The Unbound

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to ger  her life back. But moving on isn't easy, not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real. When her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's truly safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. Unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything: not only her role as Keeper, but her memories - and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?- Summary from book jacket

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab is the next book after the Archived. I was truly captivated by the book and I didn't want it to end at all. I would love to have this become a longer series because I wanted more of Mackenzie's school life and learn more about Wesley Ayers too. I think it would be exciting to know more about their relationship too. Alas, it had to end and I absolutely loved the ending.

This book is so so good with its plotting and I have to say that even though the start felt slow but it was important to have that pace as the mystery slowly builds up stronger. When the climax of the story comes you would be wowed big time, that's how I felt though. There are more characters introduced this time and I really loved everyone involved in the story. Every character was well written with their interactions with Mac that I so adore. The story flows really well because we have characters such as the ones written in the book. Mac and Wes really captured my attention and I wanted to read more about their progress in the story. Mac is such a strong person who did so well in her struggles.

The actions such as fighting scenes were really well done in the book. The entire concept of the book is so unique in the first place and I wanted to know more secrets. This book is such a page turner just like the first book and if I have to choose which was written better I wouldn't be able to as both books were good. In conclusion, this book was fantastic and I wanted more, the author continues to be my favourite without a doubt. If you love the first, you'll love this one as well. I highly recommend this book to people who love young adult fantasy, action, love and mystery all together, this is the book for you. I heard a rumor that there might be a third book, so fingers crossed.

The Archived

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, sje lies to the people she loves, and knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. 

Being Keeper isn't just dangerous- it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac start to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itsself may crumble and fall. - Summary from book jacket.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab is about a young girl who has a secret job passed down by her grandfather. This book is absolutely fantastic, I couldn't stop reading it at all. This book just grabs your attention and you're trapped having a thrill ride. The plot is so unique and special that it keeps you entertained from start to end. I really love the twist and turns of the book as I could not anticipate anything at all. I love the mystery surrounding the book and how the main character slowly uncovers more to the story.

The other thing to love about the book is the characters where the female character is  a strong person and how she deals with the problems are just so brave and smart. You would not only love the female character, you will fall in love with the male character. I wished there was more of him but it's much of a mystery for him. He is such my type of guy and reading about him just makes you fall for him because of his personality and his actions. The fighting and the action is very well written as writing about fighting scenes is never easy.

The whole world built for the story is also a job well done. It's easy to picture in your mind. The values that are highlighted in the book is also good and it's quite deep but I love it. This book would make very good movie material. I'm so so happy that there is a second book as I couldn't get enough of it. In conclusion, this is a book with a fantastic plot line, memorable characters, haunting world that is a page turner. You won't stop thinking about it if you didn't finish it one shot. When I put down the book, I wanted to dream about it and that's how much I love the story. I highly recommend this book because the author has already captured me with Vicious and this book just made her my favourite author. This is definitely a book worth reading again and again.

To all the boys I've loved before

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved - five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her hear and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.- Excerpt from back of the book

To all the boys I've loved before by Jenny Han is a story about a girl who had her secret love letters sent out to the boys that she used to love by mistake. When I finished this book, this is how I felt "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" in a good way because I wanted more of the book and sadly the sequel is not out till next year spring time. This book is warm, fluffy, cute, funny and all the good happy feelings that you can get. It's really enjoyable because the story is just so cute for a high school teenage girl's love life. 

I especially loved the characters in the book, as they are just so real and the main female lead is so easy to relate to and to care about. Other characters of the book are just as good as well with their personality and their interaction with the female lead. The plot is smooth and moving at a good pace for the characters and there isn't anything that you can predict much from this book. The ending was really good with a suspense that will just make you wished you have the next book. I really could not put down the book until I had something more important to do (like sleeping =P). 

This is the type of young adult romance that I really really adore and love. I have to say that this book reminds me so much of Anna and the french kiss and Lola and the boy next door, not that the story is the same but the feelings that I get from the book. I can just picture myself squealing and jumping like an idiot if I get my hands on the second book. I would highly recommend this book to people who have greatly enjoyed the other books that I mentioned. You will definitely get a good feeling from reading this book and when you think back of the book that feeling lingers in your heart reminding you of warm fuzzy love stories.  

Requiem

Lena managed to help Julian escape his death sentence. when they met up with the others a member of the resistance gave Lena a shock because it was Alex. Alex did not die and was sent to the Crypt. When there was an explosion there, he managed to escape with many other prisoners. Alex had now join them and they all moved to join the rest of the homestead along with Raven and Tack.

While they were out in the wilds travelling, they found an old lady and young girl who was injured bad. The old lady who was the young girl's grandmother did not make it. The girl named Coral told them that they lived in a farm that is secluded but were found out and their home was burnt to the ground along with her family members. Lena and the group realized that the regulators and the government have finally acknowledged the wilds since the explosion that happened in Portland. This caused them to start searching the wilds and exterminating those who live there peacefully. Their lives are now in danger as every where they go they are hunted and killed as if cleansing and cleaning the world from deliria.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver is the third and final book of the trilogy. I was so excited about reading the last part but I got slightly disappointed. Halfway through the book, I got a bit bored and had left it alone for two weeks and moved on to reading other books. The book is written with two perspective this time alternating between Lena and her best friend Hana which I thought it was interesting but then again it just made Lena's side of the story shorter. I didn't quite like reading about Hana as a whole chapter because her story was just okay and some times boring which is the reason that discouraged me to read the book quickly.

Another thing that I felt was lacking is the relationships in this book is too complicated but then left out on its own without tackling it at all. I wanted more from the relationships and it sort of just stops there because they have more pressing matters. The action was on and off but it gotten better at second half of the book. I would love the book more if there was more character development for the main characters. The plots like I said it was boring at first with slight action and then it got better but the climax was just so so. I did have two quotes that I quite liked:

"This is what amazes me: that people are new every day. That they are never the same. You must always invent them, and they must invent themselves, too." page 118.

"That's what people do in a disordered world, a world of freedom and choice: They leave when they want. They disappear, they come back, they leave again. And you are left to pick up the pieces on your own." page 331.

Overall the meaning of the book still retains which I felt was important but the plots was just okay and the ending was acceptable to me. If you've had read the first two then it's a must to get your ending. If I have to choose this would be my least favourite book of the trilogy, the second one is my favourite followed by the first book. 

The Islands of Chaldea

The time came for Aileen to go into the Place where she is suppose to get visions. Those visions are the initiation of her becoming a wise woman just like the other women before her (Aunt Beck and her mother). Aileen was afraid of being alone and cold underground and she tried really hard to keep her eyes open for fear she missed her visions. After not knowing how long she's been there, she saw a light coming into the Place and she scrambled to get out of the place. After she was out, she noticed that  not much time had actually passed and so she went back underground and finally fell asleep.  In the morning when her Aunt Beck came to fetch her, she told her there were no visions which resulted that she failed.

Aileen was depressed, sad and tired so after eating she went to sleep. But she didn't get to sleep longer because the King had asked her aunt and Aileen to join them for dinner. Ogo who is a boy from Logran was to fetch and escort them to the palace. When aunt Beck asked what was the matter he had no clue at all. Dinner with the King was weird as High King Farlane who is King of all the islands also joined for dinner and it did not happen often. Many important people were at the table and so the reason was told by High King Farlane that according to prophecy told by people from other islands, if the wise woman were to journey to each island and bring one person from it and then head to Logran, the wall that was brought up by Lograns would fall. The mission was to save the King's son who was kidnapped along with his men who went hunting with him. Aileen's father was one of the men who was kidnapped many years ago. Aunt Beck, Aileen, Ogo and the King's son Ivar were to go on that mission.

The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones, completed by Ursula Jones is the last book that Diana wrote while she was sickly but did not complete due to the severity of her cancer which eventually took her life away. I was really happy to read another title of hers but sadly it's her last one. This book has some good adventure in it and it was entertaining. It isn't her best work but her standards are there. The events happening in the book can either be mediocre or very exciting. The fan girl that I am would be comparing this book with all the titles that I have read and her writing really brings nostalgia of her other books. 

The character of the book are interesting people and the main character herself does go through character development which I felt it was good. This book was completed by the author's sister and I could not tell where the book was left off for her to fill in. I'd say Ursula did a great job writing just like her sister. It would be wonderful if the story was longer as I felt that if Diana was alive it definitely would be so. Unfortunately for us it had to be that way but it was still enjoyable reading it. I only recommend this book to fan of hers as I felt for people who have not read her books before might get misdirected. The misdirection would be thinking that her writing is like this but I can tell you she has many books who have very magical stories in it. Read her books by following the date of publication and then you would know how great a fantasy book writer she is. After reading this book, I could not help but re-read some her books which I really love.