Bitterblue: Review Teaser!

Now I must state that the review is not so soon to come because I have yet to read the book but I just couldn't resist posting this. It is marvelous; by far one of my favorite series.

Pretty Little Lairs:

"You know what they say about hope.
It breeds eternal misery!"

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Alison DiLaurentis played Rosewood like a master violinist on a stradivarius, until she dies.

After their best friend Alison DiLaurentis vanishes one night during a summer sleepover Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily royally drift apart. Now with Aria returning to Rosewood after three years of living in Iceland she isn't sure how her new European Aria fits in the posh countryside of Philadelphia. Hanna the newly remade over popular girl dropped fifty pounds shortened her skirts and became the new Ali. Whilst Emily won a swimming championship scored a hunky boyfriend, got confused and kissed a girl. Spencer was busy morphing into the super heightened A+ student superstar of her family, whose nights are spent inside text books and days alternate between shopping for Kate Spade back to school clothes and tennis playing at the Rosewood country club.

Now three years after Ali's disappearance the worst expectancy happens. Alison DiLaurentises' body is found, a funeral is planned, a murder investigation is launched by the police and a text message is sent. 

"You promised you wouldn't think about it, Aria thought,
glancing back over her shoulder."
Pg 101:
Aria says in regards to a secret about her dad.

Who'd have thought that a single text message could both eternally damn and reforge a thick friendship once lost?

Ali knew absolutely everything about her four friends but they knew nothing of her. From the grave it seems she is eternally committed to reminding her friends that fact, cryptic text messages making the four girls feel as if they are constantly being watched and when Ali's body is found the messages don't stop someone is out for the blood of the pretty little lairs and they aren't apposed to getting dirty.

I have caved, given in to conformity; whatever, the book is a glorious work of fiction. Better than the Gossip Girl series tenfold. Seven pages in and I was completely hooked. Captivated by the five girls and how I use to ache to be just like them, part of the in crowd and then how I felt when I had a year of it. Every girl wants it but when you have it: we'll there is nothing you won't do to keep it and nothing you fear more than losing it.

How the reviewing process works...

Shepard opens her enthralling book by introducing us to the little lairs, her detailing goes just far enough to state my thirst and then dives right back into the muck of the story. Just how I like my young adult books, simplistic and carefree.

Now normally I dislike it when point of views switch spontaneously between multiple parties, example being the horrifically challenged series of The Luxe, but Shepard pleasantly surprised me by capturing my attention of each characters lives. A fast paced read that left me clawing to start the next book.

Complaint launched: The dolls are freaky! Eight-six them from the cover, pronto. Seriously Shepard; why?

Pretty Little Lairs: Review Teaser!

“I kind of have to go to the bathroom," Aria said woozily.

Ezra smiled. "Can I come?” 

― Sara Shepard, Pretty Little Liars

Devil's Kiss (Billi SanGreal #1):

“What, no balloons?' Billi asked drily.
'You want balloons, join the circus.”
~ Devil's Kiss, by  S.C. 

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bilquis SanGreal knew without a shadow of a doubt that a time would come when she would have to choose. Choose between what she wanted and what was right. She just never guessed the choose would leave her so broken. 

As the only girl to ever be apart of the Knights Templar the pressure is on for Billi to show her worth, lately however things seem to have taken a turn for the worst, no longer is the Knight's this magical noble destiny Billi always sought out to be apart of. But now that she's seen the underbelly of the beast she realizes that the Knight's Templar does not make heretics but martyr's. Grueling days spent locked in a basement sparing with grown men tends to harden a girl, and while juggling the recent return of her childhood best friend - the ever self-sacrificing proclaimed oracle Kay - teenage emotional baggage and the sudden chance meeting of Michael a handsome ethereal man on the subway, there is no doubt that Billi has her hands full. 

When her Michael surprises Billi by understanding her more than anyone ever has in her entire life, Billi even surprises herself by accepting a date with the mysterious boy, however her nerves are prickling and as she begins to fall for both Michael and Kay she can't help but wonder. When is everything going to fall apart. In one single movement of male bravado Kay manages to shatter Billi small resemblance of a normal life. Using a sacred artifact King Solomon's Cursed Mirror, Kay unleashes the Templars most feared and dangerous enemy. The Archangel himself, the Angel of Death. It is exactly what Billi has long been training for, the battle that will make her a Knight for the rest of her life or end her life.

With children falling ill around her town Billi comes to realize that it is the Archangel's doing, his plan formed to bring people back to Christ, through fear, he vows, people will turn to faith. To save the world from one of the most vicious plagues since the Bubonic Plague of 1348 Billi makes a deadly deal with the Devil to receive the only weapon forged holding the power to kill an angel. But can Billi follow through with it, can she actually kill her father? Or is losing the love of her life to the Unholy worse?

I have to say reading this story threw for a loop, coming off a Meg Cabot novel I was almost to say devastated by its harshness, however that's not to say I didn't devour SanGreal tragic life. I mean honestly who hasn't thought of living in an old and historic castle, who hasn't wished they grew up like Buffy the Vampire 2.0 and who hasn't wished they knew Latin, just because.

Her chooses though, I would not ask for. 

Chadda's writing style was pungent and strong and I adored it. You do not tell a story such as this and use light fluid words, no they are supposed to be harsh and dignified. I must detour from this however to point out what I did not like about this story, the beginning. Summed up the whole four stars right there, it was dull and boring and for me I read the first two pages of a book to see if I like it and then if I like it I skip to the back of the book and read the last page. Don't ask me why, its weird. 

Anyhow, I got a dozen or so pages in and was already switching to another book. When I finally did come back to it, for that lack of any other unread book, I was deeply surprised when the story decided to all of a sudden become something energetic and wondrous. And the climax of it, now that was something no one will ever see truly coming, nor the ending for that matter. Because when you it is done, and your settled into the falling action, another big whooping climax comes by to steal the first ones thunder.

Sunday Morning Mailbox: II

Received from: Library, Dollar Bookstore in the mall, Dollar Tree.
Price Paid: 10 Dollars and 50 cents
Book Format: 4 Hardcover, 2 paperback.

Because of Romek by David Faber:
When walking through the mall with my mom we noticed a man who stood in front of a five-by-five square folding card table with books laying on it. He stood outside a bookstore and smiled at me, he asked me if I had ever heard of the Holocaust. I just about nearly flinched.

 I said "I would never forget."
He smiled and told my mother and I that he was a Holocaust survivor, he said this book was his story and I bought it, not because he had showed me his tattooed number on his left arm, but because I wanted it. No ones story should be discarded, or forgotten. Seconds later he asked who to make it out to and my mom said George. George is my uncle, his birthday was coming up and she thought, because he liked history  it would be a good present. David Faber's hands shook as he wrote out the letters, I nearly cried. When we got home my dad said that only I would want a book as a birthday present, and as it turned out, George hadn't wanted it, my dad bought him a tool from Home Depot. I kept the book, secretly jumping for joy.

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell:

I do so love vintage withered books. So you could imagine my joy when I saw this lovely sitting on the classic's shelf of the Library Sale section. Only a dollar! I loved the movie, have watched almost every summer for the past like ten years. It is so witty, and romantic, so wondrously bold at times and it just makes you want to sigh tilt your head and rest it on you up-turned palm.

Please Don't Eat The Daises, by Jean Kerr:
Oh dear lemon drops! This book is amazingly fantastic, and I have only read the first page. So witty, and blunt, so unforgivingly brash. I do love the sixties and if you throw into the mix, a modern enlightened women, well there is just no telling what I will do!
The book is written so freshly stark with humor in every word, the details are so vivid that you feel as if the woman is actually talking to you.
During a time when women were expected to smile pleasantly, bare and raise their husbands children, and always have a freshly hot meal waiting for them when they got home, this book pleasantly surprised me with being nothing as is expected of it. Instead Kerr tells frankly about how her life was, and spilled all the glass marbles stating exactly what she thought of her housewife life.

The Breakdown Lane, by Jacquelyn Mitchard:
One has to be the center of attention, one has to be the quote-unquote mean girl of high school, and at least once in their lifetime a girl gets dumped, cheated on, or refused. For those people, they turn to help for the answer to the ever evading Why me? Advice columnist Julieanne is their help and she excels at her job; now if you took a peek at her own personal life, well her accreditation would just shot down the tubes. She has, like everyone else missed the signs! 
'Oh dreadful no, not the signs!' You say.
Me personally I strongly dislike the mythical signs because honestly, no one ever-and I do mean ever literally- sees those bloody signs. And tip for today: if they say they have well their either lying through there teeth or their lying about their life through their teeth.

Anyhow, after her husband informs Julieanne that he needs 'time' to think through his life, basically he needs 'time' away from his kids and his wife. After a while when he doesn't return to the white house, three kids, dotting wife, and a dog it becomes clear that he had never intended to use the word 'time' literally but figuratively for its second meaning was 'ever', he wasn't coming back ever.
Although life is not known to take things sitting down and so a twist erupts in this novel as Julieanne becomes ill; those left-behind three kids then go out on a mission to find they're runaway dad and bring him back before its too late for Julieanne.
How To Buy a Love Of Reading, by Tanya Egan Gibson:





How incredibly intriguing this debut novel seemed to me, a young girl studying endlessly for perfect SAT scores discovers her love for reading. Filled with witty retorts, dismayed teenagers, comical situations and a pestering English teacher always pushing more books and essays onto her students shoulders.
When one day in class this same teacher addresses Carley with a question “What is your favorite book?" Carley answers back “Never met one I liked,” Oh the humanity! Right!
Any-who, her parents decide they are going to buy their daughter love for reading by hiring a novelist/writer to write a book just for Carley, one that she have to love; naturally hilarity issues and things spin wonky.

Robin Hood and His Merry Men:
Oh how I adore the classics. *Sigh* Such perfect writing, and thought-through verses. Robin Hood vastly became one of my favorites, wait for the kicker now...I have yet to read it. 
*Gasp* Quite right you are my fellow readers, I admit to only having watched just about every Robin Hood movie, series, etc., etc. and not found inspiration or intrigue to read the novel. Though you know me, give me a vintage hardbound book for fifty cents and I add it to my collection of 'to-be' wall to ceiling study library.