The Daily Prophecy

Author: Ruta Sepetys.
Pages: 344.
Published: March 22nd 2011  (first published January 1st 2011)
Publisher: Philomel Books
Sort: Stand alone.

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.

This book has a new cover now, but I love this one. The colors and the simplicity really fits the story, so I'm going to keep this one.

“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch.”

This is a very impressive story. It shows how cruel people can be towards each other. The suffer we can give to another person, simply because they had the power to do so.

I also loved this girl, Lina. She is a Lithuanian girl with a happy life, until she is forced to work in a labor camp in Siberia. She is separated from her father and she takes a great risk: she draws pictures, hoping that she can talk to her father that way. The fact that Lina does something like that, shows how strong and brave she really is.

She kept going on, when a lot of other people would have given up. The story also shows how 'looks can be deceiving'. When a woman gets a lot of privilege, everybody expects her to be a traitor. But then you discover what she must do and the reason why she does it. Heartbreaking. That's the power of this book. The complex characters, the way the past and present melt together and the harsh reality.

Published: Published May 10th 2011 (first published May 5th 2011)
Publisher: HarperTeen .
Sort: Part one of 'Revenants'

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity. When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent. Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

My love for covers did it again: tricking me into reading a book, but it's a shame that I liked the cover more than the inside.

Sixteen-year-old Kate moves from Brooklyn to Paris after her parent's dead. She and her sister Georgia leave America to live with their father's parents: two very sweet characters. Kate is depressed and fills her days with watching movies, haunting museums and staring at the ceiling. She lies to her friends when she mails them back and she declines every offer from her sister to join her and her friends. That's how Georgia deals with the loss of her parents:

"It's not you who is dead," she said. "Mom and dad are and they would want you to live."

Kate decides to go to a café to read a book - something I liked about her - when she notices a very handsome boy. After meeting him again, she can't stop thinking about him. Yes, there comes the instant love. A gorgeous face is all it takes. This boy, called Vincent, keeps popping up everywhere Kate is. When she finally has the chance to talk to him, he asks her out. At some point, he acts really strange and that's when they stop seeing each other for a long time. When Kate discovers something that she doesn't understand, she visits him at his house and things only get more complicated.

Vincent is not just a pretty boy, no, he is a Revenant. He dies to save the life of others, but there are also the Numa: a group of people who take lives in order to have their immunity. There is a battle going on between them and Kate is about to find out what it means to have an undead boyfriend with an enemy.

Things I liked. 
-Jules. He is one of the Revenants and he is so funny. He is a real womanizer and I liked him from the first moment I met him.
-The setting. You know, in real life, I don't like Paris. At all. But there is something magical about the Paris in books.
-The Revenants. I thought it was quite original. They are some sort of zombies, without all the craving for human flesh.
-Georgia. She is the opposite of me in most of the things she does, so I think that is was I liked about her. She has a lot of friends, she is easy with new people, she has connections everywhere and she is really protective towards Kate.

Things I didn't liked.
-When you think about the story, it's actually pretty boring. It's all about Kate's love for Vincent, even when she pushes him away and her sadness because of her parent's dead. There is only some real story in the end of the book, but that wasn't enough to get me really entertained.
-The way everything seems to go perfect. Kate falls in love with Vincent right away and of course: he is attracted to her too. When Vincent takes over in Kate's body (when his body is down in hibernation, his spirit is free to move out of the body), everything ends well, while most people would become crazy. Their brains can't handle it, but Kate is one of a kind.. Yeah, right. And she can hear his voice when he is in his ghost appearance: and that's super rare.

Opinion.
Kate was alright. The story was a bit too boring for me, but I will give the next one a try, because I heard so many great things about it.

Again, an amazing book. This story tells about Mary's daughter, Gabry (short for Gabrielle). They live in the lighthouse near Vista. Gabry is in love with Catcher, the brother of her best friend Cassie. One night, they decide to go over the walls and that will ruin their lives.

I loved how Gabry struggled with her feelings. She is torn between living a save life and her love for Catcher. Her life get's a total different spin when she meets Elias and finds out about the secret her mother kept away from her for years. Catcher is a great character, I loved everything about him. From his sweet feelings towards Gabry to the fact that he resists his feelings to keep her save. Even in the end, when it's clear that Gabry left him for Elias, he is there to support her.

The only thing I didn't really like was the fact that Gabry is so busy with boys in a world filled with dead and fear. She is sometimes a bit of a whiner, but I also understood her feelings very well. Imagine that your world starts to crumble away, because everybody you love change. I'm really looking forward to read the next book, so I can find out all the pieces of this puzzle :) And the writing is magnificent.

"Sometimes it's those things you can't touch that you need to hold on the most."

Title: The adoration of Jenna Fox.
Author: Mary E. Pearson.
Pages: 266.
Published: April 29th 2008.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Sort: Part one of ‘Jenna Fox Chronicles’

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma - so she's been told - and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.
What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?

I’m not a big fan of science fiction books or futuristic books, but sometimes, there are just books I can’t ignore. This one sounded great and it really surprised me. It’s another prove for me that reading outside your normal ‘box’ is a great thing to do. You will discover wonderful stories you normally wouldn’t read. This was one of those books.

Jenna Fox awakes from a coma without any memory. She doesn't recognize her parents and even her own body feels strange. It's hard for her to get used to the whole situation, but she has the feeling that something is not right. That's when she discovers that she's illegal, because her parents kept her alive against the rules. There are rules in the society and Jenna shouldn’t be alive: nobody can find out that she is alive or they will be in a lot of trouble.

One of her new friends finds out about the truth, but she gets very sick. Jenna's parents will help this girl in return for silence. Years and years later, you read how Jenna and this girl are still alive, while Jenna's boyfriend is dead.That part really touched me.. I don't know if I would like to live this way; the whole idea really freaks me out! I hope that our society will never be able to do stuff like this, because it will really mess things up. My conclusion; a very good book that touches me and sometimes even scared me.

Title: Wither.
Author: Lauren DeStefano.
Pages: 358.
Published: March 22nd 2011.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.
ISBN: 1442409053 (ISBN13: 9781442409057).
Sort: Part one of The Chemical Garden.

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out? Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

The concept of this book is a society in which girls are forced into polygamous marriages. The older generations are losing their young children because of a virus. A long time ago, someone invented a cure for sickness, so everybody becomes older and older.. But now it takes a turn and it makes the children die younger. Girls age till 20 years, boys become 25. The only solution; making more babies and finding a cure. That’s how we meet Rhine. She is kidnapped and sold as a bride to Linden. There is only one thing she wants: escaping. Gabriel, one of Linden’s servants, wants to help her. Will she find a way to escape this polygamous marriages? Can she escape her creepy father-in-law, who has a lot of bodies in the basement in his attempt to finding the antidote?

I felt sad for the girls in this book, even though Cecily was a very annoying character. I never felt the real love from Linden towards Rhine. He was more of a victim, but I don’t feel any pity for him. I'm looking forward to read more about this.

Pages:  307.
Published: October 4th 2011.
Publisher: HarperCollins.
Sort: Stand alone.

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable. Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

First of all, I love the cover! So many details on it. And there are also many pretty pictures inside the book. It was a nice experience for me, because I don't have many books with drawings in them :)

Liesl has been locked in the attic since her father has fallen ill. After his dead, she gets an uninvited guest: a ghost called Po and his pet Bundle. They are both lonely, so they are developing some sort of friendship. Her father is on 'the other side' and he can't cross. It's up to Liesl to save his soul by taking his ashes to a place with nice memories; their old house.

Liesl can escape with the help of Po, but she doesn't know that she takes the most powerful magic in the world with her. A boy called Will, accidentally switched the two boxes and the ash of her father ise now in the hands of another evil woman. Liesl, Po and Will are on an journey and who knows how it's going to end? There are a lot of people chasing the three of them, but there is one character I really liked: Mo. He is a bit simple, but oh so sweet. He is chasing Will, because he wants to give the boy a hat, how cute? He crosses the whole country for it.

This is one of the first children books I read in a long time and I liked it! The characters aren't so well developed as in YA or adult books, but it was an interesting story. I don't know if I would recommending buying this one, but you'd definitely need to read this one :)

Forget sweet little mermaids. And definitely don't picture The little mermaid Ariel when you think about this book. Mermaids are murderous creatures who feed on humans; killing them by taking their energy and emotions away. They have irresistible good looks, they can hypnotize you with their eyes, they can transform into humans they have other tricks to make them even more dangerous. 

There is only one boy who is trying to resist his urge to kill people and that's Calder. He lives with his three sisters - Maris, Parvati and Tallulah - in the cold waters of Lake Superior. He likes the warm waters better, so whenever he has the chance, he will go away. Unfortunately, he is bound to his sisters by a bond only Maris can break. And if he wants that, he will have to pay a price.

Years ago, their mother died because of Tom Hancock. She saved his life and he promised his son Jason as a payment. Right after that, Tom moved away with his family, leaving their mother to suffer. This year, Tom died and Jason returned to his family's homestead. The sisters are planning to kill him, so they can collect the payment. There is only one problem: Jason fears the water, so they have to come up with a plan to lure him into the waters. That's how Calder can get his freedom. He must seduce Hancock's daughter. Only Calder screws up, because he falls for Lily.

Can he resist her, so he can get his freedom? Or will he follow his heart?

Things I liked.
One thing I really liked was the whole new look I got from mermaids. I love the little mermaid and that's how I always saw them. Until now. From the three sisters, Maris must be the scariest one. She is filled with hate and she has no mercy. She wants Jason to suffer, while he is innocent. You have Parvati, who likes to play with her victims before she takes their lives and Talullah; don't get fooled by her innocence.

Lily has a great personality. She likes to wear clothes that makes her different; unique. She resists Calder and I appreciated that. It's not that she went all crazy and swoony over his good looks. Instead of that, she admits that he freaks her out and that he is creepy. She is so right! I would be scared in her place. Calder keeps popping up around her and nobody seems to know this guy. I liked how their feelings developed, because Lily wants to learn more about him before she let herself fall in love with him. Calder is a great guy, because he really tries to resist his instincts. He doesn't want to be a monster and I'm glad that he found a way to deal with it. Isn't it great that we have a male POV? 

I also liked the ending. It was something I didn't expected and it makes me anxious for the next book. I wouldn't say it's a cliff hanger, but it certainly makes you excited!

Things I didn't like.
The characters were great, the story line was good, but there were still two things that bothered me. I never felt like I connected with Calder or Lily. We get to look through the eyes of Calder, so Lily her thoughts and feelings are far away. I never felt like I really knew her. It was great that he was the POV, because that's not something we read all the time, but he still felt a little distance. As if he was trying to shield his real thoughts away from me (something mermaids can do, by the way.) Yeah, this was my main dislike. No connection. 


Besides that, there was something missing.. I can't put my finger on it, but I think you know what I mean. Just the feeling that the story lacks of something important. Just one thing that makes the difference between a good book and a fantastic book.

If you like mermaids and you are looking for an original approach, than this is definitely something for you. If you're not a fan of mermaids, I don't think that this book will make you fall in love with them. 

So, I was really lucky this week!

As you know, I won a copy of Philippa Gregory - Changeling and it arrived two days ago! Another thanks to The secret writer ^^ I will be reading this one soon, so stay tuned for the review!

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.
Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

And last but not least, I won in the favourite read hop by Julie Veronica Roth - Divergent! Finally the chance to dive into this popular book :D

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Sort: Part one of 'The immortal rules.'
I don't know where to begin, because I'm afraid that I am going to repeat myself over and over again about how wonderful this book is. This might be the best vampire book I've read so far and Julie made me fall in love all over again with vampires. Let me tell you more about this amazing story. I'm going to do my best to temper my love.

This book is dark. Vampires rule the world in huge cities, which are scattered all around the world. In between, there is nothing else than rabids, so you don't want to leave your city. Allison - also called Allie - lives in one of those huge cities in the Fringe and she is an Unregistered person. Together with Rat, Lucas and Stick (Stephen) she tries to stay alive. Being an Unregistered means that you don't exist, so they don't get food and shelter. On the other hand, they don't have to give their blood on blood day.

I received this award from the lovely Kari Po-Ku Reads. Thanks! Go on and check this blog! :D  This award comes with its own set of rules, which are thus:

Title: Paranormalcy.
Author: Kiersten White.
Pages: 335.
Published: September 1st 2012 (first published August 31st 2010)
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Sort: Part one of Paranormalcy.

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal. Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.

This book made me laugh a couple of times, because it was so funny. Instead of swearing, Evie says 'bleep' That's because her best friend is a mermaid and her words are translated by a computer who only says 'bleep' if Lish swears.

Sometimes it was a bit too immature for me. Like all the pink and glittery stuff, but on the other hand, it made her a real teenager. She's a kickass, tough girl who is funny, sweet and hard at the same time. She's someone who not only can see the real person behind the glamour outside, but she's also very good at seeing the truth. Just like the fact she decides to trust Lend, a boy made out of water. Or the fact that she doesn't trust faeries. I like the fact that the faeries are so different in this book: they are scary!

Title: Supernaturally.
Pages: 336.
Published: July 26th 2011.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 0061985864 (ISBN13: 9780061985867)
Sort: Part two of Paranormalcy

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees. But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

Again a quick and fun read. I think I enjoyed this book more than the first one, because there were so many things going on. Evie is finally leading her 'normal' life (especially because the agency thinks she died), but she's not really satisfied. She wants more. So when she's contacted to get some missions, she makes up her mind and decides to do it. That gives some tension between her and Lend; he hates the agency for what they did to him an all the other people.

But things have changed. They're hunting the bad guys now. They even stopped using fairies all the time, because there's Jack. He grew up in the fairy world and he has trained himself to use the same doors as the fairies do. But.. he keeps showing up and it gives Evie a hard time. Her relationship with Lend is really on the edge and when they fight, everything comes out and she leaves with Jack.

Things are not going as planned..
Evie is more mature (even though she's still into pink, a color I actually quite dislike) and she really stands up for herself. And I like Arianne, the depressed and funny vampire. I can’t wait for the next book.

Damn.. My laptop has a virus on it, so there's no way I can blog from my own computer. I will try to post as many things as I can from other computers, but I have to wait until it's fixed.. And I don't know how long that's going to take.

1. Veronica Roth - Divergent.
2. Jodi Meadows - Incarnate. 
3. Brodi Ashton - Everneath. 
4. Cassandra Clare - The mortal instruments.
5. Julia Kagawa - The iron fey.
6.  Rachel Vincents - Soul screamers.
7.  Rachel Hawkins - Hex Hall.
8. Alyson Noel - Fated.
9. John Green - The fault in our stars.
10. Lauren Oliver - Delirium.

So, which one should I read first? :) And what is your list?

Freebies from amazon.


Jenny Pox                               


Review request from the author:

Gwen Perkins - The universal mirror.

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Title: The forest of hands and teeth.
Publisher: Gollancz.

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

I re-read this book, because I bought the third  and last book about a week ago. I want to refresh my memory. I still loved it, maybe even more than the first time! There is so much tension and action in this book, but we also get to meet romance and friendship.

Short version:
Mary has to leave the safety of her village and is plunged into a world filled with Unconsecrated. She has to leave The forest of hands and teeth. Is there somewhere a place to start a new life?

I just LOVE this book. If you haven't read it, go and do it! What are you waiting for? This book has everything you possibly can ask for. Mary is a wonderful character and the story never gets boring. There are so many things going on without overwhelming you. The ending is perfect: everything seems to fall together, but you still want to read the next one. Finding out how this story will continue.