AUTHOR : Sarah J. Maas
PAGES : 432
GENRE : Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Fiction
PUBLISHED : Bloomsbury USA Children's on August 7th 2012
FORMAT : Kindle
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SYNOPSIS :
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
REVIEW :
To all those of you who actually helped me finish this, thank you! You were right. I like this. This book wasn't anything what I expected It to be and that is why, maybe, I'm a bit disappointed, and at the same time I'm impressed.
""I'm Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's Assasin. If these men me who I was, they'd stop laughing. I'm Celaena Sardothien. I'm going to win. I will not be afraid."
Meet Celaena Sardothien, the most arrogant girl you'll ever meet in Erilea. When I started reading this book, I expected a heroine, who did much more than just kill. But, the only thoughts Celaena Sardothien had in mind was how to kill the extremely handsome Captain of The Guard or the extremely charming (and arrogant) Crown Prince of Adarlan. I've never met a character with the most conflicting thoughts ever. One minute, she is arguing and fighting with Chaol, and the next minute, she wants to kill him. One minute, she is thinking about her extraordinary looks and how she has degraded into a mere slave girl and the next minute, she talks about her pride in scars. Well, she needs to control her thoughts.
Her love for both Chaol and Dorian is of another level. She clearly loves Dorian, but she pines for Chaol's presence and attention.
Yet there were times when she turned into a complete badass.
“My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.”
Even though, I was not impressed by the protagonist, other characters like Nehemia, Chaol, Elena and Dorian totally won my heart. Their contribution to the total badassery of this novel would be the reason why I stuck with this till the end.
I LOVED THE PLOT.
Twists and turns only added to its awesomeness. I loved the world of Throne of Glass so much that I almost imagined myself living inside them, watching Celaena and her proceedings. Sarah J. Maas writes good, very good. Not perfect, yet it had a charm that made me want to read more. I'm one of those who read A Court Of Thorns and Roses before Throne of Glass and I have to say, I was wrong when I said, her writing is bad. Throne of Glass showed a better view into her writing.
All I can say is, I'm definitely reading the next one, soon enough!
MY RATING :
AUTHOR : F. Scott Fitzgerald
PAGES : 200
GENRE : Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Society
PUBLISHED : Prakash Book Depot in 2013
FORMAT : Paperback
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SYNOPSIS :
The Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the 'roaring twenties' and a devastating exposé of the shallowness of the 'Jazz Age'. Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the reader is taken into the superficially glittering world of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore in the 1920's, to encounter Nick's cousin Daisy, her brash but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the dark mystery which surrounds him.
The Great Gatsby is an undisputed classic of American literature from the period following the First World War, and is one of the great novels of the twentieth century.
REVIEW :
Considered one of the best in the American literature, it is supposed to be the greatest novels ever written, yet, it didn't manage to impress me as it should have. Call it over hyped, or disappointing, I could not enjoy this story much. It was boring to the last bit and even though, towards the end, I did find myself interested, the "interesting" part died down immediately.
The book shows an insight into the Jazz Age, and even though, I could get a good picture of the extravagant parties and the kind of life lived in those times, the events did not make much impact on me. Classics usually leave a big influence on me and I expected a magic here, but no sort of magic worked. Just a few bunch of adults partying and crying over lost love - BORING!
Daisy and Gatsby love is supposed to the best, but sorry, I refuse. Daisy is whiny and a coward. Honestly, if she had any love for him, she'd have done something more than shout at Tom. She was full of empty threats for Tom, her husband. The characters, Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway, who is the narrator were the only impressive characters, the only sort who had some sense in them.
I didn't care one bit for Jordan Baker, or Myrtle Wilson. Really, they weren't even important.
I can't really say I enjoyed it. Yet, I would re-read this again sometime soon, because everyone seems to love it, maybe, re-read some other time might change my views.
MY RATING :
AUTHOR : Neil Gaiman
PAGES : 272
GENRES : Young Adult, Fantasy, Adult Fiction,
PUBLISHED : Headline Publishing Group on June 14th 2014
FORMAT : Paperback
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SYNOPSIS :
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.
REVIEW :
My first Neil Gaiman book and I'm impressed. This is the kind of book which gives you heart-breaks while reading and a smile after finishing it. The way Neil Gaiman described the story through the eyes of a mere seven year old boy, with such precision and details,left me speechless. The boy, (whose name incidentally we never knew) is an introvert, who loves reading and living in his own world than spend time with reality. Lettie Hempstock who claims to be eleven and clearly isn't, Ginnie Hempstock, her mother, and Old Mrs. Hempstock, who is such a badass woman, adds to the mysterious setting of the novel.
The concept is still giving me goosebumps.
The book portrays human nature and it's fears in a vivid, beautiful, but at the same time creepy way. The world of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is full of magical, mythical creatures and the way a seven year old describes them is splendid. There was a point in the book when I actually felt a bit scared and actually longing for the comfort of my mother. No, it wasn't scary, but when you read the book through the boy's perspective, it does seem terrifying.
This book is everything I wanted in my childhood, magic, adventure, fighting childhood fears and again, magic!
I felt like it was a bit boring in the middle, when nothing much was happening but otherwise, enjoyed it a lot.
I'm not going to write much, because not much can be said about it.
Fantastic book and I will be reading more of Neil Gaiman's books.
MY RATING :
AUTHOR : Becky Albertalli
PAGES : 320
GENRE : Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, LGBT, Romance
PUBLISHED : Balzer + Bray on April 7th 2015
FORMAT : Kindle
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SYNOPSIS:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
REVIEW:
All I want to do right now is go find Simon Spier and Bram Greenfield and give them a hug; a long crushing hug with all the freaking love in it. Simon, oh Simon. You adorable guy, you awkward, sassy adorable guy. If Simon hadn't been a fictional character, I'd have totally travelled to Georgia and just be simply friends with him. I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with the kid?
When I first saw the cover of the book, I immediately added the book on Goodreads and I searched for a copy everywhere in India, in the end I just bought it on Kindle. And I'm so glad I did it. If I hadn't read this book, I might have ended up sad and lonely.
The best part about the book is the romance between Simon and Blue. How cute are their emails? As you read through the book, you feel all emotions, you go from "Aww" to "Hahaha lol" to "omg, they are the cutest". My chest exploded from all the cute radiating from the book. I cannot read past their emails without a big smile on my face. They are just amazingly cute.
And his family? I wouldn't say no to a cool family like his. They are the craziest bunch, but like the "good" crazy, where you just laugh with them (and on them) for their craziness. I love his friends too. They are the most normal, loving friends who would do anything to keep each other happy.
“People really are like house with vast rooms and tiny windows. And maybe it's a good thing, the way we never stop surprising each other.”
This book is going to be my official "read-this-book-when-you're-sad" book. Reading this, literally, gave me a warm hug.
AUTHOR : Rainbow Rowell
PAGES : 335
GENRES : Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
PUBLISHED : St. Martin's Griffin on February 26th 2013
FORMAT : Kindle Edition
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SYNOPSIS:
Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.
REVIEW:
When I first picked up this book, I wasn't sure I'd like it. Young Adult and Contemporary weren't the genres I was particularly interested in trying and this was probably the first of those genres. Romance weren't giving me any good results too. But, still, I went ahead with the Kindle edition, and boy, was I stumped.
The story is narrated from the perspectives of the two protagonists, Eleanor and Park. Both of them misfits in their own way, find solace in each other. Eleanor, bundled up with her family issues and bullying in school, finds her peace with the bus ride with Park, who is a semi-Asian kid, living in Omaha. Park finds himself to be an outsider in many ways, more like a nerd kind of way.
Family background.
Eleanor comes from a poverty-stricken family, and she has to share her room with her four siblings. Her step-father is an alcoholic and believes in domestic violence. She lives in constant fear and hatred towards him.
On the other hand, Park comes from an extremely heavenly family, with a loving father and mother and understanding younger brother. But he feels like he is not loved and appreciated by his father.
I totally love the way family problems is introduced and described in this novel.
The Bus Rides and The Comic Books.
Now, there is an element of insta-love in this. When Eleanor starts to read Park's comic books over his shoulder on the bus, they instantly find each other to be similar in many ways. Mix tapes were exchanged, comic books were given, and love started brewing up in their life. But, the way the romance was developed was not clear, and it seemed like it came out of nowhere. So, that was a big disappointment for me.
The Ending.
I love those books which end in a way where you get to guess what happened next, more like an open ending. This ended in a non-cliched way, and I'm happy about it.
Now, if you ask me, this was definitely a lovable, light read. If you haven't read it yet, then you should because it's totally worth it.
MY RATING:
AUTHOR :
PAGES :
GENRES : Historical Fiction, War, Young Adult
PUBLISHER : Speak on April 3rd 2012
FORMAT : Hardcover
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SYNOPSIS:
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.
REVIEW:
When we read a book, we feel ourselves fall deeply into its world and it's difficult for us to cope up with real life for a long time. We all experience them in our lives at some point of time, with at least one book. This book is an example for me. I had to be constantly reminded of my life and it's activities because I found myself drawn into the war-struck world of Lithuania, into the life of Lina Vilkas and her family.
Lina Vilkas is a very strong character who fights for her life as she travels from her home in Lithuania to become a slave in Siberia. Her mother, Elena, who is an equally strong and lovable woman, helps her think straight and look after her 10-year-old brother, Jonas.
The story which unfolds from the viewpoint of Lina is a very harsh description of the lives of millions of people who were deported and arrested and even killed when Russians tried to take over the Baltics. It describes the realities of a war-struck country and the difficulties they had to endure to keep themselves alive.
The characters introduced are aptly shown and I could feel despair and sadness each of them felt. The way the story takes shape is beautiful, yet cruel. The daily struggles were so full of life, that I could feel myself being in a cattle truck and experiencing everything Lina did.
There are some heartbreaking quotes in this book, and one of my favourites was
“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch.”
The story was a bit boring and even stretched by the middle of the book, but it quickly took up pace and things were back on track.
The background love story between Andrius and Lina fascinated me and I loved it how it was portrayed.
“Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness. There's love and emotion trying to express itself, but at the time, it just ends up being awkward.”
I'm recommending this to everybody, even if they don't like Historical fiction, because there is so much to learn from them.
MY RATING:
AUTHOR : Morgan Matson
PAGES : 449
GENRES : Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Friendship, Fiction
PUBLISHER : Simon & Schuster on May 6th 2014
FORMAT : Paperback
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SYNPOSIS :
It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
REVIEW :
Even though I love contemporaries with romance and happiness, I have a special place in my heart, for contemporaries with mystery and suspense. Since You've Been Gone has been one beautiful journey. Even though it started a bit slow for me, things finally started happening after one fourth of the book. Each of the items in the list were so imaginative and crazy, that I felt jealous because I didn't have a friend like Sloane.
Emily is a shy girl, who has spent her entire school like in her best friend Sloane's shade. Nobody in school know her as Emily, but as Sloane's friend. The way Emily is portrayed in this book is definitely relatable, and I'm sure there are hundreds of girls out there, who'd rather remain invisible than do impulsive things.
Sloane, on the other hand, is the girl who give no freaking damn to the world, and live every moment of her life to the fullest. Yet, she was mysterious in her own way, and it was clear by the middle of the story, that she is keeping secrets from Emily.
When Sloane disappears from Emily's life one summer before school, Emily is left with a list in her hand, and no friends. As the story proceeds, she learns a lot of things, about love, friendship, and second chances. She meets Dawn, a pizza delivery girl and whose friendship instantly kicks off. She becomes friends with Frank and Collins, her schoolmates who helped her complete the list. And, and the romance which develops between Frank and Emily is just so beautiful. I appreciate a romance which has chemistry between the protagonists, and this one just gave me smiles throughout the book.
I'll definitely say this is the best contemporary I've read in a while, and I recommend it to all Rainbow Rowell fans.
MY RATING:
