DANCING SILHOUETTE

my personal storage of reviews on anything at random and my petty reveries

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

SARAH J. MAAS DID IT AGAIN. Gahd, she is like the goddess of fantasy writing; I literally COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. I was already captivated within the first few pages of this book. The story flows so smoothly, and every little bit of information just connected with each other so well. This book made me appreciate faeries more, 'cause in the Heir of Fire, one thing that I didn't really like about Rowan was that he was a faerie, and I used to be really disgusted picturing their kind (esp in an intimate moment) (no offense), but the wits of the characters of this book just made me fall in love with them. Definitely a great retelling of beauty and the beast. The story starts off with this young huntress, Feyre, who is obliged to hunt for food in order for her and her family to survive. One day when she was hunting for a deer, a wolf appeared silently catching his prey, the doe, leaving Feyre no other choice but to kill the wolf, not knowing that the wolf is a faerie in disguise. The next day, this monster/faerie shows up in their doorstep, demanding the one who killed his friend, a life for a life. And so the faerie made Feyre choose between either the punishment to die or to live with him in the faerie world for the rest of her life (she chose the latter, of course). And that is where the adventure begins! Tamlin: Tamlin’s just so sweet and adorable and charming! That early morning of the Great Rite's scene was so romantically sweet and rough at the same time. The way he took care of Feyre's family situation- sweet. Whilst reading the book I kept thinking how they're going to make this human-faerie rationship work, tho. I was so thrilled with the part where Feyre was transitioned to a High Fae (oops, spoilers). Lucien: I love him. I love his wit (I literally cracked up during the end of the second round when he kissed the floor), I love his care for Feyre (times visiting Feyre at the cell reveals such a cute father-daughter kind of love), and I love love love his back story, I absolutely adored his character more because of that. Rhysand: I can't wait for the next boookkk! I'm really hoping to see more of Rhysand and his back story. He's like this sweet bad boy type whom you'd later discover has a very, very touching past and I really do have a thing for that (haha k). How he calmed Feyre down during the second round of the challenge just felt so heartwarming. I loved the way he entered the story during the Great Rite. It was completely -cantfindtheword- ...cool and badass. The part where he went to Feyre's cell to talk about how frustrated he was to be Amarantha's whore was just thoughtful and open (yupp, that's the side of Rhysand I'd really hope to see in the next book). What makes the next book more exciting is the part where Feyre has to live with him in the Night Court a week for every month FOREVAH. And I'm just dying to know WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED AT THEIR LAST ENCOUNTER?! Sarah J. Maas keeps creating all these adorable characters making it genuinely hard to choose who should end up with who. I still can’t decide which team I am on- Tamlin’s or Rhysand’s…. well, I might gradually be leaning to Rhys's now :) This book is immaculate. I'd highly recommend it to everyone, same goes to the Throne of Glass series!

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

I missed reading stories like these, so I think it's pretty good if one simply wants to do some light reading in a chick lit genre. I generally hope to read a book with the perspective of a popular girl like Gen for a change- having like a "cool-girl-slash-cheerleader-at-school perspective”.. or even a jock's like Peter’s! That would be nice. Is it weird that I’d rather want them both to end up together instead of Peter and Lara Jean? HAHA but anyway, I really hope Jenny Han will make a prequel of Peter and Gen’s story!

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

The Heir by Keira Cass

I have always been in awe of the author’s name- “Keira Cass”. It appears as if the author is of royalty herself. To be honest, I did not expect this series to have a 4th book, but I’m absolutely thrilled that there is- and now in the perspective of the selector/heir (YEEEY). Reading through the lines of the book is like seeing my thoughts put into words. I can totally relate to how Eadlyn is not as romantically inclined as others normally are- she is everything I’d hoped for in a best friend (like my identical twin who’d finally get me *insert happy dance*). Although her thing (obsession??) with tiaras is quite irritating. The ending was so frustrating because of the cliffhanger- I continued reading non-stop thinking that Cass would give a happy ending (or smth, anythiinngggg) between Eadlyn and Kile, but as expected, I’ll still have to wait for the next book next year! *sobs* They are like the perfect couple. I gave it 4/5 stars because I felt like there should’ve been more romance/encounters between Eadlyn and Kile, though I understand that Eadlyn had to give each man equal attention, it gets a bit boring because of that, and moments between Eadlyn and Kile sadly last for only a few lines/pages.  Anyhow, I can’t wait for the next book!!

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Although I absolutely loved Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door just isn’t working for me. I don’t get what all the fuss is about with this book- I think the kind of love-chasing here is very trite and overused already (I guess I didn’t like it ‘cause I think it’s getting old and I’ve read tons of books like these. It’s kind of like a simple Wattpad story to me. ). It was about how Lola had a difficult past with her used-to-be friends/neighbors, Calliope and Cricket, but then for years of the twins not living in that home, they eventually move in again, leading to Lola recovering feelings for Cricket once more. Seeing Lola’s perspective, I think that she is very childish (with her emotions) and lame (with her weird rack and her wearing different kinds of wigs EVERY SINGLE DAY). And the way she described Cricket like he is some god- as I read Perkin’s description of him, I cannot visualize him as being close to attractive- don’t even get me started with that name. The only character I liked was Max’s because he seemed more genuine and sincere. Overall, I rated it a 1/5 stars.

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

Book Review: Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

The storyline of this book was absolutely sweet, plus the dialogues and the characters (the minor characters as well!) were really funny. Each story was simple yet cute. My favorite is Green’s narrative on Tobin and Addie, next is Johnson’s, then Myracle’s. At first, I didn’t really like Lauren’s main character due to her annoying personality, but then it’s nice to view someone with a different perspective once in a while. I, however, did love how Lauren was able to make all the characters meet in the end in one small environment, I think it was all adorable! I gave it 4.5/5 stars.

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds to me is very different because of the originality of its storyline, which was about how the younger generation possess diverse abilities (they are said to be diseased with IAAN and are called PSI/Psychic) that serve as a threat to the safety of the community, hence they were all being sent to a “rehabilitation center” where the care given to these children came out to be the complete opposite of what is being broadcasted in the media. Ruby, one of the dangerous ones, was able to escape with the help of an employee of the Children’s League, which claims to “save” those with extraordinary abilities from rehab. But on their way to the latter center, she developed an instinct that those people were not who they say they were, hence running off and joining a group of friends to go on their own adventure to search for safety.

It’s nice to take a break from all the vampire and werewolf fantasy. The division of different colors symbolizes that we all have different strengths and abilities, but that’s what bind us together. I just didn’t get much of a feel of the characters because it all started from the perspective of a 12 year old, hence although it shifted to that of a 16 y/o, I still felt stuck to the former’s POV so it felt like a kiddie story to me. But still, it was a good read, I’ll give it a rate of 4.5/5 stars. The ending was definitely depressing and emotional when Ruby had to erase Liam’s memories (my heart literally dropped, even though I’m Team Clancy all the way LOL there’s just something that attracts me to badass characters). Ruby’s action simply tells us that sometimes in life, we have to make sacrifices to save the people we love.

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas are definitely a MUST-READ!! Oh, plus its novellas: The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)- getting a glimpse from Celaena’s past made me understand and adore her more. I love this book so much that it’s hard to express how I feel in words. I had a book hangover for what- like months?? I’d rate it 100/5 stars. The author is a genius! Brilliant writing, beautiful imagination. I’m in love with every line from the book! I liked that it projected different views of different characters, although I wasn’t fond of Manon's story much. I’m definitely rooting for Chaol and Celaena. Sadly, the series isn’t finished yet, 3 more agonizing years! :( This book series is one of my favorites along with Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series- it’s something I would reread again and again and fall in love with it even more. 

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Here, I can mostly relate to Alaska because I’m a reserved person as well, and her death made me realize how one should open up and let their friends see some part of them, because if not, who you truly are will slowly fade away- am I making sense here? Anywho, what felt weird to me was how Miles’ group of friends, or his fellow classmates in general, drank and smoked, but still aced their way in school. Odd world you have there!

Some of my favorite lines from the book:

“I wanted a 3.0 and the Colonel wouldn’t settle for even a 3.98” —HA! The Colonel sounds just like me LOL (weird nickname tho)

“After all this time, it still seems to me like straight and fast is the only way out—but I choose the labyrinth. The labyrinth blows, but I choose it.”

“At the end of the first quarter: 20-4.

And that's when the fun started. The Colonel led all of the cheers.

“Cornbread!” he screamed.

“CHICKEN!” the crowd responded.

“Rice!”

“PEAS!”

And then, all together: “WE GOT HIGHER SATs.”

“Hip Hip Hip Hooray!” the Colonel cried.

“YOU'LL BE WORKIN' FOR US SOMEDAY!”

The opposing team's cheerleaders tried to answer our cheers with “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! Hell is in your future if you give in to desire,” but we could always do them one better.

“Buy!”

“SELL!”

“Trade!”

“BARTER!”

“YOU'RE MUCH BIGGER, BUT WE ARE SMARTER!”— This scene certainly gave me a laugh!

[dancingsilhouette-pb]

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I’ll give it 4/5 stars. The story was a bit confusing at first, but I loved the feeling of having it all figured out in the end. The ending of the story genuinely caught me off guard. I literally cried! I liked that it’s all a mystery, although there are some scenes that still gave me the creeps.

Some of my favorite lines from the book:

“Silence is a protective coating over pain.”

“Never take a seat in the back of the room. Winners sit up front.”

“Always do what you are afraid to do.”