Diary of a Book Maniac: June 2013

Review: Cinder

Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Pages: 390 pages
Format acquired: Paperback
Publisher: Square Fish
Published date: January 8, 2013
Source: Bought from Fully Booked
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads

Summary:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Review:

Among all the Disney princesses, Cinderella is my favorite. And I’ve watched all movies and TV shows that was based on Cinderella so it’s no surprise that Cinder caught my attention. Though I have my doubts about the cyborg part at first, I could proudly say that I have no regrets reading this book.

Honestly, I’m having a hard time typing up this review. Not because I loathe it and doesn’t want to waste my time on it but because I’m at lost for words as to how to express the brilliancy of Marissa Meyer for writing such a splendid book. Cinder is a jaw dropping, arm flailing, heart jumping and all words that are synonymous for awesome book. Every single thing in this book is purr-feeect! From the astounding characters, plot twists, world building and well-expressed lines and scenes. There is no time where I got bored while reading this book. Cinder got me hooked starting from the very first page until the acknowledgement (I love how Marissa wrote her acknowledgement!)

If there’s an award for the coolest protagonist then I’m so sure that it’ll be awarded to Cinder. She amazingly played the protagonist role very well. And I commend Marissa Meyer for writing Cinder that way. So far, Cinder’s my second favorite protagonist (Cammie in Gallagher Girls series being the first one).

Prince Kai is my new additional book boyfriend. He’s sweet, funny, compassionate, selfless, caring, humble and agonizingly handsome. In short, he’s everything I’m looking for a boyfriend. If only he’s real … *long sigh* The only thing that kind of turn me off is the words he said to Cinder at the last part of the book. I got pissed at him at that part. :| Though I understand why he said those words, still, he should have waited for an explanation from Cinder before he walked out.

The romance in this book is surprisingly refreshing. Why refreshing? Well, for starters, it’s not an insta-love (thank God for that!) and it does not consist of heavy make out scenes between the main characters. Whenever I read a scene of Prince Kai and Cinder, I’d get the feeling of puppy love. Their attraction to each other is so … innocent. I really can’t think of a better word than that. Unlike some pairings in some YA books, Prince Kai and Cinder didn’t kiss until the last few chapters in the book. And to think that they only kissed once. You still can feel their chemistry oozing despite their lack of intimate scenes.

As for the hateful antagonist part, well, Queen ~~Ugly~~ Levana snagged that spot. She is the most hateful antagonist that I’ve encountered. Reading scenes that has her on it, made me wish that she’s real so that I could choke her to death or punch her in her ugly face. Seriously, the Queen brings out the violent side of me. There’s this one scene in this book where Cinder said out loud that Queen Levana is really ugly. That seriously had me laughing so loud. :D I’d like to see the face of the Queen when Cinder told her that. LOL.

Overall, Cinder would have you swooning, laughing, cringing, crying, shouting, giggling and flailing. In other words, this book would make you feel all kinds of feels in just one sitting (finished it in a day)! You have to read it as soon as you’re able to. It’s the kind of book that you should put on top of your TBR stack. What are you staring for at? Go buy Cinder if you still don’t have it on your stack or go pick it if you already have it. Chop! Chop!

4 comments

, by Alyssa

Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal: Fire & Flood

Author:Victoria Scott

Publisher: Scholastic

Expected release date: March 2014

Synopsis:

In a perilous race across the world, having the best Pandora can be the difference between life and death.

Sixteen-year-old Tella Holloway isn’t happy. Her mother rushed them out of Boston and into a craptastic house nestled in Middle of Nowhere, Montana. To make matters worse, Tella’s brother is sick, and though a dozen doctors can’t determine the cause, her mother is sure Montana’s “fresh air” will help. Now Tella spends her days being homeschooled, and uses her imagination as entertainment.

But when a small blue box appears on her bed, Tella’s world is rocked. Inside the strange package she finds a white ear bud—and after she fits it into place and touches its blinking button—an unknown voice fills her head. Tella is invited to join the Brimstone Bleed, a race across four ecosystems: desert, sea, mountains, jungle. The voice in Tella’s ear explains she has 48 hours to retrieve her Pandora, an animal genetically designed to help her win.

Tella has never been the sporty type; she’s more a cheerleader than an athlete. But despite her mother’s warnings, she’s determined to compete in the race. And she’ll do anything to win, because if Tella is the Brimstone Bleed victor, she'll be granted a specific gift—the cure to save her brother’s life.

About the Author

I’m a teen fiction writer with a die-hard affection for dark and humorous books. My work is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger literary agency. I have a master’s degree in marketing, and currently live in Dallas with my husband, Ryan.

My first book series started with THE COLLECTOR, and was published by Entangled Teen in April 2013. The second book in the trilogy, THE LIBERATOR, will release August 2013. My next series kicks off with FIRE & FLOOD and is being published by Scholastic, March 2014.

Want to find out more about the author? Go to these sites:

Twitter || Facebook || Website || Goodreads

I totally adore the cover for Fire & Flood. It's gorgeous! The whole black background and having a white feather burning in the center, it looks mysterious and it somehow reminds me of Yin & Yang. Definitely looking forward in reading it next year!

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, by Alyssa

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight: Keeping Her

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, by Alyssa

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves (8)

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, by Alyssa

ARC

{Blog Tour} Review + Character Interview + Giveaway: Phoenix

Hey there! Today's my stop for the Philippine Blog Tour of Phoenix. This will be my first time to join a blog tour and I'm so excited! Haha. Anyways, read on and get a taste of the book. There's also a giveaway at the end of this post. ;)

Author: Elizabeth Richards

Series: Black City #2

Published: June 4, 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

368 pages (Hardcover)

Summary:

Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth.

When Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well.

But Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good—a powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others.

This enthralling sequel to Black City is just as absorbing, delicious and steamy as the first book, leaving readers hungry for the series conclusion

Review:

Thank you for Kate of Bookaholic Blurbs for hosting the tour and to the publisher of the book for providing me an ARC.

Phoenix was one of my most anticipated sequels in 2013. If you guys read my review for Black City, you’d know how much I fangirl about it. Though it didn’t exceed my love for Black City, I still enjoyed reading it. In Phoenix, Ash and Natalie got engage. You’d think everything’s okay now and Purian Rose would give up after what happened in Black City (talking about the rising of Ash from the ashes). Nope, the evil bastard has a plan brewing on his mind. What plan is that, you ask? He plans to threaten Ash into agreeing to his law or else he’d take Miss Buchanan and slice her pieces by pieces. Ash is now facing off a hard decision—to save Natalie or betray the Darklings. You might think that this is the book all about (who Ash chooses), but no, Elizabeth added a lot of twists and turns in this book (I bet you can’t guess half of it).

Like I said, Phoenix contains a lot of twists that will surely catch you off guard. While I was reading, I kept on guessing what will happen next. Though I got some of it right, there are still scenes that shocked me. It honestly left my jaw hanging. I commend Elizabeth for her brilliant thinking for she managed to write a book that is unpredictable. Hail Elizabeth, the queen of plot twists and turns! Haha. :)

Now let’s talk about the main characters, Ash and Natalie. I don’t know how to describe what I felt about them. I love them but there are times that I just want to bonk both their heads for being so…caring? Yep, you read that right. They care too much for each other that they do stupid things like staying away from each other just to protect the other one. Like what happened to Natalie, she discovers something (this is one of the plot twists that you’ll not expect) and because of that she pushes Ash away without even telling him about what she discovered. And now there’s Ash, he didn’t tell Natalie about the threat of Purian Rose to him because he doesn’t want her to worry. See where keeping that secret led to. *shakes head sadly*

There are a lot of new characters that appears in this book and there are also characters that have reappearance in this book. One of those characters is Elijah. The moment Elijah appeared one day and told everyone about the Ora, I already have my suspicion. I won’t tell you what he did, you have to read it yourself. There’s also Giselle, she’s a new character in this book. Though she didn’t do anything wrong *cough choke cough* Fine, she did something wrong but both of them (won’t tell who’s the other one) are at fault that time.

Phoenix is undoubtedly an action-packed book with a lot of twists and curves in between. The moment you flip the first page of the book, you can’t stop flipping it until you reach the last page. It’s THAT compelling. You’d know what I’m talking about when you read the book.

60 SECOND INTERVIEW WITH…JUNO JONES

So today’s 60 Second Interview is with the lead anchor for Black City News, Juno Jones.

1. Please describe yourself in three words.

Inquisitive, bossy, feisty.

2. What’s your favorite pastime?

I’m never off-duty, so my favorite pastime is looking for my next big story.

3. Cats or dogs?

Dogs. I appreciate their loyalty and instant affection. I don’t have time to earn something’s love.

4. What’s your favorite food?

Noodles. There’s a place in Chantilly Lane that serves the best noodles in the city; I go there every Friday with the guys from work.

5. Tell us a secret about yourself.

My hair isn’t naturally this color. I dyed it to look more like my sister, Amy’s. She’s got gorgeous auburn hair.

6. What are you afraid of?

That Amy will hook up with some jerk of a guy who doesn’t deserve her. I’m very protective of my little sis.

7. Who do you love the most in this world?

Amy, without question.

8. Who do you hate the most?

February Fields. Urgh, I hate that woman! She’s the lead anchor for SBN. I want that job!

9. Would you rather vacation in Golden Sands or the Dominion State?

Dominion State. That’s where the Sentry government is based, so you can bet there’s some juicy stories there!

10. If you had one wish, what would it be?

To have my own primetime news panel show.

*looks at the time* Aw, man! Our 60 seconds is up! I actually wanted to ask you more questions. Too bad for that. Anyways, thank you for squeezing us into your busy schedule. I’m glad to have you here in our blog. Til’ next time! *shakes hand*

About the Author:

Elizabeth Richards is an award-winning journalist, who spent her early career reviewing video games before making the bold (or crazy) move into travel writing, despite suffering from terrible travel sickness. In her spare time, she ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls, where she got to interview many of her favorite bands, go to gigs and basically blag loads of free swag all in the name of ‘research’.

Elizabeth lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband. BLACK CITY is her debut novel. The sequel, PHOENIX, is out on June 4, 2013.

Fun facts about…Elizabeth Richards

She’s an identical twin…and yes, she is the evil one.
She’s part sloth.
She hopes to see 10 volcanoes before she dies. She’s already climbed Vesuvius, had lunch on top of Mount Etna and watched Stromboli erupt at night.
She’s a little bit obsessed with Daniel Radcliffe.
Some of her favorite TV shows are Buffy, Being Erica, and Extreme Couponing.
Her favorite authors are JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Beth Revis, Stephen Fry, and Veronica Roth.

Giveaway

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