Captive In The Dark (The Dark Duet, #1) by C.J Roberts

Rating: 5*

Shit shit shit. Does it make me a terrible person for enjoying (more than enjoying) this great feast of such dark subject matter? I hope not cause I really couldn't put this down at all. There is no cliche fluffy light fairytale feel-good YA love story elements at all. Full stop. It's brutal and it's raw and certainly not one for the faint hearted.

On the contrary, I completely admire the author's bravery on writing such a risky piece. It takes some skill to engineer a sickening yet enjoyable and completely addictive story that doesn't offend people against humanity (or lack thereof) because the truth is 'es la verdad'. Shit happens. This is honest, okay? I'll stop waffling now. :)

Crow's Row (Crow's Row #1) by Julie Hockley

Rating: 3*

I'm not really psyched by this book if I'm honest. I really don't like the protagonist and other main characters. I stopped reading it for a long time when I had 10% to go before finishing it because I wasn't interested in following on from where I left off. 

I really don't like Emily. She reacts to certain situations very childishly that I cringe when reading them. She is bratty, naive and immature despite everything she's been/going through.

Also, what the hell is up with the 'love' in this book? I don't comprehend. To me, this is not 'true love' like the character stresses. Her naivety and Cameron's lack of character development leads me to think that the only thing they've got going on between them is perverse infatuation; nothing special. 

I usually love a good book that relates to mobsters/drug lords/ mafia's/Criminal Organizations (whatever you want to call them) and Stockholm Syndrome, and while the aspects of secrecy within these topics were realistically and accurately portrayed, I really wasn't taken by the characters themselves. Maybe I have strong taste in character portrayals but I can't help but disdain the blandness.

April and Oliver by Tess Callahan

Rating: 5*

This book is fantastic, I don't understand how the overall rating isn't higher than what it is. It definitely stands out among all of the other books I've read this year. It was so refreshing, cathartic and purgative to read and the ending left me with the highest hopes ever. I also felt very strongly about the characters and certain subjects in the book, particularly the physical abuse which I could identify with. The characters in this book are the type that stay with you and the story was realistically written so much so that it seems like a personal memory of people I know rather than it just being a fiction novel. This summary is a mess so I'm definitely gonna take some of my working time up this week to write a full on review (vent my frustrations, admiration's with the authors writing; that kinda thing). I just need to get more people to read this book; it's good! ;)

Forgot to say, the writing it beee-yoooo-tiiii-fulll! I also learnt a lot of new words which my kindle wiki came in handy for.

Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding #1) by K.A Linde

Rating: 3.5*

Okay, this book just made me hate the whole male population. Yup. I hate men now. Even more so than I previously did at least.

I don't know how I have only just discovered this book. I came across it by accident but am so glad I did as it was to me, a mixture of two of my favourite books 'The Opportunist' by Tarryn Fisher and 'April and Oliver' by Tess Callahan.

I loved it because I always crave a bit of over the top angst and drama. There were so many unexpectedly heated passionate moments, so hot that I felt my brain boil over once or twice. And God I was so frustrated reading this over just about everything. I admire how the characters were emotionally driven and acted impulsively, which was realistic to human nature, instead of those oh so virtuous perfect human being type characters that many authors have repeatedly written in their stories. People just don't hold back like that in real life, which made the characters in this story believable and the plot more exciting. Human beings are selfish, destructive creatures. 

I usually always root for flawed characters such as Jack hoping that they are redeemable but I seriously just lost patience with him and gave up on that son of a bitch. Ughh. I liked him so much at the start and now hate him so much, which I certainly did not think would happen. I also hate Ramsey. I tried to like him and forgive him for what he'd done but even from the start he just proved to be a non-endearing nuisance. I don't like anyone really. Most of the characters were crazy shallow sex obsessed whores who lacked self respect and moral values. I did like Chyna a bit but she's a slapper and an annoying superficial socialite type but she was a good friend and stuck to her guns, which I commend her for. Don't even get me started on Beckah. I felt so bad for Lexi but I just wanted to shake her until she realized there was never love between her and Jack, only lust, obsession, longing, nostalgia, regrets and what-ifs.

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 3*

Awh man I really was stuck trying to give this book a rating. I'll tell you the good points first:

As usual, Tahereh Mafi's beautifully poetic and colourful prose astounded me. Her writing is amazing and unique. 

Secondly, the concepts are interesting. I'll say no more on that.

Thirdly, I love the dilemma Mafi has created for Juiliette which is between Warner and Adam.

Fourthly, Kenji.

I read it in a day (a day which I skipped all but one of my college lessons to read it in) and couldn't put the book down despite all rational reasons that I should have.

On the contrary, I think my expectations were a little high (as you can see in the photo above of me before reading it) for this book because unfortunately it did not meet them. I preferred the first book so much more. There was exciting tension within the drama, action and dialogue in Shatter Me, which I think Unravel Me lacked. I actually loved the first book that much that I think I read it 2 or 3 times. 

I regretfully found my self bored reading this, particularly in the first fifty percent of the book where nothing seemed to be happening and Juliette was just on a bratty self-sympathetic mind wondrous journey. Ughh. I hate when characters go on about how much they hate themselves for too long, especially when they shouldn't. 

Needless to say, I enjoyed learning a bit more about Warner and seeing how his character developed but I don't know, for some reason I found myself disliking him. I liked him more in the first book.. (don't hurt me please!)

Anyhow, if my rating was based on the the quality of Mafi's writing, it would definitely be a 5* however I had to chop the 2 stars off thanks to me being probably far too opinionated for my own good.

True Love Story by Willow Aster

I came across this story advertised in the back of Tarryn Fisher's "Dirty Red" book and I can't wait for more people to read this. 

I think this book actually made me go through the five stages of grief. Call me melodramatic but I swear I felt the denial, isolation, anger, betrayal, depression etc.. that the main character would have felt. I got so emotionally attached to Sparrow, who's POV the story is told from. I was so connected to her that I cried so much because of how angry I was made to feel and also because of the amount of sympathy and sadness I felt for Sparrow. The story was heartbreaking but touching that she could be so forgiving. The fact that her whole personality was effected by Ian's affair with Laila ( unreasonable prick!) ,as she went from a bubbly optimistic lovely young girl to broken down and depressed also broke my heart.

 I still don't understand Ian's motives for what he did and how he could do such a thing while being so enamored and in love, and so found myself unable to comprehend how Sparrow could forgive him. The point I think was for it to reflect the intensity of their love, the message being that love conquers all. I think she just gave up and was too sick of being unhappy that she decided to be with him in the end.

Overall, I will  recommend this book. It was addictive to the point where I couldn't put my kindle down. The romance was beautiful and the love was portrayed poetically. The author also managed to cover the many different types and aspects of love. The writing I think, had an exceptional quality to that of other N/A, Y/A and Chick-Lit authors. What I like most about the writing of the book was how it was structured- I think it was most effective that way because deep down we all kind of knew what was coming from the start, though I tried to brush it off, and this was vital to the built up of the betrayal.   

Read it people, if you're in need of a good o'l story 'bout love.

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Delirium is set in a post modern society where love is seen as a disease and even speaking the word is blasphemous. The only way around not contracting it is to get the cure, something which, by legal rights, every 16 year old must get. The authorities even lock away uncured people who show symptoms of the deliria, symptoms such as sweaty palms and a racing heart, wild excitement and ecstasy, intoxication or a disturbed state of mind, caused by heart break. 

1) The Concept

I tend to avoid reading Dystopias now as I can only take in so many of these genre/themed prose before they all morph together in my mind and I forget about them, simply because they have become tedious,unoriginal and therefor unmemorable. However, Delirium is completely unique to the others. It's obvious that Lauren Oliver has taken a lot of time into planning everything, as the concept is thoroughly detailed, deep and meaningful so much so that it could actually be believable. 

2) The Writing

 Lauren Oliver depicts a scene perfectly, catering to all of the senses: sight, sound and touch. Her sentences and descriptions are elegantly strung together providing us with beautifully vivid prose. Vivid in a way that I feel as though I have experienced a Portland sunset or being in the Wilds all by myself. Every aspect of the society has been covered and every bit of Oliver's writing is thorough.

The characters in the book are fully rounded, each with their individual back story to furthermore support the development of them as people, and their personality traits. Nothing is rushed, the pace is slow and deliberate and while I did find myself scanning through some of the pages hungry for a bit of action and character dialogue, I appraise Oliver for not packing in too much repetitive and typical YA character encounters. I think the pace of the book is actually part of what made it feel real to me. Nothing was rushed. 

3) The Characters and Plot.

I could connect emotionally with the characters. I identified with Lena on many levels and enjoyed reading the book from her perspective. She was definitely a reliable source of information that was vital for the readers understanding, yet she was still identifiable with her thoughts and feelings. And ALex? Well. I fell in love with Alex, just as much as Lena did. He was sweet and brave and also a believable character. I don't know what it is about Oliver's depiction of this character because despite how perfect and admirable he is, he is still to me, realistic. Other secondary characters such as Hana, Carol, Gracie and Jenny also reminded me of people I know in real life. Especially Gracie. She was so cute and completely reminds me of my cousin Megan, while Jenny resembled my neighbour's daughter in character and antics.

Conclusively, I am definitely impressed with this series. It stands out among it's kind. Oliver's writing is incredible and I was completely addicted to this book, so much so that I played up my "winter flu" to give myself a day off from college to read it. Addictive is not the word. The ending definitely leaves you craving for more. Pandemonium, the sequencing book in the series gives you that. 

Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies #2) by Tarryn Fisher

Holy Cow, I could eat this shit up! Marry me Tarryn?  With a busy college/work schedule I've allowed myself a good couple of month to mull over the occurring events in Dirty Red before giving you my take on it.

As always, I love Tarryn Fisher's writing and character portrayal and development. Seeing things from Leah's point of view and being inside her head was exactly how I imagined it and hoped for. I'm glad that Tarryn came at us full force with Leah's villainy and that we got the full extent of it. When it comes to Leah, she certainly doesn't hold back on basic human morals or lack thereof, which makes Dirty Red that more honest and believable. 

I really hated Leah in TO and prayed that the purpose of Dirty Red was not to soften us to her and make us feel at least a little empathy because i'm really a stubborn and unsympathetic bitch when I want to be. 

I'm stingy with my compassions; a person or character has to be extra deserving for me to feel any traces of sympathy for them, and I certainly didn't feel it for Leah, not once. Even when her life began to fall apart, I craved Karma, more and more, to come and slap Leah in the face with a fish before I jumped in the book and did so myself. 

Speaking of bitches however, Leah is the perfect poisonous woman. She has definitely met her match with Olivia. On the contrary to all of my hate fueled Leah rantings, I have to admit that if it wasn't for her being such a horrid and selfish evil minded woman, the only reason for my disliking of her would be because I kind of love Olivia. #TeamBrunette

Another thing I loved seeing in Dirty Red was that Caleb finally stopped pussy footing around Leah and her never ending demands for his constant attention. With Caleb, I feel like his life is a constant battle of decision making. For this guy, it's always been Rationality Vs Emotions. Or what he thought was rational. However I think he has finally found the balance between the two- especially towards the ending of Dirty Red. 

One thing I will say is that I had withdrawal symptoms for Olivia. I missed her as she was too absent from this book for me, but I suppose it's part of the build up to the conclusion of the series. It all makes for an exciting third and final book of the Love Me With Lies trilogy. 

Caleb, Caleb, CALEBBBB!!! Arhhhh I can't wait to get inside his mind. He holds all of the answers to my questions!

Click here for The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1) Review

New!: Click here for Thief (Love Me With Lies #3) Review

The Girl Of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a nice treat for me reading something outside of my usual preferred genres so when I read this historical/fantasy/dystopian based fiction, I was completely taken with the land, the characters and the culture of the time period and the people. The whole setting is described in all it's richness which makes the imagery so captivating and visually vivid.

Call me crazy but it reminds me of an exotic Arabian/middle eastern version of the third Hunger Games book, Mockingjay in the ways which we follow the protagonist develop into a leading figure of inspiration and power.

It was an adventure following Elisa grow up and mature into a young woman. We are introduced to the unconfident, naive little girl who we watch develop into a strong and independent-thinking young woman. It's a coming of age experience.

Sempre (Forever) by J.M. Darhower

This review will be brief as to not give anything away. I don't think there needs to be too many teasers in order to entice anyone to read this without hesitation as it's such a dense book with a intriguing content and story line.

Sempre gives us an insight into the cruel and shocking reality of issues that still (surprisingly) take place within our global community and modern society. Things such as secret organisations (Mafia's), slavery and human trafficking, physical and emotional abuse and crime.

There are twists, revelations and mysteries revealed throughout the unraveling of the plot as two fates: those of Carmine DeMarco and Haven Antonelli (our male and female protagonist duo) intermingle until the romance between them blossoms into an intense relationship with both heart breaking and beautiful moments. 

It truly is an astonishingly realistic portrayal of what could be; what really goes on behind closed doors. Cathartic and touching.

Personal comment: My god this book is amazing, one of my all time favorites. I love romance based mafia shit. I urge anyone who is reading this review right now, to not hesitate picking this book up. You certainly won't regret it. 

Cazzo, io amo questo libro!

The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1) by Tarryn Fisher

Wow! Where do I even begin with this book? I am obsessed with the series and the characters and the author and the plot and the whole story and everything about this! Gaaah. I need help, yes but what I really need is Thief (book 3 which is yet to be released).

The Opportunist is a book about fate, manipulation, jealousy, lies, love, luck, honesty,  betrayal and everything in between. It's so juicy like a medium-rare beef fillet steak- and we all love steak right? ;)

What I appraise the author for more than anything else is for her characters. Tarryn Fisher depicts them so that they are so phenomenally realistic that the story is believable. Half the time, when I'm discussing this in a topic with fellow Opportunist lovers on Goodreads, I find myself speaking as if they are real life and I know them personally, then forgetting that this is fiction prose. Now that's how much of an awesome writer and caricaturist Tarryn Fisher is. I imagine myself window shopping one day and spotting Leah on the other side of the pane buying the most expensive piece of jewelry or spotting Olivia sitting in Starbucks grimacing at the floor. When I read this, visually speaking, the characters and images in my mind produced by Tarryns writing are clear as day, definitive.

I read a few (a very select few) negative reviews where readers ranted and gave low ratings all based on the fact that they despised the characters. While this may be true to them, I think the characters are aboslutely perfect. Perfectly written, portrayed and summarized. It's the main thing that hooked me the most- that because the character's are so relatable and flawed, I feel like I know them and see these qualities in other people. They are individual and unique yet realistic and identifiable which is so very important to me when reading a book- especially anything that is a contemporary YA/NA novel because a lot of the character's for me all seem to morph together within the same expected personality and traits. So reading The Opportunist was so refreshing. The characters stand out and now have a lodged holding in my mind along with other incredibly developed all time memorable characters.

The next best thing about this is the lies and manipulation. There are so many mysteries and loose ends that do eventually tie up nicely throughout the plot and it's subtle revelations, if ever a revelation could be subtle. A lot of my questions remain unanswered which makes me absolutely skitzy for the conclusions and answers which I presume will be revealed in book 3.  The unsolved mysteries are revealed throughout the following book Dirty Red and also Thief, the third and last book of the series. 

A seriously addictive, emotive and effective read. If you love anything like a fiction that reflects and relates to real life situations, people and themes, then pick this up NOW. Go go go!! 5*  <3

Click here for Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies #2) Review.

New!: Caleb's book, Thief (Love Me With Lies #3) Review

March 2013: Update

It's been a while since I have posted any reviews on here solely because of my hectic schedule and a need for sharing and balancing out my time between A level coursework and reading as well as being in London so here's a brief update on all of the books I've read since the last time I posted a review. 

• Sphinx's Queen by Esther Freisner
• Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson
• Crown Of Embers by Rae Carson
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Destory Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Unravel Me by Taherer Mafi
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
• Requiem by Lauren Oliver
• Fally guy by Liz Reinhardt
• Sempre by J.M. Darhower
• The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher
• Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher
• Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
• Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
• Brenna Brixen: Double Clutch by Liz Reinhardt
• Slammed by Colleen Hoover
• Point Of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
• Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
• The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley
• Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire
• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
• It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
• We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Reviews for the above will be done within the next couple of weeks! :)