First of all I only have a copy of this book and the fourth one. That means I have skipped to read the first two books. However, Actual Rating 3.5 / 5
First of all I only have a copy of this book and the fourth one. That means I have skipped to read the first two books. However, it wasn't a problem for me as I found out I managed to get an idea of what happened in the previous books that this one did not left me that confused at all. Ruby Oliver, is like most teenage girls who has a lot of dramas going one with her life most especially in high school and the boys in her life and the friends and the back stabbing friends and the not so friendly ones. At first I was annoyed with all this ridiculous dramas in her life but then I began to really sympathize with her situation, like really there was a time I was that confused too when i was her age, trying to figure things out the best way I can without ending up ruining the rest of my adolescent years. In a way she became that relatable to me. I am not the type of person who over analyze a lot of things like Ruby does though so sometimes I don't have the patience to read her mind ramblings. I love Polka-dot, especially when she? or he? mow down those doughnuts like a pro! Anyways, things seems to be looking up again between her and Noel. Over all this was a surprisingly quick read for me, even though reading Ruby's narration felt quite long for me. ...more
Have you watched an episode of a reality game show The Amazing Race? well this is pretty like that except it's VanDemere style the old money family. THave you watched an episode of a reality game show The Amazing Race? well this is pretty like that except it's VanDemere style the old money family. The matriarch of the VanDemere family was holding a somewhat unique kind of challenge/race for her heirs to determine which of them will be deserving to inherit the VanDemere family business. The female protagonist Avery has frown up under the care of her forbidding grandmother. She was the rebellious black sheep and the ostracized illegitimate heir of the VanDemere clan. However, what i do like about here is her spunky, snarky and clever personality. For years she lets her other spiteful relatives get to her but in the course of the game she learn to fight back and defend herself. I can understand her need to belong with someone who cares about her, other relatives may have a different kind of notion about her for years and she feels that her grandmother is simply controlling of her life. It was a lonely life indeed despite being surrounded by wealth and privileges. Then we have Riley the love interest and the son of the family lawyer who have been very supportive of her from the start but I wasn't really feeling their chemistry. I was hoping there is an edge to him but he was simply nice and amenable...and although they have kind of known each other over the years I'm just not buying it at this point. The VanDemere Race was actually kind of fun to read since it involves a lot of rich family history and mystery clues and travels. The other relatives were really nasty about how they try to trump Avery but they are always being watched. There were some revelations about Avery's parents that came to light here and I wasn't particularly surprised that her grandma did what she did, she was just set in her traditional ways and yet not so cold at heart that she will still treat Avery quite fairly despite her illegitimacy. There were some suspense along the way when a potential threat targeted at Avery was revealed and I have to say i didn't see the culprit coming. Over all not a bad read, not necessarily compelling but still fun :)...more
Truthfully, i didn't shed the "tears" till the last 20 pages or so. I thought that Lexie will never get that chance to say her lActual rating is 3.5/5
Truthfully, i didn't shed the "tears" till the last 20 pages or so. I thought that Lexie will never get that chance to say her last good bye. But thankfully she did and i felt like it was that closure that she needed to finally start accepting Ty's death and let it go and try to move on as best as she can. Things in her life were a mess after his tragic death. She distance herself in her period of grieving and also because there was one secret that she was keeping on the day that Ty killed himself. Something that she couldn't seem to forgive herself. It always seem that people who are relatively sociable and happy on the outside are actually depressed inside and before you knew it, they off themselves and leaves their love ones behind baffled of what went wrong oh how could have they've been so blind till it's too late. I just feel bad for these suicide victims that they could no longer tough it out in the real world. I like the parts wherein Lexie is slowly rebuilding her life and reconnect with her friends thru some ghostly manipulation of Ty. In a way I also want to think it is his way of saying he is sorry he took the way out by himself too soon. I like that Lexie is nerdy smart and i have hopes for a new beginning between her and her ex bf Steven. I wasn't really happy about her dad coz it affects me personally but at least she is also giving their estrange relationship a chance to get better and in time to heal that gaping wound. I know what's it's like to miss a person that much who is no longer in this world and how precious those last goodbyes. It is important to tell them you love them for in the end it will really matter. Over all the first half of the book wasn't that compelling for me coz it is sometimes stressful to read a narrator's POV who is basically in grief and somehow haunted but the second half of the book got stronger and i like how that scene ended in the final chapter. ...more
So this is the "final" conclusion to the SYDRIAN tandem. I wish i could say that this book blew me away, i can't help but felt that there were some paSo this is the "final" conclusion to the SYDRIAN tandem. I wish i could say that this book blew me away, i can't help but felt that there were some parts that felt rush. The plot of the story seems to have left an opening to another spin off in the future. Although I am relieved that somehow Sydney in her own ingenious way found the opportunity and seize it as a means to gain the freedom to live a somewhat normal married life with Adrian without further problems from the Alchemists. They have been through a lot of tense struggle as a married couple as they battle through their personal issues and other outside forces. But what I like about this OTP is that despite how vastly different they are to each other, they remain true to how devoted they are to each other. In a way they balance and are each other's strength. Rose and Dmitri made an appearance here and they both kickass again...also there is a wonderful development to their romance that VA fans would be happy to know about but i won't divulge it here. Again there were challenges and obstacles that were being faced by SYDRIAN and i got annoyed with the panthom of Aunt Tatiana. I was happy enough she somehow faded away. I still hate Sydney's father and Zoey her sister is finally opening her eyes about the Alchemists and maybe just maybe i will learn to actually like her. There were very surprising revelations here that made me like WTH?! Really? so that means they are related to each other? whatever YAY! Over all still a very entertaining finale to this series but it lacked that intensity i was looking for as they are finding ways and clues to rescue the missing Moroi princess. But because i am finishing this for SYDRIAN in that aspect i am quite satisfied :)...more
What attracted me to this book is the cover certainly and that intriguing title. However, this book is a coming of age story set in the backdrop of a What attracted me to this book is the cover certainly and that intriguing title. However, this book is a coming of age story set in the backdrop of a post world war II. So the vivid scenes here are a throw back to that era. Although I never grew up in that period it is easy to visualize America in the time. I can understand Evie the MC who at the age of 15 wants to feel like a grown up and yet she is over shadowed by her stunning glamorous mother. While on a family vacation in FLorida she met and fell over heels with an older guy a former GI Peter. It wasn't hard to realize from my POV that there is something else going on in the background that Evie in her young naive impressionable mind was not seeing. So when tragedy strikes and the real truths about the object of her affection came unraveling before her eyes...she realizes just how deep she became entangled with the web of lies and deceit of the people close to her and her disillusionment about Peter. The writing is solid but the story is nothing to be remembered about in the long run. ...more
Actual rating is 3.5 I had such high hopes for this book...but it is not all bad. In the end i felt very sympathetic about the loss of the characters wActual rating is 3.5 I had such high hopes for this book...but it is not all bad. In the end i felt very sympathetic about the loss of the characters were going through. But this is centered around Cody who one day lost her other half, her best friend in the whole wide world Meg...the talented smart vibrant Megan who killed herself. And Cody is at a loss, had no idea why she would do that, she didn't see any sign. Obviously this is not a feel good book but it is eye opening. I didn't know that there such kind of forums that exist online like "Final Solutions"...that is just morbid. Sometimes it is exhausting to imagine what Cody is going through to cope with this tragedy and the way she went extreme in searching for the answer why is scary and dangerous...only to find out the truth is right in front of her all along...she wasn't just paying that much close attention to the one person she thought she knew everything. I was not also keen with her blooming relationship with this Ben McCallister guy. I just felt no spark between this two. A handful of moments together and brought together thru this tragedy is not basis enough for me to get convinced that he could possibly feel that strong for her towards the end. Over all this is not a light hearted read but it remains hopeful even it made me feel a tad depressed. It is to be expected considering the issue being tackled in this book. ...more
I have my expectations set high for this one since I did enjoy Carter's Heist Society very much, it is one of my fave series - but it didn't deliver tI have my expectations set high for this one since I did enjoy Carter's Heist Society very much, it is one of my fave series - but it didn't deliver that much impact to me. It is interesting to read about the dynamics of such kind of political power in terms of the diplomatic arena. Grace who is the MC has grown up as an army brat and in a diplomat's lifestyle. Her mother's tragic passing left her with a lot of troubling issues. At first i was very emphatic with her situation. She was so frustrated of people not taking her seriously of what she thinks she witness during her mother's "accident". I feel her frustration but at the same time I am quite annoyed of the constant neurotic breakdowns that she is having which is not entirely her fault but then it makes her an unreliable narrator. There were things that were triggering her memory of her mother's death. Just how much of the things she remembers is the truth and once the truth comes out will it finally set her free? or the truth will be too ugly to accept. The other characters like Alexie who is clearly the love interest but he is not always around, he sounds mysterious and forbidden coz he is the son of a Russian Ambassador, then there is Noah whose insta friendship came out really weird. Like who declares themselves their best friends on the first meeting? We have Rosie of Germany do not underestimate her she moves like a little ninja. Then there is Megan, there is definitely more to her than meets the eye. Grace is obsessed with finding out the truth about the man with a scar who killed her mother and she just saw him in Adria and she was running around all over town and even bringing in some accomplice to get involved- i guess they are just that bored so why not help this maybe not crazy American girl. Anyways, I lost connection with Grace's character in the second half of the book, that's me not the character coz really she is suffering from a trauma, however the plot has great potential I want to know other secrets that tells me what is the reason her mother was killed. Ms. Chancellor left me dangling of what's that secret at the end of the book. Man this old lady is not to be trifled with lightly ;)...more
This was a slow start for me but somehow it worked because the pacing allowed me to visualize and sympathize with Skylar's situation in this dead end This was a slow start for me but somehow it worked because the pacing allowed me to visualize and sympathize with Skylar's situation in this dead end small town she grew up in. This book touch a lot of realistic themes. This was written from dual povs of Sky and Josh Mitchell. In the case of Josh, most of his pov's are about his mental struggle to cope with his ptsd after being injured from his latest tour. It is the ugly reality of war. And while it didn't make his character always likable here, but I was more sympathetic of the bad choices he sometimes make and the wariness he feels. How do you go back to the place you have known all your life and yet knowing inside you are not the same person you were before? knowing you no longer felt that you fit in that world. How does one function like a normal person after what being in the war has done to him? I am glad that Sky followed her gut feeling in the end about Josh, coz people need second chances as many chances to give them hope. Again there are instances here that i didn't approve of what Josh was doing, but understandably he was confused and people does make mistakes all the time, like Sky also made a mistake that almost cost her her life. So i managed to appreciate the beauty of how their relationship evolved through out the book. I also like Sky's circle of friends for without them she wouldn't have lasted long in that town. Most especially Marge and her oh so wise words of wisdom. There were times that i was frustrated with Sky, about how she almost give up her very future just to look out for her mom. Thankfully she realizes that she needs to be a little selfish every now and then and take care of herself. ...more
I was excited to start on this when i first read the synopsis. Espionage and conspiracy ala Da Vinci Code...it is a very promising concept. And this bI was excited to start on this when i first read the synopsis. Espionage and conspiracy ala Da Vinci Code...it is a very promising concept. And this book did deliver on most parts, there is a secret society, mysterious attractive keepers, and it was action packed as the story progresses and the bad guys are out to get them. I really enjoyed those parts wherein Avery and Jack are racing across the continent to track clues to save someone's life. But what i wasn't really keen about was the forbidden romance between this two. Right from the beginning we were introduce to Jack Bishop, and sorry to say i just don't find him that interesting aside from his British accent and J. Crew model look. Now the other mysterious keeper Stellan on the other hand i am curious to know more about. I think this was set up to be a love triangle in this series but i couldn't bring myself as of this time to care about any feelings developing among these three. I do care about the prophecy and who is really The One. And i am interested who is this Commander person behind the Orders. Over all a fun, quick and light read. I may not find myself heavily invested with the main characters yet but the plot still remains promising....more
I am now beating myself because it took me this long to start on this book. I remember it came highly recommended by some friends of mine. So i got anI am now beating myself because it took me this long to start on this book. I remember it came highly recommended by some friends of mine. So i got an ebook copy and it's been on my tablet for more than a year coz i kept pushing it back when another new ones distracted me. This story is filled with heart ache and tragedies and a mystery that kept me hooked on to the book. At first it was a bit confusing, identifying these other fragment scenes in the story that don't make sense in the beginning for I only understand at first that these other set of characters are from the past and yet I have no idea how they are connected with the present life of the MC Taylor Markham. I like Taylor, she is stoic most of the time and it is understandable. There is a huge part in her past that she cannot seem to remember and yet they have the most profound effects in her. There is a big question that she wants answers for and it involves her mysterious mother whom she haven't seen in years since she left her with her current guardian. I enjoy the reading about this secret underground factions that has been going on in Jellicoe Road and the "wars" that breaks out. I find Taylor and her friends and the people that revolves around her life and most especially Jonah Griggs actually really likable. As Taylor searches for the truth about her past and looking for Hannah, her dreams about a boy standing on a tree means something more than she could even dream about. She will soon realize later on the significance of these dreams and that it was good that she followed her instinct to pay attention to them no matter how crazy it made her sound. I love that despite the ugly truths about her mother, in the end they were given that precious time to bond and find forgiveness and understanding in each other. It was a second chance that Taylor wanted and longed for, and then even with the pain of loss she has new memories of her parents that is enough to give her a peace of mind in the future. Over all a totally engaging intricate coming of age story, of first love and human endurance and resilience of the heart, that I finished this in one sitting. ...more
There were quite some bloody gruesome things that went down in this book. The way the last book ended was maddening coz of what happened to Stephen anThere were quite some bloody gruesome things that went down in this book. The way the last book ended was maddening coz of what happened to Stephen and I was really hoping there is some way that Rory can bring him back. This was a great follow up to the Madness Underneath, Rory was less annoying and i sympathize that she and the rest of the crew were very much affected about Stephen's untimely demise. But they pushed on to handle other immediate case. Thorpe was quite a revelation here, he played an important role in this book as he took charge to keep the group grounded and focus to the matters at hand. He may be very logical and methodical and thorough in his approach almost to the point of being too stand offish but it works. Rory still has her moments of doing her own thing, she was never good at the obeying stuff. She still has her weird sense of humor but it hasn't shown a lot in here. We also get to learn more about the back story of Jane the fanatic former therapist/psychologist of Rory and her past involve sinister characters and dark occult that would prove to open the floodgates of hell s to speak in the present day. There is a new character being introduced here that will become part of the squad and she is a mountain of information, almost like a walking encyclopedia like Stephen himself. But poor Jerome he got caught in the middle of it all and yet he did his best to remain a loyal friend to Rory. Somebody give this boy a medal. And then the twins Sid and Sadie are just creepy and i really don't like the sound of them from the moment they were introduced and the ending has me dreading of what's to come in the next installment. Yup that's right this is not yet the end of the series and we are just getting to know more about the Shadow Cabinet and how Stephen is connected to this mysterious group. Also Rory is now taking another step to make things official as one of the member of the squad. So yay! for her :)...more
I can't believe it took me a long time to start over in reading this book. I must admit the thickness intimidated me at first. I wasn't sure if i was I can't believe it took me a long time to start over in reading this book. I must admit the thickness intimidated me at first. I wasn't sure if i was going to enjoy the story. But surprisingly i really really did. It was action packed and the moves described here that were being employed by the characters here are the kinds you've seen from action films...it did not disappoint in this area. I like the historical artifacts and other actual archaeological facts that were used to build the plot of the story. How the players traveled from one continent to another trying to win this death game. The feeling is such a reminisce of The Hunger Games series. I also find the players engaging in their own ways. I have my fave and some i don't really really like. But i was quite distraught that my fave ninja player didn't make it! WHY????!!!! THE MU WAS EFFIN' AWESOME!!! And the other unfortunate casualty at the very end of the book was also equally brutal but i wasn't so surprise of that character's fate for i got a gut feeling about that person's final destination as the story progresses. The ending left me quite hanging and I just wanna say D@MN YOU SKY PEOPLE!!! If this is your idea of entertainment, playing with human lives...well i wanna bring the Endgame to them. The book is filled with puzzles and i have no clue whatsoever what DAFAQ they all mean...ahahahaha! I have to give props to the author for including all these intricate details laying these clues and puzzles and symbols for the readers to decipher. I am just no Sherlock. I am simply a fangirl. Over all this has been an entertaining read and the multiple POVs wasn't so confusing for me for i took note of who is who from the beginning. I do look forward to the continuation of the Endgame :)...more
That was actually a fast read and each page had me very intrigue of what was really going on or what was really happening to them. Just when you thougThat was actually a fast read and each page had me very intrigue of what was really going on or what was really happening to them. Just when you thought you could have more of those crumbs of bread...the hands that feeds you...stop feeding you >_< but man i really wanna know and the waiting is gonna hurt. I am quite new to Tarryn Fisher's writing but somehow the flow from one POV to another was consistent and in tune. But the way that this story is going i believe this is more of Tarryn's style but the character of Silas is also very much Colleen's style. I wish i could give this a 5 stars but the way this one ended left me very incomplete (-_-) and yet the story from the very beginning was not the way i expected it to be. Definitely a page turner :)...more
I have read other ARC reviews on this book and it wasn't that favorable. And i can understand some of their disappointments about this one. It clearlyI have read other ARC reviews on this book and it wasn't that favorable. And i can understand some of their disappointments about this one. It clearly has The Selection and Hunger Games vibe to it. However, the writing is actually solid it is just that the idea is nothing new at all. There were times that I want to connect with Mare's character, but when she lets herself be manipulated by the royal Silver bloods well i wasn't happy with her but then her situation at that time wasn't so great. It was even understandable of how and why she made some wrong and right decisions along the way. But it can be so frustrating most of the time. I do like the mystery and political intrigue that Mare find herself thrust into as she was forced to stay in the palace and pretend to be one of them. And my suspicious senses were tingling about a certain character, because everyone has a hidden agenda. And there have been clues that makes you want to think twice about said character. And it pains me that i was right to doubt that character as the plot twist was revealed towards the end. And if it weren't for those last 20 pages that made me gnash my teeth this would have been a bust for me but they might have lost the battle but not the war. The romance was not the sole focus of the book and there were three other love interest but i wasn't shipping any of them hard coz i wanted Mare to like be able to own her ability to its full potential...like really i want her to kick some serious ass coz her life style condition as a Red blood is depressing to imagine. Over all i still managed to enjoy some parts....more
I am a bit sad that I expected a lot of things to progress in this installment but still the plot is slow moving and it focuses more of what Sang has I am a bit sad that I expected a lot of things to progress in this installment but still the plot is slow moving and it focuses more of what Sang has been doing with the other Academy boys. Most especially with the family of Silas Korba. He is one intense greek boy...eerrr young man. I did like how he flirted hard with Sang through his text messages. On the other hand I am glad that Mr. Blackbourne is finally having a one on one convo with Sang concerning on how to handle her attraction with each of the academy boys... Family First you know. At least he will be the guiding hand that she really needed at this stage. I am curious of this Volto guy. I have a feeling that he/she could be someone that is related to Sang. After all her real family is a mystery. Also North finally got his first kiss with Sang!...and it was in a freaking school comfort room. But then with all that annoying bomb threats going on in their school it beats out making out in some random school bathroom. Anyways, despite the very little going on in this book I still enjoyed Sang's interaction with the academy boys. I think i understand a bit that the author wants to cultivate her relationship with each of the academy boys. But damn this is the 7th installment already. Over all this remain my guilty pleasure to read. ...more
Cry me a f*cking RIVER now. I just felt so distraught for Sky at the end of this book. Believe me i kept rooting for her and River to get a chance to Cry me a f*cking RIVER now. I just felt so distraught for Sky at the end of this book. Believe me i kept rooting for her and River to get a chance to get back to their own little innocent uncomplicated world on the island. But that is not realistic either. However, this is a story of a different kind of survival for Sky and River...in the real world where the rules are different. I ached for Sky, for her struggles in trying to make sense of this world of technology which is nothing like the world she has known. And for the dark truth about their past that might destroy whatever sanity they have left. I didn't really like Sky's grandma very much, she tries too much to make things normal for Sky...to transform her into something normal without really understanding what she is going through. On the other hand I can also understand her a bit, that deep down she does wants what's best for her even though she has done it the wrong way. But then when tragedy strikes...my mind is shouting WHERE IS JUSTICE? THIS WORLD IS KILLING THEM SLOWLY AND IT DID!!! Over all i love how the author narrates Sky's way of seeing this strange real world thru her eyes. How she makes sense of things that were supposedly important in the real world and how she copes with everything around her that is overwhelming her...it can be so eye opening. That was the innocent side of Sky that i grieve, for sometimes ignorance is bliss. And for one of them ignorance cost them everything in the end. ...more
I don't know how to feel about the young Queen Amberly...back before she became a queen. I guess she came into the Selection with a different expectatI don't know how to feel about the young Queen Amberly...back before she became a queen. I guess she came into the Selection with a different expectations and hopes. I just feel that she was being too idealistic about Prince Clarkson. She needed to the the Queen that Prince Clarkson needs her to be...even if it means hiding the real nature of her caste. I still don't like the Prince Clarkson version in this one. I realize there is a somewhat valid reason why it seems he is holding something back. He craves control for its the only way he can make his world right. No family is perfect..even the royal family. In a way Lady Amberly wanted to be the right kind of Queen for her Prince Clarkson and I have to give credit to her for choosing that path with him. For the first few pages I wasn't happy that she was making changes about her just to please the prince..then later on he revealed there was reason he was making these little "request". I just didn't like the idea that it would be her that would have to make a lot of changes in her life and about herself in order to fit inside his world...to be the center of his storm. I will always remember how she let her King treat her own son (Maxon) that way. The son she was unlikely never to have with her condition....and she lets him punish their son so cruelly! Well EFF that! She sounds too compliant and such a push over for my taste. ...more
I thought at first that this is going to be one of those books where boy meets girl and they will make life changing moments together...well it is thaI thought at first that this is going to be one of those books where boy meets girl and they will make life changing moments together...well it is that but what make this stand out a bit more is that it is a book that is written with genuine sentiments about life, death, loss, grief, love and letting go. Clearly the author has put a lot of heart in this one. Gray and Dylan slowly grew on me. One who is determined to just getting through each day in life while the other wants to breathe in life and live it to the fullest. And it was wonderful reading how their relationship blossomed for one hot summer in Phoenix. Their characters were engaging and relatable that of course i want to have them end up eventually together in the end. This was written from a dual POV and this is great because it shows their different thoughts and perspective in life and that way i was able to appreciate how the dynamic of their relationship changes. And BUBA is the best...i hope that underdog is still breathing tho. ...more
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