Mind Games by Kiersten White

I know, I know, this was suppose to be up yesterday! But we went ice skating and eventually I was so tired! I was asleep by 9 PM :P But here you go!

Mind Games
by Kiersten White

Expected publication:
February 19th 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Mind Games #1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Source: Through publisher
for review purposes
Amazon |
Book Depository

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right.
Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her — except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways... or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other — no matter the cost.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
First I have to introduce Mind Games' UK cover, though I'm sure this is no news to anyone.

I really can't say which cover and title I like more, cause they're just so different and both suitable on their own way.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book when I first heard about it, except of course some sort of epic awesomeness, thanks to author.
We have two narratives, Fia and Annie. They're sisters, but that's probably all they have in common. Annie is blind, but sometimes she has visions. But due to her blindness she's also pretty helpless and that makes her an easy prey. And that's the best way to control Fia; threaten Annie. Since Fia has the flawless instincts, she makes a great assassin (hint, the UK name!).

I wasn't a huge fan of Annie. She's blind, but sometimes I got the feeling she really is using her sister. Fia wouldn't have gone to that school if it wasn't for Annie. Fia wouldn't be used, if it wasn't for Annie. And it takes Annie years to realise this. I just feel she uses her sister sometimes too.
But Fia.. I have a total girl crush! And I haven't have one of those in a long time. She's absolutely kickass yet.. she's in her breaking point. She just wants out, but there really isn't way. Until she comes up with a hopefully awesome plan.
There's also some romantic action; the whole story starts when Fia doesn't kill Adam, and she hopes there could be something there, but there probably won't be. And then there's James, who is presented as a villain, but Fia actually really cares about him, even when she knows she shouldn't. And in the end, we might have been wrong about him all along.

Why I chose this to be the first review of this year is because this was one of my most anticipated books coming out in 2013, and I was so happy when I got to read this in 2012! I absolutely loved Kiersten's Paranormal series (and absolutely adored Evie), and couldn't wait to read more from her.
But I must say I was completely taken by surprise when I realised how different Mind Games was from Paranormalcy! Paranormalcy was mostly just absolutely hilarious, so of course I was expecting more of that. But Mind Games.. it's nothing like Paranormalcy. It's dark and sad and even awful sometimes, yet it's amazing. Kiersten has her unique style of writing which captures you from the first page and keeps you glued to the book until you're finished. And then lefts you wishing you already had the second book. And the cliffhanger really doesn't help with that.


My thanks to HarperCollins and Christine!

Mini Reviews: Poison Princess & Shatter Me

Sorry guys, this was suppose to be up by yesterday (..or day before that..), but I got distracted. First I started playing a game (or The Game for me, man how I still love that game! Seriously hooked again.) and last night when I was suppose to write, I started knitting some mittens (except in baby blue and -pink! Cause I'm just so hardcore mature!) and there was Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang in the TV so.. no writing.
Okay, I'm just a lazy b**tard, sue me! (Please, don't.)

But the year will end soon (in a few hours!), so here's this years final reviews!

Poison Princess
by Kresley Cole

Published: October 1st 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Format: Ebook
Pages: 320
Source: Through Pulse It
Amazon |
Book Depository

She could save the world — or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Okay, so the beginning was little odd, since I was convinced Evie's going to be slaughtered right away and I thought well, that sucks and is kind of disappointing!
Then we jump back in time and it's kind of slow at first. Evie thinks she's crazy and her mum thinks she's crazy, so she spent the summer in the nuthouse. When she goes back to school, she meets the new guy, Jackson, who just makes her mad.

After a while her visions come true and the apocalypse arrives! She manages to survive with her mother and then finds out Jackson is alive too and together they start the most eventful journey.

This was just.. This rocked, I don't know any other way to put it! Evie realises she's not completely "normal" and there's also other kids with weird abilities. They ran into at least to three of them, I especially enjoyed the part about the Bringer of the Doubt ;) There definitely was some doubt going on!

Evie and Jackson make the ultimate couple, even though Evie is the nice girl and Jack the bad boy, luckily that didn't bother me that much.

And the ending.. Torture, I tell you! Evie finally realises what she's capable of, and now I just want to know what happens with Jackson!!! I was absolutely awed with Evie and her powers, it was just so freaking awesome and original! And when Jackson sees Evie.. Damn, broke my heart!

Yeah, I need to buy this, like now.


My thanks to Pulse It for the review copy!

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi

Published: November 15th 2011
Publisher: Harper
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 338
Source: Borrowed
Amazon |
Book Depository

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Another book that made me wonder: "WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG BEFORE I READ THIS!??!?!" Still wondering that, but the main point is, I read this and loved it. I know, there's the whiny MC with somewhat instalove and really weird lovetriangle, but.. Hey, heart wants what it wants!

Sooo... Juliette's been in the nuthouse (hey, another one!) for almost a year, until one day she gets a roommate! And it's a boy! And soon Juliette realises that she knows that boy and kind of feels betrayed, until it's revealed he's on her side. Now all they have to do is break free from her prison, where she's hold as a prisoner by Warner, a dude who has some mummy issues.

Yeah, there could've been so much for me to hate. Like some strike-throughs, lot of metaphors (okay, I didn't get them all!), weird lovetriangles etc., but when you combined those elements, they just worked.
And what I mean by weird lovetriangle.. There's Adam, which is understandable, but then there's also Warner, who wants to own Juliette. I just find it disgusting yet so awesome. There isn't really anything romantic in their "relationship", it's actually revolting, but it really doesn't take any romance to have the hots. Seriously, you don't have to like each other, you can find each other awful and disgusting, but still can have the hots.

"Warner grips my hips and allows his hands to conquer my body.
He tastes like peppermint, smells like gardenias.
His arms are strong around me, his lips soft, almost sweet against my skin.
There’s an electric charge between us I hadn’t anticipated."

My point exactly.

I also should've been bothered by the fact that nearly every guy around found Juliette attractive. But.. there isn't exactly that many girls around (like none), and probably even ugly girls start looking hot at some point. So I'm not sure she's actually that attractive ;D Yeah, she probably is, but.. Yeah.
Aaaand Juliette is pretty insecure and miserable and blames herself for things not her fault, but what can you expect after miserable life where no one's ever been nice to you?? It would be rational to say "it's not my fault that stalker is doing that", but people many times act irrational, so, again, didn't bother me.

Now I just have to wait for the second book, hopefully I'll be getting it ASAP! Only like over a month to go.. *sigh.*

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry

Published: July 31st 2012
( first published July 25th 2012 )
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Ebook
Pages: 409
Series: -
Source: From NetGalley for
review
Amazon |
Book Depository

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise."
Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that - did you? It was done to you?"
No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER ... AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smokinghot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
When I first saw the cover, I just.. fell in love. It's obviously steamy, but there's also something unique in it. It just got that something, the "IT" factor that makes you want to read the book immediately.
And after I finished the book, all I could think was.. Finally! It's been so long when I last read a book that made me ball my eyes out! This definitely did the trick. Though, unfortunately when I was finishing this, I was also doing my make-up for work, so I had to fix it like three times. But man, it was so worth it!

At first, when I started reading the book, I was little scared. Because I was pretty sure this was going to be one of those stories where bad boy gets the good girl and bad boy turns good birl I mean boy, you know the usual story!
So when I noticed this was something completely different, I was over the moon. Yes, there is a bad boy, Noah. Or that's how it seems from the outside. And there's a good girl. Or a girl who used to be The Good Girl of the school, but after Echo's disappearance, everything changed for her.
Now there's just two broken people who seek comfort, and find it from the least expected.

What I love the most in this book is.. emotions. And how the author managed to make them so real. You get to cry, hate, love and laugh throughout the book and it's just amazing. And even though, or maybe because, the story is so filled with emotions, it's believable, realistic. As an author, Katie McGarry is like a puppet master, controlling reader's emotions through amazing scenes. That is something truly unique.

Through this book, you'll get to know what it's like to be a girl, who's life has fallen apart. You'll get to feel her sorrow for losing her family. Hate and jealousy for his father marrying her baby sitter. And you'll get to know what it's like to be the bad boy. When people know you as a troublemaker and girl-user, but when you're actually a boy, who lost his family and just wants to survive.
If you want true emotions, read this.


HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing a review copy!

Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist

Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist

Expected publication: March 20th 2012
Publisher: ALADDIN M!X
Format : Paperback
Pages: 240
Source : For review from the author
Buy : Amazon | Book Depository

Calliope Meadow Anderson wishes her life could be more of a fairy tale—just like the stories she writes. Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent's marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses.

But Callie soon learns they aren't just any glasses—they are magical and let her read people's thoughts. For the first time ever she's answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people's minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her.

As if dealing with these crazy glasses weren't enough, Callie tries out for the lead in her school's production of Cinderella and actually gets the part. Instead, Callie chooses to let Ellen have the lead and be Ellen's understudy—just like she has done for their entire friendship.

Add in a new girl who has something to hide, a secret admirer, a best friend stealer who isn't what she seems, and Callie's year just went from ordinary to extraordinary.

Can this supporting actress learn to be a leading lady in her own life? Or is she destined to stay in the background forever—even with her super-freaky-magic glasses?

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Calliope is kind of a loner and she likes to write stories. She's kind of geeky, and it certainly doesn't help that she'll need glasses.
That's when her sort of fairy godmother steps in, and that's when Callie receives her magical glasses. And they're magical because they let her see people's hidden thoughts. And she realizes that nothing's like she thought it was.

I really don't want to spoil too much, because this is such a wonderful story to read! Basically she learns that nothing's what it seems and everyone has hidden secrets, even the friends you think you know the best. Or your parents. And the one you think is the bad guy, isn't always. The motives behind people's actions might not be what you think they are. And, the most important thing I should've known when I was growing up: What ever you think about yourself, it may not be what the others thinks.

I have to say that I absolutely adore the picture of Jenny the 7th grader (can be found on her homepage)!
It's about excactly the same as mine! I'm few years younger than Jenny, so in my 7th grade picture I'm not wearing polo shirt, but a flanel shirt. Orange. And brown. And my glasses were a little smaller, since it was year.. umm.. seriously, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to count.
But anyway. I was the girl with the frizzy hair (I do have frizzy hair still, but now I know how to use straightening iron...). I was also 10 cm's (4 inches) taller than any other boy or girl in my class. So yeah, I feel the pain. 

I also had louzy best friend, who made me and this other girl compete for her attention, until she found a boyfriend, and me and the other girl became friends. So it was kind of painful to read this book, but painful only because it reminds us, the girls with frizzy hair, what it was like to be that age. Especially when you didn't have magical glasses! Just ordinary ones. And nearly braces *shudder* It's nice to see how someone excactly like you, or me, survives it. 

This is the book for all those frizzy haired girls who survived, or will survive, their lives even without the magical glasses!

Huge thanks to Jenny! I couldn't be happier! :)

Jenny Lundquist grew up in Huntington Beach, California, wearing glasses and wishing they had magic powers.

They didn't, but they did help her earn a degree in intercultural studies at Biola University. Jenny has painted an orphanage in Mexico, taught English at a university in Russia, and hopes one day to write a book at a café in Paris.
Jenny and her husband live in northern California with their two sons and Rambo, the world's whiniest cat.




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Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Published: August 31st 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format : Hardcover
Pages: 335
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Source : Borrowed from library
Buy : Amazon UK / Book Depository

synopsis

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

thoughts

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
I wasn't a big fan of the cover, so I wasn't that excited to start reading this book. I mean, there's just some blond girl in a dress, with a barbie-arm, hanging in some hay. Yay.

Then I ran into this in library, and borrowed it, and I was surprised, when I noticed how good the book was! It was the same feeling I had when I first read Hex Hall #1. And the same thing happened, meaning I ordered book #1 and #2 right away! Now I'm just waiting for them to arrive..

It's really hard to start separating things I most liked in this book. I guess the best part was that the world in this book was unique, and haven't seen something exactly like that before! It's always so refreshing. And the humor. I'm sucker for it, as seen with the Hex Hall series.

Main character, Evie, was interesting and believable. She's working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, but she's still just a normal teenager, or at least that's what she thinks.. Well, anyway, I liked her! She's cute and want to do normal teenage stuff, like go to high school and have her own locker! And I could totally adopt her pink taser. Yeah, I have a lot of pink, so those pink things really weren't a problem for me, just made me like this book more!

I liked Lend's and Evie's relationship. It's cute. And apparently I like cute things..

Why I truly fell in love with this book was because of the plot. I didn't know what will happen in the end! That's the greatest part. I've read so many books that are basically all the same, there's no new thinking, no new kind of anything, so this was refreshing. It's rare to find really, really good books when there's so many books in the world! So I'm happy find this one, and can't wait for the second book!






Rating:

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Released : April 1st 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Format : Paperback
Pages: 336
Series: Hex Hall #1
Source : Bought from Amazon
Buy : Amazon UK / Book Depository

synopsis

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

thoughts

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
I sooooooo fell in love with this one! It has creepiness, action, romance and it's just freaking hilarious! I bought this based on reviews, and was not disappointed. My copy was paperback, so now I ordered a hardcover-version of this one. Which means, soon I'll have one extra copy of this, which means.. my first giveaway ever!

This really was a brilliant read, which I'm always happy to find. When I was halfway through the book, I actually started to check if I was near the ending, 'cause I didn't want it to end, ever!

Of course, there's two guys mentioned, but luckily, it wasn't taken over the top, like in so many books. These guys actually have character and they're not all head over heels for the main character. They're not in war with each other and they're not like stupid drooling puppies! And yet again, there's the "good guy - bad guy"- thingy going on, but it didn't bother me. Except, of course I loved the bad guy.. What else could you expect?







It definitely had some new ideas with the whole Hex Hall- thing and I liked how even the origin of the witches etc. is explained. And I liked the mystery, too, 'cause it wasn't too obvious. Though the whole dead-grandmother-back-to-life- idea was creepy. Totally creepy. I had some trouble trying to read this in a dark room, all alone.

If I have to find some negatives about this book, I guess I wasn't really excited about the whole cheerleader-witches-idea, but fortunately I was proven wrong and they were taken so over the top, it was hilarious. And of course there's the same old "one girl/two guys/add-some-paranormal-thingies", but luckily it had some unique twists in it, so it wasn't too obvious and boring. And I was quite sure that we would see another whiny little girl as a main character, but she was actually really cute, occasionally whiny, but not too whiny!

So I truly recommend this to anyone, who's looking for a great and funny read!



Rating:

Book Review: Lucian by Isabel Abedi

Lucian by Isabel Abedi
Released : September 9th 2009
Publisher: Arena Verlag
Format : Hardback
Pages: 553
Source : Library
Buy : Amazon UK / Book Depository

synopsis

It feels like …

… a tear, a tiny tear deep inside Rebecca as if someone had pulled out a hair with tweezers. What remains is a strange sensation of emptiness and fear. But then Lucian appears out of nowhere. A boy without a past, someone who cannot remember who he is or where he came from. Yet Lucian gives Rebecca the feeling of not being lonely any more.

“Are you following me?” The boy examined me with his eyes.
“No.“ I glared at him. “No! Who are you anyway?”
Again the boy did not answer; this time he looked unsure of himself.
“Tell me, will you,“ I demanded. “What’s your name?”
The boy lowered his head. “You tell me.”
“Tell you what?“ I took a step back. “My name?“
“No. My name.“

A young girl falls in love with a young man, who looks to be homeless, but who turns out to be her guardian angel (except he doesn’t know it due to amnesia). The only thing they know for certain is that every dream Lucian has about Rebecca, comes true. And Lucian has just dreamt that Rebecca is
going to die.

thoughts

I didn't have a clue, what kind of book this would be, when I borrowed it from my library. I just checked the frontcover and thought that it looked nice and simple, black with one white feather flowing. Though I was scared, that since it has 553 pages, I would never actually read the book. Luckily, this isn't what happened.

As I said in my earlier post, I was reading Finnish edition, and had to start this book twice. First time I only read first 16 pages, and was exhausted. I thought that this book isn't for me, that it's just way too slow. The second time I jumped to where I left first time, and it took only two more pages to turn _really_ interesting. After that I couldn't stop reading. Seriously. The story really took me over. It's truly wonderfull to find this kind of book, these are rare and just.. worth reading.

The main character is a girl named Rebecca. Occasionally she's a little silly and/or childish, but that doesn't really bother me, which is nice for a change. Usually I'm just rolling my eyes and thinking "man, aren't you a silly one..". I could just feel her pain, when she was apart from Lucian. Only thing, I didn't like so much, was the ending. It was really really short, only few pages, and I could've just kept reading. But then again, if I love a book, I don't want it to end ever. Because I feel like I'm losing a friend when the story ends. I'm also a sucker for happy endings, so I did actually cry in the end, when Lucian wasn't human anymore. I need that Cinderella-ending "and they lived happily ever after".

Overall, I need to buy a copy for myself. I need this book to my bookshelf. My bookshelf isn't perfect without this book. I could go on and on about this book, so it may be best, if I just give the rating now.



Rating:






p.s. I actually thought that I wouldn't give 5 cupcakes, but there it is. Maybe a little minus from the end, but there you go, 5 cupcakes!