Vengeful

MAGNETO and PROFESSOR X

SUPERMAN and LEX LUTHOR

SDYNEY and SERENA CLARKE

VICTOR VALE and ELI EVER

Great partnerships, now sourced on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush from death, she's finally gained the control she's always sought - and will use her newfound power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She'll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other once more.

With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity - and the stage of Merit will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning. - excerpt from book.

Vengeful by V.E Schwab has been a long awaited sequel to Vicious. I first fell in love with her writing through the first book and has ever since followed her writing career which has yet to disappoint me. This year I started reading her novels again that has been sitting for long time on my shelves. She has always been an auto buy author for me and somehow I had not caught up with her books as I can't bear that bitter sweet feeling of finishing her novels. I am always on awe upon completion, wanting to go back to those emotion rollercoasters. 

There is so much to say about this book but since I write spoiler free reviews, I'll keep it as simple as I can. Starting off with the characters, there are multiple point of views for anyone who is significant in the plot line. You'll get your favourite from the first book, as well as some new main and supportive characters. I was blown away on how epic each characters' power came to be, never the same, never a dull moment. The uniqueness and assortments of powers feels infinite when it comes to the author's imagination, it definitely reminded me of the TV series "Heroes". This does not feel like a copy cat at all if you're thinking of X-men, superheroes of any sorts, a refreshing take on anti-hero. Dark and twisted thoughts that turned into actions is what you'll find in the characters, but if you sympathise with them, you might understand why.

Firefight

Babylon Restored, formerly Manhattan, may give David answers. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic—Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers. - excerpt from book.

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson is the second book of the trilogy where the story continues on smoothly from book one. Here the reckoners are at a new adventure and possibly more critical and dire than previous attempts. They travel to a new city with one new aim and David feels there's something missing. I love how that immediately starting the book you're in a lot of action. Catching you off guard is what the author is extremely good at, you can never predict the book. 

The characters are complex and they have much growth in the story. Their actions and reactions greatly moves the story forward. I love David as he is always considerate and written uniquely when it comes to his obsession. His interactions with other characters really drives the book and I always want more of it whenever it comes to his love life. Other characters that keep me on my toes are certainly the lady of the book and also the leader of reckoners as you can tell there is so much more to them that the author has yet to reveal. The more I read the more eager I am to know their stories.

A Million Worlds With You

A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny.

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.

Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.

So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

In the conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites…and only one can win.  - excerpt from book.

A Million Worlds With You by Claudia Gray is the final book in the firebird series. I finally picked up this book, it has been sitting long on my shelf as I dread the ending of it. Catching up right where the book left us at the second book's ending, things are just way too exciting. We jump into action and adventure without much of a break for my favourite characters. This round they are slightly different people from the previous as they have grown and also went through some terrible experiences. Much of their actions are influenced by their new found attitude which was understandable and realistic. I love that we get to visit some old worlds and also have new ones. The author has done such a good job maintaining the difference between all the parallel worlds. It's the minor difference of the characters that get  me the most in a sense that one small detail can change so much of reality. The instance of what ifs are the core of the story.

I often sigh when it comes to Marguerite and Paul because their love is just so dreamy and real at the same time. I love all the interaction they have and I want so much more for them but alas this book is more focused on Marguerite saving the worlds. As she journeys through and discovers all the different versions of herself she learns to grow even more. At times she can be quite annoying but it fits well with her character. Seeing all the characters' consequences come into full view in this book was such a joy. A slight disappointment for me would be the lack of involvement of my favourite side character. But still with the growth and actions the plot moves forward with ease.

All That She Can See

Cherry has a hidden talent. She can see things other people can't, and she decided a long time ago to use this skill to help others. As far as the rest if the town is concerned she's simply the kind-hearted young woman who runs the local bakery, but in private she uses her gift to add something special to her cakes so that after just one mouthful the townspeople start to feel better about their lives. They don't know why they're drawn to Cherry's bakery - they just know that they're safe there, and that's how Cherry likes it. She can help them in secret and no one will ever need to know the truth behind her gift.

And then Chase turns up and threatens to undo all the good Cherry has done. Because it turns out she's not the only one who can see what she sees.... - excerpt from book

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher is about a woman who can see feelings and she tries to help the community with her ability. A little bit of magic, an adventure and much life lessons to be learnt. I cannot contain my excited when I received the book and knowing that this was not the author's first book she must have done something write. A little bit background on her, she is a singer/songwriter and now a book writer, talent is oozing from this author.

The main character Cherry will capture you with her personality, her beliefs and most of all her purpose. It starts with some background of her and how she overcome those obstacles, throughout she continues to strive to be better. Her character growth is consistent and wonderful to read about. As for the male counterpart of the book, he appears like a strong wind shaking our heroine. Their interactions are fun to read about and slowly you're hoping more for the two of them.

Favourite books of 2015

I have had a great year with books and thus it was hard to choose my favourite.This is because quite many of the books become my favourite this year. Before I present to you my list, I would like to say that these books are not necessarily published in 2015, they are just books that I've read in 2015 although a few was published in 2015. I've decided to choose a top 10 to share with you guys. These books have such great stories to tell and some have pulled at my heartstrings. I highly recommend these books and I'll insert links to my reviews of those books too. The list below are not in any particular order but I have to mention that my most favourite book of the year would be Six of Crows.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - The story is set in the Grisha world but these characters are not related to the Grisha trilogy. They are a band of bad people who are trying to work together to prison break an important person. How will they pull off this task when that prison is the hardest place to break out of? They also have many conflicts with each other, can they actually work together without killing each other first? What I love about the book is it's action packed, the characters have very interesting past, and as you read along the story you will find out how they pull off their heist. My full review: click here

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray - A girl chases a boy across multiple dimensions because he killed her father. I love the world that is built in the story, all those parallel dimensions are so unique and special. The characters were also people with personalities that grabs your attention. It was a fantastic page turner as you want to follow the heroine on her quest for justice. This is the first book in the firebird trilogy. My full review: click here

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray - The second book in the firebird trilogy. The romance in this book was so so good and of course the parallel dimensions that are new in this book was really well built too. This book also talks about morality issues. A new danger and a new adventure in the second book that totally grasped my attention. My full review: click here

Half Wild

Nathan Byrn is on the run. 
White witches hunt him. 
Black witches hate him. 
His gift from his murderous father is a wild new power he can't control.
He  must find the girl he loves who may have betrayed him.
In a war between black and white witches with his loyalties split between both the greatest danger Nathan faces might be himself... - excerpt from back of book.

Half Wild by Sally Green is the second book after Half Bad, it continues right after the ending of the previous book.  I was excited to continue this book as the previous book had a suspended ending but unfortunately for me I couldn't remember much of what happened previously. I skimmed through the first book before starting this one. It started off slow for just a bit and then action and then slow down and then action. Imagine yourself on a roller coaster ride that keeps going up and then down quickly many times throughout the plot. While I was reading it, it felt really annoying because there was a lot of jerking on the reader but after I completed the whole book I felt that it was quite a good plot in the end. 

This second book can seem boring at some parts but the twists were really good. The "boring" parts are important as it's where you get to know new characters which were really interesting, let them grow and also letting our main character grow at the same time. One character from the previous book was introduced quite late into the story but in this book, there's more of him and it was good to have him around, it truly made a difference for the main character. I like that we get to know more about the main character's trusted friend and to see him grow too. There were some qualities of the main character that I did  not like at all and I feel that it was because of his behaviour, the ending was as such. It proves to show that the author planned really well for how the main character would be and how it would impact the plot.

What I feel lacking in this book is when there are fight scenes, it's not detail enough and too brief for me. I also wished more magic were used in fights, instead there were guns. The magic in this book is just too lacking but the plot and the characters make up for it. Towards the end of the book, things get heated up really good and I loved the direction of the story. The ending was good and like the first book it was a cliffhanger type.

Honestly, it was not bad for a second book but it wasn't as good as the first one for me. It didn't grasp my attention completely at the start, only towards the end it was hard to put down the book. I think the lacking in magic and fighting made me a bit disappointed. The ending would be the only reason why I would pick up the last book because I would like to know what happens after that but it's not like I'm super eager or excited to get my hands on it. I don't mind waiting and I have a feeling I would forget this book by the time the last book is out. This book was good but not good enough and it contributed in making me drop its favoritism a notch. 

Favourite books of 2014

For the year of 2014 I managed to read 50 books and completed my Goodreads reading challenge. I was quite proud to have read this many books and I believe it's the most books I've read in a year in my life. Out of all the books I've read there were good ones, okay ones and definitely awesome ones. The list below are books that I absolutely loved and would not hesitate to read it again and again. The list below is not in any order and some books are not published in the year 2014 either.

1. Vicious by V.E Schwab - A story about two good friends then turned enemies in the future. It's exciting, unique characters and great plot. Page turner, hard to put down. My full review: Link here
2. Champion by Marie Lu - The last book of the Legend trilogy, I loved this book the most but the first two books were just as good, I gave all 3 books 5 stars. I choose this book because of the ending which made me cry. The whole series is action packed with a fantastic plot.My full review: Link here
3. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - This is a adult book which was really funny, cute and enjoyable to read. I really laughed out loud in public and people were looking at me weirdly. I absolutely enjoyed the book from start to end, my favourite type of romance plot.My full review: Link here
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - A really special and magical book. I love the characters of the book and all the different perspectives in the story. The setting of the story is just so beautiful and magical, I wanted to work in that circus.My full review: Link here
5. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - This is the second book of the Grisha trilogy and my favourite out of the 3. All 3 books have gotten 5 stars from me. This book is action packed, great characters, wonderful world and an exciting plot. I love the relationships in this book and plot twists. This was one book that was hard to put down. Full review to come soon.
6. To All the Boys I've Loved before by Jenny Han - A story about a girl who wrote letters to boys she loved but it's just for personal keepsake. Things got weird when the letters were mailed out to the boys. This story is super super cute to read especially the female lead in the book. The plot is simple yet lovely and fun to read. A definite page turner for me.My full review: Link here
7. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson - The first book that I've picked up by this author and imediately I knew I'm gonna love the books he writes. The idea of the story is well done along with the world that is built. The plot is mysterious and the plot twist of the book just hooks you to wanting the second book. When I read this book it felt like a movie that I'm watching. My full review: Link here
8. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - The last book of the "Anna and the french kiss" series which had a very good ending to all. I love the plot of the book, it was very sweet, cute and quite real of a relationship. My full review: Link here
9. Since you've been gone by Morgan Matson - A story about a girl completing a checklist sent by her best friend who went missing when summer started. The story is about growing, friendship and stepping out of your comfort zone. It was such a fun book to read and so suitable for the summer. I got hooked so fast and to the ending I wished it was longer.My full review: Link here
10. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - I love the first book the most out of the Delirium trilogy. A dystopian setting where the world sees love as a disease. When teenager reached a certain age, a cure is given to remove getting the disease and then a match is picked by the system for the person to be with. This story's idea was unique to me and it has a good meaning behind the book. I enjoyed the plot twist and how the story progressed.My full review: Link here
11. Half Bad by Sally Green - It's about a boy uncovering his roots and choosing a path. It's also a book where the character is always put into bad situations. I like how this book is not all happy and colorful with sad and painful things happening. I love how the character grows in the story. It's not your typical magic related/fantasy book.My full review: Link here
12. The Archived by Victoria Schwab - The first book of the archive duology. A girl is given a duty by her grandfather to protect the archive. This book has action, mystery and great characters. The story is unique and I loved every bit of it especially the character interactions.My full review: Link here
13. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab - The second book of the archive which I also love, it was hard to choose between both. This book was also action packed and filled with more human emotions. I like the new characters introduced and also another side of the male lead was included which made things so much more interesting. I literally could not put down the book.My full review: Link here
14. Bared to you by Sylvia Day - An erotic novel about a woman meeting a man who she knows nothing about but she fell in love with him. They both have their own demons and how they try to overcome it together. I compared this series to fifty shades of grey and I like this one quite a lot because the characters are more deep and real. I liked how strong and weak the characters can be at the same time. Full review to come soon.

I'm so happy to have read so many great books and discover some new authors along the way. Those books really gave me a new world to explore and great enjoyment imagining it. For the year 2014, I truly fell in love with young adult books and authors such as Holly Black, Victoria Schwab, Brandon Sanderson, Morgan Matson, Marie Lu and Jenny Han. I'm looking forward to reading more books by these authors and I've already have a good series by Brandon Sanderson sitting in my TBR pile. I will post another blog post for my reading goals of 2015. The following link is to the books I've read in 2014: Goodreads link

The Mortal Instruments: City of Fallen Angels

Simon was on a date with Isabelle and they met up in a coffee shop. Simon was troubled as he did not know whether he was exclusive with Izzy and so he was dating Maia at the same time too. There was two weird men hanging around the shop and Izzy was able to tell they are subjugates of a vampire. They approached the table and said that their master wanted to meet Simon. Simon thought it was Raphael so he went with them, Izzy wanted to follow too but was not invited hence Simon went alone.

They arrived at a trendy restaurant and Simon did not expect to see Raphael at a place like this but he was actually asked by a woman. She is Camille Belcourt, a vampire that led the clan that Raphael is in charge of. Camille has been around and she offered Simon help where she can teach him how to stomach normal food and also speak the holy words that Simon could not. In exchange, Simon were to help her get back her position with the clan as Camille claimed that she was forced to leave by Raphael because a crime was blamed on her. Simon had a lot to consider whether he should help or not.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare is the fourth book in the mortal instruments series. This book was quite slow in the beginning of the book, there was action here and there occasionally but not enough for me. Towards the end of the book it was really good. I read this book with a big gap between the third book as I knew that book 4,5,6 was more closely related. When I started the book, there was much things that I kinda forgotten and so I needed to research on the third book to refresh my memory. 

Being the fourth book, I actually expected more growth for some characters which I actually did see in Simon but not so in Clary and Jace. I'm not fond of female leads that are weak and sort of damsel type so I honestly say I don't like Clary. But the other characters that were involved in this book made it good for me. I liked that the story was featuring more of Simon as I was not impressed by the teenage love drama happening between Clary and Jace.

As for the plot, it was really interesting because I do not know what to expect after what happened in book three. I really enjoyed reading more about the story and the progress of it. The ending did make me feel excited to continue to the fifth book which I have and subsequently the last book was out last month so I get continue on without waiting. My advice is that if you love the series just continue with it as it's still fun to read about the shadowhunter world. For new readers, I wouldn't say it's my favourite series but I still like it as it's a unique world just that it's not at the top of my list to recommend and I feel that there is too much hype for the series. I would prefer infernal devices because of the characters in that book are stronger and this book has weaker ones.

Half Bad

Nathan is half white witch and half black witch. His mother is a white witch healer and his father is a black witch killer. The first notification came when Nathan was really young and it was about those who are half-black&half-white would be classified as half-code. Jessica which was his oldest half sister dislike Nathan very much as his father was her father's killer and their mother committed suicide because of Nathan. Jessica often bully Nathan when she has the chance to do it. Nathan is very close with his half brother Arran and they often watch TV together and Nathan loves spending time with him, 

One day when they were both watching old shows, the second notification from the council came stating that all half codes need to be assessed every year to determined whether they were white witch or black witch. Nathan's grandmother brought him to the council building to get assessment and when questions were asked about his parents Nathan just kept quiet. The results was Nathan's nature was not ascertained which was a good thing according to his grandmother. Many notifications came throughout the years but one that was nearing Arran's giving ceremony, Nathan was apprehended and sent elsewhere far from his family. Nathan was kept in a cage with a guardian name Celia taking care of him. Life was miserable but Nathan learnt as much as he could and slowly planned for an escape.

Half Bad by Sally Green is a story about a boy who has a white witch mother and a black witch father. I loved this book as the story is really unique and original. There isn't a book that is similar that I can mention. I like the setting of the book and places mentioned were simple. The main character of the book really captured me as he is a strong and determined person. Given the situations that he encountered, he really endured well in it. Although this book is in the fantasy genre but it has minimal magic involved, I believe this book is just the build up for the rest of the series. 

The events that happened in the story was really exciting for the main character and the people he came across were interesting people. The connections between some characters was quite well done to accompany other character's actions and behaviors. I love how the book started and the perspective was really good. The writing style of the book is different in the beginning and then we get our hero's perspective. There is much meaning to the book as you read the struggles of the main character and I believe that there is a lesson to learn which made me love the book very much. It's not your typical story about witches that have magic but something more. The book ended at a cliffhanger and I'm so excited to read the next one in the series but sadly I would have to wait till Spring 2015 and the book is titled Half Wild. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a different kind of young adult fantasy and loves a book that has a great meaning in it.

Vicious

Victor and Eli are roommates in college and they both study in the medical line. This year they are in a class that needed them to work on their own thesis. Victor chose on a topic about adrenaline and Eli being ambitious decide upon discovering more about EOs (ExtraOrdinary).  Victor was slightly jealous that Eli would go for a topic like that. He was also not happy that Eli was dating the girl that he had his eye on. In order to make people realize Eli's true nature, Victor encouraged him to try the theory that he came up with.

In order to be EOs one must first die and then come back to life to obtain it. Victor went first but failed and then provoked Eli to do the same as well. Eli did succeed which made Victor mad inside and giving it a second go. Victor did succeed but things got really bad. Ten years later, Victor broke out of jail with an accomplice and begins to seek Eli for revenge. 

Vicious by V.E Schwab is a fantasy book and a very unique one for me. I was blown away from the start till the end and I loved every part of it. The story is about the dark and evil nature that humans can become when given power.  The characters totally made the story fantastic as their personalities gives life to the plots. The main characters are bad people and I love that the author does much background for them. I love to read about characters which covers their past and present where it gives you more grasp on their personality. They are certainly very unique and even their powers are unique. 

The concept of the story is really fresh and new not like a typical fantasy book at all. It's not a complicated world/future in the book but definitely with complicated characters which are quite realistic in behavior. I love how the author arranged the chapters which makes all the plots really smooth and suspenseful at the same time. I could not help but keep reading the book wanting more of the story. It's hard for me to put my feelings into words but to generalize I felt hungry for more from this writer and wished that this could be a series instead. I'm definitely gonna keep my eyes open for this author's works. This book is fast pace, unique filled with realistic behaviors of human. If this is your cup of tea then you won't disappointed and it's the type of book that can be reread many times.