Wrap Up Review.

Hello fellow readers, as you can tell ( or not) I have been away for awhile and to be honest I don't really have a valid excuse.I have read books and despite it being my first year in university , I had time to write a post. Well now I am back and have read quite a bit of books and will be disposing my thoughts of them here in a wrap up in a pros/ cons format. 

1. The Wrath and The Dawn.

This 1000 and one nights retelling is quite an adventure and even though it was quite hyped up I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Pros:

- Likeable characters 

- Interesting setting

- action filled plot

-Interesting relationships

- Unique premise.

- Beautiful cover!

Cons:

- once again the love triangle ( hoping this gets dropped in the second book)

- Shaza lack of commitment to her original intentions ( I mean i wanted a badass assassin)

- Lack of world building ( It wasn't really focused on explaining how the world worked and not even the magic)

- Romance heavy plot  ( I liked it in this book , but I can see why others may not)

Rating : 4/ 5 kittens.

This novel is fantastic , interesting world with complex characters. This is one my favorite fantasy novels this year.The writing was eloquent and beautiful as so were the characters and the premise.

2. Liars, Inc.

Okay this one was sadly disappointing, from the plot to the characters this book was just not my cup of tea.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Pros:

-Awesome cover 

- Interesting premise

-Diversity 

Cons:

-Failed to deliver the awesome premise

- Plot was meh, okay but nothing spectacular.

- WHINY MAIN PROTAGONIST.

- Whiny Anti- protagonist

WHINY PEOPLE EVERYWHERE 

-plot twist were just inserted in and added little to the main plot, it was meant to  be shocking but it didn't matter, the plot sucked.

- I thought the main premise of Liars inc in the book is very weak, sadly.

-unlikable protagonist.

-MEH ALL OVER THIS BOOK.

Rating: 3/5 kittens

As you can tell this book has a lot of potential but the way it was executed was done badly.This book was supposed to be great as the premise was interesting and held a lot of potential.

3. Belzhar

This one , sigh sadly the plot twist ruined it for me. The premise itself was weak , throughout the book I found some potentials to make this book good, but the plot twist ruined it all.

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing  him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

Pros

- Great supporting cast

- Interesting plot

- Setting was a boarding school , so stuff was going to happen.
- Beautiful cover.

Cons

- Horrible premise

- Twist is just bad , really bad.

- On the verge of being disrespectful to metal illnesses.

- AHH this was just really bad.

Rating : 2/5

 Sigh , as you can tell sometime reading has its up and downs. The Wrath and the Dawn was spectacular . Both Liars inc and Belzhar were not good books , but had potential to be amazing.

Do you ever experience a book that had potential but didn't execute well? Comment down below to join the discussion.

Review: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.

Hardcover: 455 pages

Published:  June 19 2014 by Mulholland Books,

Genre: Mystery.

Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo's Calling.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

  

*CLAPPING* This was the book to get me back into the reading world. Not only was the mystery enticing but I got the privilege to revisit the lives of Strike and Robin. Oh how much I love this series *swoon*.

The last book focused on  a suicide case of a model , and this time it was a case dealing with the world of writers and publications. A frail lady in need to find her husband arrives at strikes office.What began a simply case of a man who ran away, became a large mess of words and deep secrets.

Now the plot is deep and detailed.VERY DETAILED, I mean this book was gory to say the least . I applaud the author for truly showing the world of this author, but wow I wasn't expecting such horror. Let's say if you are weak for gross murders and such , this may be hard to read. But other than that the plot was slow pace but has a climatic end.The pace allowed readers to truly understand each individual involved with the case , which is important in a mystery novel.

The feeling of being in England is there , the description of the setting is done very well.Even the way the characters speak by using word choice to portray their accents is done beautiful. I felt being in the atmosphere of england and that added a lot to the story and something I enjoy about from this series.

Strike and Robin are a power duo I adore . I must admit they remind me a bit of Sherlock and Joan Watson's relationship from Elementary( which if you also love mysteries this show is a masterpiece). I love how the relationship is trying to evolve as robin wants more from her secretary job.Even the ongoing subplot of her fiance , Matthew who I find to be annoying to say the least.Robin is a smart woman and I love that she is trying pursue a life she wants for herself despite some setbacks.I enjoy Strike and Robins relationship and interactions, through the case.       

Now I know people are shipping them , but I feel like the relationship adds more depth by being platonic.I have mixed feelings on it , if done right I totally for it but also can see it go really bad. For me ,the relationship right now is amazing on its own and doesn't need romance to make it better , and Elementary, a show with a platonic relationship shows that wonderfully.

                     The whole world is writing novels, but no one is reading them.

 I rate this book a 4.5/5 adorable kittens , as it is a great mystery novel with detailed and complex characters to match the case.I took .5 off because like I mentioned the unexpected goriness in the book was  a bit much.Other than that it was a phenomenal book and truly recommend to any mystery novel fanatics. 

This books is another compelling novel in the Cormoran Strike series , and I am planning to get the third book out right now, Career of Evil.

PS. I know I mention elementary many times throughout this review and all I can say is that this book reminds me of it sorry, but really you guys should check it out.

If you would like to join the discussion or input some things you thought of the book please do comment down below.

Review : Schizo By Nic Sheff.

                                                   

Hardcover, 272 pages                                                       Published September 30th 2014 by Philomel Books            Genres: Ya , Contemporary

The fascinating, shocking, and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen’s downward spiral into mental illness by the bestselling author of Tweak.

Miles is the ultimate unreliable narrator—a teen recovering from a schizophrenic breakdown who believes he is getting better . . . when in reality he is growing worse.

Driven to the point of obsession to find his missing younger brother, Teddy, and wrapped up in a romance that may or may not be the real thing, Miles is forever chasing shadows. As Miles feels his world closing around him, he struggles to keep it open, but what you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling.

Written by the New York Times bestselling author of Tweak, Schizo is the fascinating, and ultimately quite hopeful, story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness as he chases the clues to a missing brother. 

Lately I have read a large amount of books dealing with mental illness, perhaps starting my degree in psychology is influencing my decision in books.Anyways this is one of the better Ya books dealing the mental illness.This book not only tug my heart strings but also open up to a reality I do not live but many do.The novel not only deals with schizophrenia but the life on must live with it.Nico is able to make Miles a character you care for despite the lack of relatedness.

Miles deals with schizophrenia , but is still an caring brother, son and friend.He cares for his little sister and his two best friends.Miles is character who I rooted for to get better.I really did like him.His family is an awesome addition to this book , because you can how miles disorder affect them.Even through their struggle , they try there best to be supportive for miles, even though it not the easiest thing to do.Miles continues to blame himself for the disappearance of his brother, blaming him for creating stress i his family. Obsessed with finding him and making things right for his mother, father and sister.

As we miles in his epsiodes, those moments of vulnerability are quite sad and emotional. I feel for him , and hate that he see himself his life as over.When everyone was scared of him , I just wanted to give him a hug and let him know it's okay.The author is trying to tell reader that a  disorder should not destroy your life , and to overcome the problems instead of giving up.

I do have to mention that is book opened my eyes to the extent of this disorder, and the major ways it influencing ones life.Before I never understood as that serious but this book opened my perspective on it.

This book was a short , yet an emotional read. I am glad the direction of the book went and enjoyed learning more about schizophrenia and how it affects an whole family together

Top 5 Wednesday

Hello fellow readers, today is going to be my first time in participating in  T5W, a fun post to discuss some random ideas and thoughts.If you would like to join just check out Lainey's goodreads account. 

Today's topic on hand :Top Authors You Discovered This Year.

At first , I thought this would be hard but looking at the books this year I have discovered quite a bit of authors!

                                     1. Lauren Destefano 

Perfect ruin is one of my favorite all time books, and the beautiful writing done by Laren has made me fall in love with her books. Only to discovered her books in 2015 , I hope to read much more books from her. 

2.Sally Green 

Once again , reading one novel from her this year, Sally is a author who I can't believe I have only discovered her this year,Still haven't gotten into Half Wild yet , but it will be read soon !!

3.Robert Galbraith

This counts right ??? Besides the fact that Robert and JK.Rowling are the same person , technically they are not.I have discovered Galbraith series , The Cuckoo's Calling , and soon couldn't stop myself from buying The Silkworm.Galbraith is able to write a modern mystery book that is interesting and compelling. 

4.Matthew Quick 

I put him here because there are plenty of books I
want to read from him and just started with his recent book , The good luck of right now in 2015. I adored this book from the minute I started and really liked the writing style and character development Quick has in his book.I am soo glad I finally read one his book and can not wait to read his other novels.

5. Patrick Ness 

I am late to the party right ... so late that I missed the cake.Ugh I know but you know what its never too late to begin reading Patrick Ness book.I started with the knife of never letting go and had some troubles with it but in the end loved it and saw what was so amazing with patrick ness. His ideas are so out there and different and I love that about his novels.I am currently reading More than this and I am quite enjoying it so far.

Well there you have it,a handful of authors I admire and can not believe it took me this long to pick of their novels.

If you guys have any comments or concerns with my T5W comment down below, question my                                                                     my insane list.

Letters.

Hello fellow readers, today I hope to introduce a new feature to my blog.Letters to fictional characters. For now this will be a monthly featurette preferably a book I have read in the current month on up here on the last day of the month.So I will write a letter to a character in a novel, either yelling at them or adoring them.I will try to make it non-spoiler letter, but I am not promising anything.Anyways expect the first one on the 31st.

October Tbr.

Welcome to a spooktacular month , which includes midterms, Halloween town reruns and books.Hopefully I can muster up a good reading month as the year fastly approaches 2016.Here is a list of books I hope to reader with a cozy sweater.

1.The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

This books reminds me of October , I really don't know why but it does.Maybe a Arabian theme Halloween party could be in my future? Anyways I bought this a couple days ago and cant wait to start this hyped up book.

2.The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.

I am soo excited to read this book.I fell in love with first book and can not wait to see where this 2nd one leads Mr,Strike.Ugh a good mystery book is always a must read for me.

3.Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton.

 Murderous ballerinas , I am in.This story follows young ballerinas in the cutthroat world of dance. I hope for a lot of drama and blood.

4.Liars Inc by Paula Stokes.

A kid who pretty much creates a mini career out of lying for others , kind of badass right? Till one kid is lost , maybe died while meeting an online friend.This mystery novel sounds intriguing and promising.Hopeful this has awesome plot twists.

5.Schizo by Nic Sheff.

The novel follow the main protagonist who deal with schizophrenia and the mysterious disappearance of his brother ,which he still blames himself for.He tries to deal with everyday teenage struggle and try to find his lost brother.I have already read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it .Expect a review coming out soon.

5 books, not that much but hopefully and I can fit those in with school.Anyways I hope everyone has a spooky month.Also check back on here for upcoming reviews and discussions at this blog.

Have a happy October, and let yourself indulge in some goodies and watch some Halloween classics such as twitches!

I was here by Gayle Forman.

                              I was here  by Gayle Forman.                   

  

Published January 27th 2015 by Viking       Juvenile (first published January 1st 2015)

Hardcover, 270 pages

Genres: Ya, Contemporary.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

 
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss

What a surprise this book was, a good one actually.I have read Gayle Forman's past books, and really did not enjoy it as much as others did . But this one was truly a wonderful piece of work.The novel follows Cody after losing her best friend to suicide. She feels left in dark , wondering how could she missed the signs and why her friend never approached her about her problems.She agrees to pack Meg things from college for her parents. Through this wild wind adventure the truth starts to float to the surface , one that is hard to fully understand.

  

This book was amazing , the plot had a tragedy in it but yet I was in golfed by this mystery , which moved along the plot gracefully.I love the book for not focusing on the funereal and the after proceeding of one's death but straight went in to the real focus in the book.I applaud Gayle for real showing the sadness in this tragedy instead of glossing it over, suicide as romantic or black and white.It complicated, messy and leaves many forever wounded.That is what makes this book phenomenal.

The writing was okay , nothing whimsical and poetic like If I Stay, but it did not need it.Cody is a very cut and a dry narrator , the topic was hard and the writing also showed that. Reading it, you felt absorbed to the pain and get this eerie feeling, but that feeling is needed to understand how everyone feels.

The characters we pretty amazing. Cody is young adult who has identified what she is supposed after meg has left her, alone and confused.But she is determined, truthful and a layered character.She does not want to become what expected of her , but beyond it.She meets a Megs roommates, who I loved. Stoner dude is hilarious and love the depth Gayle gives him, he is not a flat character at all.Alice is a funny and sweet girl who loves to help Cody and truly be her friend. Harry was the true underdog in the book for me , beside me a computer hacker, he is sweet and lovable. Lastly is the love interest ( because this books dyingly needed one ), He is a rocker dude, who knew meg before she fell to her demise and is the puzzle to the this complicated mystery.

The character development is beautiful, the relationship between Cody and her mother began a broken one but flourished into a supportive relationship which was heartfelt to watch.Both grew from this tragedy and come out stronger as a whole unit, Cody able to call her mother "mom", admitting her pain and receiving undeniable support is beautiful.

This novel truly showed me the reality of suicide and not the YA version of it.Its tough complicated and a sad.This book just thinking about it gives me goosebumps, but well worth it.

I give this book a 3.75, I believe everyone should check this novel out.I do warn that they are some suicide triggers, and if your affected please skip this one out.