Review: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Title: Bright Young Things (Bright Young Things #1)

Author: Anna Godbersen

Format: Hardback (Harper | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: Flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York’s glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star….

Cordelia is searching for the father she’s never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined — and more dangerous. It’s a life anyone would kill for…and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia’s brother, Charlie. But Astrid’s perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls’ fortunes will rise and fall — together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of THE LUXE comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the

Jazz Age.

My Thoughts:

What made me pick this book:

I’m currently obsessed with anything from the Roaring 20s (1920s) and I’m just intrigued by that age and there aren’t many YA books about this age and when I did some research, I came to this book. And yes, the cover is gorgeous and so is the dress the model is wearing.

The Plot:

It was like I was watching some tv series as the plot is more leaned towards the drama side. In the beginning, everything seems smooth-sailing and already I’m liking Cordelia more than Letty. As we were introduced to our third main girl, Astrid, I preferred her over the other two. The smooth sailing part started to bore me and I wanted some action and before I knew it, things started rolling downhill for each girl and from there they learned lessons. Overall, its a very nice fluffy chick-lit read and I want to get to know more about how the lives of these three girls will get intertwined together.

 

The Characters:

One thing that turned me off was Letty’s innocence. Probably it was because she was raised in the suburbs and she did not encounter the tricks and ploy of men. She’s not very far sighted and normally see things on the surface and does not prod deeper. She also has the mentality that her chance of becoming famous is rather high and I think she’s delusional as success is never easy. As for Cordelia, she’s more reserved and seems to be more aware of her surroundings. As for Astrid, I was able to relate to her more and her personality is somewhat similar to Serena from Gossip Girl. She’s buubly and friendly and loyal to her friends. However, I must applaud Cordelia for daring to face Thom and get even with him, though she did not execute the whole thing, i would still say bravo for warning him that she will get even with him. She’s suck a kick-ass and her firing a gun, was really unexpected of her. And her escape was really one of its kind.In terms of character development it is more on Cordelia then Letty then Cordelia.

 

The Writing:

This is my first time reading Anna Godbersen’s book and I would say I’m not used to the writing style she uses and it was hard to understand in the beginning. It was then I realized she does not explicitly state which character’s POV is she writing in now. After a few chapters, I get accustomed to it. It is something like the Pretty Little Liars series. However, in this case, we can have all three girls’ POVs in one chapter and I find that a job well done by Anna Godbersen as she was able to string them in such a manner where its almost seamless and so far I have not encountered any hiccups when we switch from one girl to the other.

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days #1)

Author: Susan Ee

Format: Paperback (Amazon Childrens Publishing | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

 

 

My Thoughts:

The Plot:

It was amazing and its my first time reading an Angel Apocalyptic book and there were parts where it was really gory or creepy. Especially the part where Susan Ee mentioned about Scorpion Angels and the cannibal children. It was gory and creepy yet haunting at the same time. And this thought came to me. What if this book were to become a movie I’m pretty sure the above creatures will scare the hell outta me. Other than that, the book was fast paced and I finished it in a few sittings and I did not even notice how much time passed when I read this book. The whole situation is very hazy and it was puzzling that the Angels themselves do not know why they raged war on humans. That’s the big question and I doubt it would be revealed in full to us in the next book as there are 5 books (if I’m not wrong) in this series.

The Characters:

The characters here are so amazing. There’s Obi who I assumed would behave like any gangster boss would like beat their prisoners inhumanly. What surprised me was that yes he questioned them but he did not use any means of torture to get answers from them and he also serves Penryn and Raffe stew. I can’t believe it and I doubt he was that nice but he really is. I guess he’s doing so, because he still need people for his upcoming resistance. There’s Penryn’s mom. I can’t put a word to her. Most of the time she’s speaking in a language only she knows and she’s speaking to God or her actions just show us that she’s not mentally sound. The only time she was sound to me was when she spoke to Penryn before she goes to the basement hoping to find Paige. I really admire the sisterly love Penryn have for Paige. Penryn would do anything to save her and she almost did things rashly until Raffe brought her back to reality. Although Raffe can be a jerk at times but I guess he really cares for her and he’s not as inhumane as the other Angels who goes around destroying Earth. There’s Dee and Dum the twins and their names might suggest that they are really innocent or just pure dumb I don’t know which. Their actions also back at the camp. I guess they play really good spies. I guess people will just laugh at their names and not take them seriously. They were acting as servants at the aerie. Its a hotel where Angels occupy and make it their own. Dee and Dum were trying to get information from the Angels one way or another so that Obi knows what to plan for the day of the resistance.

The Writing:

I’m not used to Susan Ee’s writing style and that placed me at the disadvantage as there were parts I was just skimming through and very little information was registered in me. I had to go back and read again which is kind of painful as I want to know what will happen next. Luckily these parts are the not so important parts. I really tried to read the book without any difficulty and trying to adapt her writing style but its going to take time.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Origin (Lux #4)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Format: Paperback (Entangled Teen | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything. 

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

My Thoughts:

The Plot:

It was amazing, the plot did not disappoint me and Jeniffer L. Armentrout did not fail to surprise me with unexpected plot twists. So Origin, starts off from where Opal left us and just to give a little recap on what happened. Blake betrayed Kat and was working for the Daedalus and though they managed to bail Beth and Chris out of their cells, Kat was captured by the Daedalus and the rest left unharmed. Kat realizes that she was surrounded by Arum and she made a connection between Arum and Daedalus. As the Daedalus do not want Daemon to come looking for Kat, they relocated her to Area 51 which is Nevada and there were the main building of Daedalus is. During the first few days of her stay, she was fed with information on what Daedalus is all about and she was dilemma as there were so many sides to look at and Kat does not know which is Daedalus’ true form. So the middle of the book was mainly lots of new information coming in mostly scientific. I admire how Jennifer L. Armentrout, string these new information such that its not to overwhelming but sufficient at the same time. It was like riding a roller coaster and it does not seem to cease since the second book where things started to escalate and the sequels begin where the last one left us.

The Characters:

As this book was written in alternating POVs, it was very refreshing to see what Daemon was thinking and in terms of character development, he’s was more prominent. Like how he saw he was no different from Dawson or Matthew when it comes to Kat. I guess Kat also grew in terms of her trust towards Daemon. It could possibly be caused by what she experienced in Nevada. I kind of felt bad for Blake as he has to die in Kat’s hands. He could be part of their team but with the Daedalus having the upper hand meaning they can kill Chris, he has no choice but to betray them. I would be able to forgive him if he showed remorse or tried to reason with Kat but he was arrogant and he was harsh towards Kat. We met new characters like Archer who is an Origin and I really like him as he’s genuinely nice towards Kat like he told those guards who were very harsh towards Kat and there was once he told Blake off. And Luc who worked behind the scenes in the previous book came to join hands with them, though the first half he was still working behind the scenes. I really loved how well they complimented one another. I really liked how Daemon liven up the mood by saying something ridiculous. Probably a by-product of his ego.

The Writing:

I really loved how the new information gelled in nicely with the overall plot. Like I said earlier, the was information was given to us was written in a manner whereby, its not too overwhelming or confusing. It was also sufficent to keep me turning the pages wanting to know more. I really can’t wait for the last book Opposition and I hope they do not push back the publication date.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opal (Lux #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Format: Paperback (Entangled Teen | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger… and they know it.

 

My thoughts:

The Plot:

So it begins immediately from where Onyx left us and that’s after the death of Adam, Dee’s and Kat’s friendship starting to turn sour and Will wanting to be mutated but whether Daemon successfully mutated him or not is a big question left behind and it’s answered in this book. So with Dawson back in their lives, he’s just simply bonkers and he’s every time running off to someplace to find Beth. I kind of felt sad that he did not realise how crazy he’s actions were and in his mind he only thinks of Beth.  When Dawson ran off again and Daemon got a call from Dee in the middle of his date with Kat and he has to go and find Dawson.  Despite Daemon telling Kat to head straight home she went to look for them and she somehow struck a deal with Dawson saying that she will help him find Beth and he needs to maintain himself and stop running off. I think that was very quick witted of her and although Daemon said her idea won’t work. A few days later Blake appear before them and he also has something to offer which is he knows where are Chris’ and Beth’s whereabouts and he’s willing to help them since he wants to get Chris out. His behaviour is somewhat like Dawson’s but not as destructive as Dawson’s as he still plans. At first I thought that this whole plan is going to work but it failed as the compound has Onyx injected into the air in there. So to Luxen and hybrids, Onyx is their weak point and that prevented their success. Overall I really enjoyed the book and it was such a rollercoaster as you can see from what I wrote earlier. And the rest of the book was somewhere along that line. And we were left with a freaking cliff-hanger. Luckily I got the next book Origin with me and I can read.

The Characters:

When Dee was ignoring Kat, I kind of felt that Dee was going a little too harsh on Kat. It was not Kat’s intention to not trust Dee and keep things for her. Kat was also in a situation where she felt that she should not hurt Dee or get her involved. I was glad that they made up with each other and things weren’t as tensed as before. Daemon’s and Kat’s relationship took a step further in this book and I felt happy for them. Finally these two are getting together but that was short-lived and that was really really heart-breaking.  As for Blake, I guess he knows that he’s annoying and stuff but he really should know he’s boundaries and not stepping over it. Due to his actions he’s more of Kat’s stalker than admirer. Ughh. I can’t imagine he came into Kat’s room and slept beside her.

The writing:

Ahhh this book made me laugh and it also made me feel sad. I really love Jennifer L.Armentrout’s writing. Once in a while she will breathe in some humour into the book and I really like that fact. Though everyone is stressed when things were not going well, somehow someone will bring in humour and I guess my spirits were uplifted a little.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Title: Onyx (Lux #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Format: Paperback (Entangled Teen | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there’s this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that’s possible. Against all common sense, I’m falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Thoughts:

The Plot:

There is a great improvement in the plot from the first book to the second and this time it is much more richer and more exciting.  When Daemon healed Kat in the previous book, it kind of had an effect on Kat and she was mutated. So she’s now half alien half human and since neither does the Luxen know much about mutated humans, there were as clueless as Kat herself. Then Blake comes in and answers most of their questions. He also starts training Kat to control her powers and keep them in check. The parts I laughed at were the ones where Daemon was sarcastic to Blake and he Daemon either seems not to remember Blake’s name and call him others as long as it starts with a “B” and it’s a guy’s name. So the first part of the book was rather lively and we were at the joking stage. Then as things starts to get complicated with Blake hiding truths or going around telling lies to Kat and Daemon, things starts to get intense and we saw Blake’s true colours. Things started unveiling and these new information did not come in a huge chunk but bit by bit so it was not overwhelming and digestible.  Nearing to the end of the book where I thought that things are going to cool down but in came a plot twist and things started to escalate. So yup I really have high hopes for Opal and I’m going to read it like after I’m finished with this review.

The Characters:

I guess Kat and Daemon grew more in terms of character in this book. When Blake came into the picture I was not too happy about it. He’s actions were very forthcoming and kind of direct when he showed signs that he like Kat. So I had a suspicion that Blake is a hiding something and he needs to get close to Kat or the Blacks. Right from the start I had a bad impression of him. Then we have Kat’s mom’s “boyfriend”, Will. He’s actions were also like Blake. Forthcoming and direct. But I did not see the connection between these two until when Will shot Kat a look that kind of says “You better watch out.” After the plot twist, my perception of Will becomes Sick Middle Aged Man. Yup at first he seems like Kat’s prospective stepdad, then he became the Wolf who had sheep skin on. It’s like he got so many layers of evilness in him and under the Sick Middle Aged Man what evilness lurk beneath.

The Writing:

I love Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing. I kind of like how the plot generally progress. The starting is light and funny. Then it progresses to intense and exciting. However in most books, the light and funny part is generally much smaller compared to the intense and exciting part. Her’s seem to have a balance between the two and I find that it’s good.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society (Heist Society #1)

Author: Ally Carter

Format: Hardback (Disney-Hyperion  | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s history–and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts:

The Plot:

It was confusing in the first and middle part. When Kat first got into the case and I have no idea what they are doing and I hardly saw the link between what they were doing and what does it got to do with that case. When I got through that confusing part, things started to escalate pretty quickly and with the deadline coming soon it just kept me turning the pages. I really love how these teenagers did their planning and their hypothesis for this case and the description of it is so intricate and detailed. I’m impressed by that and I want to read more of this series.

The Characters:

One thing different about this book is that there are no cheesy romantic scenes which is kind of refreshing and I really want more of such novels whereby the romance part is toned down and the main plot is amplified. I felt that these teenagers have very good camaraderie although at times they disagree with each other decisions like when Kat brought in an outsider to help them with their case as they were short-handed. I felt like when you are dealing with such stuff, the only goal they have in mind is not to get caught so I felt that it was normal as their lives were at stakes and they have to make sure their plan is fool-proof. I also like how quick-witted they were when they were in awkward circumstances.

The Writing:

I loved how detailed it was but like I said earlier I had problems with the first and middle part. This could be probably I’m not used to such genre and hence not familiar with the terms used or the reasons behind their actions. That was a downfall if not this book could be a 4 star instead of a 3.5 star.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

 

Title: A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly #2)

Author: Susan Dennard

Format: Hardback (HarperTeen | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

My thoughts:

The Plot:

OMG I don’t know what to say but the plot is soooo rich like butter. It is way better than the first and in this book we get to know more about necromancy and it was so intriguing I could not stop reading. There was a portion that creped the hell out of me. That part really matched the title so well. While reading there were parts where I was not happy with Eleanor’s decisions and I was like screaming in my mind why doesn’t she see/ realize it.

The Characters:

We have new characters we have a new enemy and a new friend — Oliver who is the demon that served Eleanor’s brother. It’s like Eleanor is always stuck in a situation where she finds it very difficult to choose side between the Spirit Hunters and Oliver. As we know the Spirit Hunters are very against the idea of dark magic and since Oliver is dark magic they don’t seem to trust Eleanor thinking that she has already given herself to black magic which is not the case and all these arises because Eleanor chose not to tell the full truth when she first met them in France until things went out of control. It pains me when Jie refuses to listen to her. Or even Daniel who thinks that she’s changed or she’s become someone like her brother. This is one of the few books which made me feel for each every one of them.

The Writing:

There’s something about the way she writes which draws me to her books. It somehow gels with the plot and the characters and everything seems interconnected to each other. I guess it was her writing that evoked such strong emotions while reading it.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: Altered by Gennifer Albin

Title: Altered (Crewel World #2)

Author: Gennifer Albin

Format: Hardback (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)  | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Life. Possibility. Choice.
All taken from Adelice by the Guild—until she took them back.

But amid the splendid ruins of Earth, Adelice discovers how dangerous freedom can be. Hunted by soulless Remnants sent by Cormac Patton and the Guild, Adelice finds a world that’s far from deserted. Although allies are easy to find on Earth, knowing who to trust isn’t. Because everyone has secrets, especially those Adelice loves most. Secrets they would kill to protect. Secrets that will redefine each of them. Torn between two brothers and two worlds, Adelice must choose what to fight for.

In this thrilling sequel to Crewel, Adelice is about to learn how tangled up her past and future really are. Her parents ran to protect her, but nothing can save her from her destiny, and once she uncovers the truth, it will change everything.

My thoughts:

The Plot:

This book continues from where Crewel left off like almost immediately. So if you have not read the first book then this review will really spoil you. Check out my review of the first book – Crewel here. So as we know Arras is telling its citizens a bunch full of lies, Adelice, Jost and Erik found that there are still inhabitants on Earth but because of Arras, most of Earth’s surface do not receive sunlight.  And in this case sunlight is rationed and we have the Sunrunners, we are recruited to risk their lives to get solar energy though the solar panels. We also found out in Arras, times flies much faster than on Earth. SO a day on Earth is close to a week on Arras. And it is due to this time difference, it really makes the whole situation much more dire and more impactful. I really like the new elements that Gennifer Albin put inside this book and more secrets are uncovered as well. There were plot twists and I myself is shocked by it. I really like this book way more than the first and I can’t wait to get hold of the third and final book Unravelled which is expected to come out on October 7.

The Characters:

In this book we see more character development for Erik and Jost and how they deal with their family issues and stuff. They also cleared misunderstandings they had from young.  As for Adelice she gets to meet her biological father and gets to know him better as well she also saw her mother who was supposedly killed by the Arras government and she was now turned into a Remnant, spies for Cormac.

The Writing:

I guess its pretty much the same as the first book except that the plot was much more fuller and exciting than then first.

Rating:

4.5 /5 stars

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Title: Crewel (Crewel World #1)

Author: Gennifer Albin

Format: Hardback (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)  | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. 
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. 

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

My thoughts:

The Plot:

I loved the world it was just so unique. It was hard to visualise and understand it at first but once I got through the first few chapters, I was sucked into the book. One of the reasons I picked up this book was because of the beautiful cover. Unfortunately, it underwent some cover changes so we won’t have similar covers for the second and third book. *sobs* The plot is really something I have not read. So basically in this world we have Spinsters these girls have the hands to do such intricate job and they work on looms. And on the looms there are threads and these threads representing almost everything in the Crewel world. SO the city being able to function properly is due to this girls as they kept the order of things for example like the weather. And its just so intriguing and mind provoking. I just can’t stop thinking what else is possible in this world. The plot twists here is just so out of the blue.

The Characters:

So our female lead – Adelice, she’s not the typical Tris or Katniss that we see in almost every dystopian book. They don’t really have the girlish side of them. But Adelice she’s a girl with poise and she fights with words not hands. Her arrogance is both a threat and a treasure for her. Yes on the surface she seems like someone who’s stuck up or don’t know where they stand but she’s actually playing with these people. I’m just so fascinated by the way she speaks and I really want to learn the art of speaking in such a manner. Then came in two guys who somehow fell for Adelice but till now I don’t know what I feel about those characters. When Adelice was two-timing them, didn’t she feel regret or remorse for cheating on them? Or maybe in their perfect world there’s no such thing therefore she don’t feel guilty. And I feel that the two guys are somewhat toned down. Its like they are the background and Adelice is the foreground. I hope I can get to know them better in the next two books.

The Writing:

It was kind of draggy and I felt that maybe she could cut down a little. The world building was well incorporated into the plot and I did not really had questions about why is the world like that. I’m looking forward to reading the second book – Altered. I hope that the second is as good as the first and I hope that the second is not an instalment just to make this series a trilogy.

Rating: 4.5 /5 stars

Review: Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Title: Asunder (Newsoul #2)

Author: Jodi Meadows

Format: E-Book  ( Katherine Tegen Books | Borrowed)

Find it on: Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Newsoul trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

My Thoughts:

The Plot:

It took me four to five days to finish reading this book. One of the reasons I picked this book was because firstly there’s a lot of buzz about this series in the book community and the third and final book is released this year. As I have an overflowing pile of TBR, I can’t seem to decide when to read it and I chanced upon two bloggers who are hosting a read-a-thon of this series and I signed up for it. I got to read the books but was way behind the read-a-thon due to my school life being rather hectic. But anyways, I still get to finish reading the book. It continues immediately from where Incarnate left off and we found out how Ana came was born into the world and who was responsible for it. We also got to know who Janan is. The plot is good but I wished there were more action in it. And yes there was action but it was rather mild. It’s not like the Divergent series where we have people holding weapons and practically killing each other off. The real rebellion here is Ana versus Janan. And Janan is responsible for the reincarnation of the people of Heart. When Ana got snuck into the temple for the second time this time cause she has the key, she found out what Janan did to the Newsouls and it was rather inhumane of him. He was feeding them off whenever a Oldsoul died. So that’s why the Oldsouls could reincarnate and the Newsouls never got to see the world. Which was rather sad and he was doing this because he wanted immortality. And the people of Heart not knowing this side of Janan were selfish and small-minded. I would say Jodi Meadows did a good job in making me hate this small minded people to the core. And yes I assumed that people who reincarnated are much more wiser and have a bigger heart and sad to say this was also Janan’s doing. He purposely erased certain memorises of Oldsouls when they died and before they were born into the world. So this lead me to thinking that there was opposition against Janan before and these people knew what he really was however, due to their souls being chained to Janan, Janan was able to manipulate their memories and when they are born into the world, they are once again brainwashed and a loyal follower of Janan. I really loved how intricate this part was as it was complicated yet not too overwhelming at the same time.

The Writing:

It was beautiful. I loved how she phrased the character’s thoughts with such depth and it gave me so much feels. Here are some of them:

“It seems love is the most important thing. Someone who doesn’t love us and uses us to hurt others was never worth our devotion.”

“but I was afraid that – no matter what actually happened – people would find a way to twist the truth. You were kidnapped because everyone hates you, or you ran away to live with the sylph. I don’t know. Scared people are creative people. They would come up with something, so if I only said you were sick and no one knew the truth – that you were missing – I could control what people said”

The Charcters:

Throughout this book not only Ana grew but Sam and the others too. As she was a Newsoul and her meomory was not manipulated, she showed the Oldsouls, what the world really is and she also proved to them that in terms of mental age, she was no different from them. I guess that without Ana, the people of Heart will be stuck in the vicious cycle of being used by Janan and eventually discarded once he gains immortality. I really curious about what would happen to the  people of Heart in the final book. Would they stand on Ana and the Newsouls’ side or would they continue to live in a world full of lies.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars