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review; cinder
Cinder by Marissa Meyer 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…
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top ten; reasons i enjoy the starbound trilogy
Each time I think ‘this is it, this is the best Top Ten Tuesday The Broke And The Bookish have come up with’, they prove me wrong. Each. Time. I can’t say I feel bad about it though. I mean, this time, the category is so broad that I thought it would take me forever to come up with an idea. Then I realised one very important thing – I love The Starbound Trilogy. So much. Ever since I picked up These Broken Stars because the cover was GORGEOUS and I fell in love, I’ve loved the series. I thought it would suffer from the sophomore slump. It did not. It…
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review; steel
Steel by Carrie Vaughn Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure. The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate’s life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything…
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review; poison
Poison by Bridget Zinn Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend. But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses. Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute…
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top ten; books i feel differently about
I am going to be very honest. This post was rushed together because I had a difficult time coming up with a list. I’ve read so many books over the years that looking back at them and wondering if I feel the same about them now as I did when I read them is just – not so simple. I’ve been second-guessing my choices, and then realising I don’t think I have ten books? So I’ve just put a quick short list of books that I feel differently about since I’ve read them. Edit: I almost forgot to link this back to The Broke And The Bookish! Whoops. The Harry…
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readings from the east
Growing up, I was definitely slightly biased AGAINST local authors. Considering the focus given to Western authors even by our teachers, this was not so much of a surprise. Even now I have a tendency to pick up novels written by Western authors, though I am a lot more critical about the representation in them. Which is why I love the fact that Roshani Chokshi’s The Star Touched Queen is doing so well with readers and bloggers, and why I love how much people recommend Jenny Han’s books. I haven’t read either author (yet!) but they are both on my TBR and as soon as I am able, I’ll be…
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review; ravishing the heiress
Ravishing The Heiress by Sherry Thomas Millicent understands the terms of her arranged marriage all too well. She gets to be a Countess by marrying an impoverished Earl. And in return, the Earl Fitzhugh receives the benefit of her vast wealth, saving his family from bankruptcy. Because of her youth, they have agreed to wait eight years before consummating the marriage–and then, only to beget an heir. After which, they will lead separate lives. It is a most sensible arrangement. Except for one little thing. Somehow Millie has fallen head over heels in love with her husband. Her husband, who has become her very best friend, but nothing more… Her…
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top ten; books i picked up on a whim
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday category was pretty interesting. I don’t usually buy books ‘on a whim’, if I’m honest. When I buy books, I have a clear idea what I’m heading out to pick up. I usually save up for books, and then buy the books I’ve been wanting to read for a while. But when it comes to the library? Erm, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve gone in for one book and come out with something else entirely. Usually because the book I wanted wasn’t in stock, but sometimes with the book I wanted, and a whole bunch of other books that just seemed interesting. It’s…
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review; a tale of time city
A Tale Of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones London, 1939. Vivian Smith thinks she is being evacuated to the countryside, because of the war. But she is being kidnapped – out of her own time. Her kidnappers are Jonathan and Sam, two boys her own age, from a place called Time City, designed especially to oversee history. But now history is going critical, and Jonathan and Sam are convinced that Time City’s impending doom can only be averted by a twentieth-century girl named Vivian Smith. Too bad they have the wrong girl… Review:
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when reading becomes a challenge
I’ve been wondering for a while why I seem to have no interest in reading my books lately. Today, I read ‘Why I Quit My Goodreads Challenge‘ and realised that I haven’t particularly been enjoying reading because of the pressure I’ve unconsciously been giving myself to hit my target. It’s not as if my target has been particularly high to begin with. I had set myself a 20 book target. I had done the same last year, and I had hit the target by the mid-year and increased it to 25. When I hit that, I increased it again to 30. I didn’t hit 30 books, but I did hit…