#ohgodilaughedsohard

[waitingonthesidelines]

Unspoken- Sarah Rees Brennan

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars.  You don't know how disappointed I was for not getting approved for an ARC of this book earlier but I kept a look-out and more or less counted the days till I could get my hands on this and even though I slacked a little before starting it, I could not stop once I started if you ignore the necessary beauty sleep involved.  Unspoken is a novel set in the mysterious town of Sorry-in-the-Vale with dark hidden secrets that everyone is unwilling to share. The town has a history revolving around the Lynburns who are mostly feared or revered by the town folk. Kami, an aspiring nosy reporter wants to get all the dirt on their arrival back in town. However, her mad skills and penchant for truth and justice get her involved into something she could not have been prepared for. The story stared with a fantastic pacing. The readers were given a tantalizing taste of the lurking mysteries in the first few pages. It all started with Kami hearing strange voices outside in the woods where one night she found a fox butchered to death in a hut. As a good citizen, she called the cops and as a promising reporter, she decided to find out who was behind that sick act. Her world tipped with the entry of Jared Lynburn, her imaginary friend who she wished but at the same time dreaded to be real. It didn't help matters with him being the delinquent, rugged cousin of Ash Lynburn who on the contrary was all charming angles with fairy-tale prince good-looks. After his entry, the pacing of the book slowed a little. It wasn't that Kami gave up on trying to find clues as to who was responsible, but the book then focused more on Kami and Jared's complicated relationship.  Kami was that strange girl getting weird looks from people for spacing out in the middle of a conversation, getting lost inside her own head. It wasn't a secret that she had an imaginary friend but it stopped being cute in her childhood and made her look crazy as a 17-year old. She was a very cheerful, bubbly person with a quirky personality who took control and wasn't one of those helpless damsel in distress falling for the first hot guy who caught her eye, like ahemm.. a lot of YA heroines these days. Her best friend Angela was quite a character on her own. Her dislike for people and laziness made me instantly like her. The other characters weren't mere conveniences for the plot either. Rusty, Angela's older brother, made a lasting impression. He switched from being lazy to sharp in the blink of an eye and was responsible for Angela and Kami's confidence in self-defense. I really liked him and wish he had more of a role in the book. Kami's dad was by far my favorite character. His parenting skills were alluring and hilarious at the same time.  Kami and Jared's connection was an entirely different matter. Brennan did a great job in depicting the complexities of their relationship. The struggle and confusion they felt with each other's existence wasn't exaggerated or made out to be filled with useless angst. Kami was the sensible voice among the two. Even though I felt pity for Jared, I really wanted to kick him at times. Before you go ballistic on me, let me explain. I know he had been through a crappy childhood but blaming his parents' blood for his violent streak shouldn't have been his excuse. His jealousy and hatred for Ash made sense, but other times he came out as an unreasonable prick. I really don't understand why none of the Lynburns found it important to explain to him about their family's legacy. What I really enjoyed was the conversations between the characters. I had a silly grin on my face for almost the entirety of the book, but the same factor also bothered me to a certain extent. The situation mostly didn't feel serious enough because of the way everyone took things lightly. Even when Nicole was found murdered in the school grounds the whole scene was downplayed. I didn't feel any real emotions towards the whole supposed to be dangerous end scene. However, the writing style made up for it.. in a way. It was gothic, vivid with a haunting beauty to it. Brennan has made me want to pick up the Lexicon series now after I left the first one mid-way for reasons I can't remember. Another detail that bothered me was that it took about two-thirds of the book for the truth to come out. I was expecting paranormal magic but not exactly that so it was surprising. Also, the identity of the killer didn't come out as a shock and there wasn't that oomph factor I was looking for. With that out of the way, I won't say that I'm disappointed. I enjoyed the book and the story throughout and this book felt like a setting for the next book. The cliffhanger has left me mulling over the last words said by that one character. I'm wondering if that was said in anger or actual relief. I'm guessing it was the former and I don't blame the other person for the decisions they made but WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! This is going to be an antagonizing long wait and it makes me angry/sad.  Don't worry. I won't leave the review with a sad or hostile note, so here's some awesome quotes from the book: One of the lambs fixed its attention on Jared. “Baa,” it flirted.  “Boo,” said Jared. “Oh my God, Jared. Don’t tough-talk the lambs.” “Whoever he is, I agree with your mother,” said Dad as he entered the kitchen. “Stay away from him. Stay away from them all until you’re of marrying age. Once you reach a nice, mature fifty-four, gentlemen callers will be welcomed here.” “So he’s not crazy?” “I didn’t say that,” Holly said. “My current verdict would be: Crazy eyes. Nice ass.” “I think I want that on my tombstone,” Kami said. “Remember my last wishes, if I get involved in a tragic accident with a fruit cart before I can put it in writing."

[waitingonthesidelines]

Endlessly- Kiersten White

Before I start my review may I just say that the title of the book has now fixed the “Endlessly” song in my head by Green River Ordinance for maybe forever? Do you realize how annoying that is Kiersten White? Do you? I bet you don’t but be glad that your fantastic end to the trilogy has convinced me to forgive you..somewhat. Well, this series has always been fun and perky with adventure times and mythical creatures and a sassy heroine. This story starts with Evie being contacted with a new supervisor of IPCA, Anne whatever-whatever who wants Evie back in job. Evie is otherwise having a great time with Lend who is being a perfect boyfriend. Anyways, the pacing is fabulous. I am hardly ever bored reading these books and I found myself instantly sucked into the action. Almost all the characters are brought back into the story again and the plot is interesting.  Okay, I’m really not good writing spoiler free reviews so there are going to be some minor ones ahead. Evie as we know doesn’t want anything to do with IPCA anymore but Anne whatever-whatever doesn’t give her much choice and bags and tags her as any other criminal paranormal while Lend has been taken away by the Dark Queen of the Unseelie court trying to save her. Evie struggles to get out of the Institute so that she can save Lend. Jack comes back into picture and although there is no tasing of Jack which would have been fun to read, he isn’t forgiven instantly or easily. Reth is involved as always and there is more to the picture this time. [ All the paranormal belong to a different dimension/world and were literally sucked into the human realm because of more fae mojo so they want to go back before they degrade into nothingness and are banking on Evie to open up a gate. ]  So a hell lot more expectations from Evie this time.  The trip to the fae land is vividly described and what I really like about the plot is that it isn’t predictable. White has done a good job wrapping up everything. I enjoyed the constant joking around and the light mood that Evie, Jack and Lend always manage to pull off even is serious situations. There is another side of Jack and even a different side to Reth’s story which I enjoyed. Evie’s character grows and I felt really proud of her. She is one of my favorite protagonist fer real. Duuuude, for seriously! *nudge nudge wink wink* I really liked Evie constantly standing up for her beliefs even after she was manipulated by almost everyone and forced to do things she never wanted to do. One of the best things about the series is that there is no love triangle! Thank the heavens for that! Lend and Evie are just so right for each other. They are a really cute couple and the kind of cute that doesn’t border on the too-cute-make-it-stop-or-I’ll-gag sort of way. Even though their relationship has the factor of one of them being immortal; things work out for them in the end. Whoops! Spoiler but you would already have a feeling about it. The things that I didn't like:  - A whole lot of drama about [opening the gate] and when it happened, it seemed so easy and the whole deal felt about pretty much nothing. -Lend was like an extra in this book. He was so bland that Reth or Jack could have been the hero..or not. But there was so less of him and all his personality seemed to be defined around Evie's which wasn't impressive. -The concept of developing a soul cause of love. lolwhut? Was it supposed to be funny or cute? What exactly was it supposed to be? I admit that there was a lot of goody-good in the end but everyone deserved it so I don’t really mind everything wrapping up in rainbows and sunshine. And man, am I glad that the unicorns get their happy ending in the end! Who would've guessed, right?  4 sparkling, dazzling rhinestones for Endlessly.  Favorite quotes? “I am not going to frolic in an eternal meadow of sunshine and moonlight with you, you rotten little fink. But thanks.” That did it. If I didn’t already want to destroy the Dark Queen, the fact that she had ruined my ability to wear high heels put her at the very top of my hit list. She was so going down. I looked up to see them locked in a gaze I’d previously only observed between actors on Easton Heights—one filled with all the things unspoken over the years, all the betrayals and fears and pain left behind in favor of overwhelming love. It was beautiful.  Oh, who am I kidding, it was awkward as all heck and I didn’t have time for it. “That’s me! Mister Helpful. Captain Dependable.”  “That sounds like a brand of adult diapers.”

[waitingonthesidelines]

Don't Ever Get Old- Daniel Friedman

There is always a first time for everything they say and this was my first time reading a book from the perspective of an 88 year old man. I sure as hell never saw that one coming but fellas I have to tell you, this is one helluva story to read.  I thought it would be about an old man making peace with his life with some inspirational bullshit about finding your niche and coming to terms with your loss by being grateful to what you had achieved in your sorry-ass old life. Personally, I never wanna grow old. It’s not that I don’t like old people. A lot of old people are cute and adorable and mostly I sympathize with their old age, although some old men are creeps. But I don’t ever want to reach an age where I have to depend on someone taking care of me. I know I might be coming out as a hypocrite cause who am I kidding? I’ve been living off of my parent’s money till now. And they’ve taken care of me and I’m more dependent on them than they are on me as of now and I want them to reach a very old age so that I can take care of them but I don’t want to be a burden like that. Maybe my opinions change later in life and I become less of a jerk but for now it’s as it is. Besides, I’ve digressed from the point. My point being, that I hardly had any high hopes with this book and as a result I was putting it off. But dude! I’m so glad to be wrong.  Our protagonist is Buck Schatz, a cranky ol’man, an ex-soldier of the World War II and a retired homicide detective with a great sense of humor. Honestly? I love this man in a grand-fatherly way, of course. The story starts with him having to haul his ass to a hospital to meet the last wishes of a dying man who he happens to know from the war. Jim Wallace lets Buck know that his archenemy, Ziegler [a Nazi who had put Buck in a coma for weeks] might still be alive and that he had let him go away for a gold brick, hoping that he might get the old man’s forgiveness after confessing as redemption. He asks him to look for the treasure that Ziegler had acquired after the WWII and Buck simply ignores the man who dies with a death grip on Buck’s hand. Buck wants to ignore the gold and doesn’t want to pursue any trip to chase down his past but Wallace’s son-in-law along with a preacher, make it hard for him. So the old man with his grandson’s help [whose named Tequila btw, and Buck always makes his life hard by calling him any brand of liquor other than Tequila] gets down to business.  The pacing is amazing and the writing style humorous. Daniel Friedman knows how to portray an old man with all his issues. There are many scenes that cover Buck’s history in a subtle way giving us lots of information to chew on while the treasure hunt is simultaneously progressed. Buck is a man of steel who definitely knows his work and doesn’t fail to give a hard time to anyone. He has sharp instincts, a foul mouth, and a lot of pride with a pig-headed stubbornness. This book isn’t predictable and has its moments of sharing the wisdom of a long life with alacrity and rash truthfulness. The murder scenes and investigations keep up the suspense element in the book. This book covers contempt, death, loss, sacrifices along with acceptance, forgiveness and survival. It’s a full package in terms of what a good read entails.  The plot line is strong and the characters are real. I had no clue about who the killer was till it came to the end. I really have no complaints after finishing this book and I’m going to go ahead and give it 5 stars dazzled with awesome.  Just some quotes from the cranky ol'man: His eyes were narrowed to slits, and he was baring his teeth like an angry Chihuahua. I supposed he was trying to be menacing, but since he was basically just a marshmallow covered in hair, he only managed to look a little constipated. --> About Wallace's son-in-law “She liked you, right away. That doesn’t make you suspicious? You’re not very likable. I’ve known you since you were born, and I don’t like you.” --> To his own grandson. *snorts*

[waitingonthesidelines]

Shadow Bound- Rachel Vincent

Ah! I’m over-joyed. I loved it! The last chapters were little hastily put but what’s the fun if the final action isn’t breath-taking and wrapped up so well in the end? This book had me since the very beginning. There wasn’t a moment when I was bored and anything that I could’ve predicted, which I didn’t, would’ve been wrong. Vincent knows how to build the suspense and knows how to keep the audience enthralled.  I did not particularly like Kori in the first book but this book really made me respect her. She is strong, kick-ass like any action figurine and has a potty-mouth. She is loyal to her sister and is very smart; maybe not the brightest but smart enough to not trust anyone.  Ian was a likable character. I mean, he was too chivalrous for my taste and well the whole love story kinda took place in a matter of two days but then they didn’t get married or were like “I-can’t-breathe-without-you” crazy in love. It didn’t feel like insta-love and it definitely was better than most romances I’ve read. There was a lot of bickering, a lot of dark alleys, guns, knives, lies they had to go through but in the end they came out unscathed. Literally and figuratively speaking. I enjoyed reading from both their perspectives. I liked how at least Liv and Cam were involved in this book. There was hardly any involvement of Cavazos and I’m guessing there will be another book to set the downfall of his empire. Jake and Jonah died too quickly. I would have wanted a slower more painful death for them. But you don’t get everything you wish for, right? Also, the whole deal with Kenley breaking the seals seemed too easy. At least it wasn’t as absurd as Liv leaving Cam after hearing Noelle’s prophecy. I mean, it was somewhat understandable that Jake wouldn’t let Kenley know that she could break a binding only by willing for it to break. But like Ian did his homework couldn’t Kori find out how to break a binding using some resources if she was so hell bent on saving her sister and herself from the syndicate? Maybe I’m overthinking it but it seemed like such a trivial easy thing to do. But maybe that was the point, right? That it was so easy that everyone missed it out. Ugh. I’m answering my own questions.  Oh and remember the bet that Kori and Ian had? We never got to see who won. I’m pretty sure that Kori lost cause she said “asshole” and then again started toning down her words. I’m not sure if Vincent paid attention to that or maybe the 24 hour duration was over and then she was still acting civil? Not likely and I’m doing it again: explaining things to my own self. *mutters unintelligible gibberish* All in all it wasn’t a cliffhanger like Blood Bound. Although on second thought, I think I always knew that Liv would share her term with Cam if she could. She loved him too much to be selfish. I liked the relative happy ending in this book and even if the whole Kenley’s room-mate Nadia using her blood to bind Steven in college years seemed too far-fetched just like Noelle seeing everyone’s future and then pushing her friend’s into the lion’s den; it wasn’t that bad. It was more like a very bad coincidence but then it led to Kori, Van, Kenley being free from Jake Tower so who would complain? 3.5 stars. Big and bright.  Favorite quotes: “Second of all, I am offended on behalf of pretty people everywhere. I’m not just a chiseled jaw and eyes you could get lost in. I am worth more than the sum of my defined biceps, sculpted pecs and a six-pack you could scrub laundry on.”- Ian “Son of a motherfucking, ass-reaming, shit-eating, hell-dodging soulless bitch!” I stood too fast and my head swam, and the water poured down my pants to form freezing puddles in my boots. Ian burst into laughter, the waitress burst into tears, and more profanity exploded from my mouth so fast I couldn’t even tell what I was saying. But the whole damn bar heard it.- Kori “It’s fucking Niagara Falls in my pants. With ice.”  “There is a backlog of crude jokes in here just begging to be cracked,” he said, tapping his own temple for emphasis.- Kori and Ian “I would make fire rain from the heavens to smite your enemies with the flames of our shared rage.”- Ian

[waitingonthesidelines]

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling

There are times when you just want to put all the novels with paranormal romance and mythical creatures and serious issues on a back-burner and want to read a real nice, short, funny book that leaves you with a stupid grin plastered on your face. Well, I needed a book like that. And this book just gave me what I wanted.  I hadn't expected this book to be so awesome. The plot wasn't new but I wanted a book with a good sense of humor and I knew this book would fill the bill; but it was even better than I thought it would be. From the beginning of the first chapter, till the end, I had a goofy smile on my face. Tellulah Darling does know how to show chemistry.  The book switched between Sam and Ally's POV. Sam is definitely not my kind of guy, he was a player, a flirt and well, basically a dog as he so casually liked to call himself, but besides all that he really was a great guy. Both Sam and Ally and Ally's cousin Rachel and her boyfriend Ian, and almost every other character in this book was lovable and felt real. Ally was smart, funny, geeky and totally adorable. I loved their bickering. I loved how the book paced. I loved everything! The only thing that seemed to be a little off was that both of them were 17 years, right? Their sexual achievements and endeavors would have seemed more real if they were a little older. But, I don't really mind. Also, the whole Ally turning into Dr. Fuckenstien only cause of being dumped seemed to be a really crazy idea but the way it was worked out in the book and how Ally regained her confidence and realized what she actually wanted to be, was well done.  There scene where [Adam is at Ally's place and Sam appears as a delivery guy for Ally's herpes] was simply fab! I was snorting and giggling and laughing reading the entire book.  My favorite quote: I concede it with a grudging nod. “You’re bossy, complicated, passionate, and I think you’re the most amazing girl alive.” Having just gushed like chicks in a tampon commercial, I feel I need to get this speech back on a more manly track. “So deal with it.” There. Balls back Sam’s a dog, and like all good pet owners dealing with that embarrassing leg-humping issue, I just spray him down from time to time and love him anyway. I received an ARC for this book from Netgalley