Stuti's blog for depleting ships

Mischief ManagedThat's probably what [a:Catheryn M Valente] said after she finished this book.Story of an eleven-year old girl, September, born on a Tuesday in May(like me!), who escapes from the tedious life of everyday Nebraska and washing pink and yellow tea cups, this book starts out whimsically, turns scary and sad, encountering the occasional hitches of bitter, against the backdrop of imagination and absurdity. The whole book can be divided very well into three non-sequential parts: Part 1:In Which We Are Acquainted With the Vagaries of ChildrenChildren are often frightening creatures and none more so than September, who is Somewhat Heartless. But she indeed grows a heart and loses it, as well. She becomes a knight and is given a blue favor, she sings to her Death and befriends old lamps, among various other nefarious and brave things. She morphs into one magnificent beast. This clever pre-teen from Omaha is one of the truest characters I've come across and her losses are relatable even amidst all the eccentricity and oddity that fills this book. Her sacrifices and her pains have a touch of reality and are truly admirable, even the little ones.Part 2:In Which the Shameless Novelist is NOT to be Trusted[a:Catheryn M Valente] dutifully made a complex and creative fairyland, and provided bountiful-s of playing with words, creating kingdoms out of puns and giving life to figurative's. The writing is whimsical and funny; giving us a small cast of wondrous characters and an even larger host of funky, bizarre ones. The characters are gored and tortured, some are driven by the need to please whilst others are forced to heed. The book has a certain quality of wonder and heartbreak and such layers that I've now come to expect from her. It picks out parallels to the much darker real world and deals with the much tougher themes of our lives in its own fashion. Plus, it also gives a very different outlook on various everyday things. The writing is not so much florid as I expected, in fact it may be very well straightforward in its own ridiculous way. The descriptions are infinitely fun to imagine and, weirdly enough, not at all dramatic. Part 3:In Which a Valiant Swings a Wrench to Uncover a Sad Ending [b:The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making|9591398|The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)|Catherynne M. Valente|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317793528s/9591398.jpg|6749837] starts out rather simplistically. Girl falls into Fairyland, loses her way, meets bizarre creatures. Is given a quest, and then forced into another one. There is a cruel monarch, a few sleeping tigers and other inventions but the ultimate ending, the final reveal is extremely sad. It again shows the cruelties in our lives by the way of a completely differing situation. A truly fantastic novel, somewhat akin to Alice in Wonderland and Doctor Who, but still very shrewd in its originality. Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

Warning: A truly tiresome monologue ahoy!The kind of fuckery is this?They say when you are at the bottom, you can only jump higher. It certainly is true in the case of [a:Courtney Allison Moulton|3220024|Courtney Allison Moulton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267468265p2/3220024.jpg]. Her story jumped from the it-suck-so-bad-it-needs-be-stuffed-into-a-time-crack-and-erased-from-existence that was the first book to one hell of a crazy ride. If one year ago, somebody had told me I'd be back to this series and actually like it, I'd have beenBut between reading [b:the Girl who Circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making|9591398|The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)|Catherynne M. Valente|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317793528s/9591398.jpg|6749837] and [b:If You Find Me|15793231|If You Find Me|Emily Murdoch|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364401872s/15793231.jpg|18670766], I was a total mess. I needed cool-off time and what better way to rejuvenate yourself than laughing at a couple shitty-excuse-for-an-angel making out. I had another option but I'd rather die of passion(passionate rage is what I thought I'd be feeling) than be bored to death by the [b:Unearthly|7488244|Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)|Cynthia Hand|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1324782984s/7488244.jpg|9621771] series.So it starts with all:slash,slash,cut,boom,slashinsert annoying romantic momentslash,slash,cut,boom,slashinsert annoying romantic momentslash,slash,cut,boom,slashinsert annoying romantic momentinsert annoying normal life momentslash,slash,cut,boom,slashIt's so fucking cool. She chops and so much action, I'm giddy. But... ugh, the romance, the cheese-fest, the forbidden-ocity, KILL ME NOW!And Ellie is so fucking stupid at times that it's not even funny after the first few chapters. She's a true stupidling and a true annoyling. But then she has these moments of absolute smart-assery, and I just want to love her so much even though I never will.Oh man, I hate Ava. She's so cool and she probably loves Will. Oh man, I love Cadan even though he's all evil and stuff. Man, what do I do? Shit, Mother Will knows best.or I'm exaggerating?But at least I could kick all their asses.________________________________Will stared him down the way he had with Brian. “She’s mine.”“I am not yours, you caveman!”___________________________________“I’m so tired of this macho male ridiculousness. If you hithim, I hope he hits you back.”See what I mean? But then she goes all, mememememememmeme, and everyone else goes, youyouyouyouyouyou and Will goes, behappybehappybehappy. It's enough to make you wanna shave off her head and make omelets upon it. It's sickening. And while I'm out there bitching, let's put in that some parts of the book were horrendously boring. But dayuum, I appreciate how Moulton dealt with the whole friend-zone-guy-thingy. The third wheel accepts that she won't love him, but he still wants to her friend and that's enough for him. I liked him, though. He's the only one who doesn't lick her shit like it's the elixir or something. And why does there have to be prom? Always? It should be the one thing wiped from existence, no?Not sure if I mentioned it before I'm sure I did but there's so many action scenes and so fucking cool, so much figurative balls-playing and more vulgar things I thought better of before writing down(it's happening more and more often now). Even the couple of them where she doesn't do anything but stand to the side like a dorkus while everybody's busy being on the wrong side of monsterizng monsters, they are pretty cool. Or I'm delusional. Take your pick.Whatever, this is me and [b:Wings of the Wicked|8501291|Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire, #2)|Courtney Allison Moulton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307466067s/8501291.jpg|13367196]:GINTAMA TROLLS FOREVER

2.5One white dove-y carries my pearl,Two little dove-y's carry my pearls,Third little dove-y,Is that gold?Fuck, just shoot this birdie down!But stupid, useless stupid gunYou leave the birdie hurt?A Week in the Daily Life of Zenn Scarlett.Day 1: Here's an alien animal. Watch me screw it up. Here's an animal. Watch me watch in wonder. Here's a guy. Watch me ignore him because he could be a possible friend. Obsess over the Rule. Thou shalt not make any friend because thou are extremely stupideth.So, could Liam Tucker be added to the list of people actually worth talking to? Zenn was skeptical, but told herselfto try to keep an open mind. Day 2:Here's an alien animal. Watch me screw it up. Here's an animal. Watch me watch in wonder. Watch me watch the animal attack. Watch me not use the gun in my hands. Watch me use my mojo.Day 3:Here's an Earther animal. Watch me not screw it up. Yay! Watch me obsess over the guy and the Rule. Watch me thinking about possible conspiracies and sit tight.Day 4:Watch me obsess.Day 5:Watch me finally taking some action. Watch me obsess over the Rule. Watch me screw up an alien animal.Day 6:Watch me do something. Watch me be stupid/susceptible/ignorant/pliable. Watch me go to sleep when I should be raising hell. Day 7:Watch me still not raise a hell. Watch me obsess over the Rule. Watch me saving the day and an alien animal. Woo hoo! The Week Ends [b:Zenn Scarlett|16071885|Zenn Scarlett|Christian Schoon|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360336818s/16071885.jpg|21865891] had potential. Still does. But in book one, at least, it was left dormant due to poor character and lack of any kind of plot, engaging or otherwise.The blurb says:Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what's happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she's actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients... or just losing her mind.But I think there was some mix-up. this should have been the blurb for the next book.Which of these mysteries was exactly solved or even explored in this book? Precisely one. And when exactly did she employ Liam's help? Never. And everything else is left to the posterity.The world of this book is indeed unique, but you know, I think it could have worked very well as a fantasy setting. It is all very well and compact but the endless barrage of weird names seem akin to a high-fantasy novel. And the bit of physics the book employs could have very well been explained away as magic mojo. Plus, the little history provided doesn't fill in all the gaps. How did the humans first arrive on Mars? Was it because earth was overcrowded? Was it due to lack of resources? And what about the other planets humans are staying on? Doesn't it conflict with the Earther humans' apparent hatred of aliens?But still, this is the only aspect of the book that somewhat interesting. The rest of it just falls flat and the story/action starts about 70-something% into the book. Before that, it is all raining info dump. Info dump though useless conversations, info dump through accidental yet opportune peeping. It's an info-dump fest all around.The MC is unrealistic, unrecognizable and not someone you could get a feel of. In order to sympathize with a character, the reader has to be inside the MC's mind, be it in third person or first. Yet, Zenn is kept light years away from us and we are simply the spectators who are kept in redundant ignorance.The book also tries to take on deeper topic, like from an alien's perspective, you are the alien and the whole shebang of how one shouldn't base their actions on myths and rumors but conclusive proof and how it could be very injurious to the community of living beings. It all pancakes.Plus, the book being overly descriptive when it comes to animals doesn't do it any favors. I felt like glossing over most of it. Coupled with its long, sinewy neck, the raff’s body configuration gave it the incongruous look of an Earther camelid of some sort but outfitted with the immense hind legs and tinyforearms of a tyrannosaurus rex. But besides being clearly mammalian, the... Here's how I read it:Blah-blah-blabbity-blah, ooh lean neck(like a giraffe?), blah-blan-blah, dinosaur-like, wonder how big their dumps were? from what appendage did they pee? and how did they engage in coitus? blah-blah. mammal. blah it's over!Well, at least, it restored my faith in my pseudo-intellectuality. I could see those culprits coming from light years away. A copy was provided by the publishers for reviewing purposes.Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

3.5When it was good, it was marvelous and when it was bad, it was supremely boring.Here's how it went-I think I should backtrack a bit. When it was bad, it was supremely boring and eye-roll-inducing and happy.It's amazing how a book that starts off with such depressing characters in such deep shits can end so happily and hoppy-go-lucky-ily. With any other book, it would have been uncouth and it would not compute. But in [b:Hunting and Gathering|47780|Hunting and Gathering|Anna Gavalda|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865734s/47780.jpg|1262306], it fits just perfectly. No plot, no story, just plain character watching is not my kinda book. And it is everything that [b:Hunting and Gathering|47780|Hunting and Gathering|Anna Gavalda|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865734s/47780.jpg|1262306] is. Totally character-driven. Which is even more amazing because I didn't even like the characters, especially in the beginning. There's Camille Facaque, whose blatant use of words like 'slut' for secretaries and the occasional holier-than-thou attitude is very unbecoming in a protagonist. But she grew on me, like creases on my books, in the sense that they both become endearing sorts after awhile.Then we have Frank Lestafier, whose blatant use of sensitive terminology(oh and add this to Camille's list too) like 'rape' and the general she's-holier-than-thou attitude and off-hand treatment of previous girlfriends is very unbecoming in the male lead. But he's still likable from the beginning, with the way he always put up a brave front and all. Also, we have many side characters: the whining old woman, Paulette, whom I liked somewhat when we read from her POV but otherwise, not so much. The never-be-a-professor Philibert, and Yvonne, Paulette's long term friend and caretaker whom I absolutely loved, precisely because she doesn't play a major role in the book.The thing that grabbed me some ways into the book was the way entire scenes were conveyed in the way of dialogues, with not a word in the otherwise. There were also some three-page monologues which would have been great had the [a:Anna Gavalda|26826|Anna Gavalda|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1236883498p2/26826.jpg] made them the characteristic of one particular character, let's say, Franck. But when every character in a hundred-page radius gives such long speeches, the reiteration not only becomes tiresome but also confusing.That said, [a:Anna Gavalda|26826|Anna Gavalda|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1236883498p2/26826.jpg] incorporates some emotions, folks. Had I lesser ice in my veins and my heart not so picky, I'd have been crying to shambles whilst reading this book. And I adore the way she writes. I really do. It's very sublime she uses a lot of that word. Well, the french version.The ending is abrupt and like I mentioned earlier and opportune and jovial. In fact, I hated it when I finished it earlier on my way to school, but those were just early morning jitters. For now, I've made my peace with it and I do like the last paragraph of the epilogue, much as it cramps my style.Overall, the meh's did not outweigh the pros nor did the opposit occur. And hence, the average rating. I would not not recommend it to anyone but neither would I go out of my way to recommend it to anyone. There are much more awesome books, IMO.Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

4.5I believe that as of right now, I am a hundred years too young and a hundred reads too early to fully grasp this novella.If you could capture the essence of surrealism, and the cold and fiery beauty of electric current, along with the simple complexity and stubbornness of a kaleidoscope, then grate it between two granite stone, quietly humming the tunes of Bach and Muse to produce the finest ink of a color way different from the ones in our visible and invisible spectrum, then pick the oldest feather from the plumage of the immortal phoenix, and hand the kit over to Da Vinci to sketch a future, the result wouldn't be quite close to what [a:Catheryn M. Valente] has created here.This is the story narrative of Elfesis, the one that was, is, and could be. Elfesis is a machine entity, that progresses by emulating and practicing on the family it haunts. It has nothing of its own, except a want: to be.Neva, the great-great granddaughter of the genius programmer who created Elfesis, is the incumbent in a long line of descendants to take on the burden and bitter gift that is Elfesis.And so the book weaves in between the past of personal-yet-not fragment memories and glimpses upon the future and explores expertly the age-old taboo of artificial life as well as identity, crumbling down the superficial boundaries of traditional sci-fi, mixing in fairy tales, fantasy, future, philosophy, and a pot of pure genius. [b:Silently and Very Fast|12887497|Silently and Very Fast|Catherynne M. Valente|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318737963s/12887497.jpg|18040996] is essentially an exploration of being, not alive, not human, not machine, not here or there, just plain existence. It explores the very fundamental nature of living things and draws out parallels between a human life and a mechanized existence. Ripped apart are the emotions, the things that make us alive, by this book. Finding little chinks in theories and taboos about just why a machine can't have emotions. The little monkey copies the big monkey, and the little monkey survives.And exactly how is it different from being ableTo hardwire sensation to information and reinforce the connection over repeated exposures until it seems reliable.[a:Catheryn M. Valente] never gives us a definite answer; the book just remains a silent trek in a maze of a thousand roads. Each one pointing in different directions. Each playing with different beliefs and ultimately contradicting the adjacent one. The laughable thing is that the narrator is just a programme, a set of codes and yet the story narrative comes across so personal and emotional.Basically, this novella of a hundred-and-twenty-something pages is a discovery and a re-discovery, knowing not the why or what, just the is, the be. There is no profound meaning to the book, far as I could see. There is just... profoundness, hidden deep in the words. The writing is dense but articulate. A little flowery and a little purple and probably not everyone's piece of cake. Most sentences and even chapters I had to read twice, thrice, multiple times.Plus, the bonus part is that there are retellings and short stories within this short story, about the prince who had a mind as stark and wild as the winter, a spirit as clear and fine as my window, and a heart as red and open as a wounded hand, the child of humanity that became a victim to its parent's hunger for everything good and many, many more.The thing I love most about [b:Silently and Very Fast|12887497|Silently and Very Fast|Catherynne M. Valente|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318737963s/12887497.jpg|18040996] is the idea of something so impersonal, a house, a jewel, a playframe, something so in-existential, turning and churning the concept of love and feeling, obliterating it at the same time as initiating it. That and the fact that this novella ain't getting old anytime soon. I'll pick it up and dust it off, 600-years into the future, when I come out of the cryogenic-chambers, pink as a new babe, and still marvel and cuss my own stupid self for not understanding it all even at the ancient age of 615 or something. Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

So I was 20% into the ARC, then it expired and was archived.I don't give a shit; didn't like it much anyway.

CHILD,THIEF,MADMAN,SPY,which speaks the truthand which one lies?That is the tagline on the other edition of this book. And I don't believe one has ever been so appropriate and fitting before.Thus it also becomes the perfect prelude to one of the most expert account of a girl with a face like glass venturing out into the underground city of Caverna, wherein lies an art and everyone's an artist. And Everything is really something else in disguise.Here babies are taught Faces, for unlike you and I, they don't have expressions. And when you learn a thousand or perhaps two or maybe only a couple faces, yours becomes a world of lies and deceit. It is the city of Courtiers and drudges, city of lies and faces, city of pleasure and distrust.There were many who called the Court a jungle, and with good reason. It had a jungle’s lush and glittering beauty. The people who dwelt in it, in their turn, were not unlike jungle creatures. Some were like iridescent birds and long-tailed butterflies dripping with colour, lavish, selfish and beautiful. Others laboured tirelessly, diligent and unnoticed, like great ants bearing hulking burdens across the leafy floor. Then there were bush babies and lemurs, hugging branches, their bulging night-eyes missing nothing. There are many dangers in the jungle, but perhaps the greatest is forgetting that one is not the only hunter, and that one is probably not the largest.Neverfell, the apprentice of a secluded Master Craftsman, has never been out in this world, beyond the cheese tunnels she's been haunting for the last seven years, when she was discovered by Master Grandible, the Cheesemaker.I can’t think straight. But why am I trying to do that anyway? Everybody else thinks straight. That’s why nobody expects me to think zigzag-hop. Which is what I do naturally.Ergo, it's only to be expected that she's quite a bit mad. Then, the outside world of Caverna and her calculating playthings, the Cavernans, come about and help in molding this melody of a story that ever keeps changing its tune. It hops from frightening to heart-warming to shhh-shhh-ing and a motley collection of emotions, as though it's donning on and discarding one Face after the next.Reading [b:A Face Like Glass|15781522|A Face Like Glass|Frances Hardinge|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343853615s/15781522.jpg|17780774] is eating one of those bubblegums of Willy Wonka with a range of meals stuffed into it. Wholesome and long-lasting. The side effects differ a bit I'm afraid. You don't turn into a human blueberry but you sure as hell become greedy and heart-burned.It is one of the most original and complex(well, it was to me) stories I've come across. The premise was weird and fascinating and well-thought out to boot. The characters were vocal and colorful and lovable and inspiring, and the plot was way to intriguing for this book to have only about two hundred ratings on GR. Read it, folks! It's what all the cool kids are doing. The plot and the story are actually like being suddenly dropped into a really freaky House of Mirror and all of these looking glasses show you the same thing but not before distorting it to their whims. Everywhere is the same thing, yet quite so different. Such is the atmosphere [a:Frances Hardinge|119830|Frances Hardinge|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1254932045p2/119830.jpg] created. But there is so much more! There is friendship and loyalty and mind-blowingness involved. It is sad and hopeful and like watching a butterfly fluttering against a gale and ultimately winning.And it is so out of the norm and yet so homely. It also reminds me this one line from a very awesome song:Maybe if I fall asleep, I won't breathe right.And man, the prose! If it'd not been already obvious by my attempts to sneak in so many quotes in this review, so as to compose a review of teasers, I love, love it with the intensity that a heron loves her beak and historians love bones and gold-diggers love expensive bars and Rihanna should hate Chris Brown with. Silver caterpillars of excitement writhed round each other in her stomach.And it doesn't even disgust me. I am fascinated. [a:Frances Hardinge|119830|Frances Hardinge|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1254932045p2/119830.jpg] writes these beautiful paragraphs employing such distinct and astute poetic devices and wonderful, creative, brilliant, elegant and lucid imagery. I am hysterical to the point of complete lunacy and incoherence and I've been driven insane by this book. I'd like dip to it in alcohol and squeeze every last word out of it and would very much do so had it not been for that picturesque cover. I make one fine raving lunatic, don't I? But how can I not, when faced with this kind of pure, unadulterated awesomeness?Here is a piece that falls between the chapters, like a coin between paving stones. It is a slice of silence in the middle of the melody. It is a rough and ragged spot, like the frill of stubs where pages have been torn out. There is no point looking for them. They are gone. Never did I find one thing to quarrel about with this book. And really, the message hidden in the unfortunately creased pages of this book, even if there hadn't been one[message], is extraordinary and nothing new but yet so... The subversiveness, along with symbolism, isn't lost on me either. It's all about corrupt politicians and us faceless drudges who don't do shit and how our beloved city will one day topple as well. And that would be perfect for everyone.Even though this book I'd recommend to everyone, my especial focus would be berating the people who sulk about, who have seen far too much grime or are just naturally despondent, these people who have forgotten the joys to be had in staring up at the ever-expanding, never-changing and momentary miracle of a sky. 'Cause you're in a prison and you don't even know it.Maybe that’s the worst kind of prison – notknowing you’re in a prison. Because then you don’t fight to get out. More not so emotional reviews on my blog.

4.5And yet again strikes the stupid me...Everyone figured it out. Everybody knew who the killer was halfway into the book. And what about me?I had to have it practically spelled out.So I thought and I thought...for about three seconds. And I just don't feel like reviewing this book.Also.TAGLINESWHY YOU SUCK?What if the world's most notorious serial killer... was your dad?It's not as if the sociopaths are all sterile!At least it's not as bad as this one:What would you do if you had to choose?- [b:If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)|Gayle Forman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347462970s/4374400.jpg|4422413]Fuck it, we'd choose!Another quarrel to be had:Woe be you, each and everyone of you, who rave about a sequel when I haven't even picked up the first book off my tbr pile. I'd had to finish The Immortal rules in a hurry for that, this book, then one day, perhaps in the next month, I'll take the pain to finish Shadow and Bone. Hmmm... but I'm definitely in no hurry to pick up A Certain Slant of Light b/c no one's all blubbery and fangirly about its sequel just yet.

Know of those slide arts? Or whatever they are?The paintings that are collections of differently ambient layers of drawing that, individually, are distinct but bring them together they either create a breathtaking piece of art or just a randomly put together piece of crap.[b:After Eden|11485807|After Eden (Fallen Angels, #1)|Katherine Pine|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322807226s/11485807.jpg|16103642]'s made up of many levels of layers and falls in between, leaning towards the side of crap.Level 1:The lowest, the one that only provides a slight background to the whole scene since so many have been stacked on top of it, is the characterization.It's so faded out and commonplace to be almost not there.The MC, whats-her-face-oops-its-Eden, is blank as an unused slate, impressionable as a cheap slate, as well as being unique and dumb as one, too. Because slates are dumb, considering they are inanimate and all. And their rarity validates no argument. But she did keep me entertained with her crackpot comments.Nothing pretentious or phony about his book collection.That's 'cause all the books were well thumbed. Hmmmm.... I'm so pretentious and I bet most of you readers out there are as well.Einstein was supposed to be pretty smart.Such an astute observation.I didn’t think there were any planets outside of our solar system.This girl supposedly saves the future of earth. Luck be a lady tonight."It’s been said that I’m hard to impress." She says."Along with beautiful, smart and completely unshockable." He says.Shame on you if you haven't been impressed by her hilariousness already!The love interest is the future boy, Ryan, whose name I only remember b/c his real one is the name of the only constellation of stars I can spot in the night sky. He and his condescension. Boyeeeeee...It wasn't like he specifically came out and said something offensive. And it's the way with 'em all. Wolf boys, vamp boys, spy boys, grrr... And their families, as well. Continually complementing the protagonist on her levelheadedness in such out-of-the-norm situations.Dude, we live in the era of art, where people eat each other on TV, set up vampirical socities and dammit, we survive Lady Gaga one day at a time.I don't think your sparkly and porcupiny skin and nails that emit snot impress anyone in this century anymore. WE HAVE SEEN IT ALL! Besides, their romance has no chemistry. One second they are playing three questions- blink three weeks pass- and they're exchanging love declarations. I actually wish the author had made it into an insta-love. This seemingly months-long and developed romance is just boring and unrealistic. And yes I do now how that sounds.Level 2: Le writing. It's simplistic. Not the kind that makes you adore and love it because it's just so complex and exotic in its minimalism and mundaneness, a la [a:Sara Zarr|19093|Sara Zarr|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1302718823p2/19093.jpg]. It's plain and unexciting, 'nuff said.Tthere are words and phrases of chapters. It's like the author wrote one chapter on a particular day/week and prior to that decided on a phrase or a word that is reiterated throughout the chapter.Then, the repeated conversations. I think the words explain it all.Level 3: The most bothersome aspect of this novel, the sci-fi part.Remember those classic sci-fi shows and movies? The ones with crappy visual and special effects that we love all the same? That's what this book employs.The imagery inter-dimensional spaceship literally reads like that. Like, an oval, glowing something-or-the-other.But...the original plot. Is it just me or there are more and more books coming out, following in the footsteps of [b:Steins Gate|15704031|Steins;Gate|Chiyomaru Shikura|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339596332s/15704031.jpg|21365759]? There's this another one, [b:All Our Yesterdays|13514612|All Our Yesterdays|Cristin Terrill|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362618700s/13514612.jpg|19070336].Discounting that, I liked it. It was fine and it will definitely be your cup of tea if you're new to the SF genre. Level 4: The cover. *runs away screaming* It would have been pretty enough but the humans ruined it. They always do.Besides all that, the ending had me weeping. Honestly. Not in the good sense. It was a breezy read, nothing especial, and didn't offend me in any way. There's that.A copy was provided by the publishers for reviewing purposes.Crossposted on Books behind Dam{n}s

3.5Not mind-blowing/awesome enough for four stars but definitely demands more than 3 stars.While I can tell you a host of things I liked about this book, I can't exactly pinpoint what I didn't. Perhaps, it was the palpable despondency and depression that surrounded this book.Or maybe, it was the aimlessness of the story, the lack of an engaging plot in certain parts.It could always also be that despite it being a fairly character-driven novel, I don't get a feel of Lauren.[b:17 & Gone|744864|Long Time Gone (J.P. Beaumont, #17)|J.A. Jance|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348176983s/744864.jpg|1838165] was one of the most anticipated books of 2013 and I'm sorry to say that I'm one of the minority who don't feel so hyped about it. And there are very few of us. :/ Not that I'm saying you should come and join us; go out and love it or not love it, but do read it. I get why people gush about it so and I find myself thinking some similar things but frankly, and I think I'll be reiterating this a lot, the book bored me even when I was hooked and I know it makes no sense at all.This, the book was not. :(I think it's because of the author's writing. It's creepy and evocative, and creates such an ethereal atmosphere. It's lush and begs for another glance. A multitude of sentences are crowding my head, some of them constituting whole paragraphs. It's one of the most fabulous pieces of contemporary literature I've read, in terms of writing style. The story is of a girl, Lauren, who is haunted, in the most literal sense, by past and figments of imagination and ghosts. All of them girls. All of them 17 and gone. Missing, runaways. Soon she becomes obsessed with them and it wrecks her life slowly, one piece at a time and she doesn't even feel it. But we do. And it's eerie, how oblivious she remains, how immersed she is in this world of hers. Intriguing as it was, this obsession of hers also makes Lauren's a hard narrative to immerse in, much less appreciate. I liked her unreliability and the missing pieces that were always there, and the things that shouldn't be there, but it is difficult to get to know a person when there is no background. The only part of her life from before that can be recollected is her love for her mother.The book's slow pace is quite the anathema to [a:Nova Ren Suma|2741432|Nova Ren Suma|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1315521193p2/2741432.jpg]'s words, augmented by the feeling of redundant ignorance on the part of the reader. The two make a fitting pair, constantly grappling the reader(majorly me) from pushing the book away as well as staying up late into the night to finish it.This, the book was not, either.I am neutral towards the ending, but I love the message this book delivers about not forgetting, not giving up on any of those girls. Those that we see on posters for missing/runaways-and-please-call-if-you-have-info and forget the next second as life delivers a soy-less coffee when we specifically ordered it with soy. And that very vital misstep of some bumbling barista draws our attention.To end with, I'll be on the lookout for new novels by the author, even if this book didn't hold much appeal for me. And I'd recommend you to do so, as well.Cross posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

So I guess they decided to translate it to English.It's one netgalley.https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/27847I hope they accept my request. I really want to rad the novel, especially since I haven't finished either the manga or the anime.

I am taking such pains to review this book. Fact is, I destroyed my keyboard. Indirectly. But the good thing is, only the spacebar is ruined. I'm using the on-screen keyboard for that, and let me tell you it's a bitch and slow-going as hell.Ergo, I'm very grumpy but it will not reflect in this review. I sincerely hope so.[b:On Every Street|17230557|On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy, #0.5)|Karina Halle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359656866s/17230557.jpg|23745831] is a book for the lovers and doubters of [b:Sins & Needles|16029994|Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)|Karina Halle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347859611s/16029994.jpg|21799599], but it'll also definitely work as a standalone, though I wouldn't recommend it.I immensely enjoyed [b:Sins & Needles|16029994|Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)|Karina Halle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347859611s/16029994.jpg|21799599] but it didn't leave a real impression for more than a day or two. This novella, on the other hand, hit me right in the feels and I can't stress how much I loved it. It is sad, a little kinky(okay, a lot), lovably dangerous, and ultimately heart-breaking.It goes a bit like,Don't make me sad, don't make me crySometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough...The road is long, we carry onTry to have fun in the meantime There is a constant undertone of the same about Javier and Ellie/Eden, throughout this novella. It's the story of Eden White, after she left Ellie Watt and before she became a grifter. The specialty of this book is that it deals with everything firsts. Eden mentions in this book that she doesn't believe in either love at first sight or lust at first sight. Yet, [a:Karina Halle|4785031|Karina Halle|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1333997846p2/4785031.jpg] has managed to expound on both topics in the two novels she's written in the Artist's Trilogy.The story starts out vengeance-oriented and before you know it, you've been sucked into a budding romance. And I do appreciate the turn, how Ellie brings herself to drop the need for revenge that she'd been fostering for a childhood-long time, for this was one of the few things that befuddled me in [b:Sins Needles|16029994|Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)|Karina Halle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347859611s/16029994.jpg|21799599]. Not only this, a barrage of other things are also cleared up and this makes the short story an absolute must for the readers following Ellie's tragic life.Moreover, I adored Ellie. I love that she acknowledges her feelings and is honest with herself, not telling the readers one thing and bumbling around the world, doing the opposite.The character of Javier intrigued me to no end. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I liked him, but by the end of the story, I was all but,"Camden who?" Javier has always been compared or referred to as a snake or a panther, hiding in the bushes. He was the antagonist, the Darth Vader, adding to an already troubled couple(sorta). However, my impression is that he's human, with the characteristic of a chameleon, changing his colors to suit his mood. And he's got some dangerous colors, believe you me.In a nutshell, it was an extraordinary book, with some extraordinary characters, written by a fluent and extraordinary hand.I was naïve and young and caught in the spark that would create the flames.And I kid you not, this is a triangle I'd love to see to the end.Besides, I think the next installment will go along the lines of:You say you wanna move on andYou say I'm falling behind. More reviews on my blog.

Warning: Many teasers in the review.I have some very conflicting feelings about this book. The rational side of my mind says,"That is so expended" but the reader in me snarls back in contempt,"That's what makes it so awesomesauce. Using so many cliches and still managing to produce a very, very fine book is the mark of some fairly clever author skills." And my final verdict is to kick out the annoying rational side. I did have problems with this book but nothing that thirteen hours deep sleep and a rather tamed nightmare can't wash out.Let's catch up, shall we?Ananna of The Tanarau was to marry some bastard from the Hariri clan. She runs away but they send an assassin after her. However, she accidentally saves his life(which, ladies, you should never do even if he's cursed like our dear Naji). But the assassin once pissed of a sadistic witch and she dropped a curse on him, which stops him from hurting Ananna or getting her hurt. They try to seek out a cure and in the process get stuck on an island that is as magical as can be, so of course, it's also very dangerous and very, very alive. Plus, there is also the powerful yet useless wizard whom they manage to piss off after he tells them that the cure of the curse is the fulfillment of three impossible tasks.~touching a starstone to his skin~creating life out of violence~kissing his true loveBut... the impossible tasks are even more impossible because these two are marooned on the island. And Ananna realizes that one of these three tasks isn't impossible, after all.Oh, well.[b:The Pirate's Wish|15714476|The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse, #2)|Cassandra Rose Clarke|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352903412s/15714476.jpg|21383294] picks up from there. Ananna is volatile as ever. Her actions in this book leave a lot to be desired. But if she weren't so, she wouldn't be Ananna. She is one of the few teenagers who will brandish a sword if their beloved doesn't reciprocate her feelings. Her behavior is very piss-off-able and could be the cause of much vexation, unless, like me, you love her all the same. I appreciate that [a:Cassandra Rose Clarke|5331983|Cassandra Rose Clarke|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1335470053p2/5331983.jpg] is not one for swooning. There's a lot of swooning and mooning from Ananna but there are other characters to set her straight and tell her in no uncertain terms that mooning is just one letter short of moroning.He was thinking about me,” I said, dazed.“Shut up, girl.”____________________“The big deal?”“You know.” I didn’t know how to put it into words. “How it’s supposed to feel really good, and you just… fall away…”“Oh, that.” Marjani laughed again. “You know you don’t need Naji for that. Or anyone.”____________________“...I don’t want to see a single misty-eyed glance his way, do you understand?... and I have neither the patience nor the inclination to put up with a heartsick child.”So many practical and no-bullshit people make me giddy.The book is so disney-fairy-tale-ish, minus the excessive sexism and prince-charming-ism and distressed-damsel-ism. It's even whimsical at times, with armored sharks and an alchemical/soothsayer octopus. There are boons granted*, a few pirate fights, manticore royalty, lesbian queens and the like. The story is also very simplistic and straightforward. Even the curse which is supposed to be riddling solves itself out due to the whole action-reaction law of Einstein. It just jumps from one point to the other, and doesn't require a lot of brain-racking. The world is delectable as ever with a barrage of difficult and weird names. Many new characters and some old ones. Yay for Jokjana(people of Jokja) and yay for snakehearts!The romantic aspect of the book is meh, IMO. Ananna's feelings seemed genuine but on the other hand, his were just too abrupt. And I'd have loved for him to clear things up a bit more.And let's put it out there: While I could see the book taking off in another direction and giving us an even less traditional ending, I still love this a tad-bit-less-traditional happily-ever-after. I wish more high-fanatsy books would join the rank. Ananna is now right up there with Alanna in my list of favorite heroines from the fantasy realm. Such a fun and easy ride. However, I still like [b:The Assassin's Curse|13533650|The Assassin's Curse (The Assassin's Curse, #1)|Cassandra Rose Clarke|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335967954s/13533650.jpg|18229805] better even though by my complex and scientific(and accurate) calculations, this book should be better. Have a look at it for yourself.Assassin= Sa-chan= Not cool. Pirate= Monkey D. Luffy= Very cool.The science is so obvious. :/*Note: You should never accept a boon from a manticore, or rather, don't let them grant you one of their own accord. Make the wish yourself or you'll be very sorry.Much love to the publishers for providing a copy.More reviews on my blog.

badassery: Noun(uncountable)1. The behaviour of a badass.2. Engaging in seemingly impossible activities and achieving success in a manner that renders all onlookers completely awestruck.3.Relating to or found in Allison Sekemoto________________________________________A moth, a chupacabra and a beanstalk walked into a bar. They got drunk and like all the drunkards around the world, they engaged in a senseless brawl. The beanstalk emerged victorious. The feline bar wench in the corner commented,"You sure pulled an Allison Sekemoto on those two, beanie." Then she jumped onto the beanstalk and added him to the stew she was preparing for the petite vamp sitting in the corner, wielding her katana at undefined shadows.That's not a particularly hilarious joke and if you did laugh, I pity you. *waits and breathes**waits and breathes**starts speaking in a breath*You know how you sometimes read books and you are in a jovial mood, then something amazing happens and your heart skips a beat or almost bounces out of your ribcage or something disruptive happens inside your body. Well, it doesn't happen in [b:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362772965s/13581990.jpg|19167673]. Because this book ensures that your heart doesn't beat even once throughout the whole novel. Or it culd be that the book's just too predictable. Your pick. The book starts with some very ominous words and ends with the same. An entrancing and gory story that leaves you hungering for more.Cutting, slashing, chopping, maiming; you name it, Kagawa gave it.*stops with the foolishness*Whew!The story continues on with Allie hunting Sarren, who his holding captive her sire, Kanin(so much love I haz). And Jackal, Allie's blood brother, is dead and gone. Zeke and the rest are back safe in Eden, leisurely seeking out a cure for the Red Lung Virus. Allie is not a human; but a fuckingly awesome vampire!Rabids are rabiding and monsters are monsterizing.I am in a very spoilerly mood, but I WILL REFRAIN with just this one comment,'Or so you'd think!' There are very many unadulterated badsses(an old character is re-introduced and I haz so much love for him too) in this book and I will have you know that there is also a fairly spine-chilling villain.There are three qualities that are required in any proper villain. ~Sadism~Ruthlessness~MadnessThen, there are some things that go along with these three main qualities, like super-strength, secret key to some very important locks, and of course, a mouth that spouts creepy, weird poetry. “I would say,” a cold, terrifyingly familiar voice hissed outof the darkness, “that some little birdie is lying to you.”“You can’t save him, little bird,” he whispered. “You can’tsave anyone now. The requiem has started, and when thelast melody plays, the only applause will be sweet, eternal silence.” Well, a picture being worth a thousand words will help you more. Just don't mistake him being so handsome as these there. All the sizzling hotness here is just a facade for some very rotten cores(but of course I love each and every one of them). However, Kagawa's villain doesn't enjoy that luxury.And Sarren is all that and more packed into one scarred maniac.But it wasn't a perfect book.There were many inconsistencies and the romantic bits pissed me off because I don't care for Zeke. Which reminds me, did you also not like Zeke and his holier-than-thou-vamps attitude and his general goodness? Did ti piss you off? Well, worry not, and this is a minor spoiler but our very dear Ezekiel will do something extremely bad in the last few pages. And he will suffer. Oh boy, will he suffer! But Allie will ruin the mood, though. Her constant inner monologue about keeping her demons at bay and crap weren't worthwhile, even though they were probably* crucial to developing the mind-frame. However, she makes up for it with all her balls-crushing and ass-kicking. And many things I just couldn't wrap my heads around & like I mentioned, the predictability doesn't do the book any favors. But I will shut up my annoying inner monologue and leave yourself to it.Stuti Out.But I just can't help it: There are many vampires who have stolen my heart but those bastards aren't coming back just yet to Turn me and I suppose I will be dying bit by bit until the next book come out.Stuti Out(for good)More fanatstic reviews on my blog.READ THE DAMN BOOK!!

2.5Synopsis from GR with some alterations by yours truly. He turns good readers(namely me) into...obsessively-eye-rolling-psycho-killers.Dante Walker is flippin' extraordinary(in jackassery), and he knows it. His uber dickiness, hypocritical conceit, and stellar selfishness have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is weighty(and should never ever have been given to such careless people): weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp(ah shit! We are all doomed now that such prestigious jobs will be given to the likes of Paris Hilton). Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.This was lame and I am bored.But wait...Those are the after-effects of the sub-waitforit-standard ending. I mean, convenient much? Led me to believe all about those weighty consequences and gave me such a sappy ever-after-till-the-next-book. Sorry. A review shouldn't start with ranting about the ending.Dante Walker seemed to be the anti-hero protagonist I had been waiting for. He wasn't. Either I only prefer bad girl protagonists or my issues with this guy are relevant. To me, it seemed, after some ways into the book, that this guy was just trying too hard. However, in the beginning, I did fallfor believe his swagger. Just getting it out there. I love reading from bad people's POV. I want them to be as heinous as possible without crossing the line into pedophilia, rape or spouse/child abuse.(I tolerate murders. Scratch that, I like seeing through killers' eyes.) But the thing I cannot, not one bit, bear is hypocrisy. And Dante Walker is the one true once-living, breathing, walking, shitting example of hypocrisy. Even though the letters were written in black, all I could see was red.Well, this guy gets the job of blackening a girl's soul, Charlie Cooper, a character I wouldn't like to read about but not mind knowing because she is just too good. So anyways, the old shit goes down, he falls in love but he's already made some bad moves and now the white pieces are too less in number on the chess-board. I couldn't wrap my mind around that. Well, sure I felt him falling in love with her and it appeared genuine(kudos) but I'm of the insane and conservative mindset that 'opposites attract' is crap except in those few rare cases. I believe black complements white but only truly melds with black because when the two try to combine a hideous color is produced which is more of an absence of colors than black could ever be and white seems to be. However, his relationship development with Charlie, while not to my liking, is believable and fun to observe, especially after their initial interaction. And then there's his reluctant friendship with Charlie's friends, Annabelle and Blue. Blue is that loser side character whose sole reason is to pout and sulk because he truly loves that girl and has been her best friend forever but doesn't have the guts to complete the love triangle. I appreciate what [a:Victoria Scott|3251728|Victoria Scott|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1360462323p2/3251728.jpg] did with him and not turned him into what I described above. Especially, as Dante and Blue seem to get along, if begrudgingly and even more as Blue busts some asses. Besides, I hated that she had to turn beautiful in order for him to fall in love with her.And because this needs to be told as there are too many cons listed above, I enjoyed watching his character develop. His love for Charlie and fondness for the other two help him grow one. A heart, that is. He gradually becomes a tolerable character as some of his hypocrisy is sliced off by the knife known as sympathy. And then there's this scene with Blue and... yeah, that was my favorite even if some unfortunate things do happen.I pick up on a lot of random things and many of them rile me for no good reason. In this book, it was Dante always tossing and turning and not sleeping when in bed. But 'nuff said. I need to rant about the ending.Seriously? You going with that? It's a writer's-block-induced ending and it has rotted my mood. I was gonna give the book three stars for mindless entertainment but that ending made me deduct a 1/2 star.Least and the one bothering me the most,*gags* that cover. Tu es horriblement! Oui, oui! Tu make me want to vomis! It's one of the worst covers I've come across this year. Even worse than [b:Everbound|13115995|Everbound (Everneath, #2)|Brodi Ashton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359138201s/13115995.jpg|18289996]'s and that one gave me stomach cramps. True story.More not-so-snarky reviews on my blog.

I did some thinking. And more. And more still. However, I arrived at the same conclusion as when I started; I just wasted a lot of time, which I especially don’t regret. So let’s get on with it already.[b:Written in Red|15711341|Written in Red (The Others #1)|Anne Bishop|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342193270s/15711341.jpg|21378102] is a paranormal book set in present time but different world. A world where humans are creatures of prey, hunted by shape-shifting, blood-sucking monsters and such. Very familiar. After all, we are very much acquainter with the concept of humans somehow not being the apex predator, which of course, dutifully results in an anarchy or abolustism or tyranny, with the monstrous beasts holding all the threads. The bottom line is: only humans can run the world or it will result in a frenzied dystopia. I mean, what are all the vampire books about?But… what if you found a way to cooperate? And not in the sense that they’ll let you live if you give them periodic donations and live under them. No, no, ma’am, sirs. What if it was mutual cooperation where only those who crossed turfs without prior notice were killed (hideously)? What if the humans could find a way to employ their ingenuity and technology to reach a middle ground without the shedding of blood? And this book delivers it all. Humans have found to way to co-exist with the monsters the terra indigene(Earth Natives). The surface workings of their world aren’t much different from ours. But it’s the shadows that matter. Humans live in constant fear of the terra indigene because while they continue in peaceful co-existence, no one ever forgets who the predator is or the prey. And it all blew away. Figuratively. The book gives us a world at peace but there is always the underlying fear and mistrust among the characters of one species(or something) towards the other. [a:Anne Bishop|26897|Anne Bishop|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1237258217p2/26897.jpg] has written such exclusive ‘voices’(there are very, very many of them) which convey their emotions and give us a proper understanding of the whole world of theirs. And I just can’t get past the world-building and characters’ voices. Not so the characterization, however. There isn’t anything I can pinpoint that didn’t work for me but I believe it was the multiple POV’s. It takes a whole book to start caring for a character and there are about 6-7 people between whom the book swings. They were original and intangible characters but I could only bring myself to care about a few and those were the super-duper awesome and terrifying ones whose voices played very little part.The basic plot of the story…umm… oh wait, there isn’t one in the beginning. The story and plot are what I look for firstly in a novel. I generally don’t care for books that aren’t plot-driven. Yet, this isn’t the case here. From the starting, this book isn’t much but a barrage of characters, with very interesting backgrounds mingling with each other, thrown in an awesomely created and very detailed world. But the plot constructs as the story develops. People cross each others’ paths, mingle, cheat, lie among other more nefarious things, and weave a cross-hatched blanket of a story that will continue on in more books. Similar to what happens in real life. And perhaps this needn’t be said but I loved it.As I’ve mentioned, there are various POV’s. Some of them are humans’ and other beasts’. The terra indigene intrigued me and their way of thinking and conversing was distinct from humans’. One of the superficial instances is the ‘the’ one. Whilst talking about humans they know and consider acquaintances and such, the terra indigene would add ‘the’ before their names, like ‘the Ruthie’, as if to separate them from the whole species of humans who don’t matter.This book is also insidiously subversive, IMO. The last battle-which wasn’t really a battle but it sounds tremendously better- is all about nature’s fury. Humans tamper with nature and they reap what they sow. Because the terra indigene are creatures of nature and sometimes they are nature and this book gives us a liberal view of what would happen if we were to disturb the environment. Overall, this book was exceedingly remarkable and shrewd but not without its flaws, and I would recommend it to you without a second thought.More review on my now very awesome blog.