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Everneath by Brodi Ashton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.
"Everneath" is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

This is one of the classic mistakes where I fell for the amazing cover. But the positive reviews had drawn me in too. Honestly, I couldn't understand what is so great about this book. I felt indifferent towards every characters. The romance was...urghh cheesy to the max!!! I could even predict what was going to happen in the end!

I silently wished the queen of Everneath would make an appearance and violently and brutally kills Nikki. *insert hysterical laugh*

I'm sorry, I just thought the story lacks depth and maturity.

Most importantly, it was so BORING!!!!


Some of the things that did not make sense;

Somehow the drunk and wasted brother of Jack cares to join in Nikki's little adventure of finding Cole's secret.

The first time Nikki came clean to Jack about why she'd disappeared, it happened in Jack's place. Specifically, in Jack's bedroom.

After six months of Nikki's disappearance, her dad didn't interrogate Nikki like err...how a father should do. I mean, he really believed Nikki was doing drugs and stuck in a rehab? Where was the rehab? In Narnia? Couldn't her father track the rehab down?

Gah! And few other bizarre moments which I couldn't bother to include because I want to jump into other books right now.

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Fade by A.K. Morgen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

What do you do when you realize nothing in your life is what you’ve believed it to be?
When Arionna Jacobs loses her mother in a tragic accident, her world is turned upside down. She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her father. Dace Matthews, a teaching assistant at her new college, is torn in two, unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him.
When they meet, everything they thought they knew about life unravels. Dace has intimate access to Arionna’s mind, and something deep within her fights to rise to the surface. They don't understand what's happening to them or why, and they're running out of time to sort out the strange occurrences around them.
Their meeting sets an ancient Norse prophesy of destruction in motion, and what destiny has in store for them is bigger than either could have ever imagined. Unless they learn to trust themselves and one another, they may never resolve the mystery surrounding who they are to one another, and what that means for the world.

Actual rating: 0.5 star (Well, it's slightly better than Ever)



The Lord has given me strength to stomach this book, so here is what I came up with:

When I first saw the book blurb '....She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her father (heard that before)...unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him (yup, definitely about werewolves or shapeshifter, nothing new)...Norse prophesy-

Wait, what?

Norse prophesy?

Do you think what I think?


*flails*

Yup, apparently I wanted to read this book because of Loki. Well, not entirely...because I wanted to see myself what's all the fuss about the horribleness of this book. LOL. I couldn't agree more with the other reviewers, but for the sake of entertainment, I shall review this with character interview style!

***SPOILERS ALERT***

Me: *Clears throat* Hi Arionna! 'Nice' to have you here with us. So, let's get straight to business. During your mom funeral, you saw a wolf. And what did you feel at that moment?

Arionna: I wonder if he'd lost a loved one too. Do animals feel loss like us? Do they grieve, too? I hoped not.

Me: *Eye-twitch* So instead of running away from the scene and warning everyone else about the presence of the wolf, you wondered...did he (oh, you know its gender too)...ermm..lost a loved one too?
How...considerate.
Okay, moving on. When you first laid your eyes on Dace, you felt...

Arionna: Oh, I felt like I knew him. I felt...peaceful. As if looking at this beautiful boy washed away everything that happened since Mom died. I felt right in the way I never had before, not only unburdened and aware, but complete. Like gaping hole inside me had fillied with him. I think Dace felt the same way.

Me: *Snorts* I mean, sure! Your mom would feel so proud to see that you were moving on because...you met, ermm no, saw a random guy from a distance. And I believe Dace said he was not used to seeing beautiful girls standing on crumbling walls every day when he first met you?

Arionna: Yeah, he'd call me beautiful. *blushes*

Me: .......Uh, right. And then he held you gaze, an absolutely predatory gleam in his eyes. Nothing human reflected in that look, but something complete male did. His desire brushed across your thoughts like a caress. He wanted you, wanted to claim me. You was a virgin, but you wanted him to claim you?

Arionna: *Nods sheepishly*
Me:
Tell me, girl. Which part of the word 'rape' that you didn't understand?
Anywaaaaaaaaaay, how do you view yourself?

Arionna: I'm just a girl. Just a sad, messed up girl. Nothing special about me at all.

Me: *Blink blink* Uhuhjustanothermarysue.

Arionna: What did you say?

Me: Nothing. How did you meet Dace for the next time?

Arionna: Call it instinct or whatever, but I knew he'd snow sooner or later when I went jogging in that area. Around forty-five minutes later, he showed up.

Me: Ermm..so, you just waited randomly for a random guy for 45 minutes in random area. And when he did show up, you didn't want to talk, you wasn't ready to face him. You felt like you might start crying if you opened your mouth. You didn't let him touch you and you were half afraid the scene from Thursday would repeat if he touched you. Hmm.

Arionna: Yup.

Me: Then, Dace said you two are probably soul mates? In your second meeting?

Arionna: Aha, yes.

Me:
And then a few minutes later, you guys were kissing each other senseless? And you even hoped that he takes away your virginity against a tree?

Arionna: Yes. Whoaa...why you get so uptight?

Me: Me? Uptight? Eh, of course not. *wipes sweat on forehead* Okay, so you met a girl, a friend of Dace and what did she think about you and Dace?

Arionna: Chelle thinks maybe I'll be good for him.

Me: (Weird town, everybody thinks Arionna and Dace are soul mates. Really? How sweet!) And I also noticed you have a tendency to pass out or cry whenever you think the situation got better of you.

Arionna: Well, I couldn't help it.

Me: (Damsel in distress level 9000) Okay, tell me something. When Dace told you about what he really is, how did you feel?

Arionna: I thought I'm like him, I thought I'm not me.

Me: Instead of having a hard time believing Dace, you thought you're like him? You're just- Wow! I'm speechless. And you are really an incredible young woman, you know that, Miss Arionna? Because your heart felt like cracking open when you heard the death of Dani, the girl you're barely know.

Arionna: I-

Me: Yes, you're so incredible, Dace like to call you love? Like, I never heard of any of my friend's boyfriends calling their girlfriend love. The only person who uses that term of endearment is that lady from the post office. She even called me cupcake once. I wonder why Dace doesn't call you that. Huh.

Arionna: He-

Me: And suddenly halfway throughout the story, everybody isn't really a human? Yay! Now, we have a love child of Fallen and Shiver.

Arionna: Yup, that's the idea! And here's my favourite quote from the book, "...well, had the wolf not be so eager, I wasn't sure I'd still be a virgin.

Me: Arionna?

Arionna: And Dace replied 'telepathically' of course. 'Do you honesltly think I'd take your virginity on a picnic table?

Me: What r u're doing

Arionna: And I asked 'Why not?'

Me: Arionna?

Arionna: It's better than the back of a car.

Me: STAHP!
(And punches are flying)

Me: Okay, kids. I think we're done here. Kthxbai.

Did I care about the mythology? No. I was too distracted with the level of intelligence shown by the characters. But I think that's the only thing that worth the 0.5 star because everything else is just wrong on so many levels.

Bonus time: I think my tablet got so petrified with my decision to read this book despite all the warnings. I brought it on board during my Dolphin Explorer cruise, or Dolphin Fin Explorer cruise as I'd call it (I only saw the fin of the dolphin, that's why. But what do I expect with a $8 cruise! Pffttt), and somehow I accidentally left it(I think my tablet just got scared too much until it decided to be left). And my tablet did have valid reasons to be scared.

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Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

I had a high hope. A very high hope. As high as Charlie Sheen on crack.

Yup, you got the idea.

I like how the overall concept based on an Indian myth. Hmpphh...I just like stories from India in general. I can watch Hindi movies without subtitles.

I kid you not.

I like cats. Tiger, leopard, cheetah, puma, they are ALL cats to me. I'll risk my life just to pat their heads.

Unfortunately, I had risk my sanity because this book has cats tigers.

It wasn't plain bad. Fallen was plain bad (Hmm...I never get tired of making fun of this book). In fact, I should give the author credits for doing an extensive homework on the background of the all the legends and myths and the elaborated descriptions on each settings.

One thing for sure. This book has a plot.

Well, I would say that the editor did a terrible job because the first three chapters and the last two chapters were just a waste of papers.

Seriously. Who wants to read this? "There were mounted pumps full of shampoo, conditioner, and soap"

Here we got two well-characterized male leads, Dhiren and Kishan and we, the readers had to read the story based on the most annoying female lead I ever came across in my whole reading life!

If you think Lucinda Price was annoying, I think this Kelsey was gazillion-fold more annoying.

Like Luce was annoying because she was dumb as soup but Kelsey was just plain annoying, you wouldn't even feel guilty feeding her to one of those bloodsucking monkeys, Kappa.

Here, lemme tell you why:

1. She is useless. She can wield the gada easily (because somehow the gada becomes lightweight in her hands) but not even once, she used that gada to destroy any upcoming obstacles. Like, Ren had to do all the dirty job by himself.

2. She could not even pack for herself. It was Mr Kadam who had to pack her foods, clothes and EVEN shampoo and conditioner. If she is real, I'd lost faith in humanity.

3. She is whiny, pessimistic and ermm..ANNOYING.
Ren: Are you ready?
Kelsey: No! Give me a minute to mentally write a last will and testament.
Ren: It'll be fine.
Kelsey: Sure it will. I want to make sure I can record every minute of this experience in my journal. Of course, that's probably a moot point because I'm assuming that I'm going to die in the jump anyway.

Ren, you should just push her off the cliff.

Oh wait, not before you deliver her a good bitchslap first.

Oh dear Ren, why did you have to comb Kelsey's hair and massage her back. You are not her butler or her servant, you are a freaking prince.

Pardon me but I didn't find the combing and massaging as romantic.

*sigh* Why didn't I just give up on Young Adult genre already! I'm sick of all this cheap romance.

Mooooooving on.

4. Kelsey is a disgrace to the female population as a whole. I'm aware that women can be difficult and complicated. They tell you that they're fine but they're not. They tell you that they're okay but they are jealous.

Why didn't I use we instead of they anyway?

Whatever. The thing is, Ren is treating her well, too well even. At some point in Kishkindha, Kelsey suddenly thought she was no good for Ren, Ren would find other girls once he is free from the curse yada yada. Seriously, Ren didn't do anything wrong and she suddenly broke down and ignored him!


5. Ren: Faster, Kelsey. Run faster!
Kelsey: I can't go any any faster, Ren!

6. Kelsey's dying thought 'That's okay. Looking at his gorgeous face one last time is enough for me. I'll die a happy woman.
Me: Die, bi*ch die!
(few lines later)


7. Ren pulled Kelsey's closer. Kelsey's thought: I had almost died after all. I deserved some kind of reward for surviving, didn't I.


8. Kelsey's thought: My poor, knobby, blistered, sore feet. Oh well, maybe Mr Kadam will spring for a pedicure later.


My job here is done. *Walks away*

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Pandora's Key by Nancy Richardson Fischer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When everything you believed about yourself is a lie, how do you unlock the truth…
Evangeline Theopolis has nightmares about the violent deaths of women she has never met. Her single mother, Olivia, suffers delusions she can’t hide. And Malledy, a brilliant young man, may have a disease that will leave him paralyzed and insane. Their lives are about to collide.
On Evangeline’s 16th birthday her mother gives her a necklace with an antique key charm—a family heirloom, though no one knows what the key unlocks.
Everything changes. Her mom is hospitalized. Her godmother attempts murder. An ancient Order tries to kill Evangeline, and a lethal sect to kidnap her.
Nothing makes sense—especially Evangeline’s own face, which has morphed from geeky to eerily stunning; the ancient key that feels strangely alive against her skin; and the magical abilities she begins to possess.
Evangeline must use her wits and supernatural powers to fight her deadly adversaries and discover her true identity. But can she accept who she really is and save the world?

This is awkward. I actually don't know how to put things that went wrong for me in words. Me. Zuleeza. A reviewer who always has something to say.

Hmm...it was meh, uninteresting, plain, bland, so-so. Not particularly bad but just meh!

Dammit, I seriously don't know what to write.

The writing was good but not special. The plot made sense most of the time but blatantly predictable. 75% of the plot had actually been summarized in the synopsis itself.

*Another moment of brain freeze*

O-ooukay,...lets move on to the characters. They are uninspiring in general. I seriously wanted to punch Evangeline across the face because it took about a quarter of the book for her to finally accept who she is. And I couldn't understand why she was so reluctant! Of course, it's hard to take in the truth but she witnessed one evidence after another, what else did she want? For the Gods to come down from the sky to tell her the truth?

The rest of the characters are very one-dimensional, just functioned as fillers for me. The villain is just plain psychotic. Why can't we have dynamic villains (and don't forget psychotic) like Loki and the Joker. That would be far more interesting.

Well, this book is like someone I come across the street unnoticed. Nothing to set this apart from other mystery/thriller books lying around in the market.

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