Book review: Infinity + One by Amy Harmon

Infinity + One by Amy Harmon

Infinity + One
by Amy Harmon
Book description from Goodreads:

When two unlikely allies become two unwitting outlaws, will two unforgettable lovers defy unbeatable odds?

Bonnie Rae Shelby is a superstar. She’s rich. She’s beautiful. She’s impossibly famous. And Bonnie Rae Shelby wants to die.

Finn Clyde is a nobody. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He’s impossibly cynical. And all he wants is a chance at life.

One girl. One boy. An act of compassion. A bizarre set of circumstances. And a choice – turn your head and walk away, or reach out your hand and risk it all?

With that choice, the clock starts ticking on a man with a past and a girl who can’t face the future, counting down the seconds in an adventure riddled with heartbreak and humor, misunderstanding and revelation. With the world against them, two very different people take a journey that will not only change their lives, but may cost them their lives as well.

Infinity + One is a tale of shooting stars and fame and fortune, of gilded cages and iron bars, of finding a friend behind a stranger’s face, and discovering love in the oddest of places. 

Goodreads Link

My review:

***5 STARS***

*Hums*

I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading this book. I loved Making Faces (I think that will forever be one of the sweetest thang I've ever read) but Infinity + One is also a powerful book in itself. From now on, I'm gonna read anything written by this author. She is INCREDIBLE. 

I know this is a YA blog and I don't think this book or Making Faces are YA but young adults can read this. Amy Harmon doesn't focus on Bham! Love at first sight kind of crap or 'omg, he's so hot and I'm a drooling idiot' kind of heroine. Nope. She has this talent of weaving subtle romance and write about the relationships of characters in such a beautiful way. 

If you want something heartwarming to read, then read this book. You won't regret it :3

This is a story about two broken people who came together and learn how to rely on each other. I know tons of stories are like that, but this ain't cliche or whatever crap is written out there.

Book review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
Book description from Goodreads:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Goodreads Link

My review:

***DNF***

This is quite a hard review to write, because my opinions are completely different compared to majority of the readers.

So I heard about this book. I think everybody heard about this book. My friend emailed me the other day squealing with excitement saying this book was the bomb! It had all the emotions and beautiful writing, and so trusting her words, I dived straight into the book.

It wasn't her fault. A lot of those reviews on GR were all 5 stars as well.

I guess this is a book that isn't just for me. 

I had tons of issues with this book. And I feel bad about it because I should've felt like the rest and enjoyed it. But I didn't. 

First of all, it was boring. Dear god, I tried to keep going and leafed through the pages, but I ended skimmed through most of the paragraphs. In the end, I skipped right to the ending to find out this terrible secret or whatever. 

Cady wasn't my favourite heroine. To me, she was just. . . messed up, y'know? I think the author portrayed it well, about the minds of rich kids and also illustrate dysfunctional childhood. I should've sympathized with her, but I didn't. She seemed annoying to me, petty and I just. . . couldn't care less. 

And the writing! Maybe this is just me but I couldn't stand the writing. The metaphors were driving me crazy and it wasn't like those metaphors that Tahereh Mafi used in her books. This was much worse. The sentences were very disjointed, tons of commas and odd phrases here and there and repetitions. 

The storyline was also meh. 

By all means, read this book. This is merely an opinion of mine. I didn't enjoy it, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't. Many people loved it so judge for yourselves.

Book Review: Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Crash into You
by Katie McGarry
Book description from Goodreads:

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane.

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Goodreads Link

My review:

***5 STARS***

HUNK ALERT!!

Wow, what a journey! It was a roller-coaster of emotions, from happiness, to pissed-off-ness, and I ended up bawling my eyes out at the end. 

This is the first book I've read by Katie McGarry. I haven't read her other books in this series yet, but now I'm not sure I wanted to because I feel they won't be as great as this book! The story took me by a storm. I was immediately dived into a world of drag racing, Mustangs, adrenaline rush, and at the center of it all, an angel in a devil's disguise. Yes, I'm talking about Isaiah. That guy was just. . .  incredible! He was the kind of guy that everyone would steer away from because of his shaved head, tats and piercings but it was only a way to keep the outside world from getting to him. 

How could a bad boy be so romantic? He was an angel *sigh*

God didn't send this angel to save me. He sent her as a sacrifice. 

I should be pissed. Who knows if I'll ever see the money from Eric. Who knows if Noah and I will lose the lease, sending me back into the system. Right now, I don't fucking care. I'm touching an angel. 

"You can ignore me, Rachel, and you can try to treat me as a friend, but none of that will erase the fact that I think about kissing you every second I'm awake and dream at night of my hands on your body. And it sure as hell won't erase that I'm terrified by how much I like you."

Yeah, okay. I get the picture. Will you marry me now, Isaiah? 

So their love affair began at an illegal drag race. The po-pos came and Isaiah ended up saving Rachel from the evil clutches of men in blue uniforms. As a result, Eric - the criminal douchebag lost his money and reputation because someone snitched on them and ended up shifting the blame to Rachel. Isaiah, being the almighty hero defended Rachel and took her debt instead. So now, they had 6 weeks to come up with five thousand dollars in cash before Eric came to collect his due and probably beat Isaiah into a pulp and rape Rachel. 

What I liked about this story is that it didn't give you a crash course of love. It wasn't intense 'I-love-you-at-first-sight' kind of thing, and sure, the attraction was there but it was rather sweet. I liked how this Romeo and Juliet were deeply flawed characters.  Rachel, being the rich chick but despite her family background, Rachel loved cars, getting herself covered in axle grease and she had an illness that she tried to hide from her family: her panic attacks. Rachel was a very sweet character and I'm so glad that Isaiah found his HEA through her *sobs*

This isn't me. None of it. I'm not the girl who hangs in a bar. I'm not a girl who is comfortable talking to guy. And I'm sure not the girl who leans over the table to be close to anyone. Yet I'm doing all those things and I'm loving every freaking second. 

"I like who you are, Isaiah, and I like how you look at me. But what I really like is the rush that hits me when you're in the room."

  Oh by the way, have I ever told you how much I hate Rachel's family? They were a bunch of self-centered assholes; a mom who still went boo-hoo-hoo over her dead daughter and Rachel ended up having to live up to Colleen's memory, asshole brothers who were overprotective over Rachel but allowed her to suffer to keep their momma happy, and the asshole dad who couldn't even drive a stick. Seriously, so much rage going on here when I read to those parts. I wanted to . . . tear something ugh. 

 Overall, it was a fantastic Romeo and Juliet story with loveable protagonists. Isaiah by far, is one of my best book boyfriends :3 

If he hurts her, he'll die. And then his boys will hunt me like a dog and take me down. My goal is to get us the fuck out of this situation without all that Romeo and Juliet bullshit.

I lower my head. She's going to make me put it in writing. I've never felt so much like a sideshow monkey as I do now: Yeah, I like you. A lot. 

"I can't give you the world, Rachel, but I'll give you all I got." 

Book Review: Red at Night by Katie McGarry

Red at Night by Katie McGarry

Red at Night

by Katie McGarry

Book description from Goodreads:

In Red at Night, Stella and Jonah are total opposites. She's the girl with purple hair from the wrong part of town. He's a high school senior who hangs with the cool crowd. Until a car accident leaves him haunted by guilt, and Jonah starts spending time at Stella's favorite refuge…the local cemetery.

Stella knows she should keep her distance—after all, she spent her girlhood being bullied by Jonah's friends. Once he's sorted out his tangled emotions, Jonah won't have time for her anymore. Too bad she's already fallen for him.

Goodreads Link 

p.s: This book is FREE on Kindle!! I don't know when it will change so grab a copy! 

My review:

***3 STARS***

I was quite excited to read this book because well, it was written by Katie McGarry. I haven't read her other works apart from Crash into You and my god, it was. . . breathtaking. At the end of it, my nerves were all tingly and I was breathless, as if I had just lived as someone else. And Isaiah *SWOONS* was such a great character and one of my bestest book boyfriends ever *inserts tons of hearts* 

If you haven't read any of her books, you must certainly check it out, starting with Crash into You :) 

Anyway, moving on, Red at Night is a novella written I think to show awareness of the charity Goodie Two Shoes organization and how they impact people's lives. 

I like that. A lot. I like books that can make a difference. Before, I had no idea this charity exists and now, I know and probably will look out for them. It's a brilliant idea and I hope to contribute to help the unfortunate in the future. 

Storyline aside, this novella I believe focuses on the positive messages it can bring to readers, like how a bad person can change into someone good. I had thought of this once, that maybe villains can change for the better but then there's the saying of 'leopards can't change their prints'. 

“Do you think people can change?" I ask Rick
"Yes." he answers plainly. "There are those who can."
That grabs my attention. "So you believe it's possible?"
"Miss Stella."He gives me his teacher-to-pupil stare. "Its boils down to choice.”

This novella has proven people can change, bullies can change to good guys, people can redeem themselves and repent as long as they put their minds into it.

The reason I gave this 3 stars is simply because the storyline was okay, but it didn't make me go breathless, didn't make me feel the anticipation, the tingly sensations, the need. It was just simply, a story of a bullied girl who falls for someone who changed after a traumatic incident. 

Because of the short length, there wasn't any room for character development, world building, and simply it was too short for us to know what's going on, what will happen to Joss, Cooper and Martha etc.

The story ended with a rush and I didn't like how the author only told the skeletal frame of the story without fleshing out the details.

We need Diverse Books

If you have been stalking on twitter, you'll notice that there's been a campaign to raise awareness of diversity in literature. You can stalk #WeNeedDiverseBooks to see what people has to say about it, and this tumblr blog here: We Need Diverse Books for further information about the campaign, and also a list of diverse books to read.

As an Asian chick and part of the ethnic minority, I understand that diversity is important. It brings out awareness to others. It gives readers new flavours of different cultures and experiences of a challenging environment, and struggles of multicultural characters. The media is full of stereotypes. Eg: Muslims are terrorists. They're the most violent religion, and it's a religion of rape.
It's utter bulls*** if you ask me. It's unfair how all Muslims are defined as terrorists because of extremists pricks who decided to terrorize the entire world because of anger, discrimination or whatevs (it's definitely not religion. Heck, Islam isn't even about that). You don't blame the Germans to be Nazis because Hitler was German. You can't judge the entire population due to a group's behaviour.

But that's how the world works. They see the bad things in the media and they assume everybody is like that. The world is a big fat circle of prejudice.

So it's why I feel it's very important to raise awareness of diverse books. It's important for Muslims to write about their experiences as Muslims to combat prejudice.

I also feel that there should be more books like 12 Years of Slave. Malorie Blackman and Maya Angelou did a great job at portraying the life of black people. Now we just need more Muslim authors to portray Islam. Most people are aware of black history and slavery, but knowing facts and experiencing it is a completely different thing. When you read, in that short moment, you are that character. You are the one suffering from a horrible fate. Books makes you feel. It gives you empathy. The world isn't made of white, but of various colours.

Why live with one colour when you can experience a freaking rainbow?

Angelfall World After Flash ads

*SQUEALS*

Isn't this amazing? Look at that! My name is on it :D
I submitted a fan review for World After advertising and mine got picked to feature on their online ads. They're so pretty <3

Book Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty
by Rosamund Hodge
Book description from Goodreads:

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Goodreads Link

My review:

***3 STARS***

I wanted to shout to the whole world and say yes, this book was awesome!

But that would make me a liar.

I had high hopes for this book. Have you seen the book cover? It's gorgeous!!! I wanted to devour it immediately! And I read the blurb and was instantly sold. I snapped my fingers and said yes, this is the book that I've been dreaming to read. Beauty and the Beast meets Graceling . . . heck yeah!

The storyline was okay. Well, I felt kinda meh about it. I liked Ignifex and Nyx was a badass heroine. They both earned brownie points. Other than that . . . the plot was too vague for me. Shady. I couldn't feel any excitement or attempting to lick the pages. I don't know if that's because of the writing or just the storyline.

I wanted to love it. But it's just not hitting the stars yet. So much potential...

Dang shame.