BOOKS AND GOOFY

A Curse So Dark and Lonely  by  Brigid Kemmerer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Prince Rhen, heir of Emberfall, is cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th birthday until a girl falls in love with him. This is however made difficult by the fact that, towards the end of each season, he turns into a beast/monster with no control of who he is and often hell-bent on destroying everything/person around him. Harper is a girl from Washington D.C. Her mother is dying; her brother is in with a bad bunch of people as he tries to make good on his father's debts and look after the family. Harper is often underestimated because she has cerebral palsy, often judged by her physical limitations rather than by what she can do. One day, her life changes as a mysterious man transport her into a magical world. My Thoughts I have to admit I am a sucker for fairytale retellings.  A Curse So Dark and Lonely  is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The storyline and the cast o...

***Preface before the actual post*** I actually wrote this post, hmmm..., maybe 2 years ago now. I (obviously) I fell off the blogging bandwagon. But lately I have been thinking that maybe I need to do something  ... resurrect an old hobby or start something new. And then I started thinking of this blog. Maybe I'll start this up again? I might be more "freestyle" going forwards. Not so formal in reviewing books but still be book-related. We shall see...! -------------------------- Title: Strange the Dreamer Author: Laini Taylor Genre:  YA Fantasy Synopsis The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the...

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix My rating: 3 of 5 stars Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own. Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land—and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low. My thoughts 3.5 stars... This fairytale with a twist is a wonderful tale for a younger audience. I think I would've rated this a bit higher as a younger reader because it at times felt too childish for my liking. That being said, I love Arya, the main character. I also liked the references to various fair...

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads):   On his own. Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect. Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years. The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers. Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden… My thoughts: Halfway through this book, I was feeling disappointed. I thought I was reading some cheesy teen romance - the genre said 'paranormal romance'; where was the paranormal ! But then things started to fall into place and I started to...

Blurb (adapted from Amazon): If you had a second chance at first love… would you take it? It's been three years since Adam's love saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it… and three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever. Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other. My say: Oh-My-Gosh… I LOVED this book! It just drew me in like no book recently has. I actually am quite perplexed because this style of writing wouldn't normally be my cup of tea. But Gayle Forman really went all out in this sequel to If You Stay. Where She Went is written from A...

Blurb (adapted from Amazon): For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend, decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning… a snowy road… and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all. My say: I picked up this book after seeing the movie trailers on tv. I'm always intrigued when popular books are made into movies. But weird as it maybe, instead of enticing me into watching the movie, the movie trailer made me want to read the book! And I'd have to say I was happy I did. I thought the story writing was unique. The present day follows Mia's accident and her time in hospital. But while she is unconscious, she has an out of body experience, be...

Blurb (adapted from Amazon): Avicenna Crowe's mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing. The police are called, but they're not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid. But Avicenna has inherited her mother's gift. Finding an unlikely ally in the brooding Simon Thorn, she begins to piece together the mystery. And when she uncovers a link between Joanne's disappearance and a cold-case murder, Avicenna is led deep into the city's dark and seedy underbelly, unaware how far she is placing her own life in danger. My say: This review will be a little disjointed. I read The Astrologer's Daughter a while ago but haven't had the time to write this but here goes… "Only the strong-willed can change what's in the stars. It's always, and only ever, up to you". I liked thi...

My say: I first heard of this book from one of Ingrid Nilsen's  monthly favourites and I was curious to learn more. Read the blurb on Amazon and bought this for my Kindle right away! Sam Kingston is popular. She's 18 years old, loves to party, has a popular/cute boyfriend. Then on a rainy Friday night in February, she dies in a car accident. "They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me." Like a recurring nightmare, Sam "wakes" up on the morning of her accident. Each time she does something different, changes an outcome, but each day ends the same. Initially, I have to admit, I didn't quite like Sam. I found her shallow and irresponsible. But perhaps that was Lauren Oliver's plan all along because as the story moved along, I came to like and even admire Sam. Each time she relives that fateful day, she learns more about herself and the people around her. She come...

My say: I had read many good reviews of the book and I told myself I'll buy it when I've gone through my stack of to-reads, which realistically could have taken forever. Then the movie came out. While I knew the basic analogy, the advertisements for the movie moved me - I wanted to watch this. "But, in fact, depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying." I'm not sure about you, but I find it difficult watching a movie after reading the book. Often, the book is so much better than the movie. The plot. The portrayal of the characters. You build a picture in your mind of what the characters look like. You take to heart the storyline. Then you watch the movie and everything falls to pieces. The characters are nothing like you imagined. The movie is missing bits and pieces of your favourite scenes (I understand some things or feelings cannot be portrayed the same way in a movie but don't you still feel betrayed?!). So...