Roaring Reviews: We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Publication Date: May 13, 2014 by Delacorte Press
Author: E. Lockhart
Format:  Hardback

PLOT SYNOPSIS:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

The Actual Review:

The only thing that made the entire thing tolerable was the EXTREMELY SHORT CHAPTERS. In other words the story doesn't actually seem that much, seeing as how the tone of narration tends to drag, leaving the reader to wonder how did such a book generate this amount of positive hype? Throughout the book, the narration tends to repeat itself, reestablishing things that have already been reestablished. It’s like We Were Liars is nothing but a series of filler chapters used to neutralize the very past pacing of a book – without the fastpacedness!  And honestly, cut out the last 70 pages of it and I would’ve just given it a 3 star rating.

The only things that contributed to the tolerability of the book were the meager total page count of the book – which was only 210+ pages! – and as I have said the one page, two page, chapters which allow breathing room for the reader, and the latter one being extremely crucial. It doesn’t smother you with a 20 page dull chapter, which makes you want to throw the book to the nearest window. But rather it’s like listen to your best friend rant on and on sometimes piquing your interest, and sometimes makes you just want to wish they’d just get on to the point.

What really made me really want to add an additional 1.5 stars to the book was the last 70 pages; the pacing starts to pick up because you’re actually starting to find out what actually happened during in summer fifteen. And just when you think things are better and that things aren’t so bad after all E. Lockhart pulls a PLOT TWIST OF FREAKING NOWHERE, along with an ending that makes you realize that the Liars grew on you from the get-go.

My Rating:

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Roaring Reviews: More Than This by, Patrick Ness

Title: More Than This
Publication Date: May 1, 2014 by Walker Books Ltd
Author: Patrick Ness
Format: Hardback

Plot Synopsis:

A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.

Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.

How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

The Actual Review:

I found this book when I was casually browsing through the aisles of Fullybooked, when my sight landed on its spine, and as soon I saw the word Ness, I imediately picked it up, hoping that the writer would be Patrick Ness and not just someone who happens to share the last name. 

AND I WAS RIGHT!

The book is written by him, and reminiscing my fantastic experience upon reading his other book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, I ran up to the counter as fast as my two feet could carry me and bought the book.

The entire concept of More Than This, seemed promising when I was reading the blurb. The idea was so fresh and de novo that what really happened wouldn't come to you whilst reading because it's far-fetched but at the same time seem plausible and likely to happen in.the future. 

I never expected to like the characters in this books, most especially Seth. I could relate to his character in almost every which way possible, his angst, his loneliness, his self-pitying temperament; Patrick Ness really captured the inner turmoils a teenager goes through at this stage of life. I applaud how the readers get to explore more to Seth's character and life (antemortem) though the consistent flashback chapters. 

And although the blurb, as said before, seems really the first one-third of the book dragged quite a lot! I was this close upon giving up on the book itself if it were not  for my reservation I get when putting a book down unfinished. And as repercussion of the draggy start, I didn't seem to get the message portrayed; I felt  of the action movement happening from the story that I wasn't able to focus o the character's self actualization.

Overall, More Than This is a nice good read - albiet with a draggy start- filled with whom you can't help but feel a certain liking to. 

My Rating 

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Resonant Recaps: Stephanie Perkins Book Signing

I have reiterated numerous times in this blog that YA Contemporary has never been one of my strongest suits. So the moment I finished reading Anna and the French Kiss, I immediately knew I was hooked to the writing style of Stephanie Perkins, and the only problem I was facing that time was, "What time do I come to the book signing event?"

I don't know whether or not it was sheer luck or divine intervention in the process, but here comes my friend, Laurence of The Lucius Flux -I didn't know him that well at the time- asking me what time I went to the Veronica, Tahereh, and Riggs and Jenny Hann book signings so he could estimate what time he should go there. And when he decided to camp out in front of NBS in the middle of the night, I decided "Might as well join him in camping".

I arrived in NBS at around 5 PM last July 5. We decided to shift our time of arrival from 8 to 5, because there were A LOT of rumors going on around the internet about people camping out for the night. And lo and behold; when I got there, there were already 2 people - Jerzon and Pamela - who were already camped out, and I was the third, and after 40 minutes, Laurence came. A couple of minutes passed then two more arrived, Anjeli and Vanessa, and an hour or so later Wenna arrived. AND OUR SEPTET IS NOW COMPLETE

Left to Right:
Vanessa (6), Pamela (2), Anjeli (5), Laurence (4), Wenna (7), Godwin (3), Jerzon (1)

And then the actual camping experience, that lasted from closing time to the reopening of National Bookstore.

During around 1 AM, everyone was basically tired and over-fatigued, and all of us just want a long relaxing sleep, and then we discovered the secret to beating those drooping eyelids.

Fanboying!

One of our friends kept of tweeting National Bookstore and the author herself, Stephanie Perkins, and god were we surprised to see STEPHANIE PERKINS AND HER HUSBAND when they decided to drop by and say hi. THAT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE ACTUAL BOOK SIGNING EVENT!!!!

Of course, as soon as their visit was over, all of our droopy eyes were now alert;  it's like all of us drank 5 cups of dark coffee. We were that hyped up! And for me, the adrenaline coursing through my veins lasted until the registration time of the signing. I was supper hyped up!

And then come registration 10 AM everyone started taking pictures, talking, pictures, catching up, taking pictures, fanboying/girling, and taking more pictures.

And then the moment we have all been waiting for arrived. Stephanie Perkins came in the house with all her green dress glory, and along with her was Jarrod! Everyone went ballistic the moment she passed through those doors.

Stephanie talked a lot about her inspiration about her series. She told us it started in a dream of her in Paris; she was with an extremely hot guy with an English accent. And when she woke up, she can't seem to get rid the thought out her head, and thus the birth of our favorite YA Contemporary book series.

When the interview was over, the host called the names of the first seven fans who camped outside National Bookstore, and of course, Laurence and I were there. And then the author noticed I tried to cosplay as Josh Wasserstien from Isla and the Happily Ever After, from which resulted the obliteration of my dignity in front of nearly 700 people.

Stephanie: Oh look, he dressed up as Josh! *points to my Sharpie drawn tattoo and then gives the mike to me*
Me: Uhhhhhhh. . .  HAI!!!! *internal facepalm*

No one told me we're supposed to hold out our ARC's to the
camera, so I held the mike instead

And then the actual signing event she signed our stuff; our books, customized shirts, everything!

THANK YOU NATIONAL BOOKSTORE FOR THE AWESOME EVENT, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING STEPHANIE PERKINS HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!

Roaring Reviews: Isla and the Happily Ever After, by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After
Publication Date: August 14, 2014 by Dutton
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy

Plot Synopsis:

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

The Actual Review:

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the last and final installment to Stepahnie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss series. A review of the first and second books could be found here and here. 

I managed to snag my copy of Isla and the Happily Ever After after being one of the first seven people to fall in line in National Bookstore's Stephanie Perkins Book Signing. So, thank you National Bookstore!!!

I really love the romance scenes of this book; everything between Josh and Isla were so awkward but extremely cute and fluffy at the same time. Even from the first chapter, you see that the two of them already have that spark but are just too shy to admit it to each other. And when they start doing their romantic trysts you can't help but feel gooey and giddy inside.

I was really impressed with the development of Josh and Isla’s relationship throughout the book. At first it, everything seems to be happening way too fast to be believable; I immediately knew that the two of them have to overcome some sort of ordeal for their romantic rapport to solidify. So when things started going downhill, I knew that this is finally my long awaited trial that would make the two of them realize that they were really meant for each other.

One of the characters that I loved in this was Josh. At first, Josh was introduced to us as a laid-back character who doesn’t take his studies at SOAP pretty seriously - even though he could top the entire class. But in Isla we dive more into his character; we see the actual cause of his nonchalance; we see more to him about why he takes everything with his in usual que sera sera type of manner.

Except his relationship with Isla

Isla’s is one only thing that I had problem with the book. I can’t seem to grasp her overall personality; it’s like I couldn’t relate to her and everything. There were even times that I would find myself completely confused with what’s going on because I don’t understand how she ticks.

Overall Isla and the Happily and the Ever After is good read that would give you a very satisfying ending to all the ships in the world of Anna and the French Kiss. Especially the Etienne and Anna shippers.

My Rating:

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Roaring Reviews: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Publication Date: September 29, 2011 by Dutton
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

The Actual Review:

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second book in the series, and my review for the first book, Anna and the French Kiss can be found here.

In Lola and the Boy Next Door, Stephanie Perkins gives us a new and fresh set of character protagonists. Of course, we still see a lot of cameos from Anna Oliphant and Etienne St. Clair, the former protagonists of the first book, just enough for the fans of the old book and couple to make that transition between the new set of leads, because the book now revolves around the romantic story of Cricket Bell and Lola Nolan.

The two books are almost completely opposites (in a good way) of each other. While Anna and the French Kiss will totally hook you and make you fall immediately in love with its characters, this book needs more time before you fall for its characters. I don’t know whether it’s because I'm still hung over with Etienne and Anna, but this one will slowly ensnare the reader into its trap and you won't realize it until it’s too late! You'll only notice it when you’re in the last hundred or so pages and the FEELS are suddenly catching up to you.

The story may seem to quite drag a bit at the start because I felt that I’m being left in the dark about what happened. Why did the trepidation suddenly boom up inside of her ever since the Bells came? How exactly did Cricket break Lola’s heart? And during that entire wait for the revelation, I can’t help but be aggravated because I don’t understand what Lola was going through, and one it was revealed in page 130, the story picks up from there.

Cricket and Lola, aside from needing time to fall for them, I found that they are much complex than our former to protagonists. You see that there is this deeper, inner turmoil that surrounds the two of them, and that being compared with Etienne and Anna, you realize that they have their work cut out more for them because of the things going on with Lola and Max, and then with Lola and herself after the Lola and Max incident.

Aside from Lola, there were also some characters that I didn’t expect to love. In the case of Calliope Bell, you get to the reason behind her hostility and affront, and once the book had shed some light on her character, you can’t help but to take pity on her. Another character that I have loved was Norah. At first I can’t help but o dislike her for being wasting her life but as the story progresses, you see that there’s more to than just being a total mess. We see that she is actually one of the wisest characters in the book, and that even though she left Lola to the care of her uncles, we see that she still cares for her. I just loved the development of her relationship with her daughter.

Overall, I think that the book is amazing, albeit the characters need some time to be getting used to, but once you do, you’ll realize that you can’t make yourself to put down the book. And once you’ve finished it in one seating, you’ll find yourself craving for stories about the characters, and that this is a book work being hung-over.

My Rating:

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Hoarding and Hauling: June 2014

Hey guys! It is that that time of the year again where as we approach the end of the month, we approach the start of a new one. And I know - I know! - that all of us here buy more books than the number we read in a single month. And if you are currently in a Book Buying Ban then let me be the first one to say: my condolences. 

City of Heavenly Fire

by Cassandra Clare

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Of Neptune

by Anna Banks

Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy.

Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms.

In this stunning conclusion to her bestselling Syrena Legacy, Anna Banks thrills fans with more action and romance than ever.

More Than This

by Patrick Ness

A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.

Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.

How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

From multi-award-winning Patrick Ness comes one of the most provocative and moving novels of our time.

Anna and the French Kiss

by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Throne of Fire

by Rick Riordan

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians. 

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family. 

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. 

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly? 

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Shug

by Jenny Han

SHUG is clever and brave and true (on the inside, anyway). And she's about to become your new best friend.

Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there's nothing worse than being twelve. She's too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there's not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren't acting so dear anymore -- especially Mark, the boy she's known her whole life through. Life is growing up all around her, and all Shug wants is for things to be like they used to be. How is a person supposed to prepare for what happens tomorrow when there's just no figuring out today?

Roaring Reviews: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Publication Date: December 2, 2010 by Dutton
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 


But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

The Actual Review:

I started reading Anna and the French Kiss because of the book signing event that’s going to be held by National Bookstore. And so here I am, endeavoring to finish reading the two books she’s already written, not to mention write a coherent review, all before Sunday. Did I mention I need to make a bicorne hat in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte for the book signing?

I’ve been seeing Anna and the French Kiss in my local bookstores for a while now, and since I’m usually avoiding YA Contemporaries, I never bothered to pick it up. I thought it was one of those groan inducing, overly sappy love stories, where a cliché guy meets a cliché girl, starts a budding romance, and before they know it they’re in love! 

Well yes and no.

During the first few pages, I found Anna Oliphant a little whiny; she was going on and on how she didn’t want to study in France. Thankfully that only persisted in the first chapter, and did not continue throughout the book. I also found her character to be dynamic, you’d realize at the end of the book that she’s no longer the same Anna as we’ve met before. 

Another character that I can’t help but love was Etienne St. Clair. He’s incredibly sweet to Anna throughout the book and although he may seem to be this drop dead gorgeous guy that almost every girl in their school fall head-over-heels for and lives a perfect life, but he’s actually not and we get to see this vulnerable side to him. 

The characters may seem to be a bit cliché, but THE BOOK IS IN NO WAY GROAN INDUCING! The book immediately swept me off my feet at the second chapter, and from there everything was an up and down rollercoaster of FEELS. The characters were dynamic, the romance was insanely fluffy, the humor will leave you laughing for hours, and not to mention the fact that the book will leave you in a catatonic state of fannboying for a minimum of 3 days. 

My Rating:

Did my Roaring Review made you want to read the book too? What are you waiting for; click the button below and add it to your To-Read Shelf in Goodreads!