SHATTER ME- TAHEREH MAFI

TITLE: SHATTER ME

AUTHOR: TAHEREH MAFI

SERIES:  SHATTER ME #1

RATING: ★★★★

SUMMARY:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

REVIEW:

Do you guys love X-MEN? I am asking this because this dystopian book just turned out to be somewhat like the x-men...With all those powers, and how to control them and the same old…SAVE THE WORLD.

I have mixed opinions about this book. I don’t hate it neither do I love it…its somewhere in the middle.

So the story starts with our world in future getting shattered with people dying and the population of earth declining due to diseases, lack of food , and the change of the atmospheric condition..Where the ozone layer is deteriorating and the clouds seem to be of a different color.

Our female protagonist Juliette is locked up in a prison for the last 264 days. It is because she has a lethal and toxic touch, a touch that can kill people. So she is locked up because she did kill a person by mistake. Locked up in prison, she gets a new cellmate Adam. Who happens to be her childhood acquaintance.

The Reestablishment are the people who are in charge of this whole new world and they promise to bring humanity from the edge of starvation and downfall. But the problem arises when you know that they lock up Juliette not for the safety of people but instead to torture others with Juliette as a weapon.

The writing was really interesting. I liked how the author made the use of strike out words; it was refreshing to read something like that. We come to know what’s inside Juliette’s head and that make this whole experience of reading really personal and real because we even know what is going on in her subconscious mind. One thing I didn’t like about the writing is the use of unnecessary lines and metaphors some of which are baseless and I didn't even understand what they mean. 

His gaze is fixed on me: calm, unflappable; 2 buckets of river water at midnight.  I’d like to cry into his eyes.”

Hate looks just like everybody else until it smiles.  Until it spins around and lies with lips and teeth carved into the semblance of something too passive to punch.”

There are so many more lines like that.( understand what i mean)

The characters of the book:

Juliette: she is the main female lead protagonist. she is troubled ..yes I mean lock me up in a cell for 264 days ..And I would be more troubled then her.

She is not like troubled in the sense that she has a mental problem or something, she just thinks that she is monster that she should just be killed and there is nothing good about her. And she thinks all these not only because she is locked up in prison but also because she never was close to humanity, she didn't have friends, her parents sent her away...She never touched anyone and when she did it killed him. Still she comes across as someone very patient and brave.

Adam: Adam is the sweet guy. At the beginning I felt he was the bad one but he had reasons to behave that way… ok NO SPOILERS. OK so there is a bit of insta-love aspect but not really because Adam and Juliette have known each other from a long time, even though they did not talk. He is caring, sweet but somehow I am not so into him as a character he seems too predictable, and too perfect.

Warner: This guy was my favorite character of the book. Warner is the son of the leader of the reestablishment. He is creepy and there is very suspense element that I get every time I read about him. His comments and conversations are really fun and twisted and not cliché and this made me like him as a character more and I wanted to learn more of him and his past.

He is very obsessed with Juliette; at times I am confused if he likes her or her power.

 I seriously like..SERIOUSLY…Want to see how his relationship with Juliette turns out to be.

There is a great deal of romance and also a love triangle, which I think would be further more developed in the second book…so for all the dystopian fans who liked action more than romance …WARNING.. this book has a lot of romance, it has equal share of action but I think that the story line is more inclined to romance and so is our female lead…

It was a good book and I loved how Juliette as a character grew and she finally understood that she has a gift and not a curse and she left behind her insecurities and began to think that she is not a monster and that she deserves friends, love and human connections.

Everything was good until the ending…when I got the whole deal of X-MEN zest to it..i seriously hope the sequel doesn’t turn out to be in some super hero format..

Overall it was a good read, I would definitely check out the sequel because I am pretty curious as to what happens next…..

♥♥♥

“I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.” 

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” 
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

CLOCKWORK ANGEL- CASSANDRA CLARE

TITLE: CLOCKWORK ANGEL
AUTHOR: CASSANDRA CLARE
SERIES: INFERNAL DEVICES- BOOK 1
PUBLISHER: WALKER BOOKS
RATING:★★★★

Summary:

MAGIC IS DANGEROUS- BUT LOVE IS DANGEROUS STILL

When sixteen-year-old Tessa gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gas lit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn even deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by – and torn between – two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

REVIEW:

The story takes places in 1870s during Victorian times.  I was pretty hesitant to read this book since I prefer futuristic books or dystopian more to the books which takes place in the past. But surprise...Surprise I liked this book a lot. It is a steam punk novel, for those of you who don’t know what a steam punk novel is, it is basically the stories which takes place in the past but have high expertise and technology which is very ahead of its time, which I thought was wonderful to read about.

Tessa gray who is our female lead protagonist leaves New York to go to live with her brother in London. Upon her arrival she is greeted not by her brother but the DARK SISTERS, they take hostage of her and she is trained to use her ability, which she did not even know she possessed. The ability to shape shift.  Oh..Yes this girl here has the knack to SHAPE SHIFT, pretty cool isn't it. So the dark sisters train her to deliver her to the Magister who wants to use her ability for reason unknown, though presumably for evil reasons.

But Tessa is rescued by a group of shadow hunters, all shadow hunters descended from an archangel Raziel; they are warriors who are devoted to fight the demons and the evil  to maintain tranquility and stability. She finds herself taking refuge with the shadow hunters at their residence which is the London institute. Meanwhile she searches for her missing brother and lives with the shadow hunters and she grows close to two of the shadow hunters of her age i.e. Will and Jem.

Yeah and there starts a beautiful, heartwarming love triangle with romance that make you flutter and all wound-up.

The characters of the book are quite amazing, even the secondary characters have a different story of them going on which is a plus. I really cared a lot about the characters, I couldn’t connect that well with the characters because It was written in 3^rd person narrative and I prefer 1^st person narrative more.

Tessa is portrayed as a strong witty and smart character and really mature. There are some instances where I found her rather annoying but rest of the time she was ok. She is not the strongest female lead that I have read about but she is smart she uses her ability and her brain very nicely (read the book and you’ll know why I am saying this.)

Will: He is sarcastic. Like whenever he opens his mouth he is mostly spitting out sarcastic and mocking comments. But he is very playful, good-humored and mischievous, but I loved his bad boy charms..(M OBSESSED WITH FICTIONAL BAD BOYS) As a male lead he was very fun to read about and he is amusing.

Jem: He is the type of guy most women want…All sugary and charming and equally lovable and a perfect Gentlemen.  OOOOOOO…..

The story was really engaging, the first 100 pages or so was slow paced but trust me guys...You won’t keep that book down after that. The twist and small surprises were wonderful.

I loved the world building, it had so much of history and it was fun to read it. Its pure fiction. 

We have other supernatural creatures like:

 Faeries - who are half demon and half angel, and have great beauty and evil nature.

Werewolves and vampires- they are humans infected with demon disease

Warlocks -who are direct offspring of humans and demons.

It was a fun read….

♥♥♥♥

“It's all right to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.” 
― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

Beautiful disaster- Jamie McGuire

Title: beautiful disaster

Author: Jamie McGuire

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Summary:

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match

Review:

Phoof… this book was intense. I read this book within four hours in a stretch, like some crazy madcap.

Beautiful disaster is basically a book about Abby’s and Travis relationship when everything tries to pull them apart, Abby’s dark past and Travis with his huge temper and possessiveness.

Ok so the book starts with Abby and her best friend visiting a fight club where she stumbles upon Travis Maddox who is a fighter and fights in fight clubs. Travis calls her by the name PIGEON …(yeah odd name right). The book is about Abby and travis relationship and its written from Abby’s point of view , and I really like books written in first person narrative, I feel more connected to the characters.

I pretty much liked the characters of the book.

Abby: She is someone who has left her dark past to start a new beginning. She comes across as a very  naive person. Initially she avoids Travis, which made him want her even more, but slowly friendship blossomed between them but she doesn’t realize that Travis loves her..She is like clueless about it, there were times when I felt like slamming her head and telling her to see that how much Travis loves her. Eventually though see sees through it..

Travis: I loved him….i would do anything to have someone like him.he was so dedicated and loyal to the people he loved, be it abby , his family or even his roommate shepley. I loved this quality about him.

Yes he is possessive and there is also an instance when he is out of his mind and he trashes his place, but I wouldn't count him as an abusive person because a lot of people break things when they angry, its true ,it vents out their anger and stress. But he was never violent to Abby in the book like NEVER…yes he was possessive but never violent. I was very jealous of Abby.(I still am)

America & Shepley   : She was very preppy and i LOVED both of them, they were good combo. Their relationship was sweet and nice. Shepley was very supportive of travis and same goes for America, she too took her stands for Abby all the time even if it was against shepley.

The name of the book is BEAUTIFUL DISASTER its perfectly justified because their relationship was crazy..they were crazy about each other, and sometimes it was just INSANE..

 Their relationship was not easy it was really intense and full of angst and jealousy. .Yes there are some things which may seem to be questionable in real life relationship and it may raise the red flags but this is FICTION, and in fiction this counts to passion and zeal. Btw who doesn’t love bad boys heads over heels in love with one special girl, at least I do….

Their relationship was not perfect, but so what. They both together bring out the best of themselves and I think that’s the beauty of a relationship. This book is a roller coaster ride, you’ll enjoy it and would be hooked to it till you turn the last page. So buy it..

Walking disaster review coming shortly.. which is from trvais POV…swooning over him…

*SWEALLLLLLLLLLL*

❤❤

“I know we're fucked up, alright? I'm impulsive, and hot tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then need me the next. I never get anything right, and I don't deserve you...but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I loved anyone or anything ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stand.

❤❤

“You can’t tell me
what to do anymore, Travis! I don’t belong to you!”
In the second it took him to turn and face me, his
expression had contorted into anger. He stomped toward
me, planting his hands on the bed and leaning into my face.
“WELL I BELONG TO YOU!” The veins in his neck
bulged as he shouted, and I met his glare, refusing to even
flinch. He looked at my lips, panting. “I belong to you.” 
― Jamie McGuire, Beautiful Disaster

THE DUFF- KODY KEPLINGER

 Title: The DUFF
 Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
 Author:  Kody Keplinger
 Rating: ❤❤❤❤♡
     
Summary :

Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she is the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “DUFFY, “ she throws coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape throws herself into closeted enemies- with – benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

LOVED IT....

THE DUFF is about a girl named Bianca and about her life. By Duff I don’t mean Hillary duff, here duff refers to “Designated Ugly Fat Friend”.
 The story starts with Bianca, and her friends Casey and Jessica hanging out in a teen lounge, which is their usual place for hangout. This is when Wesley Rush approaches her saying her that she is the DUFF of her group of friends, which means she was the ugliest of her group of friends. After which Bianca poured coke all over him…now that’s what I like.( And how in real life can a man be so rude)

I was so sure that I would not like Wesley after he so patently called a person with such a name.
Bianca starts hating Wesley more than ever. But she can’t help but question herself if whatever Wesley said was true. She starts to look at things differently; she compares herself with her friends who are totally opposite to her.
 She describes both of them as tall, blonder, slender and beautiful, straight from the cover of teen vogue.

Bianca also happens to have family problems, her parents are getting divorced and her dad lapsing back to alcohol. Her x bf is back and to get away from all this, she distracts herself by using Wesley..You heard me right. She uses Wesley as an escape from all her troubles only to find out that she is falling in love with him. But this realization doesn't come abruptly but through subtle transition and growth of their relationship together.

 I really loved all the characters of this book.

 Bianca Piper was a character I admired. She was honest and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Her honesty was really admirable, there are instances in the story when she realizes her mistake and is honest about it and not in a denial. As the story stepped forward Bianca slowly started realizing that facing the problem is the key and not escaping them. As a character she grows and develops till the very end of the story.

 Wesley Rush …hmm I have mixed feelings about him. First half of the book I detested him. He came across as a rude man-whore who sleeps with anything that moves, but later on we come to know that his actions too is a result of him escaping his family problems. I connected a bit with him and found myself rooting for him too. But not much is given about the problems that Wesley faces with his family.

Casey Blithe is Bianca’s best friend and she is the kind of best friend everyone would love to have. She can look at Bianca and tell if she has any trouble. She gives great advice's, and always stands beside her friends.

Jessica Gaither is the innocent girl. She was like their sunshine and she always was giggly and bouncy. Her character is really relatable too.

Toby Tucker is the guy Bianca had a crush for a long time. He comes across as an intelligent, politically active and socially awkward kind of guy. I think Bianca liked him because it was safe sometimes we girls choose what’s safe and easy as opposed to someone who she liked but couldn't admit because he was different. Change can be scary for some people.

 This story was great .A DUFF doesn't have to be someone ugly they are just the person who are less noticeable then the others in the group. I think Bianca was beautiful just that she was oblivious to that. Everyone feels like a DUFF sometime. Those who have curly hair wants to have straight hair,someone who is size 2 wants to become size 0 and someone of size 4 wants to become size 2 ,Because no one is perfect .

 It doesn't matter if you’re a DUFF because true friends will stay with you no matter what. Friendship can last through all the ups and downs of life. And also with parents, no matter how crooked the relationship gets, we can never hate them and we would always love them and be there for them.


❤  
First:
"Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls. They chase him.”

Then:
“You’re right. Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, and I’m not chasing you”

But in the end:
"Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you" ♥” 
― Kody Keplinger, The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend


Go get this book, yes NOW....

LET IT SNOW- by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Genre: Young Adult
Contemporary Publisher:
Penguin Series: Standalone.
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary: Its Christmas Eve and Gracetown has been buried by snow. But the weather is more
than just an inconvenience. When one girl unexpectedly steps off a stranded train, she
sets off series of life-changing events.

Soon fourteen pumped up cheerleaders will descend on the local waffle house, the
Dukes DVD night will be rudely interrupted for a twister mission, and a lovesick barista
will determine the fate of a single teacup pig...

As the three stories collide, strangers cross paths and romance blossoms with heart
warming consequences.

Let it snow was one of my best winter reads. It is a book with three holiday romances as the cover suggests by three very talented and promising authors. What i really liked about this book was the setting and how each story is connected to the other, and how characters in one story pop up in the other two stories and at the end how the characters all amalgamate and interact with each other.

The first story is "THE JUBILEE EXPRESS" by maureen Johnson. Here we meet jubilee ..yes that's her name and if you want to know why her name sounds like some kind of celebration, hmm read the book you'll find out. As jubilee is getting all prepared to spend her christmas eve which also happens to be the one year anniversary with her boyfriend Noah, she drastically gets a news that her parents are arrested and due to which she's put on a train to go to Florida to her grandparents. In the train she meets Jeb and a group fifteen cheerleaders cult. Due to the snow blizzard the train stops and so she gets off the train and ends up at a waffle house where she meets Stuart...the charming guy who wears plastic..yeah and how they end up together. I personally loved this story the most i loved both jubilee and stuart and how jubilee realized that she deserved better in life and Stuart moving on with life and how mature they become as characters. Jubilee as a character was humorous , witty and fun

The second story is " A cheertastic Christmas miracle " by john green. Here we meet Tobin our protagonist , and his friends JP and Duke whose name is actually Angie.
Its Christmas eve and tobin's parents are not home as they are stuck outside due to the snowstorm and its dukes time for a DVD night but a call from their friend keun informing them about the cheerleaders make both JP and Tobin go to the waffle house and then starts all the adventure and how Tobin and and Angie find out that their friendship is a lot more complicated than it seems. I loved the story its my second favourite and as a character i liked duke a lot and how she takes control.

The third story is "The Patron Saint of Pigs" by Lauren Myracle. The characters here are Addie and Jeb. Addie is shown as a self absorbed girl who is in tears over her breakup with her boyfriend Jeb..This story was my least favorite i didn't quite like the character development , i know its a short story and a lot cant be given out but i still wished if a few more pages were added than maybe we could have connected well enough with the characters and moreover the ending of the story was very abrupt and seemed very rushed. But i loved the tea cup pigs ...it had me googling right after reading the book.

The other characters of the book like the tin foil guy , Stuarts mum were very interesting and humorous to read about.

Let it snow has loads of humor, teenage dramas , love, friendship, breakup and a lot more. It is highly recommended to read it. Its not a serious read but a very light and sweet read which you can read on a lazy winter day with your PJ's on and hot chocolate

❤sentence: “Christmas is never over,unless you want it to be... Christmas is a state of mind.”
― Lauren Myracle, Let it Snow