Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden 1#
Genre: YA dystopia and paranormal romance
Publication date: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

My Thoughts:

This book was just plain awesome from the first few pages!! I mean, what can go wrong in a book set in a dystopian world shared by humans, vampires and zombies (that are called rabids) all together?!

This book tells the story of Allison, a human girl who lives in a city ruled by vampires. She hates the vampires and think of them as soulless monsters who treat humans as walking blood bags. That until the night she is turned into a vampire by herself.

Allison leaves her city and has to deal with the twisted dystopian world outside, all full of bloodthirsty rabids. In her way, she pretends to be a human and joins a group of people searching for Eden - a legendary land where there are no vampires or rabids. Can she control her Hunger and keep pretending to be a human? Can they survive the journey and reach Eden?

The characters in this book were very well developed, and they were actually what I liked the most about this book.

Allison, the main character, was definitely my favorite. She was such an extraordinary (I love this word lol) person. She was extremely brave and smart and could get herself out of deadly situations without any help. I really adored her ability to both physically fight well and think of brilliant ideas and plans in the middle of a fight. She never panicked and always thought rationally.

What I liked even more about her was her good heart and her tight hold on humanity, even when she became a vampire. She never let her lust for blood take over her and was ready to do anything to keep her loved ones safe.

My second favorite character was Zeke, a member of the group of people searching for Eden, and Allison's love interest. He was just the sweetest guy ever!! In this twisted, violent world, in which only the strong ones survive, he has managed to remain a good, caring person. He has sworn to never leave anyone behind, and he prefers to save the lives of the children in the group over his own.
I really loved to read about the relationship Zeke and Allison shared. The romance between then developed slowly but surely. They got closer and closer to each other until they finally admitted their love. I especially liked how Zeke became all shy and sweet when it came to Allison...

This book was action-packed. There were a lot of fights, filled with blood and dead bodies. Sometimes it felt too brutal for me... I mean, literally HALF of the characters in this book has been killed, whether they were eaten by rabids, murdered brutally by humans or emptied from blood by vampires. At the beginning I could stand it, but as the book progressed it became too much. I started guessing who is going to die next!

Overall, this book was really good. I think it has a very original take on both the paranormal and dystopian genres. I can't wait to read the next book (I've got an eARC, so it's not gonna be a problem...) and I will be very happy to read other books from this paranormal-dystopian types.
I recommend it to people who like violent, intense books with a strong, feminine male character like The Hunger Games and Divergent.



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Strength by Carrie Butler Blog Tour: Review

Strength by Carrie Butler

Series: Mark of Nexus #1
Publication date: March 7th 2013
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Genre: NA Paranormal Romance

Goodreads | Amazon

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn't look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn't look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

My thoughts:

The plot:

This book started great. Rena was trying to understand a guy that was considered crazy - he used to have episodes in which he was screaming and banging the walls. I was dying to know the explanation to these episodes and to Wallace's extraordinary strength. The problem was that from the middle of the book on, the story started to drag... I felt like it was not going anywhere. Once in a while, something has happened, but it was mostly too out of the blue and hard to believe. I really wish the author would provide much more satisfying explanations.

 

The characters:

Rena, the main character, was presented very well. I felt like I really got to know her, and that she was a good person. she was very brave, she wasn't afraid of anything and she didn't believe the rumors like everyone else. I also liked it that she excepted Wallace the way he was - psychic and all.

Wallace was a little too sophisticated and perfect-looking to sound real, but I liked him well enough. He was  lot like Edward Callen from many aspects.

The Setting:

This book was set in a college, and I really loved it! College students are much more mature, and they do everything wild they want. It was very interesting for a change. I will definitely check out more college books.

 

 

Overall, this book was ok. I has some plot issues, but I still enjoyed it.




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Stacking The Shelves + Reading Plans :D

This week I've got so many great books!!!! Here they are:

For Review:

      

• Deadly Kiss by Kerri Cuevas (Goodreads) - for book tour. I've started yesterday and I'm already 40% through.
• Otherborn by Anna Silver (Goodreads) - for book tour
• The Space Between by Victoria H. Smith (Goodreads) - for book tour
• Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young (Goodreads) - from Edelweiss. OMG I'm so happy they've approved me!! This book looks totally awesome. Can't wait to start it.

Kindle eBooks:

      

• Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Goodreads) - I think I'm the last person on earth who hasn't read this one. The reviews of Scarlet were so great that I'm DYING to read it.
• Unremembered by Jessica Brody (Goodreads) - I just LOVED the blurb and the cover. I can't wait to start it.
• Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger (Goodreads) - again, I fell in love with the cover.

My Reading Plans for the Week:

This week I'm going to have a lot of time to read (tests are over whoohoo) so I want to finish 4 books:

• Deadly kisses
• eARC of My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling (Goodreads)
• Cinder
• Unremembered

What books did you get this week? What are you reading plans?

Please follow my blog! Thank you ^_^

Sapir

Book Review: The Look by Sophia Bennett

The Look

Author: Sophia Bennett

Genre: YA realistic fiction

Publication Date: March 1st 2013

Publisher: Scholastic

Source: eARC from the publisher. Thank you very much!

Can she be a supermodel and a super-sister? She finds her answer in just one look.

Two sisters, both beautiful in different ways: Fifteen-year-old Ted has got "The Look." That's what the scout for the modeling agency tells her, and she can't believe her luck. But just as Ted's jet-setting off on her new career, Ava is diagnosed with cancer. Can Ted be a supermodel and a super-sister? Or will she have to choose between family and fame? With their worlds turned upside down, the girls have to look past appearances, look deep inside, to figure out what really matters.

Recently, I see a lot of books about cancer. I think it started with The Fault In Our Stars - one of the most popular books of 2012. I've read it, but unlike everybody else, I didn't like it so much. I thought it was too depressing and pessimistic. I don't have any problem with sad books... I just need them to have a tiny bit of hope.

That's why I am very glad to say that this book wasn't a tearjerker! The author has managed to write about teens dealing with cancer without making the book heavy or depressing. When I first started reading, I was afraid this book is going to end like The Fault In Our Starts... but it hasn't!! In fact, the ending was very happy and full of hope - just the way I like.

Ted, the main character, was overall relatable and realistic. The only problem was that she didn't act her age. Ted is 15-turning-on-16, but she thinks and acts as if she's much younger. That was kind of annoying. I think that her whole behavior would make much more sense if she was 12.

What I like the most about her was was the transformation she made - at first she didn't believe when people told her she was pretty. From her descriptions of herself, she sounded totally model-ish - tall and thin with long legs, but she thought of herself as an ugly, scary girl and was very insecure.

As the book progressed, Tad has gained confidence and started to notice her qualities. She has completely changed - from the scared little girl at the beginning she turned into a strong woman who stands up for herself. That's why I turned up liking her.

The relationship between Ava and Ted was beautiful. They shared all of their secrets, so both of them always had someone to talk to. I really loved how they never fought and never did anything to disturb each other. I wish my relationship with my own sisters would be like this.

What I also liked about this book was the whole modeling issue. It's the first time ever I read a book about modeling, and I found it a really interesting subject! I really loved to read about the shoots and Ted's feelings during them. It was also really funny to read about the unusual people working as managers and photographers, who live in a whole different world - a world of fame and glitters.

My favorite part of the book was actually the writing, which was very fluent and quick, making the book highly addictive. I literally couldn't put it down!! That's why I've finished it in TWO DAYS. And I'm a super-slow reader. Sophia Bennet is totally an author to look out for!! I am looking forward to read more books by her.

Overall, this book has managed to touch really tough subjects without being too heavy. It was very well written and had some strong educational massages. I recommend it to younger teen girls (grades 6-8).

Rating:

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Series That I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Wow.. There are so many series I want to start but haven't yet!!

My Top Ten:

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This series looks so cool. A lot of people love it, and the dystopian theme sounds like something I would like. I should really start it soon!

2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I've accidentally read a terrible spoiler from the second book of this series, and now I'm not sure if I should read it. This week I read two great reviews  and I've heard that it's going to be adapted to the small screen... Now I'm not sure what to do. XP

3. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is one of my favorite series ever!! Cassandra Clare is an AMAZING author. I'm sure I would love anything by her. One of my friends told my that this prequel series is even better.

4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I always like reading about and magic and witchcraft  I must read it before I watch the movie!! I've already got myself a copy. Hope I'll like it (:

5. Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I really like the combination of aliens and urban fantasy.

The next 5:

     

        

That's all!! Hope I will read everything this year (:

What the your top ten series you want to read?