Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

RATING:

Genre: Young Adult > Contemporary Romance

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? 

Imagine if she hadn’t fogotten the book. Or if there hadn’t been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn’t fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she’d run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else – the weather over the atlantic or a fault with the plane? 

Hadley isn’t sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it’s the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver… 

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

*****

WISTFUL.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight sort of appealed to my ‘hopelessly romantic’ side but did not just quite get there. Maybe because i’m also a cynic? that the idea of possibly falling in love in this time is still quite ludicrous for me? Maybe. But I got to give credit to Ms. Smith because she made me believe (even for a little while) that maybe, maybe love at first sight is really possible. 😉

 

Hadley (gosh, i WANT her name) may sound like a bratty, angry girl but i think it has merits. Flying to London for the weekend by yourself to witness your father marry another woman who is not your mother? A woman whom you never even met? A woman might or might not be the reason why your father left not only your mother but has left you, too? Oh yeah, i’m feeling Hadley. All the hurt, bitterness and pain brought about by her father’s leaving – it’s all there. I loved that Smith focuses on writing about Hadley’s coping with family loss (in a way) and how a possible connection with a boy on a plane can make that seemed… bearable. Oliver did not came out creepy for me. What? A boy waiting in the airport that suddenly seems so cordial and inviting doesn’t sound suspicious to you? Come on! But Smith played Oliver’s role dutifully. Kind but not too distant. Open but not that revealing.

 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a sweet (and sometimes, melancholic) read. Perhaps if you’re feeling a little romantic, this book will work for you. =)

 

Publisher: Headline

Imprint: —

Pub Date: 01/05/2012

Many Thanks to Kai and Precious of Pinoy Book Tours for the chance to read their ARC copy!

*

*

.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

RATING:

Genre: Young Adult > Dystopia

(Legend #1)

The United States is gone, along with its flooded coasts. North America’s two warring nations, the western Republic and the eastern Colonies, have reached a breaking point. In the midst of this broken continent and dark new world are two teenagers who will go down in history….

Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family’s door with an X–the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.

Born to an elite family in Los Angeles’ wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic’s most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country’s highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country–until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.

Only one person could be responsible.

Day.

And now it’s June’s mission to hunt him down.

The truth they’ll uncover will become legend.

*****

IN COLD BLOOD.

Legend lived up to its name… well, almost. I have minor issues but a good dystopian novel such as this can eliminate even the smallest of problems. It is cold and ruthless. With a more-than-capable heroine and a legendary hero, I was smacked down by Marie Lu with her cryptic story.

June is a prodigy but at such a young age (she’s fifteen), she’s still vulnerable to a beautiful boy and the unknown thrills he brings with him. I liked that Lu portrayed June as this uncertain girl coming out of her adolescence despite her genius in military ways. Lu is effective in her writing: I hated June when she scorned the people in poor sectors. I loved her when she took action the day she realizes her wrong towards Day.

Day is an enigma, but it is not a secret how much he loved his family. To go at such lengths to save them, it was incredible. The bleakness of Day’s world did not deter him to still want something good for his brothers and his mother >> and this is why I love reading dystopia: the hope is there. Although I’m a bit doubtful that his feats are legendary, they do coincide with June’s profile. Day was this beautiful boy in such a strict society and he. just. shines. His character has an old soul and I really liked that.

Was it explained how their world came to that dystopian disarray? I don’t think so. The conflict that brought the Republic and the Colonies on different sides was blurry at the same time. Those aspects brought the rating down to a 4. Still, the story delivery was compact and the suspense was gripping.

Legend is a pretty good dystopian read. Hard-boiled and brutal, I could not wait to read its sequel.

*

*

.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

Book Review: The Dig by Audrey Hart

Rating:

Genre: Young Adult > Mythology

(Zoe and Zeus #1)

Zoe Calder has always been an outsider. Stashed away in boarding schools since her parents died, Zoe buries herself in the study of ancient worlds. Her greatest thrill is spending her summers with her archeologist aunt and uncle on digs around the world. And one day, while investigating a newly unearthed temple in Crete, Zoe discovers a luminous artifact that transports her to ancient Greece.

As Zoe quickly learns, the Olympian Gods are real, living people—humans with mysterious powers… Powers that Zoe quickly realizes she has come to possess, as well. However, when the people of ancient Greece mistake Zoe for an Olympian, the Gods must restore the balance of the ancient world… No matter what.

Zoe is forced to play a confusing and dangerous game as Hera rallies the gods against her—all except for Zeus, the beautiful, winged young god who risks everything to save her.

Out of time and out of her element, teenager Zoe Calder finds herself in ancient Greece, battling against the power of the Olympians and the vengeance of a scorned goddess—all for the strange and mysterious boy she has come to love.

*****

I saw The Dig from Backlit Fiction’s email newsletter. The mythology was different from what I usually read, plus the cover is gorgeous, so I decided to go for it. And I liked it. Nothing to rave about, but it’s something to pass the time. Hart’s writing needs polishing, because all I can hear in the storytelling is a lot of babbling and rambling. Zoe’s always talking about things that I think are better left unread by readers (obviously since they are not necessary).

Zoe is smart but a loner. She found herself transported back in time when she explored an unknown room in her uncle’s/aunt’s archeological dig in Greece. Apparently, gods & goddesses existed here (well, in the form of teenagers, but still powerful). There she met a nymph and eventually, a golden-haired boy. Zeus. Now tell me if you read any YA fiction with Zeus as the lead character. No? Me too. Zeus is pretty sweet here, which makes me a little skeptical. He is powerful, yes, but it is not enough to rein in the other Olympians. Hera is in her true character. I liked her more than Zoe.

Likes: Zoe’s goddess-like powers. The labyrinth. The mutiny against Zeus.

Dislikes: Which goddess Zoe takes up to? Demeter? Hart did not clear that up. The constant rambling thoughts of Zoe (I mean, you’re gonna die and yet you remember this one time at high school, blah blah blah? Come on!) clear was a downer.

The Dig is an okay read but I have read better mythology-based YA book.

*

*

.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”