Tuesday, 23 February 2010
MOVED.
I've moved to:
See ya!
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 9:48 PM
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Steph Su Reads: Blogoversary Giveaway!
Generous, generous!
Steph Su is giving away ARCs and books of your choice (if you're lucky, that is)
HERE in celebration of her blogoversary (the term!). Open until 28th Feb 2010 and international readers can join!
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 11:35 PM
Storywings: 49 Followers Contest
Storywings is giving away many many manyyy books on her site - simply spread the word and of course, be a follower!
I <3 the collection of books she intends to give! So without much ado, click
HERE to learn more and join! Open internationally.
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 11:23 PM
The Eclectic Reader February Lovin' it Giveaway
The Eclectic reader is giving away three books including The Iron King by Julie Kagawa to a lucky follower of her site.
Click
HERE to join!
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 11:03 PM
Teens Read and Write MegaBook Giveaway!
Teens Read and Write are giving away tonsss of amaziing books - the more followers they gain, the more books and more winners!
So kind and generous of them, so why not participate? :)
Click
HERE to join!
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 10:45 PM
Dark Faerie Tales' Book Massacre Giveaway!
Dark Faerie Tales are giving away tons of amaaazing books over
HERE!
Open internationally, and all you have to do is to spread the word and answer the question:
Who is your top 3 favourite couple or love story?
You can be one of the many winners!
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 10:18 PM
Book (of your choice!) giveaway from In which a girl reads!
In which a girl reads (see link on sidebar) is giving away a book of your choice (so long as it's under $20) from The Book Depository!
It's open to Int'l readers, so go join!
Click
HERE to join.
Labels: Giveaway
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 9:32 PM
Friday, 19 February 2010
Book Review: Evermore (Alyson Noël)
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a frak at her new high school - but everything changes when she meets Damen.
Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions that answers. She has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.
I must admit I was a teeny-weeny bit skeptical about this book at first. The blurb at the back sounds too complicated - a damaged girl whose past I thought would take the bulk of the narration - my misconception lasted until the first page, and I am so so glad I read it anyway.
Surprisingly, the complex characters were easy to relate to. The narration was smooth, never draggy and even touching at times. It was such a smooth read, so far from what I thought, that I didn't even realise it was written in the present tense. It just flowed. And I loved it to bits for that, for making such complexities simple.
I absolutely adore the characters (so diverse. I like!) - Miles and Riley in particular - and I am such a sucker for loving siblings and yearning for the dead that I just devoured the book.
The romance - Oh my God - if you, like me, like like like forbidden, mysterious romance with the forbidden, mysterious guy, you would absolutely love it. Damen was such a well-written character with such humorous and unpredictable (not to mention bad-boyish) side that I ended up gushing over each of Ever's and Damen's interactions.
At the end, everything ties up together - all the inconsequential details, the romance, the intrigues, the mysteries - and it's one of those romantic books that sucks you right in and makes you read like hell and takes you into a rollercoaster ride of emotions and a pinch of moral lessons.
I must get Blue Moon (out 5th March in the UK) and Shadowland (WHY is it not in the UK yet???)
Four stars.
Labels: Book Review
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 9:26 PM
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Book Review: Fallen (Lauren Kate)
What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?
After the mysterious fire, 17 year-old Luce's parents send her away to reform school. The grim, harsh, run-down Sword and Cross is a world away from her previous wealthy school, full of high-flyers & socialites.
Luce finds herself instantly & inexplicably drawn to Daniel - gorgeous and intelligent - but she can't help thinking he hates her half the time. Meanwhile there's the charming Cam, who can't do enough for her...
Without realising, Luce is being lured into grave danger. She has no idea of the world which exists in parallel to her own, but is about to find out...
When I saw the cover of Fallen I knew I had to get this book. And that was just the cover - the summary was promising, intriguing and definitely falls under my cup of tea. I have been spending too much on books so I decided to borrow this from the local library instead of purchasing it. So with a lot of expectations already on board, I started, and was teeny-weeny bit disappointed.
Firstly, I loved the prologue. It was very captivating and was for me the most exciting part of the book. It is probably one of, if not the best prologue I have ever read. Brief, romantic and very enthralling.
I didn't particularly enjoy the setting - I cannot relate to Swords and Cross at all. I think it was a brave choice of setting for the author and I applaud the originality. I also think it underscores much of Luce's characters and the fact that she is different. However, although it was easy to delve into the setting I didn't really feel it. The grimness of the whole setting contributed - together with the element of darkness surrounding the fallen angel theme I thought it was a little too much.
However, I did greatly enjoy the characters. Most of them. I loved Penn personally, Arriane and Roland Sparks. I thought they were all well-developed characters even if you don't see them in every page. The only flaw I found was in Daniel and a little in Luce. Daniel seemed so dead in the book - for me comes alive only after the fight with Cam in the library. He hardly shows emotions and the moments when he does, I don't feel it's enough. I almost screamed for more interactions between Luce and Daniel. Easily explained at the end though, because being distant is in fact Daniel's way of saving Luce from an inescapable fate. Still, I would have liked him to show more emotion throughout the book - that would have made the ending, when he was explaining everything a little more gripping. I was just so used to Daniel Grigori being too distant that when he did feel close towards the end, it still felt distanced.
As for Luce - well, I would have done exactly the same thing. I fell for Luce throughout the book because she was so clueless. Alone in a new place, and she hardly even knew herself. It was complicated for her, but she was a really strong character. Lauren Kate has moulded Lucinda Price very well.
Overall, Fallen is a worthy book to read. The plot may seem draggy at times but it weaves together at the end and everything eventually clears. The action sequences were well crafted and believable. The emotions in the book are so raw they seem to lift off the page. The train of thoughts and narration were very consistent and the romance, one-of-a-kind. The whole mystery and concept of fallen angels, wars and secrets were very very strong. Although the twists and climax of the story could have been better, the 'Is-that-it?' factor regarding the whole plot was ignorable. Some may even find it intriguing.
The book stays true to forbidden romance and destiny. The ending makes you crave for more - I, for one, would certainly grab the sequel on its launch day.
Three stars.
Labels: Book Review
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 4:01 PM
All Book Reviews
Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Fallen - Lauren Kate
Evermore -
Alyson Noël
Yours Truly,
Dwayne ; 3:08 PM
