Destiny (Brightest Kind of Darkness #3) by P.T Michelle

Destiny (BKoD #3) - by P.T Michelle

Official Blurb:

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head. Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together. As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

Note: DESTINY is the 3rd book in the BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series. It isn't the last book. There will be one more book

My Review:

**SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST TWO***

Immediate Reaction Post-Read: HOLY SMOKES I'M NOT SURE WHETHER TO HUG P.T OR CHOKE HER! THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH I WAS LIKE: oh yeah, this could be the last book despite what she says. It's drawing to a close and stuff AND THEN BAM! BLOODY CLIFFHANGER URGHHH *slowly dies painful death*

This book continues with Ethan and Nara's journey (nuh DUH) in a way that has me lying on my knees and begging for more. This is one of those amnesia books, but one of the better ones. Even though it's one of the best amnesia books i've read, it's still an amnesia book that has me on my toes just screaming at the author: JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE I DIE, DAMNIT! (what I mean by an amnesia book is that it's a book where someone has amnesia and therefore parts - if not all - of the book are surrounding the things that the character with amnesia has forgotten)

There's a lot of tension in this book, all surrounding Ethan's amnesia and the things he didn't tell Nara. To be honest, I think that P.T went a little overboard with the whole tension thing. At first I understood Nara's reasoning for not trusting Ethan and stuff but after a while I was yelling at Nara to get her head in gear and man up. She seemed a little bit more wimpy in this book than in the others but hopefully that won't carry into the next book!

There are a shitload of discoveries that are made in this book on the whole supernatural creatures front. One of the things that I like best about these books is that no one holds the answers. No one character knows everything and is telling the rest post their journey, rather it's little discoveries by many characters that are put together to create the whole big thing.

This book is well-written just like the other books. There are a couple sentences that don't make sense or words missing but she's only human and there are always mistakes. I have to say, I still remain neutral on the whole writing front - her writing doesn't do anything for me; it doesn't drag me in or connect me. Some books you read for the writing, some for the stories. This is a story kind of book.

CLIFFHANGER

Sorry, just still so beat up about that last LINE, P.T!!!

Grr, I can't wait for the next one to be out! GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME! I look forward to sharing more about Nara and Ethan's journey with you when the next book comes out. All it says about the release is that its 2014 so I'm looking for it to come out in 2 months time, ya here? *snicker snicker*

Well, that's really all I have to say, but let me know what you think!!

Queen of Reading,
Keep on reading, forget the dreaming!

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) - by Tahereh Mafi

Official Blurb:

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 colour.

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.

My Review:

To be honest, I'm not sure what I think of this book. I read this on recommendation from a friend, and I think I'm glad I read it. To be honest, I'm still recovering. She said this amazing thing - 'Shatter Me shattered me.' and if I had to pick one statement to describe how I feel about the book that's probably it. 

This book took me a while to read, but that could be because I kept getting distracted by my friend who kept asking me stuff. I felt kind of pressured to read it, and so I may not have soaked up everything about it.

The thing that gripped me about this was the writing. It's unconventional and, to be honest, I don't totally understand it. The way it is written is very personal - there are personal touches such as strikeouts which really confused me because they were what she wasn't supposed to think but did anyway...I think which were a very effective technique and there was repetition about important important important points.

Now, you may think I'm mocking her writing style (is it a her) by what I did above, but that was and is not my intent - my intent is just to demonstrate. It's a very effective writing style, and it's pretty much all personal reflection on the world, which makes me think about how I see the world in relation to how the main character sees it.

As to the story, it didn't grip me that much. But I do have to tell you that everyone in this entire book is smokin' hot. Can I get a HALA? Like, seriously. WHY ARE THEY ALLL SO DAMN GORGEOUS AND I'M JUST HERE IN MY SWEATS WITH MY CATS DRINKING A MILKSHAKE?? It was really easy to find myself distracted from the book, or procrastinating with something else.

This book is extremely popular and I can see why, but for me it just didn't do anything. I've been sitting on this review for a few days now, but my perspective remains the same. I hope to re-read this book without someone sitting on me (sorry, friends) and see if that makes a difference, but at the moment my TBR list is full to bursting and being added to everyday. and RELEASES SOON *grins* so I'm getting my re-read on.

Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any suggestions/comments there's a 'Message Me' tab above as well as a space for comments below!!

Queen of Reading,
Keep on reading, forget the dreaming!

Brightest Kind of Darkness (Brightest Kind of Darkness #1) by P.T Michelle

Brightest Kind of Darkness (BKoD #1) - by P.T Michelle



Official Blurb:

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

My Review:

This is the second time I've read this book, and it's even better the first time (that may be because I'm older and more experienced, but ehh whatever!). This book is ah-mazing, with just the perfect mix of romance, mystery, paranormal activity, danger, excitement and adventure. And, oh yeah, boy oh boy does it include all of those things!

To be honest, there's nothing about this book that really stands out to me about this book other than the overall amazingness of it. I mean normally, theres' something that just grips me and keeps me reading and once I finish I can say - "the writing was so good, it had me gripped from page one!" "LOVED the story, it was such a page turner!" "The character - OHEMGEE - they had me up until 3 am just DYING!" - but with this book there is no such line.

The writing is pretty flawless - it's refreshing to occasionally find a book with little to no spelling and grammatical errors *eye roll* - but yet not sophisticated enough that it takes 90% of your brain to understand! The writing is simple and suits the story well, having quite a lot of 'flow' (i'm finally starting to work out what 'flow' is) and yet it's still kind of raw and rough.

The characters are well developed, yet not shown totally. There's more than one side (YAY!) and there's mystery shrouding the characters. I love it when you watch discoveries that the characters share about themselves as opposed to just discoveries they make about their situations and 'supernatural abilities' and the like. It's nice!

So an all-round good report! Nothing that really stood out, and to be honest this was one of those book I kind of forgot about, but it's a nice read that's gorgeous and I love! It's perfect for when you're in a curious mood and ready to go on an adventure without having to make too many discoveries ;)

So, that's it! Let me know if you enjoy :P

Queen of Reading!
Keep on reading, forget the dreaming!

Comfort Books

Hello!

So, don't know if you understand what I mean by comfort books, so I'm going to explain! Comfort books are the books you pick up on a sick or lazy day, they're books you've read before and you read over and over again, they are those dog-eared, spine-bent books that you always go to. They're the books you read to feel at home, to feel comfortable. So I thought I'd list my comfort books/series. ***NOTE: THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY MY FAVOURITE BOOKS!!***




1. Significance by Shelly Crane
So, the version I have of this book is definitely not the best version. It's like first edition and has MAJOR mistakes, but I can never get over this story. The first book is just so cute and uncomplicated and kind of fast-paced and I just love love love love LOVE it!! It's one of the first books I go to on those lazy/sick days and it's one of my favourite re-reads!!

2. The Witch-Fairy Series by Bonnie Lamer

As mentioned before, this is a great series! Starting with True of Blood, this series is always going to give you a laugh and a good time. You literally can not go wrong with any of these books - they will never leave you astray or lull you into a false sense of security before smacking you in the face with

something. No, these books will always be your friend!

3. Before I Die by Jenny Downham

This book doesn't meet my normal quote - it's not fantasy and it's sad, but something about it always manages to hit me right in the spot. You know that spot where everything just feels like it's 10 times stronger? Yeah, it hits me there. Which means that there are a couple tear-stained pages but it also just makes me grateful for life, and that's a good feeling.

That's all I can think of at the moment!!

Let me know, what's your comfort book(s)??

Queen of Readin'

Keep on reading, forget the dreaming!

An Old Review...

Hey guys,

So I found an old blog of mine *eep* and it had a couple reviews up there so I thought I'd post one. It's a review on one of my favourite series and although this review doesn't say much I'm planning on re-reading the series (new release soon!) and posting an even better review!! So, here you go...

***
Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness #2) - by P.T Michelle

So, I've been a bit slow with my reading lately, which is SO unusual for me it's not even funny!
I just finished Lucid, which is the second book in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series by P.T. Michelle, and may I just say, I HATE CLIFFHANGERS!!

So this book continues on with Ethan and Nara, but Ethan's absent due to the fact that he's trying to patch up his relationship with his family. Nara's all alone and deathly misses Ethan and so to keep him in her thought's she's made him a journal with information about raven's, to try and help him with his tattoo.

I really really want to write more but I'm scared I'll give away the story, and I don't want to do that! I loved this book and was SO devastated when it ended at 3 am that I went and joined P.T Michelle's newsletter so I wouldn't miss out on anything! I have to say it was a little bit of a slow read and, literally, just when I get hooked it ends. I don't know if that was the intent, but the technique works if she wants people to continue reading her series!

I can't really expand except to say that I would definitely recommend this read, but read the first book first if you haven't already. There's nothing that stood out to me a particularly amazing, just an overall sense of wonderness (is that a word? Oh, who cares!) that eclipses the series. Some books get you hooked through the writing, other's the story. I think this is a bit of both!!

So, overall, I have one more comment, that has nothing to do with the book (and yes, I do like italics). Just to let anyone know that if they want to suggest a book for me to read then I'm open to suggestions and I'll post my review :)

Have fun reading!!

***

So, there you have it! One of my first reviews, ladies and gentlemen!!

Queen of Reading,
Keep on reading, forget the dreaming!

The Witch-Fairy Series by Bonnie Lamer

THE WITCH-FAIRY SERIES BY BONNIE LAMER 

So, I'm doing something a bit different, in the fact that I'm reviewing a WHOLE series here, but these books deserve a review and they deserve what I have to say about them (well, at least I think they do)

There are currently 10 books in the series, and here's the reading order

#1 True of Blood

#2 Blood Prophecy

#3 Blood Lines

#4 Shadow Blood

#5 Blood of Half Gods

#6 Blood of Destiny

#7 Blood of Dragons

#8 Blood of Egypt

#9 Blood of Retribution

#10 Blood of the Exiled

So, the thing that I love about these books is actually the fact that they are all pretty much stand alone books after the first one. The main character - Xandra - is a witch-fairy, as you might have gathered from the title of the series. With that comes a lot of responsibility, power and challenges. In each book, Xandra faces a new challenge, building on her powers and her knowledge of the magical universe.

The only thing that might not make sense if you skipped books would be the characters, because she picks up a couple new characters in each book with each new challenge, but after that she just builds up on her existing characters with a new challenge.

These books are easy reads that have me up until 3 in the morning whenever they come out, and has me laughing and turning just one more page...(or not!) The books are well written with fast-paced action and just enough suspense to keep you going. There aren't any hideous grammatical mistakes, or spelling mistakes, or sentences that don't work, and it all flows really well.

I love the characters and the whole idea behind it. It's not just settled on the one battle, or prophecy, or incident or something like most books are. Of course there is a central battle/prophecy/incident but it doesn't take control of the plot. It's not a quest to the end of a challenge, it's a whole lot of challenges that just keep coming. But isn't that what life is? Life isn't just going to be one humongous challenge that, once complete, goes away for the rest of forever. Life is a whole lot of challenges that let you build up yourself, your friends and family, and your life experiences. That's what Xandra's tales are, and as much as they are larger problems than ours and much different, it's a representation.

I also love, love, love, love how Bonnie doesn't end every single book with cliff-hangers. I don't know how to explain it, but sometimes cliffhangers just seem...desperate. Like, 'please, read the next book! I'm going to withhold information from you and leave it at a crucial point so you have to keep reading!' 

The way that Bonnie ends the books are gentle, open ends that leave room for you to dwell on the incidents and come to terms with what's happened and whatever and come back to the next book ready for the next challenge without feeling like you're in a perpetual state of waiting.

I mean, cmon guys. We know that authors can't spit out a book just like that and have it ready for us, and so cliffhangers are just cruel sometimes. Altogether, Bonnie's books and the way they are written are light-hearted, easy reads that just pull you back in for more with their charming characters and adventurous spirit! These books are not books to miss!

Oh, and if you're worried about getting bored with the series and stopping because 10 books are just too many, it really doesn't happen with this series. Normally I can't get passed book 5 or 6, but these are just so great I could read them for the rest of my life!!

So pick up a copy (did I mention book 1 is free at the moment?) and get reading!!

Oh, I should also mention that there are half books told from Kallens POV (if you don't know who that is then don't worry for the moment). I haven't read any of them so if you have let me know if it's good and if I read them I'll be sure to let you know what I think!

All the best!!

Queen of Reading,

Keep reading, forget the dreaming!

The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window by Kristy Moseley

Blurb:

 Amber Walker and her older brother, Jake, have an abusive father. One night her brother's best friend, Liam, sees her crying and climbs through her bedroom window to comfort her. That one action sparks a love/hate relationship that spans over the next eight years.

Liam is now a confident, flirty player who has never had a girlfriend before. Amber is still emotionally scarred from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Together they make an unlikely pair.

Their relationship has always been a rocky one, but what happens when Amber starts to view her brother's best friend a little differently? And how will her brother, who has always been a little overprotective, react when he finds out that the pair are growing closer? Find out in The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window

My Review:

Admittedly, I write this review the second time I read this book but it's still as good as it always was :D

This is the story of Amber Walker - a teenager who has a hard past with the history of an abusive father who tried to rape her before her brother kicked him out. All together she makes the best of her situation. She and her brother and mother are extremely close but their mother is away a lot. And then there's Liam, her brothers annoying man-whore of a best friend who sleeps with her every night since they were eight. This book is about the relationship between Amber and Liam and how Amber overcomes a lot of the issues she has due to her father's nature.

This story is gorgeous - it's one of those stories that has you swooning at every turn and begging for more. Literally. I remember the first time i read it - i got about 50% through the book and I thought the book was going to finish coz it was kind of a closing point. You have no idea how happy i was when i realised there was still more to go :)

This is actually a book that has me thinking about it often and wanting to re-read it. I love books but I find it hard to re-read them because I know what happens, or because things develop and the beginning is just so different from the end. But with this book I find that I make references to it in my mind in my everyday life, and I find myself dying to re-read it just because it's so amazing and inspiring.

The writing is great - it's gripping and yet still easy language so you can read it when you're half asleep. The complex ideas are melded into the story so well that you almost don't realise what you've learned from the book because it was so heavily integrated. You come out of there going 'aww that was a sweet story, i love those characters' and you don't realise what you took from the characters until after the re-read (well, at least I didn't!)

I'd recommend this book to lots of people - not those who are obsessed with fantasy ONLY or don't like romantic stuff, but all the rest - because it's so accessible. It's a really easy book to read and it's not explicit so it still fits into the YA genre (it's getting harder and harder to find these books...) and is amazingly written!

I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars, because although it's cute and I loved it and it's well written, it doesn't grab me. I like it, but I don't feel an attachment to the characters like I normally do...I don't know why I feel this way but, eh, i'll go with the flow :D

Queen of Reading
Keep on reading, forget the dreaming