Fever book review

The second book in the chemical garden trilogy. Don't read if you don't want spoilers (:

Synopsis: Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

I read the first book to this series, Wither, and really liked it! So i had high expectations for this book and was really excited assuming it was going to be another great story. Unfortunately is was an underwhelming and disappointing sequel, and had a terrible case of the second book syndrome!

Fever picks up straight where Wither finishes. Rhine and Gabriel have just escaped the mansion and are finding that life on the run isn't easy. They find themselves in a prostitution camp where they are a two person cabaret act to entertain the wealthy men. The camp has its glitz and glammer but they aren't fooled and know that their chances of escaping are slim. But yet they manage to escape and just as Vaughn arrives. 

After that, is when the book got disappointing and fell apart. 

In the first book, the plot was the main thing that kept you wanting more. There were secrets and surprises. But now that everything is out, there's nothing. There were no knew twists or turns added, nothing to keep you interested or to hold onto. In the first book, i LOVED the way Lauren Destefano wrote the book and her style. But in this book, it was pretty weak. It didn't have that BAM impact that Wither did, which was one of the main reasons why I loved Wither so much. Rhine and Gabriel argued and snapped at each other constantly, and Rhine was always thinking about Linden! I was like come on, you chose Gabriel! And there really wasn't a choice anyway, because she never really wanted Linden. Wasn't this book about how she ran away from him because she hated her life as his wife? Why did it seem like this was a love triangle, when it was never one to begin with? 

After they escape the came, the make a journey back to Rhine's home. They run into some trouble here and there, but nothing important ever happened. They find the her home is abandoned and that there is pretty much nothing left indicating that Rowan has left. All this stuff happens in between that really did not interest me and all of a sudden Rhine is back at the mansion having tests done on her by Vaughn. There was no fight, no struggle to stop from going back there. She just went, like come on! She had gone through that whole journey to escape and she thought oh I'm going to die may as well go back. 

Overall, i found Fever a major let down and it was lacking in all the aspects i loved about Wither. It had no real emotion or relationships. New characters? I can hardly remember their names. Everything that was apart of Wither became irrelevant and practically disappeared. None of my questions were answered and nothing happened. We found out nothing new and i felt like the whole book was just a waste. They escape, get caught again, then escape, then get caught... i think you get the pattern. I felt as though this book could have been something so much more, everything that happened between the end of wither and the end of Fever was really nothing and could have been cut... and the story would still pretty much be the same with a few exceptions.

I love Lauren Destefano and she is awesome, but this was a disappointing read. I'm not really excited about the next book, but I'll probably read it because I'm a bit OCD about reading a whole series.

2.5 smileys

 City of bones movie - Casting News

Jemima West has been cast as Isabelle Lightwood!!

I love her sooo much! I think she is perfect! With some hair dye and contacts, she is definitely going to pull off the feisty Isabelle look. She is very talented and i'm sure she is going to be fantabulous!

Alec has been cast, but the actor will not be revealed until later on. Cassandra Clare shot down several actors that fans were asking about as Alec:  

- Nicholas Hoult 

- Ben Barnes 

- Douglas Booth 

- Freddie Highmore 

- Aaron Johnson 

- Andrew Garfield 

- Chris Riggi

She also said there is a connection between Douglas Booth and the actor chosen for Alec. Possibly Ed Westwick?

Rapture book review

Rapture is the last installment in Lauren Kate's 'Fallen' series. It contains spoilers, so do not read if you plan to read the series!

Synopsis: The sky is dark with wings . . . .Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.In the fight for Luce, who will win?

So, i had been waiting out for this book and was SO excited, but really, didn't love it. I was expecting this insane ending, that had me pulling my hair out, waiting to find out all the answers and twists placed throughout the story. But in all honestly, it was just boring. Don't get me wrong, Lauren Kate is an amazing author and i commend her for her work...but this book just didn't have much too it. The first chapters didn't pull me in, it was only up until the end did the story really pick up. The plot didn't really go anywhere, no twists or turns throughout the story, it was all just a drag. And really slow paced. I felt as though for a whole chapter, we would be reading about the feeling Luce got from flying with Daniel. I felt like i could have skipped all the middle chapters of the book, and i still would have known what was going on.

SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE BOOK SPOILED!

The one thing that really frustrated me most, was the ending! I was expecting this epic battle seen, angels fighting to save the world, all that stuff. But all i really got from that, was a friendly chat involving the words of 'let go'. I don't think this super bad guy would just agree and stop his plans for world domination or whatever. So i cannot comprehend how it came to that in this book. And then the ending, ending... i was like ARE YOU SERIOUS! It was just pretty...lame? I don't know, it all just seemed pretty unoriginal and safe to me.I was surprised by the answer to the question of who was Luce's first love though. I did not see that coming! AND CAM! He just flew away, i was like no come back! Cam made the series for me, he was the reason i enjoyed the first books so much. He should have had a better ending.

Although i didn't really enjoy this book, i still think that Lauren Kate is a great writer! I loved the cover of this book, as the Fallen series is worthy of developing amazing covers! I will be honest, the only reason i finished this book was because i really was interested in the conclusion. I will say, that i did really enjoy the fact that Luce gained her memories, i thought that was fun.

2 smileys

The Golden Lily review

This is the second book in the Bloodlines series, which is a spin-off from Richelle Mead's bestselling Vampire Academy. Do not read this review if you have not read the first book in Bloodlines and if you have not read Vampire academy, the Bloodlines series will spoil some things from that series for you as well.

Synopsis: Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOOO MUCH! I was so excited for this, and read it in a night! I loved everything about it. Exceeded all expectations! 

The way Richelle Mead writes is so captivating and amazing!  She makes the characters really raw, and you can really understand the emotion they feel. Sydney is an AWESOME character and i love her. Her character development was so great. At the beginning, she was just this alchemist, the same as every other one, who didn't like the maroi or dhampirs and really hated the situation she was in. I felt she really grew in this book, creating real relationships with the other characters. And she also found out who she really was. She was starting to stand for what she believed was right and was speaking for herself and her own mind.She begins to open up her eyes and mind to the fact that maybe the alchemist aren't as perfect and right as she may have thought. She also broke out of her shell a little bit, coming out of her comfort zone and trying out new things, *cough* slushies and gelato *cough*. I loved seeing her in her socially awkward state. She is so clueless when it comes to dating and it was really entertaining to read about her love life! hahaha. I loved the contrast between the two different relationships. On one hand you have Brayden, who is as equally smart and socially awkward as Sydney and seems like the safe choice. And then you have Adrian. Hot and sexy Adrian who lives a reckless life and has a personality quite opposite to Sydney. I couldn't bring myself to hate Brayden, i mean all he wanted was a civilized relationship with Sydney, right? But i just wanted that guy to leave already! I mean come one, how could you not be jumping into Adrian's arms when he's standing right in front of you with them wide open. Come one Sydney, get with it! Speaking of Adrian... I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IT HURTS! I just want him to be happy! Forget Rose, who needs he. He just deserves so much more.Oh Adrian, I'd gladly marry you any day. </3

I also just wanted to give Eddie and big hug! That poor boy! Hiding his true feelings because he feels its the right thing to do. NO EDDIE, NO! And then he had Angeline always coming onto him. I just wanted to slap Jill and tell her to wake up! While we are on the topic, Jill was a little frustrating in this book. I felt that even though she was very understanding of the things she could and couldn't do, she was very needy and was always upset and whining about something. Whether it was that she couldn't model or truly be in a relationship with Micah, i felt that every conversation ended with Jill agreeing with a sad face. Maybe if she wold open up her eyes and see that she has Eddie falling head over heels in love with her, she wouldn't be so sad. But now she's lost that chance, cause he has moved on! ARGHH! The characters can just never catch a break in these series, can they!

Although this book was a little less action packed than any of Richelle's other books, it didn't deduct anything away from the story. It was totally filled with action, just the emotional kind?! I actually liked this difference, it was a nice change. We got to really find out about the characters and get to see their true emotions. The plot was done really well. It was a good pace, and always had something interesting involved in it. We weren't reading for 15 pages about this one thought that Sydney had.  

The one thing that surprised me was Trey. I knew there was something up with him, but i did not think it was that! I love Trey, i think he is really cool, and i'm glad that this didn't majorly affect his friendship with Sydney. 

Overall this book was AMAZING! I cannot wait for the next one... February is way to far away! What am i going to do! wahhh

5 SMILEYS!

Wither book review

This is the Debut novel of Lauren Destefano, but if you have not read this book i strongly recommend you not to read this review as it will contain spoilers! 

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Firstly, starting with the writing style of Lauren Destefano. I love her style so much, its actually ridiculous. This is by far, one of the most well written books i have ever read. From the very first page, i was drawn in by the descriptive and crisp words she would use, in replace of boring and ordinary vocabulary. I also felt that the book was very well paced, although throughout the book we were always in the same place and hardly shown new things, i felt she added minor dramas alongside the main story plot to keep the readers interested.Although the plot was at time predictable, it also kept me on my toes. The main plot may have been slightly obvious(well,to me!) but the author added small dramas to distract and fill in the gaps!

I did like Rhine as a character, but i also got slightly frustrated with her. Firstly, I hate love triangles, and i had a feeling that Rhine would be naive enough to fall for Linden and have feelings for him, as well as Gabriel. This didn't entirely happen, but it was evident that at times she was considering it. I liked that Rhine was strong about her feelings, but at times she would waver and would make me want to pull my hair out. Her character development was good, but i feel there wasn't so much to develop as other characters have in other novels. She was already living alone with her twin brother, making her own money and protecting herself and she always had a good mind set and knew what she believed was right (most of the time). Aside from that i still saw her grow as she developed close relationships with her fellow wives and became and nurturing and kind nature friend to most of the other characters involved. I loved Jenna, and i was very sad when she died! I felt she was easy to relate to and i completely understood all of her actions.Jenna had real depth about her and had true emotions. Cecily really frustrated me. She was very small and selfish. She was constantly crying for attention and had jealousy woven through her actions and emotions, but would suddenly change into a loving friend? Linden was most frustrating of all. He was so oblivious to the world around him, and even though he never intended to hurt his brides, i just wanted to shake him and tell him to open his eyes to the world around him. Yeah, i get it. He was raised to believe differently to the truth, but he had absolutely no concept of real life and the action and consequences caused. Although i did not love all the characters, they balanced each other out very well. In situations, characters would show their frustration with characters and would express their annoyance with them. This made the book bearable and added more drama to the plot.

This book explores serious themes and is not totally unrealistic. Obviously we are aren't all definitely going to die at the age of 20 or 25, but the fact that the girls are stolen and either forced to become a bride, sold into prostitution, or killed, is a realistic event that happens throughout the world. This book helps us delve into our mind and expand our knowledge, teaching us of the horrors that occur throughout the world. Lauren Destefano has done this in a interesting and individual way, adding a serious thought to a fiction, dystopain novel.

I loved the cover of this book soooo much! I think its really beautiful, and the design inside was great too! Even the pages seemed extra crisp! haha, This made me love it even more i think!

Overall, i loved this book! I feel it is a great Dystopian, as these days many Dystopian books are being compared to 'The Hunger Games' and i hardly see any similarities in this. The writing style was great and the character balance was awesome! I would definitely recommend this book and i plan to continue on with this series!

4 smileys :)