[REVIEW] My Heart and Other Black Holes

Series: N/A
Author: Jasmine Warga (@jasminewarga)
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, realistic fiction, mental illness
Published: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Purchase: Amazon

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem: she's not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a selection called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution - Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner. 

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. 

This is a gorgeously written and compulsively readable novel about the transformative power of love, heralding the arrival of an extraordinary new voice in teen fiction, Jasmine Warga.

[REVIEW] Veronika Decides to Die

Series: N/A
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: adult, contemporary, philosophy, drama, psychology, romance
Published: July 31, 2005 (first published 1998)
Publisher: HarperTorch (HarperCollins)
Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything - you and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills, expecting never to wake up. But she does - at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.

This poignant international bestseller by the author of The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes  takes readers on a quest to find the meaning in a culture overshadowed by angst, soulless routine, and perverse conformity. Based on events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

[REVIEW] Nirvana

Series: Nirvana #1
Author: J.R. Stewart
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, romance, mystery, post apocalyptic
Published: November 10, 2015
Publisher: Blue Moon

When the real world is emptied of all that you love, how can you keep yourself from dependence on the virtual? 

Animal activist and punk rock star Larissa Kenders lives in a dystopian world where the real and the virtual intermingle. After the disappearance of her soulmate, Andrew, Kenders finds solace by escaping Nirvana, a virtual world controlled by Hexagon. In Nirvana, anyone's deepest desires may be realized - even visits with Andrew. 

Although Kenders knows that this version of Andrew is virtual, when he asks for her assistance revealing Hexagon's dark secret, she cannot help but comply. Soon after, Kenders and her closest allies find themselves in a battle with Hexagon, the very institution they have been taught to trust. After uncovering much more than she expected, Kenders' biggest challenge is determining what is real - and what is virtual. 

Nirvana is a fast-paced, page-turning young adult novel combining elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. Part of a trilogy, this book introduces readers to a young woman who refuses to give up on the man she loves, even if it means taking on an entire government to do so.

[WEEKLY MUSING] What makes a slow reader read slow?

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga - one of the books I recently finish

Hello,

The other day, I was talking but maybe more like complaining to my sister why I'm such a slow read and she, a fast one. I'm such a slow reader. It makes a couple of days to finish a book. Two days at least for a 300 to 400-paged book - that is, if I'm not doing anything important. If I have classes or I'm really busy with something, it takes me a week a least to finish one.

Yes, I know.. I'm such a shame. But lately, I decided not to really think about that. I mean, sure I'm a slow reader but that's just the way I am. So after talking to my sister, I ponder for a bit and was able to come up with reasons why I'm such a slow reader.

[REVIEW] Sleeping Murder

Series: Miss Marple #13
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: adult, mystery, crime fiction, detective, thriller, classics
Published: May 1, 2000 (first published 1976)
Publisher: Signet

Gwenda Reed's new home, a charming Victorian villa, is giving the lovely new bride the strangest feeling of déjà vu - and an unnatural dread that's taking its toll. Perhaps her husband's aunt, Miss Marple, can calm the young woman's frayed nerves. But how can anyone solve a mystery such as this when the only clues are those in Gwenda's vivid imagination? As Aunt Jane digs a little deeper she's soon to discover just how truthful - and terrifying - the imagination can be...

"Has all the virtues of Agatha Christie's work: a coherent plot, firm and purposeful narration, and a pleasant style." - Times Literary Supplement 

[REVIEW] Beastly Bones

Series: Jackaby #2
Author: William Ritter
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, supernatural, adventure
Published: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

The highly anticipated follow-up to the “rich world”* of the “lighthearted and assured debut,” featuring an “irresistible character” whose first thrilling and original adventure “demands sequels.”* 

“I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.” 

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. 

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad's Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer. 

Praise for Jackaby: 

“Ritter's debut skillfully blends science with the supernatual and balances whimsy with violence.” —*Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

“Toss together an alternate 19th-century New England city, a strong tradition of Sherlockian pastiche, and one seriously ugly hat, and this lighthearted and assured debut emerges, all action and quirk.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 

“A riveting mash-up of mystery and folklore, with vivid details and striking turns of phrase. And Jackaby is an irresistible character.” —The Horn Book Magazine

[REVIEW] Bound

Series: the Caelian Cycle #2
Author: Donnielle Tyner
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, romance
Published: October 19, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Smachwords

Bound by Vengeance.
Sadie has found the resolve to fight the man who caused so much pain in her life. Her tentative alliance with the HCA underground gives her the resources to train both her body and Talent for when she comes face to face with her grandfather.  

Bound by Loss.
Being separated from her friends at St Vincent’s is harder than she could have ever realized and it doesn’t help that Kian has withdrawn from her as well. With help from a new friend, Sadie uncovers more about her past and that someone close to her has been keeping secrets from Sadie her entire life. 

Bound by Fear.
Tragedy strikes close to home, giving a longstanding enemy, one desperate and willing to do anything to have Sadie on their side, an opportunity to arise. Allies and friends come together to stand against evil, but at a terrible cost. Sadie’s history and future collide while the world is thrown into chaos. 

Sadie must overcome or forever be Bound.

[REVIEW] A Little Something Different

Series: N/A
Author: Sandy Hall
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, chick lit, 
Published: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is a little aloof, Gabe is shy, and it looks like they are never going to work things out.

But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together. 

Fall in love with falling in love in this irresistibly romantic, completely original novel! 

[REVIEW] Throne of Glass

Series: Throne of Glass #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: young adult, fantasy, high fantasy, romance, magic, adventure, mystery,
Published: August 2, 2012 (first published January 1, 2012)
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught. 

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

[REVIEW] Born of Shadow

Series: The Shadow Wars #1
Author: Sarah Benson
Genre: young adult, fantasy, adventure, romance
Published: August 18, 2014
Publisher: Createsapce
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

On her seventeenth birthday, Kami receives a mysterious artifact and a ticket to visit her estranged grandparents in Egypt. When she arrives, no one is there to meet her. Alone and in an unfamiliar country, she quickly discovers her missing grandparents are only part of a greater threat. Whispers of strange creatures made of a shadowy substance can be heard among the nomads of the desert. A new queen has quietly come to power, given strength by a powerful evil unleashed when she opens an ancient jar. She won't stop until she finds the remains of Alexander the Great, convinced that his body holds the secret to her becoming a god. Kami must rely on a band of misfit friends she makes along the way to save her grandparents and stop the queen. But does the handsome boy she just met have answers, or is he part of the reason for her grandparents' disappearance?

[REVIEW] Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. Movie

English Title: We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day. Movie
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Genre: drama, slice of life, supernatural
Episodes: 1
Anime Director: Nagai Tatsuyuki (Honey and Clover II, Toradora!)
Adaptation: original
Prequel: AnoHana (TV Series)
Purchase: Amazon | Aniplex USA

Jinta Yadomi and his group of childhood friends have become estranged after a tragic accident split them apart. Now in their high school years, a sudden surprise forces each of them to confront their guilt over what happened that day and come to terms with the ghosts of their past. 

A year has passed since Menma's ghostly return to the Super Peace Busters. Although the time they spent together during that summer was short, the five members reminisce about what happened as they each write a letter to their lost friend.   

Source: MAL-AnoHana (TV Series) + ANN

[REVIEW] The Space Between Heartbeats

Series: N/A
Author: Melissa Pearl
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, paranormal, ghosts, fantasy, death, suspense
Published: September 8, 2015 (first published October 31, 2012)
Publisher: Alloy Entertainment
Purchase: Amazon

Nicole Tepper has it all—beauty, popularity, and the perfect boyfriend. But after a party she can’t remember, she wakes up in a ghostly state, trapped between life and death. Nicole’s injured body is lying in a wooded area, but she has no idea where—or how long she has left to live.

Only one person can hear her now: Dale Finnegan, a loner classmate that Nicole has relentlessly bullied. Dale’s the last person in school who would want to help her, but he sets their tangled history aside to try to save her life. As they dig into what happened at the party, they discover her boyfriend isn’t as perfect as he seems—and neither are her friends. With the clock ticking down and her life slipping away, Nicole must face a hard truth: Was what happened to her a terrible accident? Or does someone want her dead?

This is a new, revised edition of the previously released novel Betwixt.

OCTOBER ROUNDUP

October reads :)

Hello,

October officially ends my first semester. YAY!! Then, I have three, THREE, more weeks vacation. DOUBLE YAY!! I'm really crossing my fingers that I'll be able to read a good amount of books from my TBR list and watch a decent amount of anime :D

I started with Return Once More and Throne of Glass last week. ICYM my thoughts on Return Once More, review can be found by clicking the link below. I just finished Throne of Glass and I LOVE IT! The romance && the mystery && Celaena && Crown Prince Dorian!! My thoughts will be posted soon :)

{ BOOK REVIEWS }