#proudtobebookishreview

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Goodreads Summary:

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

 My Review:

5 / 5 Stars for Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Have you read Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout??

If your answer is yes, then you must know our legendary Alien book boyfriend, Daemon Black!!  

When I heard Jennifer came back with her new book, oblivion, which is told from Daemon's point of view. For the most part, I am not a fan of rereading the book because more often than not they're just a way for the author to resell their books without adding anything of consequence within the story. It is usually the same story told from a different perspective in a watered down verisimilitude. I didn't jump on this book when it came out because I knew the story. I knew how it started, how it ended, I knew the character, so yeah, what could be different right? Wrong. There was so much more to this book. Despite my reservations, I ended up reading this book. Because the truth of the matter was I missed the characters tremendously. That's the main reason why I decided to go ahead and read this book and I was blessed with obsidian, onyx and opal in the ebook version of oblivion.  

Reading from Daemon Black's pov was beyond and above incredible. It felt as though I was reading the books for the very first time. Oblivion was comical. I don’t know how to put it in words, but Daemon has very comical personality. His personality and his actions was hilarious and yet amazing. He made me laugh out loud throughout the entirety of oblivion. He was amusing and oh so swoon worthy. He is famously known for his sarcastic comments from the original series, but this book just doubled that. This book felt fresh and Daemon's thought process and his sarcasm was glorious and it made this book that much better. He made you smirk and giggle and laugh while keeping you interested to finish the book that much quicker. 

“Just thinking about that made me want to punch a hole through the ozone” – Daemon

“I didn’t respond because I was busy mentally punching myself in the face.” –Daemon

“He didn’t get a chance to blink before I introduced his face to the shiny surface of the table. The thump was nice and fleshy and wholly satisfying.” Daemon

“I was so going to duct tape her mouth”- Daemon

Daemon's protective side which I always adored won out in the end. Reading from his pov gave me so many feels. I got high because of him! We need baby Daemon in our lives xD Please Jennifer L. Armentrout give us books with alien babies. 

“I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, what a year from now is going to be like. Hell, we may end up killing each other over something stupid next week. It’s a possibility. But all I do know is what I feel for you isn’t going anywhere.”

Boring? Never.  You can read this book for hours on end without getting bored. I just wish the author had rewritten the last two books in Daemon's pov as well. So, definitely go check this book out, the ebook, because the physical book only has obsidian in it whereas the ebooks has obsidian, onyx, and opal in it. 

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Goodreads Summary:

Jaden and Kayla’s lives couldn’t be more different. It’s 2073 and the two strangers are living worlds apart. Then something strange and terrifying brings them together. No one can see the hideous, malevolent creature but them. As if that wasn’t enough, the two discover that the beast stalking them isn’t the only thing they have in common. Venturing further down the path they have been forced onto, they join forces with strange and unusual comrades, suffer attacks from enemies beyond their imagination and begin unraveling the complex mystery of their mission. 

But discovering the answers to their questions comes with a price. Their lives will be forever changed. In a world on the verge of destruction, can this unlikely couple find a way to save it, all while trying to make sense of this inexplicable connection they feel for each other?

 My Review:

4 / 5 Stars for Dawn of Dreams by Bronwyn Leroux  

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was convinced by the author who described this book as YA science fiction romance genre. I will never refuse romance. 

In my opinion Dawn of Dreams is not purely science fiction; it’s a mix between science fiction and fantasy. This book has an eccentric beast-like character which you will not find in any other book. Each animal was unique and seemed so glorious and so majestic that you could almost picture them as living, breathing, real things you’d find in reality. I loved the beast. Here let me quote you one of the beasts from the books. 

“Huge and like nothing he had ever seen before, its neck was disproportionately long for something that should be a bird. Not only was the neck too long, but it also appeared to have some sort of scaly armor sticking out at odd angles along its length. And the tail was not the tail of a bird, but what appeared to be the hard-shelled stinger of a scorpion” – Jaden

Isn't it so peculiar?  But to the contrary these beasts don’t leave in remote areas rather they lived in the world which was so advanced in technology. The book is set in the year 2073 and there were many dissimilar things from reality, but they were all written in a very believable manner. This was a plus for the author who could create this kind of ambiance in a book.  Both of them together affected the plot line of the story very much. I flew through this book because I was not only intrigued by the premise of it but also because my curiosity level was peaked with every twist and turn the book took. The whole story is built like a puzzle which sort of drowns you the more you plunge forward deeper into the depths of the story. I loved it! The other thing I loved was the science fiction part of it. I’m not a huge sci-fi reader so this book really enthralled me.

The world the author created was so beautiful. She set everything from school systems to the urban layout, and the city layout in such a way that it all seemed real. A scene that comes to mind is how Jaden and his mom cleaned out the house regularly every year in order either to “return to the closet” or “donated” their things Jaden and his mother organized everything in a very particular way. They had the box with pre-coded color

 “Orange for the clothes, blues for sport gear and green for miscellaneous, “ – Jaden

 For someone who loves romance within novels, that was the only part I didn’t like. The romance was lacking in many ways.  I couldn’t understand the attraction between Jaden and Kayla not was I excited to see them form a relationship. I just couldn’t connect with them as their relationship progressed through the book. Even though the author tried to show their attraction to each other I just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t felt natural for me. It felt almost like it was too forced. Aside from the romance though I enjoyed this book wait for the second book to be release!

Because I know their adventure has just began..

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Goodreads Summary:

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

My Review:

5 / 5 Stars for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Part One and Two by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

I genuinely enjoyed reading this book.  To be honest, I started reading this book without any expectations.  It was just pure excitement because I was finally able to meet them again, the coolest and the most infamous gang ever, the Harry Potter Team.

I got to see the beloved characters in a slightly different lens. The main cast of characters, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco, were older and I absolutely loved them all very much. Hermione’s and Draco’s relationship was extremely entertaining to read about. Their relationship was ranked second for me personally as a favorite. It was both fun and cute to say the least. Without a doubt, their scene always made me grin from ear to ear. The interactions between the two were pure joy to read about.

“Hermione Granger, I’m being bossed around by Hermione Granger. And I’m Mildly enjoying it”. – Draco

Now that I’ve mentioned my second favorite relationship within the book, you guys must be curious as to which relationship was my favorite. Well,of course it has to be Albus Severus Potter’s and Scorpius Malfoy’s friendship! They were like yin and yang. Their personalities were dissimilar and yet they had this synergy between them. It was quite stupendous to see the interact. Highly fascinating! Albus is a hot tempered, complicated, and reckless kind of boy meanwhile surprisingly a Malfoy, Scorpius is book smart, innocent, and kind hearted.

“You know what annoys me most id all? Dad will think we did it deliberately” – Albus

“Albus. Really? I mean, really really? We’re – trapped – lost – in time – probably permanently – and you’re worrying what your dad might think about it ? I will never understand the two of you.” – Scorpius

The plotline is well built. I enjoyed every second and minutes of their adventure. The only issue I had when I initially jumped into the book was the way it was written. The script format was somewhat hard and slightly strange for me to read in the beginning. Script format has this very significant flaw which is its lack of details. As we already know The amount of details and description afforded to the original series was off the charts. Those books dripped with excruciating details hence my disappointment with this somewhat for it not being the same.  Okay, it is safe to say that is my only complaint for this book. Other than that, I adored everything about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 330 pages are not enough, particularly when it was in script format!! I want more!

Until next time - IS

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Goodreads Summary:

When Olivia Villalobos finds a bloodstained love letter she endeavors to deliver it before Chief Inspector Sedeño finds it in her possession. A city along the southern coast of Puerto Rico emerges in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Olivia, daughter of a drunkard police investigator who never knew the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, finds a bloodstained love letter in the hidden compartment of her father’s coat. Convinced it belonged to the man recently found dead she sets out to deliver it to the Labyrinth of Love Letters. A mysterious place believed to be an urban legend where the transients of forbidden love leave missives for one another. She enlists the help of Isaac Quintero to find the Labyrinth and they soon realize their quest has opened the door into Old Sienna’s darkest secrets—the perils, madness and depth of tragic love

My Review :

First of all , I want to tell you that this review was wrote by me who use English as my second language

3 / 5 Stars of The Last Valentine by Felix Alexander

I scrolled through my twitter timeline for my next reading books recommendation a few weeks ago. And I stumbled upon this intriguing mystery novel by an indie author, Felix Alexander. If you follow me, you must know that I am a hopeless romance reader to the core. But for the past 8 months I extended my area of reading including nonfiction, classic, memoir, mystery and other genres (you can look at my other reviews to get a better idea). That’s why when I read The Last Valentine’s synopsis, I got the vibe this novel would help me make my scope of reading all more richer.

The story is set in Old Sienna, Puerto Rico in 1935. I knew next to nothing about Old Sienna and thus the premise became all the more intriguing. I ended up googling and gathering all sorts of pictures and information on Old Sienna, Puerto Rico, 1935 just to help myself get immerged within the story.

The story started off with a murder case and the chief police inspector found love letters as the only leading evidence. Unfortunately, he lost that piece of evidence and this is where the story grows more intense and more puzzles to introduced which are later solved. Truthfully, I was so mesmerized by the story during 26% progress of my reading because I desired to know what happened and how this case was linked to every character.

This book brought up very fascinating topics about love and marriage up and how things were in 1935. The purpose of marriage was to form alliances and secure family’s future, not the notion of love. This situation made unequal social layer where love even if it was true love was categorized as forbidden love.

The author’s writing style is almost lyrical, melodic and rich in vocabulary. The writing enhanced the beauty of these stories including the vivid sceneries that the author managed to paint within this novel with words alone. I cannot seem to make up my mind with the conclusion if The Last Valentine is a mystery novel with romance as an adding ingredient or vice versa even after I finished the book.  

“The day waits for the sunrise and the night waits for sunset. This is how I wait for you, without regard for time, because I know you will return to me when you are ready”

“The longing in a stolen glance, the confession lingering on his lips, and the agony of unfulfilled desire swirling in his heart, like a breeze on a deserted mountainside. At that moment, he realized another shared his pain.”

“Love is the only memory one never loses, because even if one loses his mind the memory always remains in the heart”

Other facts that I love from this book are every characters who stand out in their own beautiful uniqueness. Each of them has their own insight about love based on their own history. They all oblivious to the fact that all those loves eventually link them together. There was one mythical character that I was oh so fond of.  Every time he showed up even for only a couple of scene, it got me in creepy but curios mode. I won’t give you any spoilers or hints, but this character somehow managed to not only develop the story’s mystery and romance side of things but another genre hmmm… fantasy maybe? Hehehe

Now the big question, why did I gave 3 stars?

First, I did praise the author in his rich vocabulary but English is my second language, it impacted enjoyment of the overall story and at times pulled me out of the story completely. There times where I literally had to stop myself from reaching for a dictionary in order to get better understanding. Every time I stumbled upon words which I hadn’t heard before, I had to open the dictionary only to resume reading a couple of line back to understand the whole thing.  Furthermore, this book has less conversation, and most of the story is written in wordy paragraphs. Some of the paragraphs have grammatical error and missing punctuations. So yeah, I hope you can imagine why this problem definitely slowed me down and annoyed me a lot because I could not fully take pleasure in reading The Last Valentine. Second, the slow pace of the story kind of interfered with my reading. I told in the first paragraph above that I enjoyed The Last Valentine during 26% progress (I realized that the beginning had been far more fast paced) and after that the story slowed considerably though the ending really got me in the feels. I had thought I knew the direction the novel was heading managed at 78% of reading though I never expected the coming ending we got.

Overall, my instinct was right.  This book made from reading richer not only in scope of genre matters but also in vocabulary. Thanks to Mr. Felix Alexander. I found poem on a whole new level.  I still recommend this book to you guys who are not having any difficulty in English though.  I do believe you will enjoy it even read it in just one sitting :)

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Short books review

hello bookish fellas, it has been a while since i posted any book review..

cause here I am again stuck.. in a reading slump !

I only managed to read two books and one novella this past 4 months and this post is my short book review for them

1. 1/5 Stars from One with You by Sylvia Day

I am so sorry Ms Sylvia Day, in my opinion  this book even has slower pace than the previous installment. No offense, I did like the first three books of crossfire series but in “one with you”  I found the line between Eva and Gideon was just too cheesy for my taste. There was couple of  times  i contemplated between continue or stop read this book.  This story is the reason I felt into a very huge reading slump.

“she does love me the best way she knows how. Just because it’s not always the way I want her to doesn’t mean it’s not precious for what it is” - Eva

2. 4/5 Stars for Arrive by Nina Lane 

Even tough its only has 93 pages , i was very satisfied. Spiral of bliss series is one of my favorite adult romance. I LOVE IT TO MY BONES.

The plot built smoothly and i never thought pregnancy sex would be so smexy before. ops!

Surprisingly, my favorite scene was the process of childbirth. The pain, the contractions, the delivery were got under my nerves. it was like I felt the exact anxiety and pain like the one liv had to endure. Lucky Liv, she has VERY heartwarming PROFESSORS as husband who is not only HOT but also VERY HUSBAND MATERIAL! #heartcannottakeit #bestfictionhusbandever

Thank you Nina for gifted us with this beautiful short stories!

”You’re sugary and sweet like a doughnut. Not to mention you have a delicious hole.” - Dean (LOL)

3. 3/5 Stars for Iniquity by Amy A Bartol

slow pace plot.

i'm just really sick of Evie having like more than one love interests.. even after the long 5 books...

But gladly we have the truth revealed in this last installment. it was the only thing that got my attention and give three solid stars for this final from premonition series.Bye bye , My Guardian Angel Reed ..

P.s: why I always think Reed deserves more than just someone like evie.. sorry 

“we’ll heal our scars one day and be who we are” - Brennus

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Summary:

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything. (Source: AniDB)

My Review:

5 / 5 Stars for Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

Hello reader, been a long time Fyuuh… finally I have the time to make this manga review. The reason for the delay of this review was because I am slightly fearful this review will not adequately express how freaking good this manga is! ! FYI this is my first time reading a mecha and post-apocalyptic manga genre. My friend who is a diehard fan of Eva successfully convinced me there romance within this manga and thus I reluctantly agreed to read it. Oh lord! The truth is, no romance detected, however amazingly enough I was drawn into the characters and it didn’t matter whether there was or there wasn’t romance in it.

The main-series Neon Genesis Evangelion manga started running in Japan in 1995, towards the end of the anime production. English translations started being released in 2004, and both languages completed their fourteen volumes run between late 2014 and early 2015.

At first, I was a bit under pressure when I read this manga because I am a novella reader, not a graphic book reader. I am not a multitasked person therefore I can’t focus on the graphics and on the dialogue at the same time. It was without a doubt slowed me down whilst consuming this manga.  However, by the time I reached volume three I had gotten fairly used to the concept of reading and taking in the images at the same time. This manga clearly illustrated the fight scenes depicted in it. The heroic acts and the robotic fight to save the world were done incredibly well.  But for me though, I felt what it really portrayed was about a boy’s struggles to learn how to deal with other people—a character’s observation and study of the double-edged sword of loneliness and companionship. The author did an amazing job illustrating how complex each and every character truly is within the manga and due to that unconsciously made me gloomy and depressed on bright days when I had no reason to be depressed. This goes to show how wonderful the author was at drawing up those emotions within the reader.

The characters of Evangelion struggle with their interpersonal relationships, their personal problems, and traumatic events in their past. These are brief explanation some of the main character :

Shinji Ikari is the series protagonist and the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. After witnessing his mother Yui Ikari's death as a child, Shinji was abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. He is emotionally hyper-sensitive and sometimes does as expected out of fear of rejection, but he has often rebelled and refused to pilot the Eva because of the extremely excruciating harm that has been done to him, or done to his friends (source:Wikipedia) Asuka Langley Soryu is a child prodigy who pilots Evangelion Unit-02 and possesses a fiery temper and an overabundance of pride and self-confidence, which often gets her in trouble and difficulty, especially during battles. As a little girl, Asuka discovered the body of her mother shortly after she committed suicide, leading the child to repress her emotions and vow never to cry. (Source:Wikipedia) Misato Katsuragi is the caretaker and commanding officer for Shinji and Asuka. Her professional demeanor at NERV contrasts dramatically with her carefree and irresponsible behavior at home. Misato has an Electra complex and is consumed with conflicting love and hate for her father. (Souce:Wikipedia) The withdrawn and mysterious pilot of Evangelion Unit-00, Rei Ayanami (Source:Wikipedia)

The plot itself was so amazingly built up. It built little by little until you were so absorbed emotionally in the story that it keeps turning page after page. I have to say it was amazeball! and I cried a lot T__T

My final thought is this manga is worth a read! It looks like they show you nothing explicitly, but believe me they show you everything implicitly!  You may not understand what I mean reading my review but once you have read this manga, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND !

Stay safe and Happy reading, fellas! Until next time :)

"even on a black empty street , if we go together, we might one day find something like the moon that floats in the darkness" - shinji

[proud-to-be-bookish]

Amazon Summary:

This book is the result of seventeen years research in analyses of the human brain as a computer. The book is written by a computer technician and is illustrated with graphs tables and charts, (sounds complicated?). The book is written in an easy to understand format particularly for the young reader to understand. The book has a foreword written by Gemma Hughes Bsc Hons psychology. This book has an extensive coverage on what causes mental illness and how to avoid it, also, there is extensive coverage and an answer to the age old problem of what is love?

My Review:        

5/ 5 The Brain Natures Own Computer

“if you can read this books then you are very lucky to be alive in such a time period to be able to read such book” – Anthony Johns

In the beginning of The Brain Natures Own Computer the author explains this book is primarily for children, and people that do not read science or know very little about science in general. In my opinion, the author did deliver this book in a decent manner.  Whilst reading this book it did not feel like any other science book I’ve read, but rather this book in particular somehow managed to peak my interest effortlessly. It felt as thought I read a science research journal or an except, which is easier to digest. Due to the writing style and how the book is structured it was easier to understand, and was enticing, but also less stressful than a normal science related book would be.

This book starts with a strong point which in a way prods the reader to think behind what they would normally. This book is thought provoking and makes people question things.

“What is the point of life if we are just machine? The point of life is to enjoy life to the full, enjoy every minute of it, and live it to the full: to give and receive love”

I always have soft spot for topics such as, “what makes us human” or “mental illness” but every book or journal that I’ve ever read is nothing compared to this book. The author explains “feelings” and “love” in a scientific manner which will make you nod your head if you agree with some of the statements or wrinkle your forehead with some statements that you may or may not agree with. We are introduced to a simple system process in our brain which is called positive future drives and negative future drives. They are the significant parts which influence our mental stability.

Alas, every theory and research is mind boggling. I’ve highlighted more than half of the book because each and every line in there was stupendously written. And of course that’s one of my many reasons for loving this book, I love quoting books! HAHAHA *believe me this is by far the most highlighted book on my kindle.

This book is divided into religious parts and evolutionary parts. I believe not all of you will agree 100% with the author’s explanation in each aspect. As for myself, I did not see anything atrociously negative about this book, or something that I disagreed with wholeheartedly. But that being said, everyone has different beliefs and opinions thus you may not agree with what the author has written within this book. Life is all about doing good things, happiness and acceptance. One must not feel obligated to change because of the pressure put on them or because a book points out something. We are creatures of habit thus cannot and should not change ourselves in accordance what some say.

My only critic is there are some typos here and there which need further editing. I want to review more about this book, but it may spoil the book for you guys. I don’t want to ruin your experience or your enthusiasm whilst reading this book.  After I read this book, I feel I am more aware of what mental illness is; what causes it and how to prevent more serious nervous breakdown. You will get knowledge about love, why do you get attracted to someone in a scientific approach (This was also my fave).  This book seriously blew my mind in terms of mental illness, as far as I can bring to a close conclusion is I am one of them.

“This life us a one shot deal, the only chance you get, don’t give up, fight to survive, you must take steps to enjoy your life!” – Anthony Johns