GOODREADS SUMMARY

Celebrated author Sarah Kuhn reinvents the modern fairy tale in this intensely personal yet hilarious novel of a girl whose search for a storybook ending takes her to unexpected places in both her beloved LA neighborhood and her own guarded heart.

If Rika's life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale--being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts' business--she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn't quite fit the princess mold.

All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America's reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness--searching for clues that Grace is her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo's hidden treasures with cute actor Hank Chen, and maybe...finally finding a sense of belonging.

But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn't so kind. Rika knows she's setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don't happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?

MY THOUGHTS

The beginning of the story was good. The book has an interesting character (Rika). Although I can't say that I am a fun of her temper. What really makes this book dissappointing is that, 50% of the book was a little boring and slow at times. I enjoyed the town of Little Tokyo and some of the interesting cultural things the town engaged in like the festivals. But for me, there are times that some things are being repeated all the time. The whole story felt like redundant, as if nothing had happened at all. I also had a difficulty infusing myself in the story. 

What really kept me from not finishing the book is the revelation of knowing if Grace is her mom. I was hoping for a really interesting twist at the end that I would not have seen coming but… The ending was predictable. 

Although I would totally say that some young readers might enjoy this. I don't think this was a bad book but I just don't think it was for me. It has wide discussion and representation of biracial individuals, family, racism and self-identity. 

Thank you so much @times.reads for sending me a complimentary copy of this book. 

 

Beth Penn lives a peaceful life with her partner Sol and their daughter Fern. But Beth is troubled by increasing unease. She cannot shake her uncertainty over her mother, who disappeared when Beth was a child, and she has a sense that her daughter is keeping secrets from her.

So she goes to therapy. Dr. Tamara Bywater is there to help her patients. But what if the very person who is meant to be the solution becomes the most dangerous problem of all? And why is what's bad for us so enticing?

Taut and atmospheric, The Seduction is a disturbing journey into the darkness of the human mind. 

The story could be promising, but then the flow of the story was so sloow.. I constantly find myself drifting out of the story. I admit the story was dark and compelling at times, but I am very disappointed not only with the style of writing but also how the story turned out in the end. It was frustrating and I kept on thinking that the characters failed to connect with me. Why does all the characters seems to be in negative emotions. Its just annoying and depressing.

Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One.

She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos.

As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making a decision that could save or devastate not only The Readers, but all of mankind. But there’s just one glitch: by doing so it may require her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I received a free advance digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, I wanted to say that I really loved the cover of this book. Maybe it is one of the reason why picked up this book. But I am a little disappointed after a few chapters. I find the story incredibly flat. The exchange of conversation between the characters are a little bit annoying. It feels like I'm reading a rehearsal script. The Romance is so predictable. Although the story has a fast paced plot, it just didn't hyped me up the way I expected it to. And after finishing it, I felt like the ending was poorly constructed.

But anyway, this book is still good to try. It may not be too good for my liking but it has fast paced story.

Ranking:  Title: Crystallum Series: The Primordial Principles, #1 Author: Laney McMann Publication Date: May 31, 2016

I received a free advance digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time finishing this book. Maybe that is also the reason why I was only able to finish and make a review for it after a few months after I receive the ARC. Let me point out the things that made me incoherently confused about this book.

FIRST. The World-Building. At the first chapter, I was actually overwhelmed with all the information and words that doesn't make any sense to me, like: Primori, Draconeum, Nefarius and Araneum. There is no explanation or even an introductory of what this creatures/people are, but at once, it was all thrown out to the readers as if its a common words that I should be familiar with. But no, I was confused, irritated and I always find myself re-reading the previous lines. It also doesn't help that after I finished this book, I still didn't fully understand the world the author is trying to convey. The plot is not that interesting, in fact I am actually thinking how this book tends to have a little bit of similarity with the Mortal Instruments. I don't know, with all the Primori, protecting the Mortal World from demons and other creatures are similarly like The Mortal Instruments. Although I don't have any problem with the same idea, I just did not fully comprehend where the story will lead its readers.

SECOND. The Characters. Kadence, the main character, is a total opposite of my expected heroine. I just don't like how she was portrayed like a damsel-in-distress. And it was a total waste of character to have her as the most powerful being, and yet she constantly needs to be helped. Cole, the love interest is totally the definition of an arrogant and sometimes self centered guy. He totally didn't get me hooked with his character. I understand that he is popular, good looking but it felt so shallow. I actually didn't feel anything for his character, its like he was just there because the Romance-thing, but overall, nothing.

THIRD. The INSTANT LOVE. Okay, I might be a little biased in this part, but I have never been a fan of then they suddenly got too attracted with each other, and sparks are flying everywhere everytime their eyes met kind of thing but the romance between Kadence and Cole is exactly how it was described in this book. I was actually thinking that the love triangle doesn't even make sense anymore since 2 of the main characters had already fall in love with each other.

Overall, This book didn't particularly tickled my attention. It has an obvious plot and possible endings. I might have a second thought if I will be reading the second installment of this.

Ranking:  Title: Labyrinth Lost Author: Zoraida Córdova Publication Date:  September 6, 2016

I received a free advance digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I was pretty caught up with the gorgeous cover of this book. I must commend that the author did an amazing job in building a very amazing and complex plot. It was completely unique, and the very first book I ever encounter that talks about Latina witches. Not to mention that I was totally hooked with the creatures and the Alice in the Wonderland kinda-like thinggy in this book. The pacing was pretty good at some parts, but I did lose some interest halfway at the end of the book. I for one is not a fan of bisexual element. I didn't have anything about it either, but maybe it is just not my cup of tea.

One of the best part of this book that I really like is how it describes the importance of family. Alex can be a little annoying at times but I do kind of understand why she wants just a normal teenage life. And considering her family heritage of brujos and brujas, she just can't be any ordinary girl.

Overall, the is book okay. The setting was good, its just that I didn't get too invested in the characters. And just like I said the bisexual thing in this book isn't my cup of tea.

Ranking:  Title: Shadowshaper Author: Daniel José Older Publication Date:  June 30, 2015

Cassandra Clare meets Caribbean legend in SHADOWSHAPER, an action-packed urban fantasy from a bold new talent.

Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra's near-comatose abuelo begins to say "No importa" over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep.... Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.

Sierra soon discovers a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers, who connect with spirits via paintings, music, and stories. Her grandfather once shared the order's secrets with an anthropologist, Dr. Jonathan Wick, who turned the Caribbean magic to his own foul ends. Now Wick wants to become the ultimate Shadowshaper by killing all the others, one by one. With the help of her friends and the hot graffiti artist Robbie, Sierra must dodge Wick's supernatural creations, harness her own Shadowshaping abilities, and save her family's past, present, and future.

First, I was blinded by how gorgeous the cover of this book. I was actually interested on the teaser as well, so I decided to give it a try. But unfortunately, after reading 7 chapters I had this conclusion that the plot doesn't make any sense to me.  And it just got worse when everything that is happening leads to more confusion and craziness.

The idea of shadow shaping could really be a nice and promising thing, but the course of the whole story felt really odd that I felt really tortured in finishing it. For starters, it fails to convince me that it is a fantasy novel. It felt so flat and confusing on what is happening with the characters. I for one is not a fan of puzzling characteristics, and I really do not want to make some assumptions just because the author had not given me any clear direction on what was really happening. There are a lot of holes in the story, the characters are not even interesting. There are definitely no character development in this book. I felt like: "Am I so dumb to understand this book?" Or I just couldn't force myself to like it because I really don't know what was happening till the very end of this book. I tried, I really tried to like this book, but really, I just ended skimming some pages, but it would really be a waste of my time if I didn't give it a try until the very end. And unfortunately. It is really a waste of time.

Ranking:  Title: Between the Bleeding Willows Author: D.A Roach Expected Publication:  February 26, 2016

At eighteen years old, Cassidy has suffered more loss than most... At the end of her senior year, her boyfriend, Jace Peters, was killed in a car accident, and her grandmother died only weeks later of a heart attack. Emotionally lost, Cassidy desperately searches for an heirloom her boyfriend was wearing in the crash-her mother's gold ring. But during her search, Cassidy discovers more than her ring. She finds a gate to the Demon Realm.... A battle is brewing, and Killian-head of the Demon hunters-preps his Clan for the approaching conflict. They've been working to secure the gate between his realm and the mortal world. But it's been nearly impossible since Rya-a voracious demon on a quest to expand her power-devoured the soul of his Clan's necromancer. Now Rya is possessed with the necromancer's powers and she may break through the gate at any moment. Apparently Rya isn't the only one Killian has to worry about... When Cassidy accidentally crosses into the Demon Realm, Killian can't understand how a human girl survived the transition. Now he has to find a way to return her to her own world, or risk her being caught in the crossfire, which is a complication he definitely doesn't need. Once back in the Human Realm, Cassidy readies herself for battle. She signs up for Krav Maga classes, where she meets Tyler Romaitis-a handsome, tenacious, humble guy. He seems almost perfect, but nothing is ever that easy. And as the balance between good and evil shifts, Cassidy finds herself-and her ring-at the heart of the conflict for the survival of mankind.

The first 4 chapters of the book is so good I thought I would like it until the very end. But after the few chapters, the story started to get slow. And in the part that the characters are being introduced in the story, I just felt that there is something missing. I didn't felt any connection with the other characters other than Cassidy. And it was really hard for me to accept that suddenly Cassidy and Killian has a thing. Everything that happened after she got her tattoo was so unbelievable that I am already having a hard time liking it.

Overall, I still think that this book could have a great potential. The World- building is promising if you ask me. Maybe it only need some changes that will make the story more interesting. There should also be some edits to made and focus on more about the pacing and how will keep the readers interest in the story. There are alot of details here I find unnecessary. The author should really build a good momentum in every chapter to keep every reader's interest.

Ranking:  Title: Royal Enchantment Author: Lia Davis Expected Publication:  June 15, 2016

Ava Green has made a name for herself in the real estate world by reconditioning old, historical homes with her partner and friend Jeff. But her newest project, a three-story Victorian in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, promises to be her biggest moneymaker yet. And one she’s undertaking on her own. During her first walk-through of the house, however, she discovers a locked door, and a skeleton key that seems to appear out of nowhere. Unlocking the door, she is transported to a mystical world of fae and mythickal creatures and meets the King of the Morna. The sovereign of the Dark Elves.

King Finn Sylcan has searched for the one who can bring the magick back to his world, Edra, for eons. An old prophecy told of a female of both Dark and Light elven descent, a hybrid both Calim and Morna. It is said she is the only one who can repair the damage the war between the Dark and Light kingdoms caused. But after searching for so long, Finn never dreamed that she’d just show up outside his palace walls. Or that she’d be his mate.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the teaser sounded so good and interesting but it was a total disappointment.

I just want to make a quick summary of why this book did not hook me up as I thought I would.

The PLOT. For me everything in this book comes into a rush. There is a lack of world-building. Dull story, and a very bland and easy to predict kind of characters. As much as wanted to immerse myself into the world of Elves, I just can't grasp anything that was happening in this book.

The characters. As much as I want to connect with the characters. I just can't. The characters are all so predictable. There is an instant connection with the Ava and Finn and I just don't like since the beginning of the book. Inta-love... Huh! Totally not my type. everything in this book feels rushed for me. There are no thorough description of the characters personality. It was like all information are thrown at once, that I started to have a headache of what was really happening.

Overall, this book could have been better only if the Author had thought more of the things that will make the story interesting.