave me a fantastic and vivid world to step in for a moment. Plus, the characters are easy to love, despite their flaws and imperfection, the dialogue just seems to make you want to fall in love with the characters. We all want that in a book right? To fall in love with one or two of the characters at some point, and somewhere at the beginning, I just fell magically (pun intended) in love with Kell and his aura and somewhere out there, I fell in love with Lila and Kell and I can't wait for their love story to begin! Next book, where are you???

I can't think of anymore to say, I already blabbed too much about the characters and now I am out of words. I can't thank Dianne enough for sending a wrong book to me, because if she got it right, I wouldn't have met Kell and Lila ♡


On to you guys, I expect you to read this and let's discuss if you like it or not. But I'm sure you'll love it! =) Here' the cover of A Gathering of Shadows:
A Gathering of Shadows
Credits to tor.com

Follow the tour:
May 18
Jothee of The Bookwhore Diaries - Excerpt
May 19
Nickole of Ishiee's Book Blog - Review
May 20
Inah of Bibliophile Confessions - Review
May 21
Jhed of When Books Defy Gravity - ExcerptLuigi of Reading with Luigi - Excerpt
May 22
Jayvee of Writer for Misfits - Review

The Best Feeling is Hearing it From Your Friends :)

Friday, May 15, 2015


It's mid-month and I am literally rusty right now as I have not opened a single book for the entire 15 days that passed. Okay, I've read one ebook for the blog tour this morning and one from the blog tour yesterday which, for reals, are quite short, so I'll excempt those.

So to compensate with my reading slump and book review absences, I will just have to post these books that are finally going home to their bookshelf *yayyy* . They're actually here at my dorm not because I've read them or reread them, but because I let my friends read some of them and others are borrowed books(not yet read). Hooray for the end of classes and finals tomorrow!!! Woop woop!

Another thing I want to share is, I really love it when people appreciate your take on books. One of my new found virtual friend, old time follower-following (we just talked after all those months of following each other back), recently asked me for a recommendation because the one she just read bore her. And I was literally blabbing the entire conversation on this and that and she said that my energy is so contagious that it inspires her to read more... and I was so touched to know that my energy radiates and inspires people to read often.

That wasn't the first though, a lot of people have been relying lately on what I recommend them and it's really heart warming to know that people actually care about the books I read. It puts a smile on my face, really, especially the first time that someone told me that she's always waiting on the next book that I will post and I was like *meltsss* . At first I thought this blog was only meant for me--even though this blog wasn't the medium of how they knew my love for books and not many of them know this-- but then again, this could be for others to start loving books too, and I love sharing it with all of you and to all of you my few but lovely followers, I hope you find my blog useful for your next read.

And with this, I really know that it really inspires them because one of my close friend told me in school that the photos of some books I post on instagram just inspires her to read more. That was my friend who doesn't read but we pushed her to and hearing her say, " Yung mga posts mo sa instagram na books ang gaganda, parang pag nakikita ko yun, ang sarap magbasa", and to hear it from her? Gosh, I just melt again.

Thank you to all those who appreciate my little book photography, it's nice knowing that you loved them that I want to post more. Thank you :)

Did I just blab the entire time again? Omg.
Haha, heya guys! Have a nice weekend!


THE SELECTION, THE ELITE & THE ONE BOOK REVIEW

Saturday, May 2, 2015

I got these pictures from Pinterest. There are so many fanarts there that I can't decide what to put here but these flower ones are gorgeous. Credits to the owner of these. (I was the one who edited)

My review is a wee bit late because I have been so busy. This is an April read, but the review only finished today. HA, forgive me on that.

THE SELECTION
Verdict: MAXON MAXON MAXON *o*

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Published by: HarperTeen on 4th April 2012
Series: The Selection #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Format: Paperback, 327 pages
My copy Source: Borrowed

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

It pains me to think that it was no struggle to worm your way to the ending because, yes, the start screams the ending already. Even from the start, with Mer being a total "No no Maxon, Yes yes Aspen", you could still make out that her having no cares about the selection would catapult her into the Prince's heart. Like duh?! That's super cliché dude.

The thing about this first book is, despite the predictable things hanging around and despite knowing where everything will land, you just have to have to read the book because of the "kilig factor" (If you don't know kilig, it's the feeling you get when there's a romantic thing going on between cutiee couples). The kilig factor is what made this book come alive. The chemistry between the characters are undeniable and Maxon, even if his dialogue came off as gay-ish at first, still made it easy for you to fall in love with him. He's a real charmer and swoon worthy, and as I will tell you later, if it's not for him, I would have not read the second, let along the third one because I had a feeling that the book would just circle into indecisiveness and frustrations.

Aspen- 0 (Who's Aspen?! KIDDING!=)) )
Maxon-1

What did I like about this book? Oh yes, the princess theme, the air of royalties around. I dreamed to be a princess you know, and one of the reasons this book drawn me in is because one of the 35 girls will be crowned princess and yes, yes, PRINCESS to Prince Maxon, is just EVERYTHING you could ever ask for. I coyld marry Maxon over and over for all its worth. Another thing is, it's so close to The Hunger Games, what with the caste system closing in on THG's districts, but without the bloodbath of course, and as you know THG is one of my all time favorite series. So YUP, thumbs up! (Also, when I watched Jimmy Kimmel's funny Baby Bachelorette, it reminded me so much of this series. LOL)

But well, as I have read in one of Kiera Cass' interviews, she never thought of it. I'm sorry Kiera that I thought they were kind of similar.

"Te first time that I watched 'The Bachelor' was actually after I wrote the book. I did watch a lot of Miss America pageants! The biggest comparison I can think of to 'The Hunger Games' is the idea of a lottery and the fact that it takes place in the future, but the series never crossed my mind. I've written a light, girly book; 'The Hunger Games' stories are far more epic and intense," she said.

Cass likewise reveals the characters that inspired her to pen the story:
"'The Selection' was born after thinking about Esther and Cinderella. Esther is from the Bible, and her story is that after the Queen offends the King, he decides to have a beauty pageant to replace her. Esther is one of the hundreds of girls scooped up to take the Queen's place. I always wondered about her heart. Before she was taken away, did she maybe like the boy next door? And Cinderella, well, she never asks for a prince, just a dress and a night off. So, when she gets the prince, is she happy? Did she get what she actually wanted?"

I actually gave this book a 3.5 rose rating because I like it but have a lot of issues with it, not one of my favorites but I will definitely recommend it to people who love royalties and girly stuff.

So anyway, if you don't know yet, the news was already out that The Selection will be turned into movie. I'm actually excited to see it on the big screen, because, of course, MAXON!

YA fans can celebrate today! Another YA series with a huge fandom is coming to the big screen!

Warner Bros. won the rights to Kiera Cass’ “The Selection,” the first in her five-novel series of the same name. (The last two books involve descendents of some of the lead characters, and there are other related companion novels.)

In “The Selection,” 35 girls are chosen to compete for the heart of Prince Maxon. But when America Singer is selected, it isn’t quite the dream she hoped for; she must turn her back on her secret love with a boy named Aspen and enter the fierce competition for the crown.

But there’s more to Prince Maxon than she thought, and maybe the life she dreamed of can’t compare to what the future has in store.

Denise DiNovi and Alison Greenspan of DiNovi Pictures’ will produce alongside Pouya Shahbazian.

Deadline reports that Katie Lovejoy will be the writer to adapt “The Selection” to the big screen. She doesn’t have a lot of experience — she’s written an episode of “Dracula” and has two projects in development, a drama titled “Arsonist’s Love Story” and a TV series titled “Critical” – but she seems super enthusiastic about the project, which is a big plus in my book.

I hope she works with Cass on getting the details right. Movie adaptations are always better, I think, when the author has a hand in them!


THE ELITE
Verdict: Unputdownable

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Published by: HarperTeen on 23rd April 2013
Series: The Selection #2
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Format: Paperback, 323 pages
My copy Source: Borrowed

The Selection began with thirty-five girls.Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.

I did say that I did not love the first book but liked it on so many levels but this book? Well, it put me at the edge of my seat that I could have finished it in a span of 5 hours if it weren't for the school hours that gave me less time to squeeze in reading this one.

That said a lot about The Elite because the second half of it was intense compared to the first half which I have already forgotten right away because of the palpable intense scenes compared to the first half which is in fact too boring to be remembered.

So Aspen is actually cool in this book. HE ACTUALLY REAPPEARED! I thought for a while there that Aspen's dead =)) But then, Aspen, even if he can't give the whole world to America, he is willing to give his world to her. So one point for Aspen on this book!

Aspen-1
Maxon-1

The Selection actually made me fall in love with Maxon, who is 3/4 the reason why I pursued the next one but clearly, Maxon is such an ass in this book. Well, I couldn't blame him though because America is shitty in sorting out her feelings that I kind of abhorred her fickled mind. Oh, and so is Maxon's. Stupid royalties.

Anyway, I think I'm starting to hate the way characters were shaped. They were poorly constructed because they don't have strong aspects in them and just when you're about to see a flame forming from a spark, it just shies away and leave a smoke at its wake. It's depressing to think how one character could be this strong just to be put back down again stripped off of their fire. Yes, all the characters are frustrating.

Aside from that, some characters are just going along blindly and just, yes, yes, I'll wait, I understand, blah blah. Fuj, I'm talking about you Aspen! You are not fighting, you're just waiting for an opportunity for the ground to crack so you can catch Mer when she falls.

I hate how the characters are now forming (or deforming?)  but despite those, this book became my favorite among the three because this is where everything about the country was slightly revealed and I am ever so curious of what it's about. This is where the series actually presented some real conflict, and I love that there's something that will pique one's interest in this series. SOOO, 4 roses, dear. I can't give it a 5 because, no it just can't have it.

THE ONE
Verdict: Uhhh? What the hell happened?

Title: The One
Author: Kiera Cass
Published by: HarperTeen on 6th May 2014
Series: The Selection #3
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Format: Paperback, 323 pages
My copy Source: Borrowed

Of all the three books, I think this was the most bullcrap of all.

It was a push and pull for the first half and basically the second half is the desperation to finish the America and Maxon's story. It's not justifying, it's not memorable and it's not satisfying at all. This is the ending you'd mostly regret unfolding. Everything in the end is an easy way out. 

WHY?! WHAT?!! UGH! I am most interested in the conflict of the government but then again that's it? That's all I'm going to get? HUH, damn. 

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

CELESTE- Oh the bitch, I always knew there's something beneath the surface and to just get her killed in cold hands was just a foolish attempt at shocking the readers with a boom. It didn't help at all. It was nonsense and it was bullcrap all the same. What the hell is all the mess in the ending? Ughhhh

KING CLARKSON- Wait, I think Kiera just found the easy way to end the series by killing the most intriguing antagonist in the story. I think it just didn't do anyone justice by killing him because he could have put a little bit more spice on the ending if he was still alive and witnessing all the changes unfold before him and he can't do anything about it and just, no, you should have thought better.

QUEEN AMBERLY- What happened to her is the cruelest. She didn't even had the chance to spend closer time with her soon to be daughter. The author should have had her mingle with the elites more often so it would be okay to kill her if she wants to. At least she got the chance to have a daughter in the elite.

MAXON- Well, Maxon's like a typical immature teenage boy one moment and a total swoon worthy gentleman the next. Well, you are one unstable character but I like you.

ASPEN- Another poor attempt to make a love triangle is when the author introduced us to Aspen not even trying so hard to make us love him because he's just going to be dumped and missing for the 3/4 parts of the series.

Those characters above are just some of the people I remember that were just a waste of a supposed good character :( Yeah, poor side character building for most of the characters that was not Maxon and America. But even though those two were the most important, they have the most frustrating actions that made their characters unstable and they made me want to pull my hair out most of the time.

Well in the end, Maxon still wins. DUH!
Aspen-1
Maxon-2


3 roses for this book. I hope the next 2 books will do better with a new main character. The 4th book will come out on May 5th so you can check out the sneak peak below and my The Heir's Dream Cast.

All in all, the series are all light read, ideal for a summer read beside the pool. The series didn't become a favorite but it's still pretty cute and swoon worthy. :)

Here's a sneak peak on the 4th installment of The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. Another set of characters, and another person to fall in love with.

22918050












Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

BOOKWORMIEEPROBLEMS #2

Friday, April 24, 2015

I sometimes call myself a booknerd but most of the time I like to call myself a bookworm. Booknerd is a title that is somewhat extreme because it's like you are really in love with reading that you practically live in the fictional world more than the real one. As much as I wanted to call myself that, I don't think I've reached that point yet, although I'm pretty much in love with reading, I am still a newbiee, so I call myself a bookwormiee or wormiee for short (Thus the bookstagram @ishieewormiee) .

Bookwormiee Problems is a new feature that will tackle the problems that I encounter when I became a wormiee. Some of them might be the same as your experiences, so tell me below if you experience these problems too, as a booknerd/bookworm.


Welcome to my second wormiee problem. I don't actually have a list of wormiee problems because these problems just pop out of my head one moment when I'm suddenly experiencing it. Here goes another pop!

So last Sunday, I went to Executive Optical (EO) and had my eyes checked again after 4 months and in that span of time, my eye grade spiked up, not gradually, but SUDDENLY! And now I have to have a very expensive lens just so I won't have to endure a very thick lens (Although I only picked the ultra thin and not the super thin so it's still slightly obvious that my lens are thick) and ugggh I'm still freaking out!!!

Executive Optical is my family's go-to place for ten years now, where I got my first glasses and my first contact lenses so if you ever had the problem I had down below, just visit Executive Optical's website and find the perfect pair of glasses for you. *wink*

Book Wormiee Problem #2:
What the fudge happened to me eye?!?!

I think I just blabbed too much, so here comes the wormiee problem... *drumroll* Having very poor eyesight ;( Maybe I  am not speaking for the whole bunch of readers but there's a high probability that a lot of you are wearing glasses and doesn't have a 20-20 vision. Am I right?

It's a big problem and it's one of the factors why I am not accepting any more e-copies of books because I might not be able to read on my Note more often (I'm limiting myself to reading on my tablet only for my pdf textbooks). I know that physical ARCs are rarely shipped in my country (A Filipino wormiee problem) and e-ARCs are really convenient but I already stopped reading ebooks already and now I've got to save money to buy myself a book or joining book tours so I can have the physical copy to read.

It's not easy wearing glasses and contact lenses, do you agree with me?! Agree with me!!! Yes, yes, thank you! :)

Contact lenses make me look good and more confident but it's so darn uncomfortable for college students like me who have to sleep very late and wake up really early in the morning. It's not the most comfortable feeling in the world when you place the lens in your eyes when the residue of "puyat" still lingers even after taking a nice bath.
Eye glasses? Ugh, I have to endure wearing my new glasses that makes me look really weird. They're expensive! And they don't look good on me! Ugh! Perks of having perfect vision, huh? Yes, it's not easy to have the perfect pair of glasses especially when you're on a budget but my eye health is more important than looking fab so eyeglasses for me!

 Maybe it's from reading, maybe it's from excessive internet use, but yeah, I own the blurry world now. Are you part of this world?

If only I would look as good as those ad models, then it would be perfectly okay for me to wear this stupid glasses and just wink wink wink because I'm so fab. =)) 

Definitely a bookwormiee problem. Are you experiencing the same problemo?




BookWormieeProblems #1

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

I sometimes call myself a booknerd but most of the time I like to call myself a bookworm. Booknerd is a title that is somewhat extreme because it's like you are really in love with reading that you yourself proclaims that you're a nerd. As much as I wanted to call myself that, I don't think I've reached that point yet, although I'm pretty much in love with reading, but I am still a newbiee, so I call myself a bookwormiee or wormiee for short (Thus the bookstagram @ishieewormiee) .

Bookwormiee Problems is a new feature that will tackle the problems that I encounter when I became a wormiee. Some of them, you might be the same as to what you're experiencing, so tell me below if you experience these problems too, as a booknerd/bookworm.

Bookwormiee Problem #1
"I thought that happened IRL!"

Reading too much just alters your reality in so many different ways. Something that happened in the Fiction Land just somehow seems to wriggle itself out and blend into our Mundane Land. Sometimes I also tend to believe that what happened to the girl protagonist also happened to me in real life. But sadly, I will always be shaken awake by the truth that it happened from a land far from mine and IT'S NOT REAL LIFE!;(

Another is, it blends its way through my dreams every night flooding my mind with emotions that I cannot decipher and then in the morning, it leaves me expectant in its wake. The feeling that you stepped into Fiction Land is surreal that waking up itself is a pain that IT'S NOT REAL LIFE! ;(

Books are our doors to our preferred alternate "reality", but as much as we wanted it to be real, there's a boundary between both worlds and one of the perks of being a wormiee? We can turn all things into reality, we can step into both worlds because we have the keys in our hands. These books are our passage to all the worlds there is to the universe. So maybe it's not a big problem at all, maybe it doesn't live in our world, but it certainly lives somewhere that only bookwormiees know existed.

Do you experience this situation where you thought it was IRL but it's not? 


A Thousand Possibilities.

Saturday, April 4, 2015



“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.” 
Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
Pulished by: Harper Collins on 7th October 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Setting: London, Russia, etc.
Format: Paperback, 360 pages
My Copy Source: Gifted


Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Everyday meets Cloud Atlas? I haven't read these two but damn, they're doing a good job in luring people to read a book by making a book baby out of two great novels.

I've read 2 books in a row that is both a clash of two great novels and got a rating of 5 roses for me. That is insane! Not that I have read the two books previously mentioned but I have heard enough about them and I was quite a bit happy that I haven't read those so as not to raise any expectations I have on this one like what happened with All the Bright Places. Not that it affected any judgement with ATBP, which still deserved the 5 roses, though it did not certainly top both the book parents of this so-called book baby.

Wow, another book that could level Divergent and Hunger Games, what with the world that Claudia Gray built for us is absolutely astonishing and breath taking. I would definitely want to leap into another dimension to see how I was doing in that world. Cool.

This is actually my first encounter with the idea of a parallel universe. Yes, I've been hearing this word around but I haven't really gotten to look deeper into it and I never knew what it meant until I meet this book. When I read the synopsis, I actually got it mixed up with time traveling,and I found out eventually that they are two entirely different thing.

Time traveling for me, is still a confusing idea. I've read half of The Time Traveler's Wife and I still get confused with all the mixed up time and just, it's still kind of unclear to me that I have to reread some stuff just to clear up my confusion, but with A Thousand Pieces of you, the idea of parallel universe is very well explained in a way that is easy to understand. Some are still confusing but I got around it and picked up with the whole parallel universe thing and it got me thinking as to whether it actually exists. I mean, wow, a thousand possibilities where I can be on a different route or pursuing different achievements and they're endless. It's a really enticing idea to think of yourself to be in the path that you did not choose in this lifetime. How cool is that, right?

I am actually one of those people who always wants to predict a story's ending and I have this trait that I never believe in everything that is presented to me at every story's beginning because I believe that in every novel, there  is always something to be revealed in the end... So I never believe in everything I read in the beginning and I actually got my prediction right except for one thing that of course, I am  not going to reveal because I don't do spoilers. So there are two major twists here and I only guessed one.

As you have already read in the synopsis above, Marguerite leaps through different dimensions to catch Paul Markov, the suspect for her father's murder. If I remember right, she and Theo, another of Marguerite's parents' protege, leaped through 4 dimensions, London, Russia, the one similar to her home dimension, and then to the place where there's more water than land (I forgot their exact place). My favorite of all four of them is Russia not because it's my dream destination, but because that dimension is romance filled and I am a sucker for romance. It made me fall in love with MARKOV! Oh, my gosh! Yep, I have a new boyfriend! *swooon*

This is actually a story of a love square. Take note of that, not a love triangle, a love square and if you read the book, you'll find out why. ;) This is another novel to totally be in love with, a series that you'll actually anticipate and characters that will really stick to readers. I love it, I love it, I love it and you should definitely read it! Once you start,you can never put down this book and you will finish it within 24 hours. I can't wait until November, I need to read the next one. Ugh, November is too far away and I got a glimpse of the next book cover at epicreads blog and wow, I just can't, ugh *speechless*

I'm going to share it with you guys if you haven't seen it yet.
Cover Reveal: TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU by Claudia Gray
Source: epicreads
About TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU:
Marguerite Caine has done the impossible, traveling to alternate dimensions with the Firebird—the brilliant invention of her parents, her boyfriend, Paul, and their friend Theo. But she has also caught the attention of enemies willing to kidnap, blackmail, and even kill to use the Firebird for themselves.

When Paul’s soul is splintered into four pieces—pieces that are trapped within Pauls in other dimensions—Marguerite will do anything, and travel anywhere, to save him. But the price of his safe return is steep. If she doesn’t sabotage her parents in multiple universes, Paul will be lost forever.

Unwilling to sacrifice her family, Marguerite enlists the brilliant Theo to help. The two forge a plan to save Paul and the Firebird, but succeeding means outsmarting a genius and risking not only their lives but also the lives of their counterparts in every other dimension.

Their mission takes them to the most dangerous universes yet: a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each leap brings Marguerite closer to saving Paul—but her journey reveals dark truths that lead her to doubt the one constant she’s found between the worlds: their love for each other.

Is this the real life? :O Paris! San Francisco! Oh yeah, something to get you hyped up. I'm so excited for November. *o*

Wander While You Exist

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

“I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257 bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you’re standing next to the right person.”


Title: All The Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Published by: Knopf, January 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary,
Setting: Indiana (United States)
Format: Paperback, 388 pages
My Copy Source: Gifted


The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
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.

 Weehee, I finished the book in a day. And I'm in an emotional daze up until now. Suicide, bullying and depression is an uncharted territory for me. I have never been bullied and I have never attempted suicide and I get depressed for shallow reasons like my grades. But these boundaries didn't stop me from loving and connecting with the book, although at some parts I was struggling to connect with a character.

Violet is a popular girl, she plays in the school's orchestra, she's a cheerleader, she runs a popular webzine and she's a pretty damn good writer but she just lost it when she lost her sister, Eleanor, in a car accident several months back but she still blames herself and still can't cope up with what happened.

Finch is weird, Finch is a freak. Finch is fascinated by death. He tries different ways on how to kill himself: jumping from a tower, hanging himself, euthanasia coaster, drowning, etc and then rate them and then find a reason not to push through and stay awake.

Violet saved Finch, that's what everyone knew, from jumping over the ledge of the Bell Tower, when actually, it's the other way around... That was the start of an unlikely bond between the two of them, the start of an epic adventure, of a memory that will last... Forever.

The reasons why I read the book:

  • They actually labeled (omg, no pun intended) it as The Fault in our Stars meet Eleanor and Park and these two are one of my two faves of all time so I have to read it at some point and when I actually got the book as a gift, I'm literally dying inside because FINALLY!!!
  • It has a really beautiful book cover, it has a summer-y vibe to it and it just demands to be read.
  • I read the synopsis and I really want to know what will happen to them.
The book did not top TFIOS and Eleanor and Park for me but it was great. It talks about something heavy, something that is relatable to a lot of teenagers out there and the message of the book should come across everyone. These three issues, suicide, depression and bullying are serious matters and people who suffer these should speak up. What I like about this book  is, it really shows people how THEY ARE NOT ALONE. We are not alone in our journey in this world and we should share everything to someone, we should not keep it to ourselves because sharing literally saves lives and we should do it more often. We don't know how people care so much more than they let on and how much they want to hear your stories, so speak up and share more often.

Finch has a lot of person inside of him and I can't figure out if I would ever know the real Finch because he changes from one personality to the next in one snap, but I liked Finch. It's like he's so cool but he's not. I like Finch at the start of the story because even though he doesn't know who he wants to be, he is still confident and he doesn't care what everybody else is thinking as long as he's doing what he likes, unlike Violet who is a struggle. She has lost a lot of herself when she lost her sister and as much as I liked Violet as a character, I enjoyed Finch's more because it's a whirlwind of emotion inside his head.

"...This is the way I feel right now. Like Pluto and Jupiter are aligned with the earth and I am floating."

That is my favorite quote from the book. It's sweet and I think this should be the "Okay? Okay." of this book.

This is a sad book which has its fun parts, no erase that, most of it are fun parts but it is sad. The characters are quirky and enjoyable and it's a fun read actually. It demands you to get your ass off your couch and wander around! It wants you to explore the world around you. Well, I don't know about you but that's how I felt after the book. This is a perfect summer read because it makes you feel adventurous. I literally loved the book to pieces because it gives you so many ideas on what to do and, wow, it's just. It inspires me to do a lot.

Aside from all this book talk, I want you all to visit Jennifer Niven's site and go to All the Bright Places because the Extras section is so enjoyable. There's Finch's wall of ideas, Violet's reading list, All the Bright Place's instagram and many more. And oh! If you follow Jennifer Niven's instagram, she'll definitely follow you back. I got giddy when she followed me back and *squeeeal!!!*. Okay, so, just visit it okay, you'll enjoy it, I promise :)

Also, read the book. It will take you to places.

I'M OFF TO WANDER!


"Some places become special when there's a reason to see the wonder in something bare."
-Ishieeđź’—
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