This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Five/ five stars!

Words can't even describe how much I cried at the end of this book. I don't even know what to say. This Girl made me cry (at least once a chapter), made me laugh, scream and emotionally, physically and mentally break down. Colleen Hoover created a perfect end to a perfect trilogy.

In Slammed, we were introduced to Lake's brain and inner thoughts. In Point of Retreat, we were in Will's head. Then, in This Girl, we got Slammed from Will's point of view, PLUS, brand new scenes from during and after the honeymoon. This book was basically every Slammed fan girl's dream.

This Girl was absolutely beautiful. Being inside Will's head was amazing and so heartbreaking to know what he was feeling whilst everything was turning to shit with Lake. He wrote poems, performed them and thought about Lake. All Will cared about, no matter what, was Lake, and their future. The last chapter and the epilogue were phenomenal. I can't even explain. Let's just say, I cried real, ugly tears for the last 10% of the book.

This Girl was so incredible. I was so happy that Colleen Hoover wrote it. Maybe next we could have Point of Retreat in Lake's POV and another book about their life 10 years later ;)

Partials (Partials Sequence #1) by Dan Wells

Partials by Dan Wells

Didn't finish this one. 

I've read reviews where people say "the beginning isn't the best, but keep reading." If the beginning isn't good, then the book has no hope. I didn't like the beginning of this book and I got bored, therefore, I did not finish this book.

The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

DNF

I’m a big lover of contemporary books. I love paranormal every now and then and I enjoy dystopian books. When I read the blurb for The 5^th Wave on Goodreads, I thought I wouldn’t like it. I knew it wasn’t my kind of book. Then I read the blurb again on Netgalley, and I thought, wow, this looks good, maybe I will enjoy it! I made a split decision to step outside my comfort zone.

I’m really not at all surprised that I’ve decided not to finish this book. I’m only 26% in and I’m quitting.  It took me a while to get into, but I enjoyed the first bit of The 5^th Wave. I thought it was interesting and I loved the snarky, sarcastic tone of the protagonist. But then I got to 24%, “Wonderland” and I lost it. I got confused and I didn’t like the sudden change.

I didn’t think this book was a bad book. I thought it was incredible. But it just wasn’t the right book for me.

*Thanks to Penguin Books Australia and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book*

The Rules for Disappearing (The Rules for Disappearing #1) by Ashley Elston

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Four/ five stars

**Massive thanks to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!**

When I saw the cover, title and blurb for this book on NetGalley, I knew I needed to have this book. The Rules for Disappearing was a fabulous book. It was full of suspense, a different but well thought out plot and just the right amount of family drama and romance. This book was an interesting insight into witness protection.

Megan Rose Jones isn’t actually Megan Rose Jones. She’s over five different people. For eight months, Meg has been in witness protection. She doesn’t know how or why. All she knows is that she is sick of the Suits’ rules and her lack of knowledge. Now in Louisiana, Meg decides that this will be her last move. When Meg meets Ethan, she keeps her distance; who knows how long she’ll be here for? She has no time for boyfriends, or friends for that matter. What she doesn’t count on is Ethan’s persistence. He knows something is up, and won’t leave her alone. When Meg realises the big secret, she, along with her ever loyal Ethan, embarks on a journey away from her family and rules. But does Meg realise how tricky and dangerous this trip could be?

This book was pretty much your average contemporary book, just a whole lot better, with a bit of a twist. I loved the plot and I liked the characters.

Meg was a pretty good character. She was smart, although she made stupid decisions, she cared for her little sister and her family and she was just an overall good girl. Discovering the truth, though, went straight to her head, and she made some very silly choices. Being with Ethan also clouded her judgment, but she didn’t let him get in the way. She was her own person and she was determined and I like that.

Ethan was pretty adorable. He was a bit too curious at times, but he generally cared for Meg. He had his suspicions and he pushed Meg to tell him her secrets and to trust him, but he was pretty good, dealing with all of her secrets. Ethan was a good character and I liked him, a lot!

Overall, I thought this was a bloody good book. I CANNOT wait for the sequel!

Braces off!

So, this is not at all book related, but I just had to share it! I GOT MY BRACES OFF TODAY! Ahh, I'm so happy.

I used to have really... awful, scary, over-crowded teeth:

I didn't really care too much about my teeth. I mean, I still looked happy and smiled in every photo! I just didn't realise how bad my teeth were, until I got my braces on (11th July, 2011):

After a couple of months, my teeth started straightening up! It was so surprising. It happened so fast. This next photo was taken late September, just a few months after first getting braces:

This next photo isn't a very nice one! But, it was about a year after I had gotten my braces. My teeth were so straight and I loved looking at them! I decided if I were to get my braces taken off in that moment, I would've been happy because they already look so good:

The top photo in this collage was taken the day before I got my braces removed. My teeth were so... perfect. So straight. I was very excited! My friend told me to smile really big and show all my teeth so she could take a photo!
The bottom photo was, obviously, taken after I had my braces taken off:

So yeah! That was my journey with braces. 19 months. 19 exciting months. It was a pretty smooth ride. I didn't break anything, thank god. I had lots of fun with the rubber bands ;) Great for flicking people with :D
Here's the final photo of me. Taken straight after getting my braces removed. It took 2 and a half hours. But, in my opinion, braces are so worth the pain, the money and the time. I didn't exactly love them, but I was definitely a little bit sad to see them go.

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Five/ five stars, of course!

Thank you so much to the team at Penguin Books Australia for allowing me the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley. 

When I saw that I could request The Indigo Spell on NetGalley, I had a mini fangirl moment, and then requested it! A few hours later I was accepted and had a HUGE fangirl moment; complete with crying, running around and even screaming. The Indigo Spell is one of the most anticipated books of 2013 and readers will not be disappointed. Even on her 9^th Vampire Academy book, Mead has managed to captivate me and totally amaze me, yet again. The Indigo Spell was everything I expected and more. Readers will fall in love with this series all over again.

I know many readers and reviewers are still sceptical about the Bloodlines series because... well, it’s just not as awesome as Vampire Academy, but The Indigo Spell is sure to turn all sceptics into lovers. I was never a sceptic, but I was as unsure as everyone else about Sydney. Sydney just isn’t Rose, but I’ve accepted that and I think everyone else should too. The Bloodlines series is never going to be like Vampire Academy. Mead has been there, done that. Now it’s time for Sydney and Adrian to shine. And to be honest, I totally love it.

Of all the VA books she was in, Sydney was a typical Alchemist; afraid of vampires, straight-laced and smart. In Bloodlines Sydney was still very Alchemist, but in The Golden Lily she got marginally better. In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was someone completely different. I kept wondering where boring Alchemist Sydney went, because this new Sydney was awesome! She went against her Alchemist ways to make herself happy and that showed courage. Of course, she had qualms about doing so, but wouldn’t everyone? The fact that she went against fellow Alchemists was so unlike Sydney. Sydney sure kicked some major ass in this book and that was so unbelievably awesome. Sydney has vastly improved since VA, Bloodlines and The Golden Lily and I cannot wait to see how she acts in the rest of the series.

After everything that happened to Adrian in VA, I’m so glad he got a spin-off series. Adrian may be a bit rude and quite strange but deep down he has a good heart. I admit, I didn’t particularly like Adrian in VA, but in my defence he was in the way of Dimitri and Rose, and we couldn’t have that! BUT! Right from the beginning of Bloodlines, I loved Adrian. He was funny and interesting and didn’t take things too seriously. He basically lightened up even the darkest of rooms. Since Bloodlines, Adrian has frustrated me, infuriated me and made me swoon. But in The Indigo Spell, he was incredible. He was persistent with Sydney, nice, surprisingly kind and loving. Adrian really is an unexpected ball of emotion. After that ending, I cannot wait to see how Adrian and Sydney continue. (Because, OMG SYDRIAN).

I’m not going to say too much, but I didn’t particularly like Marcus. I did not think that in any way Sydrian was even remotely threatened. I admired Marcus for some time in the book, but after a great brainwave from Sydney and some dodgy plans from Marcus, I decided I wasn’t very fond of him. Also, even though she is a bit of a nut, I really love Mrs Terwilliger. She believes in Sydney and I loved her for that. I also thought some of the things she said/ did were hilarious (Like the dragon thing). She was a great little character.  

Everything about this book was amazing. Sydney was awesome! As well as that, the book had an excellent, intriguing plot and fabulous characters. It was interesting, mysterious and exciting. And it had the most wonderful romance! Everything about it was great and I honestly cannot fault one thing from this book.

From about 96%, I was absolutely ecstatic. Then at 99%, that happiness evaporated into shock.  (Although, don’t worry, the ending is nowhere near as horrific as TGL!). I have loved every one of the Bloodlines books so far and I cannot wait for the rest of the series.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four and a half stars/ five

I was very hesitant to read this book. The blurb was strange, and it didn’t sound like something I would like. A few months ago, Click Frenzy happened (it was a total fail, by the way). Bookworld (formerly Borders) was one of the stores participating in the online discounts and my mum said I could buy some books. One of the books I bought was Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It was reasonably cheap and I figured I’d give it a go. I eventually got around to reading it because I was going away and I could sit and read a lot of it on the plane. I’m definitely glad I read this book. I enjoyed it but I did have a few issues with it. But overall I thought it was a beautiful book.

Karou lives half in Prague and half in ‘Elsewhere’. In Prague she is a seventeen year old art student, but in Elsewhere, Karou is an errand girl for the monstrous creature that is Brimstone, the closest thing she has to a father. Karou travels all around the world (via portals) doing errands for Brimstone’s work that she does not at all understand. But, whenever Brimstone calls, Karou never says no. When mysterious hand prints are burnt on to portal doors all around the world, what could that mean for Elsewhere? And what could it mean for Karou? Without Elsewhere she is simply nothing.

“The doors to Elsewhere are closing”

I thought this book was absolutely brilliant. It was something very different, something that you wouldn’t often see in the YA genre. The descriptions were amazing; so detailed and real. Everything in this book felt so real. I was sure I was in Prague, in Brimstone’s shop, in the markets. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was really a remarkable book that will be imbedded in my brain forever.

Karou was definitely a different character. She was unusual and shrouded in mystery. She was also very likable, strong willed, brave, kind, yet harsh, loyal and trusting of her “family”. Karou was such an intriguing character, exactly like the book itself. I think the writing made the book, but Karou’s character definitely helped. In all of her twisted, mysterious ways, Karou has become one of my favourite YA character.

I really loved Akiva. I loved his chapters; occasionally being allowed inside his head. He was so strong and beautiful, honest and loyal. I thought he was absolutely perfect. I especially liked the fact that Akiva fell in love with Karou, not only because of who she was, but because he actually liked her. I loved that he was honest with Karou about… things… even though it could potentially ruin the relationship between the two of them. He did it for Karou, because she deserved to know. Akiva was mysterious and way too cool and I totally love him.

The only thing I can fault is the fact that this book occasionally confused the hell out of me. It was beautiful and well written, but sometimes I felt it was too good and it just left me behind. I found myself re-reading things because I just couldn’t understand a sentence or a paragraph. It could’ve just been me, but I don’t know. Maybe the book was just a bit above me. Either way, I totally loved it.

This book was so wonderful that I could only fault one minor thing. Other than that very minor thing, I fell head over heels in love with this book. I’m definitely glad I bought the second one for myself for Christmas. I’m looking forward to reading it and I certainly hope it is as wonderful as Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

One/ five stars

It took me almost a month to read this book. That is seriously sad. I devour books in a matter of days, not weeks, let alone a month. I was so excited to read this book. It seemed like a cute little, travelling love story. I was right, it was a cute love story, but not until the last few chapters. I did not connect well with this book; it did not grab me or interest me in any way. I am so, so disappointed in this book. What’s that quote? “Expect the worst. That way you’ll never be disappointed.”

Julia aka Book Licker is a straight laced, straight A student, until one dangerous class trip to London. She is paired with Jason. Jerk, cool kid, Jason. At first, Jason and Julia act like mortal enemies, but as the trip continues, Julia starts receiving mysterious texts (FROM A GUY!), so the least Jason can do is help her. Jason leads the both of them on a hunt across London, to possibly start Julia’s love life. But could Julia find what she thought was impossible: her MTB? Her true love?

I did not at all, even a little bit, like Julia. She was uptight, cocky, arrogant, annoying, irritating, bitchy and too good for everyone else. She was smart, yes, but she was only book smart. She needed to be street smart, socially smart, for me to like her. I think one quote from Jason perfectly sumed Julia up:

“If you would pull your head out of your guidebooks for point two seconds, maybe you’d see that you’re not the lonely victim you’re always pretending to be. There are people who actually care about you… You know what your problem is? Nobody’s good enough for you. You live in a fantasy world. And if you don’t wake up, you’ll end up alone, with your books and four million number-two pencils.”

I didn’t particularly like Jason either, but he was a lot better than Julia. Everyone was better than Julia. At least Jason actually cared about Julia and other things, just a little bit. It was, after all, a little bit more than Julia cared for things.

I am unbelievably let down by this book. I thought, maybe just maybe, it would give My Life Next Door a run for its money, but no way. I didn’t like anything about this book, except for the ending. The ending was kind of cute, and well… it signaled the end of this God awful book. 

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Five/five stars

I started this book at around 7:30pm. I decided to read an e-book because it is definitely easier to read than a paper book when painting my nails! I am now writing this review at 1am and I'm emotionally drained. Hopeless was a punch RIGHT in the feels. My eyes are tired but my brain is in overdrive. I'm completely speechless. Colleen Hoover has done it again.

After being home-schooled all her life, Sky begs her adoptive mother for a change at a public school. When she finds out her best friend Six is leaving as an exchange student right in time for the beginning of their senior year, Sky realises she's going to be all alone. At the grocery shop after her first day at school, Sky meets Dean Holder. When Holder shows a sudden interest in Sky she realises that she might not be so alone after all. But what life ruining secrets is he keeping?

This book really was exceptional. The plot was unbelievably well executed. It was well thought out, clever and rather shocking. For me, the plot climax came out of nowhere. It surprised and shocked me. I especially loved that. Sometimes plot points can be too easy to spot and way too predictable. The entire book was made a whole lot better because of the fact the writing was incredible. Hoover definitely has a wonderful way with words. The thing I really liked was the characters. The two main characters, Sky and Holder, each had a very interesting, mysterious back story that gave so much substance to the story and the characters themselves. There was only one thing I didn’t particularly like about Hopeless: I sometimes found Holder to be a bit of a dick. He could be commanding and controlling and he had a huge ego. Apart from those sore points, he was actually a very good character. (Holder was definitely not as amazing and perfect and Will from Slammed and Point of Retreat).

I found Sky to be one of the best characters I have read in YA for a while. She was tough, very emotional but in a good way and strong willed. When things started getting hard for Sky and the truth started to come out she didn’t bottle it up. She screamed and she carried on and she cried. Her character was so real. I felt everything she felt and it ripped through me. Even though Sky was very strong she still had her weak moments and that’s what made her so real. I absolutely loved Sky and I seriously wish she was my friend, because she was awesome.

Now, from all the reviews I’ve been reading, Holder is the new love interest. He’s hot, sexy and everything a girl wants. Unfortunately, I fall into the minority that didn’t exactly love Holder. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Holder, I really, really did, it’s just that I didn’t think he was that lovely. He was kind of controlling and I didn’t particularly like that. There were lots of good things about Holder though, like the fact that he was patient (to an extent), deep, emotional and he had lots of real feelings. That’s the thing about this book. It was very real. I found Holder to be a good character. I liked him, but he wasn’t my favourite male character in YA.

I absolutely bloody loved Slammed and Point Of Retreat, therefore making me totally ecstatic to read Hopeless. I am so happy to say that Hopeless did not at all disappoint me. It kept me glued to the pages and made me stay up til the earlier hours of the morning. Hopeless was beautifully executed with real characters and a breathtaking yet heartbreaking romance. My FEELS still hurt, several weeks after reading this book. Oh my God, everybody should read this book. Right. Now!

Immortal Beloved (Immortal Beloved #1)

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

*DID NOT FINISH*

I'm not sure...
I just didn't like this book. I only managed a couple of chapters, got to page 100 or so, and I gave up. I didn't like the writing or the characters or the story. I'm so disappointed because I was really excited to read this book and the reviews were excellent. Maybe I'll try again one day.