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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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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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:

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Roaring Reviews: Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe

Title: Paradigm
Publication Date: June 13, 2014 by Bookouture
Author: Ceri A. Lowe
Format: eARC

Plot Synopsis:

What if the end of the world was just the beginning?

Alice Davenport awakens from a fever to find her mother gone and the city she lives in ravaged by storms – with few survivors.

When Alice is finally rescued, she is taken to a huge underground bunker owned by the mysterious Paradigm Industries. As the storms worsen, the hatches close.

87 years later, amidst the ruins of London, the survivors of the Storms have reinvented society. The Model maintains a perfect balance – with inhabitants routinely frozen until they are needed by the Industry.

Fifteen-year-old Carter Warren knows his time has come. Awoken from the catacombs as a contender for the role of Controller General, it is his destiny to succeed – where his parents failed.

But Carter soon discovers that the world has changed, in ways that make him begin to question everything that he believes in. As Carter is forced to fight for those he loves and even for his life, it seems that the key to the future lies in the secrets of the past...

The Actual Review:

An ARC has been procured from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This is the first time that I am placing a book within my Did-Not-Finish shelf in Goodreads. Now don't get me wrong, I liked the plot to this book it was interesting enough; the characters were okay. However the only thing that bothered me was the writing style.

The main reason why I stopped at page 41 of this book is that first, it's descriptions of things would just leave me more confused than before, and at the end it would've been just better to leave things up to the reader's imaginations. Lastly is the feel. During my bout with the book, there was that unsettling thought, that I have to constantly temper, saying that what I am reading is a short story or a mediocre fanfic of some sorts.

The book throws the reader immediately within the midst of its world, which left me totally confused with what is going on. It's like trying to understand an entire topic by eavesdropping at two people and only hearing snippets of their conversation. And if you're like me who would read and reread the entire scene over and over again just to eke out meaning from the text, you would find it frustrating to do it repetitively.

Another thing that aggravated me was the persistent use of horizontal rules in the formatting even when unnecessary. It diverts the attention of the reader from the story; as it is, I'm already finding it very hard to get into the story, so a horizontal rule would just leave that interest I've managed to muster up into ashes.

To Ceri A. Low and to any staff of Bookouture, I am truly and deeply sorry for writing this. I tried to love it with my entire entity, but with a plethora of books sitting beside my bbed, it's very hard how not to put this down and pick one from them instead. I'm sorry.

Roaring Reviews: We'll Always Have Summer, by Jenny Han

Title: We'll Always Have Summer
Author: Jenny Han
Publication Date: April 26, 2011 by Simon & Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

The Actual Review:

We’ll Always Have Summer is the third book in Jenny Han’s the Summer Series. I have written a review for the first two books The Summer I Turned Pretty and It’s Not Summer Without You and could be found here and here.

I started reading the first book of the series because of the reason that Jenny Han is coming here to the Philippines – in fact I am writing this as while I am currently falling in line at the actual book signing. And let me tell you, I never expected to actually like the book, let alone to acquire so much FEELS from the last one. I was literally rolling on my bed as soon as I was done with the last page.

We’ll Always Have Summer started off two years after the events of the second book, and from the first chapter, we already see that Jeremiah and Belly are now a solid couple. The two of them are so sweet and that you could really see them really loving each other, but ever since it was revealed that Jeremiah messed up big time, we can see that their relationship went pretty much downhill from there.

I kinda got peeved at Jeremiah during most parts of the book; I know that Jeremiah provides us comic relief for the series, but there are times when his nonchalance really got on my nerves. You could really see Belly going on and about being stressed out because the pressure of the wedding is getting into her, and then when she would go to Jeremiah for some decisions about the wedding, he would just give her some blasé comment.

I love Belly in We’ll Always Have Summer; we really saw her grow and mature as a character. Although there were some parts of the book that I question her judgement on things at hand, I’m really happy that she’s no longer that whiny, immature girl who thinks that being mature means looking mature and not acting like one.

I really enjoyed the POV’s of Conrad throughout the book. We learn how he’s been coping up these past two years Belly has been with Jeremiah. Everything is filled with angst as he goes through this ordeal of falling with his brother’s fiancé. I am really a huge sucker when it comes to angst so it was Conrad’s POV that drove me over the edge in this book which left me giving this book a really high rating.

Plot-wise the book is good, it has a good enough plot, enough to keep me reading; it doesn’t have that forced feel to it that some books have.

Overall, We’ll Always Have Summer is a jarring and engrossing read that will keep readers up until the early hours of down and won’t even notice it. I’m giving the book another Brazen Book Star because of the intense FEELS!!!

My Rating:

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Roaring Reviews: It's Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han

Title: It's Not Summer Without You
Author: Jenny Han
Publication Date: April 27, 2010 by Simon & Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

The Actual Review:

It's Not Summer Without You is the second book to the Summer series, A review of the first book, The Summer I Turned Pretty, could be seen here.

I found myself liking the second book way more than the first one in the series. The pacing was better; the circumstances were more jarring; the main protagonist was more tolerable compared to the first book.  In other words, It’s Not Summer Without You will keep you glued to your seat, not knowing that you’ve gone through already a hundred or so pages.

The book, in contrast to the first one, was told in two perspectives. We had Belly’s traditional PoV, and we have a new one, Jeremiah’s – which I actually found to my liking. The PoV’s of Jeremiah gave me a deeper understanding to his personality, how he feels, and his sibling bond with Conrad, and especially about his father. The characters are also a lot more angstier, the collateral of the reason why they didn’t go to the beach house that summer. 

I also loved the fact that Jenny Han revealed to us the vulnerable side of all characters, especially Jeremiah’s. We saw that while Conrad and Belly had others to rely, Jeremiah had none. But even though all these kind of shit is happening all around him, he still kept that Jeremiah attitude that we all learned to love. 

Belly became a little more mature in this book; though she could still annoy the hell out of me from time to time, it made the entire reading experience more bearable, than to have her whining complaining about being ostracized from the boys’ group. She does whine still; she acts immature but on a completely less extent that the first time we’ve met her.

Conrad is the most angst driven, not to mention the most enigmatic character. It’s already the second book, and I still don’t know what makes him tick! Throughout the book he would be really nice to Belly and show that he still likes her, and then suddenly hide behind the cold hard exterior he’s made.

Another character that I didn’t expect to suddenly love was Belly’s mom, Lauren. We know she has this calm, cool under pressure personality, but we get to see her become a total badass in one part of the book. 

Another thing I liked in the book was the romance. The romance was well timed, got better and even more complex. We see this whole love triangle growing around these three that were planted in the first book. 

Overall, It’s Not Summer Without You is a really good read, and although I lacks that certain je ne sais quoi that constitutes an amazingly perfect book, it’s still a quickly paced, light read that you might enjoy while waiting for the rain to pour itself out while you’re stuck in the house, bored out of one’s mind.

My Rating: 

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Roaring Reviews: The Summer I turned Pretty, by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Publication Date:May 5, 2009 by Simon & Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

The Actual Review:

I never had any plans reading this book, but since it became official that Jenny Han is going to the Philippines this upcoming June 21, I tried to insert all of her books into my Summer Reading List, and one of those happens to be The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Let me start off by saying: I never expected myself to actually like this book! When this was on my mandatory reading pile, I already had 2 meters worth of bandage beside me, ready to apply to my head for those times I wanted to hit my head at the wall. Because seriously, The Summer I Turned Pretty? The title itself makes your eyes want to barf, instead of making of making it go through the book.

I loved the romance parts of the book; everything was so fluffy and cute, I sometimes catch myself grinning while I’m in a public place. And nothing – I mean nothing – is more awkward than to have some stranger look at the sight of you goofily grinning at a book, when the title says The Summer I Turned Pretty!

Character wise, I also enjoyed the book, there are just some characters of this book you can’t help but simply adore. I liked how Jeremiah cracked his jokes; the brooding detachment of Conrad, even though sometimes you can’t help but hate him for being such a total dick; how Susannah was more than a second mother to Belly; Cam Cameron’s adorkable temperament; I even found Steven likable even though I don’t know how he fits in the entire picture.

However, as likable most of the characters of this book are, I really hated the main protagonist. Belly I just found throughout the book to be incredibly whiny. She goes on and on how things doesn’t go the way she likes them to, and how often she was ostracized from the guys. I also found her character very immature. She believes that a person’s maturity is the effect of how that person looks physically. Belly kept pressing the buttons of my patience throughout the totality of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it’s the side characters that kept me from chucking this book at a wall.

The romance was decent; the characters were likable – albeit some will constantly irk you to death –; the plot was mediocre. Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is your average light read, filled with a dash of humor.

My Rating:

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Roaring Reviews: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Publication Date: January 10, 2012 by Dutton Books
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

The Actual Review:

YA Contemporary books had never been one of my strong suits. I find it very inconceivable to imagine myself lounging on some bed that had seen better days, reading some realistic contemporary fiction.

Now, all of you might now be wondering, if I dislike YA Contemporary that much, why did I even bother pick up The Fault in Our Stars? Like many of the neophytes to this fandom, I tried this book because of the upcoming movie produced by 20th Century Fox; another reason I decided to pick this up, is because of that obligatory urge to read TFiOS who was infamous for breaking so many hearts. I wouldn't mind. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by it.

And break my heart, it did!

I kinda got bored with the entire book that is The Fault in Our Stars. Although true, it did contain a lot of metaphors, both implicit and explicitly stated, it felt that during the entire span of my read, I found myself trying to contemplate more at the metaphors rather than the content per se of the book; and in doing so, I cannot help but think that the entire book is founded upon sophistry. The book would suddenly get deep and highly philosophical that if you’re reading it around the wee hours of 2-3 AM you’d find yourself reading the very same line over and over again, endeavoring to extract meaning from the text. Even when you’re wide awake, you’d still have difficulty in drawing out some sense from the said lines.

The most relatable character in the book would be Isaac. And although Isaac’s main role in the book is to provide some sort of comic relief, he would be the person whom you’d immediately get drawn towards to, because when the other main protagonists would get too pretentious formulating metaphors and philosophies, he would be the first person whom you can rely on to not analyze the content of his words. You’d find them become some sort of reprieve in contrast to Hazel and Gus’s words which leaves you more confused than before at the end of the day.

I didn’t seem to receive even an ounce of FEELS from the romance aspect of this book – or any FEELS whatsoever-, which I found as a humongous surprise because it doesn’t take a lot for me to ship two characters from the moment they set their eyes upon each other. I was waiting for that stupid grin of mine to take form at the corners of my mouth when you catch the two characters do something fluffy, and unfortunately that grin - that I was so hoping for - didn’t come.

Pushing these thoughts aside, The Fault in Our Stars was an okay read. I would recommend it to people would enjoy thought-provoking ideas about the purpose of our existence in our world.

My Rating:

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To my awesome friend who made sure that this review made a coherent thought when I wrote it during the hours of 4-6 AM, for that I thank you. :D

Roaring Reviews: Fire with Fire, by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Title: Fire with Fire
Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Publication Date: September 13, 2013 by Simon and Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...

The Actual Review:

This is the second in the Burn for Burn trilogy by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian. My review of Burn for Burn could be found here.

The book starts off two months after the events of Burn for Burn, and hell does the plot gets waaay thicker! Just when the girls think they got the better of Rennie and Reeve, the two of them come back meaner than ever.

It took time for me to finish this book; I felt that most of the chapters written here were just fillers lengthening the word count book. Nonetheless I still liked it. We get more intimate with all the characters, just when you think you’re prepared to abhor them for the rest of your life Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian pull this trick that makes you suddenly want to curl up with the characters, repeating the words “It’s alright, I understand you now” like a mantra.

We get to finally see a more vulnerable side to Kat in this book, about her repressed grief about her mom, why she really wants to get to Oberlin. Another character that I have grown to like in this was most definitely Reeve. We start to hate him at the first few parts of the books, being a total dick to everyone, but as the book progresses, we get to see remorse in his actions how he thinks he deserves what he’s going through right now. We could also see how he’s willing to change because of a girl he really likes, and how much he’s going to sacrifice just to keep her out of harm’s way. And Mary! Mary scared the living hell out of me in this book! We finally figured out what makes her snap, what makes her tick. We managed to unveil some of the mysterious fog that surrounds her, making us understand why she’s really bent into this revenge for this guy.

Overall, Fire with Fire is a good read, filled with deep, well written characters whom you, as a reader, can’t help but empathize with.

My Rating

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Roaring Reviews: Of Neptune, by Anna Banks

Title: Of Neptune

Author: Anna Banks

Publication Date: May 13, 2014 by Feiwel and Friends

Format: Hardback

Plot Synopsis:

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.

The Actual Review: 

Hi guys! Of Neptune is the third and final installment to Anna Bank's Syrena Legacy. I have also made spoiler free Roaring Reviews about the first and second books which could be found here: Of Poseidon, and Of Triton.

I felt that this book wasn’t in tandem with the previous ones. There seemed to be that cold detachment I can’t help but have while reading this, from the characters to the plot itself, not to mention that I can’t seem to connect and empathize with the characters like I had with the first and second books, thus hindering me from fully appreciating it. 

Another thing that didn’t quite match my expectations was Emma. Okay, book recap! Emma in the first two books can’t be easily pot into submission, even if that unrelenting force is Galen. Another thing is that we see the extent of her badassness in Of Triton commandeering a battalion of marine life to bring into the Syrena. 

However, when it came into Of Neptune I can’t help but notice the sudden change in Emma. She failed to show us her indomitable temperament; it really irked me that she depended on most of the people when push comes to shove. I can’t really help but get bored by her points of view all with the action that’s happening to Galen. 

Galen’s points of view on the other hand, are the ones that kept the book going; he never disappointed me. Not one bit! He has all the action and suspense going on in his parts, I would even find myself looking forward to his points of view than Emma’s listless ones. 

I would have preferred that Syrena Legacy stayed as a duology rather a trilogy, considering that Of Triton already had a nice ending. But fans of Anna Banks would still love this last, and final installment especially with that perfect epilogue, that will sweep the fans of their feet if it haven't already. 

My Rating:

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Roaring Reviews: Burn For Burn, by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Title: Burn for Burn

Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Publication Date: September 18, 2012 by Simon and Schuster

Format: Trade Paperback

Plot Synopsis:

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds. 

But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong. 

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate. 

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

The Actual Review

I never had any plans reading this book for the summer of 2014, actually; but since it became official that Jenny Han is going to the Philippines this upcoming June 21, I tried to insert all of her books into my Summer Reading List. Not to mention that my friend told me to start off with Burn for Burn since it's set like Michelle Hodkin's Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, which I devoured every page of, I decided to accelerate my plans for binge reading all of Jenny's books - as if the upcoming book signing wasn't incentive enough. 

The book started off showing the lives of our three girls in Jar Island, alternating between their points of views. And although the book started off quite slow, the characters still manage to pique the reader’s interest, disabling him to chuck the book to the nearest incinerator. 

The character development was not bad in this in this book, but although overshadowed by the drama of their intrigue. We see Mary start to grow a backbone, who slowly but surely standing up for herself; there’s Kat, whose cold hard exterior starts to thaw at the middle of the book; then Liliah, who also like Mary, developed a backbone, standing up for herself more. 

Another good thing I loved about this book is that you, as the reader, can’t help but to empathize and sympathize with the people our girls are trying to enact their revenge upon. Making you really question yourself if the girls have really gone too far with their sweet revenge. 

Overall I would recommend this book to big fans of chick-lit, who loves a dash of intrigue and revenge to spice things up. 

My Rating

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