This book got my attention the first time it came out and made a buzz among bookworms. Many young people liked it. I'm no longer young, but when it comes to novels, the genres I like has never changed so I had a feeling I will like it too. Like I have already said on my previous posts: I'm forever a 22yr old girl at heart.  😉 Sometimes I'm 21, other times I feel like 23 and act like 24. Whatev. One thing's for sure, my heart's age will probably never go above 25 despite having my own family and a baby to look after, LOL. Okay, going back to the book I'm trying to make a review here, RED QUEEN did not disappoint. It took me a while (almost 2yrs actually) to finally read the book because I'm a hoarder and I had too many pending books to read. This book is good that I thought I should have read it sooner.

TITLE:

This is such a straight-to-the point kind of title, "no fuss" and intriguing at the same time. Its title actually got me curious right away and I ended up reading the plot. If I were given the chance to change the title, I'll come up on the same thing: Red Queen.

BOOK COVER:

 

This book's cover in my opinion is on-point. It went well with the title. It's sleek, intriguing just like the title and simply clever --- minimalist cover at its best 👍 The cover speaks for itself and I bet most people doesn't need much convincing to pick up this book because your attention is already in it the second you see the cover. Well how about the dripping red blood on the crown? I say it's both twisted and beautiful just like the catchy phrase you could read on the bottom part of the cover- just the perfect fit for this novel!

STORY:

Out of all the "pabitin" books that I've read, this is probably my favorite. Mind you, I have never liked any pabitin books before, this is the only one so far. The story gets more exciting on every chapter which I really like. The plot twists are not as extravagant compared to Harry Potter novels, but I failed to guess what happened next because I did not see it coming at all. In other words, I got carried away by the author's plot. I would say it's generally a typical YA dystopia novel that is kind of similar to other popular novels of the same genre. But it has its own charm that got me hooked with the story.

WILL I RECOMMEND IT?:

Actually, I already recommended it to a friend even before reading the book. As I mentioned above, it took me a while to read this novel, but I had a feeling that it's gonna be good because it won't get hyped for no reason, right? So I suggested it to a friend and she liked it too. In fact, she has finish reading all three books of the series. 😉



'Til then, See yah!

It took me a while to finish this book because:

1. It bored me a little bit.
2. ‎It kind of feel a little dragging on the several first chapters.
3. ‎ I was busy for my daughter's first birthday.
4. ‎ I was tired most of the time.
5. ‎ Between napping, youtube and games, I  have no extra "me time" left.
6. ‎ I swear I was so busy. Really busy.


But ultimately, I have no other excuse. I have nothing else to do other than admit that I was most of the time being LAME. Which is why I felt like the book was kinda boring, dragging or that I'm busy and tired --- it's all because I was actually being lame. Truth is this book is really good. It is equally as entertaining as the other first two books of this series. Since the protagonist has Asian roots, I feel like we are the same in so many aspects in life when it comes to friendship, relationships, principles and families. The author made a good job for making a lot of the scenes so relatable for teens, young adults, nerds, asians and socially awkward people -- like me.


While reading this book, I found myself wanting to have one more sister (coz I already have one) and wanting to go back as freshman in college. It also made me miss my friends back in college (coz I didn't really have that much friends in high school. Ahmm, yes --- I was that loner school girl. But not so alone so don't pity me. Haha)


I like how the story transitions smoothly from one chapter to another. I also like how the progress of the story felt so natural and not "rushed" like what the other authors do when they already want or need to end the story.

This novel is light but fills you in real good, if you know what I mean. Are you looking for something good to read just to kill the time? Something entertaining and fun but not violent and harsh? Oh, this book has your back. And if you already have read the first two books, you definitely should not miss this third one because not only that it's good.. it's also the series' conclusion.


What excites me more is that Netflix is releasing a series (or a movie? not quite sure) based on the first novel of this Lara Jean book series called TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE. CLICK HERE if you want to watch the trailer that already has 5.3M views as of writing this post. Base on the video's comment thread, it's obvious that a lot of young girls are excited about this movie (or series, like I said I'm not quite sure, LOL) I'm not a young girl, but I'm excited too because I am a forever-21-year-old-gal by heart. ✌



'Til then, see yah!

 
Hubby's out for the whole day today to fulfill his Church duties, I am so proud of him.
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But I miss him so much already, I can't wait for him to come back home. If only I could go with him, but no. I have to prioritize my baby's safety. So nak, be good there inside my tummy ha. We love you, Mwuah!

My apologies for the super non-related blog post introduction. Can't help it, this day just felt like the longest while waiting for the clock to hit 7PM. Anyways, I finally finished reading IT ENDS WITH US last week and the book made it to my Current Favorites List. With that said: YES, I LIKED THE STORY. But before I go on babbling about its plot, let me share first my thoughts about:

TITLE:



In my opinion, the title fits the story. This title got me curious about how the story goes. When I was reading a little past the middle part of the book, I kept brainstorming what will probably happen next basing on the title itself.


BOOK COVER:



I don't judge a book by its cover. But whenever I purchase a book, one of the criteria I consider is the cover. Simply because I am a conservative reader so I avoid those books with creepy or too sexy cover designs. I don't like people to think I am a weirdo or a pornographic reader.  😄 IT ENDS WITH US has a very cute cover design you wouldn't think that the story is actually sexy.



STORY:

I fell in love with this book as early as chapter 1. In fact, I barely finished chapter 1 when I already recommended it to another reader. At chapter 4, I loved it even more I had to text a another friend of mine just to convince her to read the book too. Mind you: I rarely do that. I like how Colleen Hoover ( the author ) made the characters so relatable. The way the story unfolds is so seamless it made reading felt like watching a movie.

This story broke my heart though. Only because I was rooting for the character that she did not ended up with a "happily ever after". Is it a happy ending? I honestly can't tell. It depends on the person who reads it. (Arrgh! As much as I want to elaborate some more, I just couldn't because I don't want to spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet.) The story is so true and relatable, something that undeniably happens today in our society. It tackles a topic that is sensitive to some people so the verdict whether it's a happy ending or not depends on the reader's values and principles.

I appreciate how the author added a personal note at the end of the book. It's a must read to understand more the story! Do not skip it.


WILL I RECOMMEND THE BOOK?:

Well of course! It's something that is both fun and sexy with a kinda surprising end. I would love to recommend this to anyone who likes romance & love stories.

And that's it for this book review. I hope I got you curious enough to read the book too. 'Til then, see yah!

I have to learn how to give book reviews without being a spoiler. Aargh... That's just hard!

Just finished reading FANGIRL and it was good. This is the first Rainbow Rowell book I read... and I chose to read it just because of the hype it is getting. I don't really know anything about this author, I didn't even do a research about her before reading her book. I actually even thought that Rainbow Rowell is a boy. So I was really surprised when I saw the author's picture at the very last page of the book.

Anyways.

FANGIRL is another young adult story that is mainly about one of the twin Avery girls; how she was coping life in college, adapting changes and getting involve with a boy. I didn't really enjoy the book that much during the first 10 chapters of it. Probably because I was expecting so much of it. However, when I got to the middle part of the story, it was starting to get me hooked. I can totally relate to the girl's character. She reminds me of how I handle myself in awkward situations because I was once socially awkward too. (I'm probably still is).

The last 15 chapters of the book is my favorite.  I find myself reading faster because that's what happens when I really like the story.

Would I recommend this book to other readers? Well yes, I would recommend this to the young adults I know (and to those who are young at heart too). But probably NOT to those who are matured because I don't think they would love it that much, according to my judgment. However, for anyone who is just looking for something to read to kill time, this would be a good choice regardless of the reader's age.

Will I read another Rainbow Rowell book? Definitely! I actually have 2 more of her books which I think are all young adult stories too. But I'm not gonna read it yet... I'll probably go for a Coleen Hoover novel next.

That's it! I hope I did not spoil anything. 'Til then, see yah!

These ruined my childhood. Seriously.

I’m not saying these books aren’t good. They’re fun to read and I liked everything about it except the Dorothy part. I still can’t quite believe that Danielle Paige made her the extreme antagonist in the whole land of Oz. I just can’t. I always imagined her as the kind and innocent farm girl. Not that I don’t like Amy Gumm. I like her too… I just can’t simply get over the fact that Dorothy ruined Oz. 😞 Sad.

My favorite character would be Ozma. She’s a fairy from the Lurline bloodline making her the rightful ruler of Oz. She’s oozing with power which I think is really cool. If there’s one character I would like to meet in person, that would be Princess Ozma herself. Not Amy Gumm. If I can only choose one favorite character, I’ll choose Ozma without any hesitation. Look, she’s not the main character and she didn’t have that much part in the story. She was even mostly useless in 2 books. But I liked her. I don’t know, maybe I just have a thing with fairies 😉

'Til then, see yah!

I’ve watched the movies before I’ve read the first 2 books. Is that a good idea? I would say YES. Though the movies didn’t portray the scenes exactly as I have imagined it according to the book, the motion picture somehow presented a DIFFERENT twist which is also equally as good as what is printed in the book. So I have no complaints. Well, in my opinion at least.

The first book called THE MAZE RUNNER is a good one. I enjoyed the mystery being portrayed for WICKED because it makes me curious and makes me want to read more to finish the book as if that would solve the mystery being presented by the author, J.Dashner. I honestly was holding my breath on some chapters while imagining the scenes in my head.

The plot is really good. So this made me want to read the second book right away.. I enjoyed it too like the first book BUT… I got tired when I reached the middle part. My excitement just died. THE SCORCH TRIALS (book 2) is action-packed (just like book 1) without giving away enough info about the mystery just to satisfy my curiosity that developed during book 1. I guess I was just expecting a different motivating mystery to develop in the second story and got disappointed when I realized it is the only mystery the author prepared for all three books…. So the second book felt dragging. Would have been better if the author spilled out all the info about WICKED then present another mystery that will make readers look forward to reading the third book.

TBH, I’m not sure anymore what to expect in Book 3. If DEATH CURE will be too dragging just like the second book, then I will not proceed on reading the fourth one. If the author won’t give away the WICKED MYSTERY even on the third story then I give up. That mystery is for him to keep. I’m no longer interested.

Have you read these books? What's your thoughts?

'Til then, see yah!

Okaaaayyy. Okaay. Okay.




Lately I’ve been just simply updating you guys about the books I’m currently reading… and nothing else. Well, except for some inspiring quotes that has something to do about reality, life, my mood and me. But other than that, nothing else. And that is only because I didn’t get my self too involved into any major activities the last few weeks. So reading, so far, has always been the highlight of my week and that is all I can talk about in my blog. Which is totally fine with me because duuuhh… it’s READING: it involves books and my imagination - that’s totally MY THING… and I can definitely see myself talking just about books in this blog for months … or years… or forever. Except that I suck in giving book reviews. So I’m useless. I know that when I post something about a book, it’s not an intelligent review. It’s basically just my praises and complaints. Well at least you get an idea whether a book has a good story to tell or not. But pardon me for some spoilers I might give away. I know I shouldn’t. But duuuhh…

Anyways…

After several months, I finally got the time to read these Jenny Han books. I was very curious about these books because a lot of people loved it. I just didn’t have the time to download a copy. And even after I downloaded a copy of the book, it took me another several months before reading it because I was both busy and forgetful. Well not anymore so ayan na.. sa wakas nabasa ko na ang libro.

The story involves 3 sisters who are half korean. TBH, I was surprised why I haven’t thought of that when the girl on the book cover is obviously Asian (not to mention the author’s name which is very asian too!) I honestly thought she was just a random book cover model and that she has nothing to do with the story. 😄 So yeah.

Lara Jean’s the main character. Jenny Han has creatively featured a teenage girl’s lovelife in the realiest possible way. I’m no teenager myself but I enjoyed the story. It is both hilarious but tear-jerking too. My favorite characters are Lara Jean, Peter, Kitty and their father. I’m not too keen about Margot.

Would I recommend this book? I already did! I told Imee about it though I’m not quite sure if the genre is her cup of tea. But I did recommend the book no matter what. Curious already? Go read it. 😉

'Til then, see yah!

SPOILER ALERT!:

If only I knew that Tris will die anyway, I wouldn’t have bothered myself reading all three books. Such a disappointment. :( I’m not a big fan of Happily-Ever-After endings but I don’t like lame sad endings either. I’m such a big love-believer (and hopeless romantic too) that I honestly get really happy seeing beautifully in love couples whether that would be in books, movies or real life. So when I realize that Tris and Four didn’t make it til the end (because Veronica Roth killed her dear protagonist), I got quite frustrated and disappointed. How could she?? So heartless T_T

I honestly was still hoping that there is a plot twist and Beatrice Prior actually lived…. I had my hopes up until the last pages. But no. She is really dead. Damn those ashes. T_T

People say they changed a lot in the movie adaptation. Haven’t watched it yet. Did they changed Tris’ fate in there? Coz if they went for a different ending and let her lived, then it’s gon'na be the first movie adaptation that I’m going to love more than the original book story. Just saying. Veronica Roth…. tsk! tsk!

P.S: YOU SHOULD HAVE LET HER LIVE! Tobias and Tris deserve each other. Okay? Okay.

'Til then, see yah!

Nowadays, it takes me weeks to finish a single book. I usually blame it for being too busy…. but mostly it’s because I am just not really too keen about the story. It takes me weeks to read chapter 1 to the middle then just days (sometimes “hours”) to read from middle til the end. In other words: I can’t read fast unless the story excites me. And it’s usually not too exciting until you get to the climax.

So when I get to read a book that excites me on chapter 1, then it must really be a very good story. (Okay, that isn’t always the case but I’m usually right and I am rarely wrong about that theory!) Just like the series I am currently reading: It’s the Kiera Cass’ The Selection Series which I started just yesterday and finished Book 1 on that same day. It has a really exciting plot I just can’t stop myself from finishing it right away. Didn’t expect myself to like a lovestory involving a prince but I did like it.

THE SELECTION is about a girl who is in a competition involving 35 women fighting to win a prince’s heart and become their country’s crowned princess. It’s like the The Bachelor (a reality series from ETC ) but with a twist. I am currently reading the last book of the trilogy called THE ONE where America Singer has to finally make a decision and fight her way to win the crown. So far, so entertaining I honestly feel like a teenager once more. Thumbs up to Kiera Cass’ entertaining wit.

I’m reading an ePub, not a hard copy because I decided to hold up reading my hoarded books before I empty my shelf. I have to save more books because on October, I’ll move to his place and “ohmygoodness” — not one Booksale is available in Kidapawan City. So be it. Good luck to my hoarding project. Anyway, I am truly enjoying reading my epub copies at the moment. 😉

'Til then, see yah!

Not really a book review, Sorry!


This was not my first choice when I was looking for a next book to read. In fact, I first took out my Stephen King book from the book shelf.. However, life decisions changed when I got to watch the CONJURING 2 with my friend before I could start reading 😂

I was not scared by the movie, just a little bit frightened because who can’t? Sound and light effects, etc… they all seem too damn real. So yeah, I was frightened but never scared. BUT. When I was about to read Stephen King, I realized I have no more bravery left 😄😄😄

I have this vehement notion too that watching too many scary movies and reading too much scary books can be toxic to your brain thus affecting your whole self… and I’m preventing that to happen. Besides, I’ve been reading too many crime-related books lately, I’m quite concerned I might develop a criminal mentality. 😯

So there. I decided to tone down the genre a bit and went for a drama - love story slash romance kind of book… which is the Barbara Taylor Bradford book.

Got this at Bookends for a discounted price which was a very good deal. I haven’t read a BTB book before but I made a purchase because the cover says it’s been on the New York Times Best Seller list for 14 weeks. And like I said, I wanted a variation of the genres too.

'Til then, see yah!