COVERed: Die for Me by Amy Plum

 

the gothic feel of the book enchants me. could this be any good?

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family’s—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

Book Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Rating:

Synopsis:

It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.

***** ***** *****

As I said, she chose to die rather than to stay with me. I was her husband, but she simply loved him more.

This is a new series to watch out for.

I was not smitten at first. Although the story has a new concept, the first half of the book was just average to me. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. But moving on the second half, i felt i was falling. It’s like the book and I started out as friends. We find something in common, what makes us comfortable with each other. As the need to protect and be faithful rise up, it is in the end that i realized: i am in love with The Goddess Test. 😀

I’ll start with the cover. At first glance, it did not catch my eye. But looking it again and again, it started to blossom into something pretty. Very pretty. The girl reminded me of Jessica Alba. So i thought of Kate as looking like Jessica.

The story revolves around the story of Hades and Persephone. In this case, Persephone’s gone so Henry has to look for someone to take her place as his wife and Queen of the Underworld. But the girl has to be worthy of immortality so she has to take the test.

Kate has to pass seven tests. If she fails even one, the consequences are very dangerous, especially for Henry.

As Kate deals with living her autumn and winter days with Henry in the Eden Manor, she realizes that this life is not as bad as she thought. More so, she didn’t felt little need to go back to the real world for the next half of the year. Being with Henry, she learned how to make friends, have a family, love and fight for a guy who lost the will to live. Or exist.

The synopsis misled me. It is not actually Kate’s mom that is the reason for her to enter into a bargain with Henry. Kate did it to save a friend’s life. No, not a friend but a person i so wanna see to stay dead. For the life of me, i could not imagine giving half of my year for the rest of my life just so someone (who is cruel to me) can live. And that is what Kate did.

Kate has no friends because she took care of her sick mom since freshman year. She also does not date because of that. If there’s one thing to describe her, it’s this: martyr. I’m not sure if i like that, and it made me wary to like her. But the author gave room for Kate to grow on me, since Kate is still beginning to know herself and open up to living a life, especially without her mom. By the time i finished the chapters, i felt a kinship with her. And yes, Kate, you did right. Even I was proud of you.

The one thing that strikes me the most is Kate’s frankness. It was such a refreshing character for a heroine. And for that, i love her.

Henry – for a Hades character, he’s pretty soft. Solemn. Cautious. But i liked it. There are few times i got to glimpse of the Lord of the Underworld and it was enough. He is more human than a god, but it suits him. After all, Hades does not belong to Olympus, right? He mostly stayed in the Underworld. So i get it that he’s lonely. And feels unloved. Henry is such a vulnerable character and it is just right for my taste.

James. I have mixed feelings for him. Is he in love with Kate? For such a short time, it is not possible. But it seems that he does. I felt sorry for him. But i think he’ll be a major character in the next book. Love triangle, anyone?

The mythology is intact. The twists came one after the other and i was like, ‘ok, what just happened?’ and when the time came for the verdict to be delivered, whether Kate passed or failed, i’m shaking my head in disbelief saying, ‘no way! No freakin’ way!’ then a smile slowly spreads across my face. It was a good read.

Debut authors are sweeping the YA shelves like a crazy tidal wave! And Aimee Carter is one of them. The Goddess Test will show you the side of the Olympians that are all too human and yet, staying true to their nature.

Keep trying until you have no more chances left. And even then, you keep going.

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

Book Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Rating:

Synopsis:

She is pretty and talented – sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But …They are brother and sister.

***** ***** *****

This book left me heartbroken. Why, oh why, does the ending have to be that way? Harsh world… is that it? Not FAIR!

WARNING: This is book is for open-minded, liberated readers only due to its sensitive content.

Call me a perv, i don’t care! I really, really like this book. This will go to my stand-alone-ultimate faves shelf despite the ending.

There’s something about this YA sub-genre that i don’t like: it does not give me the escape from reality that i crave.

But for Forbidden, it gave me a chance to view the real world in a whole new perspective. And also, an escape of some sort.

Lochlan and Maya are siblings, with three younger ones to take care of because their wh*re of a mom doesn’t want the responsibility. They are best friends. Lochlan is an introvert. A socially inept weirdo, they call him. But to Maya, he’s just a normal guy.

When family problems get rougher than usual, things start to get intense. Lochlan and Maya found comfort in each other. During one of those times, the physical closeness takes a different meaning and steer them to a life of pain, confusion, and love.

All throughout, not once did it enter my mind that the story was gross (admit it, a brother and a sister in love with each other?). The author played out their characters so well that i found myself symphathetic to them. I even felt empathy. The voices behind Lochlan and Maya are so strong, yet weak sometimes. Lochlan is far realistic than Maya. He said: if they get caught, they will go to prison. She said: she doesn’t care! They are not hurting anyone.

I praised the author for imprinting the value of family and the importance of loving your brothers and sisters by placing their best interest before your own.

I was sad with Kit, Tiffin, and Wila. I understood Maya. I felt the loss with Lochan.

In my opinion, the stigma of an incestuous relationship did not stain Lochan’s and Maya’s love story. If anything, it strengthens my belief that any love, long as it’s true, knows no gender, or blood relation, or whatever the society imposes as moral or not.

I’m still heartbroken. I need a place to sulk.

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”