Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Book Haul of March

1. The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier


Keri has been struggling to run her family bakery since her mother passed away.  Now the father she barely knew—the Lord of Nimmira—has died, and ancient magic has decreed that she will take his place as the new Lady. The position has never been so dangerous: the mists that hide Nimmira from its vicious, land-hungry neighbors have failed, and Keri's people are visible to strangers for the first time since the mists were put in place generations ago.

At the same time, three half-brothers with their own eyes on the crown make life within the House just as dangerous as the world outside. But Keri has three people to guide her: her mysterious Timekeeper, clever Bookkeeper, and steadfast Doorkeeper. Together they must find a way to repair the boundary before her neighbors realize just how vulnerable Nimmira is.
 

2.  Into the Wild by Erin Hunter


For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying-- and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty . . . who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

3. Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr


In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the carnival, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father—and every other witch there—fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable.While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the carnival.

4.  The Raging Light by Estelle Laure


Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she's about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend's brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure's soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

5. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia 


I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

My favorite cover from my haul has got to be The Keeper of the Mist, its so beautiful and I just love the plot. & If you guys have read any of these books, you guys can comment about it but do not give out any spoilers. Also I'm actually starting to get more into contemporary books, so if you guys have any suggestions please do recommend them to me! It would make my day :P

Until then, Cindy x)

Friday, March 11, 2016

~Review~ Anna and the French Kiss


Title: Anna and the French Kiss
By: Stephanie Perkins
Published: December 2, 2010
Source: Library

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

*The reason I put up two different covers of the book: I really liked the 2nd cover but I got the first cover >.<*
This book, just wow.. I loved almost everything about it. I mean Eteinne? Oh my god. The moment he stepped foot into the book, I totally fell for him. He's like the best boy-friend I never had! Yet, because of all his feelings for Ellie *which always irked me* I did want to throw something at his indecisiveness. I mean you fall in love with another girl as soon as you see her? She's funny and gorgeous, and just your cup of tea? Then for gods sake dump Ellie and go for Anna. Cause we all know that your relationship with Ellie has been sour for a while. Speaking of Ellie, I do want to know her side of the story. Why did she suddenly go to another school and split up with her friends? Were they not good enough for her? 

Also, I loved how the author didn't totally ignore all the other characters! The other characters added so much to the story and helped the character development. Like with Mer, she was the one who encountered Anna first, and made Anna feel welcomed in Paris. & Plus Bridgette, if she didn't go out with Toph, Anna wouldn't have realized about how much a insensitive pig Toph was. Though I think the only problem I actually had with some of the characters was Rashmi and Josh, I just felt that their relationship ended too abruptly, I know they weren't the main focus but still I wanted to see more of them. I mean I was just really unsatisfied about how their relationship ended. 

I was actually pretty surprised at how I got into this book so quickly! I honestly don't read much contemporary books, so this was one of the few books I've actually read in that genre! Anna and the French Kiss was like a breath of fresh air, it shows such realistic situations and makes your feelings get all jumbled up. The main character Anna, though some of her actions might be questionable, they are realistic actions. We're not perfect, we are human beings and that just that. If I were her, I think I would probably do the same thing as her. Fall for the cute, witty, and cheeky boy who stole my heart and breath away the moment he stepped foot into my view. This book is just so different and unique, I won't put it on a high pedestal and say its one of the best contemporary books I've ever read since I haven't really read much, but I do have to say if you're looking for something different, something with romance and fluff, and something that will make you gush and smile, then this is just the book for ya! The reason why I really enjoyed the book, I think is because I've been actually learning French for two years!! Plus I'm also learning about the French Revolution in History class, and I recently got A Tale of Two Cities!! So yeah, if you get my drift I'm pretty sure I was gonna read this book one way or another with all these factors. xD

                        

Until then, Cindy ^-^