tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17115028888897504242024-02-22T02:14:14.284+08:00The BookaholicsKoeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414217038672347853noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-38161633329443460642017-01-18T21:54:00.001+08:002017-01-19T19:38:17.721+08:00Under The Bridge<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1350677093l/13533712.jpg" width="211" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13533712-under-the-bridge" target="_blank">Under the Bridge</a></span></div>
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<span class="by smallText" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/270820.Michael_Harmon" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 19.8px; text-decoration: none;">Michael Harmon</a></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>Tate's younger brother Indy is probably the best skateboarder in Spokane. He's also really smart though he couldn't care less about school. But when Indy clashes with his father one too many times and drops out of school, it's up to Tate to win his brother back from the seedier elements of Spokane. Can Tate convince Indy to come home, finish his high school degree, and return to skating Under the bridge with their crew?</i></span></blockquote>
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<b>Review</b></div>
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I loved Michael Harmon's book <a href="http://aikchien.blogspot.my/2009/10/book-review-last-exit-to-normal-by.html" target="_blank">Last Exit to Normal</a> (this book was so underrated, I don't understand how it is not a NYT Bestseller, everyone should read it) so I didn't hesitate when I saw this book. I'm glad to say it didn't let me down.</div>
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I appreciate how Harmon's writing is always overflowing with emotions so raw and gritty. There is an unusual mix of angst, despair, hurt, love and acceptance via Tate's first-person narrative. Somehow Harmon manages to inject a glimmer of hope by projecting how Tate never really gave up on Indy and made multiple attempts to save his brother from the abyss of darkness. </div>
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Tate's father was always the man of the family, imposing his own set of rules on his kids. Tate as the more sensible kid accepts and concurs, but Indy feels suffocated and tries to break away or rebel in his own way, which makes dad even angrier. This highlights the tussle in parent-child relationship and the fact that adults always make children listen to them without accepting what their kids have to say. As a result, kids like Indy rebel in every way they can until they lose it. Most of the times, it is not that parents don't love their kids, just that they love their kids the wrong way.</div>
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This book is an emotional roller coaster that brings you down to Bikini Bottom before finally going up. So be mentally prepared.<br />
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*This book contains swear words, drug dealings/usage and suicide.<br />
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<img alt="5" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" /></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-57601924955482816462016-09-03T23:25:00.001+08:002016-09-11T18:32:34.149+08:00Tyranno Le Terrible (Traduction En Anglais) Part 21. Cet après-midi-là, Igor alla trouver Tyranno.<br />
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That afternoon, Igor searched for Tyranno.<br />
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2. Tiens, dit-il de sa voix la plus amicable.</div>
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Hello, he said in his most friendly voice.</div>
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3. Il fait si chaud, j'ai pensé qu'une bonne glace te <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>ferait</b> </span></span>sûrement plaisir.</div>
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It is so hot, I was thinking that a nice ice-cream <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>would </b></span></span>surely please you.</div>
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4. Tyranno regarda Igor un moment. Puis il eut un sourire méchant.</div>
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Tyranno looked at Igor for a moment. Then he had a wicked smile.</div>
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5. Une glace pour moi? Comme c'est gentil!</div>
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An ice-cream for me? How nice is that!</div>
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6. Tyranno <b><span style="color: #e06666;">s'empara</span></b> du cornet de glace et il le<span style="color: #e06666;"><b> renversa</b></span> sur la tête de Igor.</div>
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Tyranno <b><span style="color: #e06666;">seized</span></b> the corner of the ice cream and he <span style="color: #e06666;"><b>overturned</b></span> it on Igor's head.</div>
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7. Ha ha ha! <b><span style="color: #e06666;">s'esclaffa</span></b> Tyranno, en <b><span style="color: #e06666;">s'eloignant</span></b>. </div>
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Ha ha ha! <b><span style="color: #e06666;">guffawed</span> </b>Tyranno, and <b><span style="color: #e06666;">moved away</span></b>.</div>
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8. Igor entendit résonner le rire de Tyranno pendant un long moment.</div>
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Igor heard the resonating laughter of Tyranno for a long moment. </div>
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9. Le lendemain, Igor raconta à son amie Platea ce qui s'était passé.</div>
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The next day, Igor told his friend Platea what had happened.</div>
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10. Tu prends ça trop au sérieux, déclara Platea. Quand cette grosse brute cherche à t'<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>embêter</b></span>, fais comme si de rien n'était. Reste calme. C'est le seul moyen.</div>
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You take this too seriously, declared Platea. When this big bully is looking to <b><span style="color: #e06666;">annoy</span></b> you, do as if nothing had happened. Stay calm. This is the only way.</div>
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11. Rester calme quand j'ai peur ne va pas être facile, dit Igor. Mais je veux bien essayer.</div>
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Staying calm when I am afraid will not be easy, said Igor. But I want to try.</div>
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12. Quand la fois suivante, Igor rencontra Tyranno, il resta calme. </div>
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During the next time Igor met Tyranno, he was calm.</div>
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13. Salut, tête de lézard! <b><span style="color: #e06666;">hurla</span></b> Tyranno en voyant Igor passer.<br />
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Hello, head of lizard! <b><span style="color: #e06666;">screamed</span></b> Tyranno while watching Igor passing by.</div>
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14. Et si tu me donnais mon sandwich?</div>
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And if you were giving me my sandwich?<br />
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15. Igor n'y prêta aucune attention, et n'essaya même pas de<b> <span style="color: #e06666;">s'</span><span style="color: #e06666;">enfuir</span></b>. Il continua à marcher.</div>
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Igor paid no attention, and did not even try to <b><span style="color: #e06666;">run away</span></b>. He continued to march on. </div>
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16. Je vois qu'une fois de plus, il va <b><span style="color: #e06666;">falloir </span></b>que je me serve, dit Tyranno.</div>
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I see that once again, he'll <b><span style="color: #e06666;">have to</span></b> serve me, said Tyranno.</div>
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17. Il piétina le queue d'Igor jusqu'à ce qu Igor ait lâché /<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>lâche</b></span> son sandwich.</div>
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He trampled Igor's tail until Igor <b><span style="color: #e06666;">dropped</span></b> his sandwich.<br />
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18. Igor essaya de cacher ses larmes. Mais il avait très mal.</div>
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Igor tried to hide his tears. But he had it very bad.</div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-66782556790540878562016-09-03T00:07:00.001+08:002016-09-11T18:36:56.274+08:00Tyranno Le Terrible (Traduction En Anglais) Part 1Each sentence will be in<b> French </b>followed by a literal translation in English.<br />
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<b>1. Igot était un petit dinosaure. Il vivait avec sa mère et son père dans une grande forêt marécageuse.</b><br />
Igor was a little dinasour. He lived with his mom and his dad in a swampy forest.<br />
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<b>2. Il y avait beaucoup d'enfants dinosaures qui habitaient dans le voisinage d'Igor.</b><br />
There were many young dinosaurs who lived in Igor's neighborhood.<br />
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<b>3. Ils jouaient chaque jour ensemble et Igor s'entendait bien avec tous, tous sauf un...</b><br />
They played (every day) together and Igor understand (well) everyone, all save for one...<br />
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<b>4. Son nom était Tyranno, et on l'appellait généralement Tyranno le terrible.</b><br />
His name was Tyranno, and they called him (generally) Tyranno the Terrible.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>5. C'était un enfant lui aussi, mais il était beaucoup plus grand et plus fort que la plupart des autres gamins.</b><br />
This was a kid himself too, but he was much more bigger and stronger than most of the other children.<br />
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<b>6. C'était une vraie brute. Pour tout dire, il était la prèmiere brute du monde.</b><br />
This was a real brute. To be honest, he was the number 1 brute in the world.<br />
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<b>7. Tyranno aimait surtout<span style="color: #e06666;"> s'en prendre à</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Igor</span>.</b><br />
Tyranno loved especially to <span style="color: #e06666;">attack/lash out at </span>Igor.<br />
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<b>8. Il le <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">tapait</span>, le<span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;"> <span style="background-color: white;">taquinait</span></span>, et il voulait toujours son goûter.</b><br />
He <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">slapped</span> him, <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">teased</span> him, and he wanted (always) his/Igor's snack.<br />
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<b>9. Igor essayait de ne jamais se trouver sur le chemin de Tyranno, mais <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><span style="background-color: white;">partout où</span> </span></span>il allait, Tyranno l'attendait. </b><br />
Igor tried to never cross paths with Tyranno, but <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">wherever</span> he went, Tyranno waited for him.<br />
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<b>10. Igor avait chaque soir un peu plus de <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;"><span style="background-color: white;">mal </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;">à </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">s'endormir</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Igot (had) every evening a little more trouble </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">falling asleep</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="background-color: white;">11. Il cherchait sans cesse un moyen pour </span>é<span style="background-color: white;">viter Tyranno. </span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">He searched without ceasing, a way to evade Tyranno.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="background-color: white;">12. Sa situation </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">paraissait</span><span style="background-color: white;"> d</span>ésespérée. (from the word paraître)</b><br />
His situation <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">seemed</span> hopeless.<br />
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<b>13. Les camarades d'Igor essayèrent de l'aider.</b><br />
Igor's comrades tried to help him.<br />
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<b>14. Il faudrait que tu deviennes son copain, suggéra Tricéro un jour.</b><br />
It is necessary that you become his friend, suggested Tricero one day.<br />
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<b>15.<span style="color: #e06666;"> Plus facile à dire qu'à faire</span>, répondit Igor.</b><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Easier said than done</span>, said Igor.<br />
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<b>16. Comment devenir copain avec quelqu'un qui m'a tapé et taquiné toute ma vie?</b><br />
How to be friends with someone who slapped and teased me my whole life?<br />
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<b>17. Tu devrais lui offrir un cadeau pour lui prouver que tu l'aimes bien, dit Tricéro.</b><br />
You should offer him a present to prove to him that you like him well, said Tricéro.<br />
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<b>18. Igor réflechit un moment. Quel genre de cadeau offrir à Tyranno?</b><br />
<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;">Igor reflected for a moment. What type of present to offer Tyranno?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;">19. Puis il repensa </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">à la </span></span></span></span>façon<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"> dont Tyranno </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><span style="background-color: white;">s'emparait</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">toujours de ses </span></span></span></span>goûters.</b><br />
Thereafter, he thought of the way where Tyranno<span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;"><span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="background-color: white;">seized</span></span> </span>(always) his snacks.<br />
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<b>20. Un cadeau pour Tyranno? dit-il <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">tout haut</span>. Ça vaut la peine d'essayer.</b><br />
A gift for Tyranno? He wondered <span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">aloud</span>. It's worth the pain to try.Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-7840453761802363452016-09-01T23:54:00.001+08:002016-09-01T23:55:29.395+08:00Crow by Barbara Wright<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Crow" height="320" src="https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1350000411l/13642603.jpg" width="217" /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText17440194411158107718" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He's growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He's teaching his grandmother how to read. For the first time she's sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of power they've earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo. </span><span id="freeText17440194411158107718" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community—enfranchised and emancipated—suddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn-of-the-century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only successful coup d'etat in US history.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"> </span></blockquote>
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<b>Review</b></div>
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Crow depicts the story of the North Carolina community which was deeply-rooted in racism in the 1800's. It was a time where the American society had yet to reach its peak in civilization. It breaks my heart to see how Moses as a 12-year-old child had to suffer various insults and unfair treatments just because of his skin colour. Even though the Constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens, blacks were considered a class lower than the whites due to their long history in slavery.</div>
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Moses' dad was a man of honour and mettle. He was very open in Moses' education and was very patient and understanding whenever Moses made a mistake. He was Moses' early mentor and role model. Moses' grandma boo-nanny was also an interesting character with a tragic past, which led her to disbelieve all whites, thinking them as no-good. She was very adept at making potions to treat illnesses and telling ghost stories.</div>
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The story builds up to the occurrence of the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, the only successful coup d'etat in American history, and a tragic reminder of what can happen when prejudice, racism and distrust takes root in a society. </div>
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The 'white supremacy' notion reminds me of the 'ketuanan Melayu' (Malay premiere rights) in my own country. Although not as extreme as the 'white supremacy' in 1800's America, it still divides the people between Malay and not-Malay, and this goes deeper into social (school funding, sponsorship and study opportunities abroad), economics (exclusive financial support for Malay businesses and start-ups, exclusive discounts when purchasing houses), and politics (the Prime Minister must be a Malay) issues. We do have our own history of violence (the May 13th incident), caused by racial misunderstanding.</div>
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Told from the view from a 12-year-old, Crow is scarily authentic, sad but ultimately hopeful - in the closing scene, Moses' white friend Thomas teaches him his secret crabbing technique and the sun reflects the colors of the rainbow through the sprays of water they sling at each other. </div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-66406929136001508312016-06-30T21:20:00.001+08:002016-06-30T21:22:45.828+08:00The Prey by Andrew Fukuda<div style="text-align: center;">
If you do not know the backstory, read my review for <a href="http://the-bookaholics.blogspot.my/2014/08/the-hunt.html" target="_blank">The Hunt</a>, the first book in the series.</div>
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<img alt="The Prey (The Hunt, #2)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345047431l/14740456.jpg" width="210" /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14740456-the-prey" target="_blank">The Prey</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/72817-the-hunt">(The Hunt #2)</a></div>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5307635.Andrew_Fukuda">Andrew Fukuda</a></div>
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<b>Synopsis</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">For Gene and the remaining humans—or hepers—death is just a heartbeat away. On the run and hunted by society, they must find a way to survive in The Vast... and avoid the hungry predators tracking them in the dark. But they’re not the only things following Gene. He’s haunted by the girl he left behind and his burgeoning feelings for Sissy, the human girl at his side.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">When they discover a refuge of exiled humans living high in the mountains, Gene and his friends think they’re finally safe. Led by a group of intensely secretive elders, the civilisation begins to raise more questions than answers. A strict code of behaviour is the rule, harsh punishments are meted out, young men are nowhere to be found—and Gene begins to wonder if the world they’ve entered is just as evil as the one they left behind. As life at the refuge grows more perilous, he and Sissy only grow closer. In an increasingly violent world, all they have is each other... if they can only stay alive.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Review</b></div>
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Against all odds, Gene and Sissy successfully led the boys from the Dome to the Mission, a safe haven filled with normal people, or more commonly known as hepers. And they were finally able to have a good life, enjoying luxurious meals and treated as honour guests. </div>
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Gene and Sissy were told to embark on a train that leads to The Civilization, a place where more humans are waiting to welcome their arrival but Sissy, the female leader of the pack, was still on guard. Her sixth sense tells her something was not quite right, but the boys were oblivious. Or was it just her being overtly cautious?</div>
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This book had me guessing, guessing and guessing. I was kept in a constant shroud of mystery. I wanted to believe that they were finally safe and sound, with their own kind, but Sissy's insistence grated on my senses too. I felt scared, hopeful and worried for the characters before desperation sinks in as a possible outcome presents itself.</div>
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In this book, I both liked and hated Sissy. I really appreciate her intuitiveness, but I hated how she can be so unselfish towards those who wronged her and selfish towards those who loved her. </div>
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Gene's story was more of a slow discovery of his father and his backstory, while Ashley June's complements Gene's story and provided us a glimpse into her early life and how she came to be who she is now. Sissy's origins were not disclosed in such detail as Gene's and Ashley June's except that her parents, now deceased, were part of the Mission too.</div>
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My conclusion is, this is a book not to be missed! In fact, the whole series is brilliant! As a reader of 7 years I don't expect myself to <i>not </i>predict the main arches of the story, but Andrew Fukuda outsmarted me. </div>
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<b>Rating: </b><span class="bea-portal-theme-alibrisMain" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: "lucida grande" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18.15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="bea-portal-theme-alibrisInvisible" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5" src="https://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 8px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "lucida grande" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18.15px;"> </span></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-64448599027114647722016-05-14T10:18:00.000+08:002016-05-14T10:28:39.953+08:00Luna Tree: The Baby Project by Maya Berger<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Luna Tree: The Baby Project" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456736388l/28324026.jpg" width="258" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28324026-luna-tree" target="_blank">Luna Tree: The Baby Project</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14794196.Maya_Berger" target="_blank">Maya Berger</a> </b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Synopsis</b></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Maya is kicking up her heels, living the fabulous and mostly carefree life of a twenty-something young woman. However, in the back of her mind continuous longing for a good marriage and family lingers. How do you find the right man, the one who sticks through thick and thin? Will he provide you with the things you find essential in a relationship? Maya kissed a few frogs before finding her Prince Charming, but what followed was of higher importance. She started feeling chronic pain in her lower back, the pain that wouldn't let her neither sit nor stand. Thus Maya began her relentless quest for diagnosis and healing, which she ends after discovering Energy healing. She travels the globe to receive and raise her own stored Energy, the one that changes everything. Her ultimate desires come true.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Review</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This is an honest diary of a young lady who faced a lot of negativity in her life despite being blessed with a good life and marriage, and how she rose above this problem and discovered a new side to herself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I can feel her hopelessness at the beginning of the story - imagine a twenty-something young lady being plagued by a disease that makes it painful to stand or walk. It is pure torture. And the fact that after consultation and medication with so many doctors and healers, there is no improvement. I would have gone crazy in her situation.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">A great part of this story concerns her pursuit of health and once again, happiness. It is interesting that Maya finally found Energy healing, an expensive but useful method to find balance in her health and life. The idea of surrounding yourself with positive people and positivism in general sits very well with me. I believe that you have to pick the right people to be with. If you stay together with negative people all the time, they will suck all the positivism out of you, and vice versa. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">There is also mention of Chinese energy healing. I'm not sure if Maya meant <i>qigong </i>or something else, but it certainly intrigues me. However, I believe a great part of it comes from her willingness to embrace change and her efforts to be a better person emotionally. So yes, I think it concerns psychological change, and you need quite a sum too (because she mentioned the fees were exorbitant). </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I really agree with Maya's thoughts that a child is what his or her parents are. The Chinese believe that children mirror parents' actions, and I think that is true. Kids learn by imitation, and if there's something wrong with your kid, you should reflect on yourself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In conclusion, this is a really positive book to read despite the sickness and hardship suffered by the author, and it really inspires me to show more kindness and understanding to those around me. It is easy to follow the author's storytelling/memoir - it is sincere, open and relatable. She did not disguise the pain and despair suffered, but instead shared her story in a positive manner. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It is really uplifting to read how her health improved a lot following Energy healing, and that she finally conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Blessings to this little one, and I pray that your lives continue to grow in the direction of a greater balance, happiness and health.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Rating: </b></span></span><img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating40.gif" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*I received a complimentary of this book from the author for this review. No additional compensation, monetary or otherwise, is involved. The review is based on my own opinion and not influenced by any external factors. </i></span></div>
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<b>For Malaysian bloggers only:</b></div>
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If you would like to have my copy on the condition that you write a review on it after reading, please drop me an email at <i style="font-weight: bold;">aikychien@yahoo.com. </i>Self pick-up at Sitiawan or Poslaju (WM RM6/EM RM9).</div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-68633242927222617912016-03-28T22:50:00.002+08:002016-05-10T08:04:17.985+08:00Night Study by Maria V. Snyder<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Night Study (Soulfinders, #2)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438332601l/16130759.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear. </span></div>
<span id="freeText17961666455029665714" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"></span><br />
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<span id="freeText17961666455029665714" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="freeText17961666455029665714" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span>
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<span id="freeText17961666455029665714" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span id="freeText17961666455029665714">Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek...secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister that they could have ever imagined.</span> </span></span></div>
<span id="freeText17961666455029665714" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
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<b>Review</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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First off, I really love the cover of this book - it's gorgeous! I haven't read Soulfinders #1, but I thought it wouldn't matter because Maria always explains what happens in the previous book in a few simple sentences to give readers like me an overview of what happened. </div>
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This book, as usual, is full of twists and turns, surprises everywhere. I especially liked how Valek and Yelena's relationship becomes stronger, and how the party discover the plot that was behind certain things from both Ixia and Sitia. However, the book proceeds at a rather slow pace (which I'm assuming is due to the pre-war set up which requires much explanation to get things clear). And the book ended with a cliffhanger (which I assume is to ensure a smooth transition towards the 3rd book, like a new chapter).</div>
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Not the best, but still good enough to score a 4 stars from me. And did I say I love how the little Valek/Yelena's prospect excites me?</div>
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<b>Rating: </b><img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating40.gif" style="background-color: transparent;" /></div>
</span></span>Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-88924577638476713642016-03-07T10:31:00.001+08:002016-03-07T10:40:46.341+08:00If I Run by Terri Blackstock<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="If I Run (If I Run #1)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446648546l/26263487.jpg" width="210" /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Review</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
If I Run is an engaging read, keeping my eyes glued to the pages as I follow Casey's story. It was plausible why Casey would run away when she found her best friend Brent dead even if she was not the killer, because of self-defense instinct. However, it was later revealed that the truth is much darker than what I thought. </div>
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The literal prose is very good - words flows smoothly, good transitions from one point to another and overall very fast-paced and filled with twists which are revealed over time. The characters are well-developed, each with his/her own feelings, emotions and secret fears. </div>
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However, the ending was a little abrupt and took me by surprise as I was expecting a new chapter of Casey's escape from the evil that haunts her. I later found out on Goodreads that this was supposed to be the first book of a new series. That made me feel better, because the story is going to continue.</div>
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Even though this is published under Christian-related literature, it is not an overly-religious/preachy type of book. It seemed to me that Casey is portrayed as someone who had lost faith in God but finds it for a short moment towards the end of the book. If I Run is definitely worth reading.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating</b></div>
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<img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating40.gif" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Giveaway</b><br />
I'm giving away one (1) copy of this book. You can come pick up at Heritage Center SLC or pay for the shipping and I will mail it out to you. Contact me at aikychien@yahoo.com to arrange the pickup/delivery. First person who emails me gets it. If you are claiming, please leave a comment below so that others know that the book is claimed.</div>
</div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-451685469098975772016-02-24T12:10:00.001+08:002016-02-26T02:07:28.868+08:00My Mom's Last Letter<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.chrissywashburn.com/images/last-letter-cover-small.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.chrissywashburn.com/books">My Mom's Last Letter</a> by Chrissy Washburn</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Commentary:</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
This short story shows how love can make live worth living up until the time of one's death. It's a heartwarming story of a mother who was kind, caring and full of positive energy, and how she faced death with extraordinary valor and peacefulness. The fact that Chrissy's mom left the world in the most serene manner reflected how she was a blessed soul, She left a legacy of love and kindness that everybody should emulate.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You may request a free copy of the book <b><a href="http://www.chrissywashburn.com/books">HERE</a></b>. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Giveaway:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm giving away my copy, courtesy of the author. If you're living in SLC, UT, and would like to read the book, please contact me at aikychien@yahoo.com. You can come pick up the book later.</div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-68477893035505832582016-01-28T02:02:00.002+08:002016-02-04T15:31:51.541+08:00I'm here in US!Dear publishers/authors/readers,<br />
<br />
I'm currently in US, and will be here until April 2016. If you would like to request a review of your book(s), please contact me at <b><span style="color: blue;">aikychien@yahoo.com </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></b>
Please note that I only accepted printed copies at the moment. Book(s) received and reviewed will later be given away to readers in the US or donated to the local library, marked as "courtesy of (publishing company/author)".<br />
<br />
Thank you and have a nice day!<br />
<br />
Yours sincerely,<br />
Aik.Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-68313268703149373672015-10-31T15:56:00.001+08:002015-10-31T15:58:05.959+08:00Mini Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12681233-revived?from_search=true&search_version=service" title="Revived">
</a> <img alt="Revived" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318876961l/12681233.jpg" width="212" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_547166490"></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12681233-revived?from_search=true&search_version=service"><span itemprop="name">Revived</span></a><span id="goog_547166491"></span><span class="by smallText"> by</span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4254441.Cat_Patrick?from_search=true&search_version=service" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Cat Patrick</span></a></span></div>
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText13806183993689607900">Revived started off pretty well, but the ending was rather
unsurprising, with many questions left unanswered. The romance was sweet
and cute, but I had hoped to see more growth in story sequence and
development. </span>★ ★ ★ <span id="freeText13806183993689607900"> </span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="name"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="bookTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8673931-possess?from_search=true&search_version=service" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name"><img alt="Possess" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298352663l/8673931.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="bookTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8673931-possess?from_search=true&search_version=service" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Possess</span></a><span itemprop="name"> </span><span class="by smallText">by</span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4145664.Gretchen_McNeil?from_search=true&search_version=service" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Gretchen McNeil</span></a></span></div>
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="greyText"><span id="freeText6977692382426348139">It was quite fun reading this book, but the bad guy and ending was somewhat predictable. But somehow I didn't really like the main character, Bridget, who seems to be always bitchy to others on purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ </span></span></span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="bookTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15792516-my-chemical-mountain"><img alt="My Chemical Mountain" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363265130l/15792516.jpg" width="223" /> </a><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="bookTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15792516-my-chemical-mountain">My Chemical Mountain</a> <span class="by smallText">by</span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6457713.Corina_Vacco" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Corina Vacco</span></a> </span></div>
<br />
I enjoyed this book for its uniqueness and beautiful prose. The characters were weird, quirky and interesting. The ending was too dramatic to be true, but perhaps that's the only way the characters can save their polluted home. ★ ★ ★ ★ Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-65745651807616912702015-10-25T20:23:00.000+08:002016-01-28T02:37:25.516+08:00Fracture by Megan Miranda<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Fracture (Fracture, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312225659l/9548964.jpg" width="218" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9548964-fracture?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Fracture</a> by Megan Miranda</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Paperback, 261 pages </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Published January 17th 2012
by Bloomsbury
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText14297946072473609121">By the time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake's icy waters by her best friend, her heart had stopped beating. But somehow Delaney survived - despite the brain scans that show
irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows
she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or
explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she
meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same
abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure
if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must
figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature - or something
else much more frightening...</span>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>My Thoughts </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In some way this book is a little philosophical, as it explores the fine line between live and death. Some people live but they are dead on the inside, while some people die but are remembered. Questions about life, death and the natural scales of justice of the world were discussed in this novel.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The helplessness Delaney felt when she sensed mortal expiry was so authentic, it was a bone-crushing invisible weight that hung on her every limb, knowing that someone was about to die but not being able to do anything anyway.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I love the tension between Decker and Delaney, they love each other yet they are so afraid to admit it. It's kind of perplexing, and made me feel like slapping some sense into both of them.</div>
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The focus on the other guy who returned from a coma - Troy - I was unsure how I felt about him, he was a little creepy, and empty on the inside, a very good liar, and probably not quite right in the head after his family died, leaving him alone in the world. </div>
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All in all, I felt a connection towards this book that was somewhat lacking in Miranda's other book, Hysteria, which I did not really enjoyed. Fracture was well-paced and it is full of emotion and meaning. To top that, Miranda's writing in this book flows flawlessly and eloquently.</div>
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<img alt="5" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" /></div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-44688935602262466182015-10-24T22:26:00.001+08:002015-10-24T22:35:22.433+08:00Guest Post: Andrew Joyce<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Molly Lee" id="coverImage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426705721l/25169740.jpg" /> </div>
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Available on: </div>
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<a href="http://geni.us/molly">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/P2X">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/TH1">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/2EHU">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/1ZNZ">Smashwords</a></div>
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My name is Andrew Joyce, and I write books for a living. Aik has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25169740-molly-lee" target="_blank">MOLLY LEE</a>. The story is a female-driven account of a young naive girl’s journey into an independent, strong woman and all the trouble she gets into along the way.</div>
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Now you may possibly be asking yourself, What is a guy doing writing in a woman’s voice? And that’s a good question. I can only say that I did not start out to write about Molly; she just came to me one day and asked that I tell her story.</div>
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Perhaps I should start at the beginning.</div>
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My first book was a 164,000-word historical novel. And in the publishing world, anything over 80,000 words for a first-time author is heresy. Or so I was told time and time again when I approached an agent for representation. After two years of research and writing, and a year of trying to secure the services of an agent, I got angry. To be told that my efforts were meaningless was somewhat demoralizing to say the least. I mean, those rejections were coming from people who had never even read my book.</div>
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“So you want an 80,000-word novel?” I said to no one in particular, unless you count my dog, because he was the only one around at the time. Consequently, I decided to show them City Slickers that I could write an 80,000-word novel!</div>
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I had just finished reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn for the third time, and I started thinking about what ever happened to those boys, Tom and Huck. They must have grown up, but then what? So I sat down at my computer and banged out REDEMPTION: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer in two months; then sent out query letters to agents.</div>
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Less than a month later, the chairman of one of the biggest agencies in New York City emailed me that he loved the story. We signed a contract and it was off to the races, or so I thought. But then the real fun began: the serious editing. Seven months later, I gave birth to Huck and Tom as adults. And just for the record, the final word count is 79,914. The book went on to reach #1 status on Amazon twice, and the rest, as they say, is history.</div>
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But not quite.</div>
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My agent then wanted me to write a sequel, but I had other plans. I was in the middle of editing down my first novel (that had been rejected by 1,876,324 agents . . . or so it seemed) from 164,000 words to the present 142,000. However, he was insistent, so I started to think about it. Now, one thing you have to understand is that I tied up all the loose ends at the end of REDEMPTION, so there was no way that I could write a sequel. And that is when Molly asked me to tell her story. Molly was a character that we met briefly in the first chapter of REDEMPTION, and then she is not heard from again.</div>
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This is the description from MOLLY LEE: </div>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Molly is about to set off on the adventure of a lifetime . . . of two lifetimes. It’s 1861 and the Civil War has just started. Molly is an eighteen-year-old girl living on her family’s farm in Virginia when two deserters from the Southern Cause enter her life. One of them —a twenty-four-year-old Huck Finn—ends up saving her virtue, if not her life.Molly is so enamored with Huck, she wants to run away with him. But Huck has other plans and is gone the next morning before she awakens. Thus starts a sequence of events that leads Molly into adventure after adventure; most of them not so nice. We follow the travails of Molly Lee, starting when she is eighteen and ending when she is fifty-six. Even then Life has one more surprise in store for her.</span></blockquote>
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As I had wondered whatever became of Huck and Tom, I also wondered what Molly did when she found Huck gone. I know this has been a long-winded set up, but I felt I had to tell the backstory. Now I can move on and tell you about Molly.</div>
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As stated earlier, Molly starts out as a naive young girl. Over time she develops into a strong, independent woman. The change is gradual. Her strengths come from the adversities she encounters along the road that is her life.</div>
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With each setback, Molly follows that first rule she set against self-pity and simply moves on to make the best of whatever life throws her way. From working as a whore to owning a saloon, from going to prison to running a ranch, Molly plays to win with the cards she’s dealt. But she always keeps her humanity. She will kill to defend herself, and she has no problem killing to protect the weak and preyed upon. However, when a band of Indians (for instance) have been run off their land and have nowhere else to go, Molly allows them to live on her ranch, and in time they become extended family.</div>
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This is from a review on Amazon:</div>
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“A young female in nineteenth-century rural America would have needed courage, fortitude, and firm resolve to thrive in the best of circumstances. Molly Lee possesses all of these, along with an iron will and an inherent ability to read people accurately and respond accordingly.” I reckon that about sums up Molly.</div>
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I would like to say that I wrote MOLLY LEE in one sitting and everything in it is my pure genius. But that would be a lie. I have three editors (two women and one guy). They kept me honest with regard to Molly. When I made her a little too hard, they would point out that she had to be softer or show more emotion in a particular scene. </div>
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I set out to write a book where every chapter ended with a cliffhanger. I wanted the reader to be forced to turn to the next chapter. And I pretty much accomplished that, but I also wrote a few chapters where Molly and my readers could catch their collective breath.</div>
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One last thing: Everything in MOLLY LEE is historically correct from the languages of the Indians to the descriptions of the way people dressed, spoke, and lived. I spend as much time on research as I do writing my stories. Sometimes more.</div>
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It looks as though I’ve used up my allotted word count (self-imposed), so I reckon I’ll ride off into the sunset and rustle up a little vodka and cranberry juice (with extra lime).</div>
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It’s been a pleasure. Thank you for having me over.</div>
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Andrew </div>
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<blockquote>
Buy the book: <br />
<a href="http://geni.us/molly">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/P2X">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/TH1">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/2EHU">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/1ZNZ">Smashwords</a><br />
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<img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://eliseabram.com/britbear/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Andrew-Working.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /> <br />
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Connect with the author: <br />
<a href="http://andrewjoyce76.com/">Andrew's Web Site</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/2mAM">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://andrewjoyce.wordpress.com/">Andrew's Blog</a></blockquote>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-78039472557307726592015-10-11T10:29:00.002+08:002015-10-11T10:30:47.020+08:00Dualed by Elsie Chapman<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Dualed (Dualed, #1)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350438849l/13401993.jpg" width="212" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="fn" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13401993-dualed" target="_blank">Dualed (Dualed, #1)</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="by smallText" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Allura sans-serif'; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;">by</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5441417.Elsie_Chapman" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;"><span itemprop="name">Elsie Chapman</span></a> </span></div>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Two of you exist. Only one will survive. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: justify;">The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: justify;">Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her</span></div>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The storyline was pretty much boring. Not much character nor plot development. I was expecting the heroine to question the reason of such a system (killing your genetically-created twin) but she did not. She just went ahead with the flow and tried to kill her twin. And on the way, she decided to be an assassin because it would help with her skills and reflexes. They were supposed to be an underground society, and the assassin is marked on the wrists for identification purposes. BUT what is she doing killing people in plain-sight and having audiences? Like that wasn't going to attract the Board's attention which is going to lead back to the assassin group. A little nonsensical and weird, and for the most part emotionless and bland.</span></span></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-61190775083008408562015-09-21T01:08:00.003+08:002015-09-21T01:09:22.521+08:00Origin by Jessica Khoury <div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Origin (Corpus, #1)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346121755l/13455112.jpg" width="198" /></div>
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<span class="by smallText" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 14px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455112-origin" target="_blank">Origin</a> by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5625945.Jessica_Khoury" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 19.8px; text-decoration: none;"><span itemprop="name">Jessica Khoury</span></a> </span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home―and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin―a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.</span></i></blockquote>
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<b>Review</b></div>
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Alright, Origin was a little lengthy, but believe me, you are going to relish every page and want more!<br />
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Pia is a loveable character, with her innate kindness and ability to care for others. She is also determined and strong, willing to sacrifice herself to protect her loved ones.<br />
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Eio bears a striking resemblance to his father, who was a good and brave man in his own right. Khoury's description of Eio is somewhere along the lines of hot jungle boy with sharp nose and blue eyes due to his mixed parentage.<br />
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I greatly enjoyed the myth and legend of the immortals, as told by the Kapukiri or wise man of the Ai'oa tribe, somehow I feel fascinated by folklore that is often painted in romantic colours and sometimes hard to be rationalized.<br />
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At the core of the story, I think Khoury wanted to highlight that sometimes humans can do unspeakable acts of evil in the name of science and humanity. The idea and realization of it hit at the very core of the reader's being.<br />
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Khoury did a fantastic job in creating a superb Amazonian setting with the sounds, smells and feel of the jungle. I also loved how her words flow like a never-ending river, smooth and inviting. The plot and pacing were notably good, and I loved how Khoury peppered the story with so many twists and turns.<br />
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Lastly, I just wanna say, this book's a keeper, and you will savour every page of it.<br />
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<b>Rating </b><img alt="5" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" />Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-25835831774965480442015-08-10T00:10:00.006+08:002015-08-14T15:46:39.142+08:00Monster by C. J. Skuse<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Monster" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427975804l/23126431.jpg" width="202" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23126431-monster" target="_blank">Monster</a></div>
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<span class="by smallText" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 14px;">by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3188620.C_J_Skuse" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 19.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;"><span itemprop="name">C.J. Skuse</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;">At sixteen Nash thought that the fight to become Head Girl of prestigious boarding school Bathory would be the biggest battle she’d face. Until her brother’s disappearance leads to Nash being trapped at the school over Christmas with Bathory’s assorted misfits. As a blizzard rages outside, strange things are afoot in the school’s hallways, and legends of the mysterious Beast of Bathory – a big cat rumoured to room the moors outside the school – run wild. Yet when the girls’ Matron goes missing it’s clear that something altogether darker is to blame – and that they’ll have to stick together if they hope to survive.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18.1499996185303px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Pristina; font-size: large; line-height: 18.1499996185303px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Review</span><br />
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Set in a boarding school called Bathory which emanates old-school charm, this book is a pleasant surprise with a tinge of romance and mostly suspense/horror towards the ending. The setting and plot were quite realistic and I had no trouble imagining the scenes in my head. </div>
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I loved how Nash was still so responsible and level-headed even when her brother had been missing for days on a trip and probably dead someone halfway around the globe. However, I loved that she had fire inside her too, which she only let go when she couldn't contain it anymore. </div>
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The first 100 pages or so went to world-building, not much action except the occasional fights and mini-Wiki of the Beast. I think it should be slightly trimmed, cos it does get boring if nothing happens after the first 50 pages. The real action starts when Nash discovers that the Beast of Bathory was hunting them when the girls were trapped alone inside the building with limited food supplies and they had to prepare themselves for what is to come. </div>
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The Beast was rumored to have killed several villagers and livestock throughout its reign in Bathory, but the true identity of the killer caught me by surprise. My mouth tasted acrid as I feared for my favourite characters' survival. My only complaint for this book is that the introduction of the Beast during Nash's very first sighting of it seemed a little comical - I had hoped that it would be scary or somewhat bone-chilling. </div>
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Overall, it did give me some chills, especially towards the end of the book. I devoured this book in one sitting, and it was indeed tremendously enjoyable. Add this book to your shelf if you enjoy YA, suspense and horror! </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Pristina; font-size: large; line-height: 18.1499996185303px; text-align: center;">Rating </span><br />
<img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating45.gif" /></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-1905094727545509732015-07-12T01:07:00.001+08:002015-07-12T01:07:19.082+08:00Enders<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Enders (Starters, #2)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374509070l/13412377.jpg" width="212" /></div>
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<span class="by smallText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13412377-enders" target="_blank">Enders</a> (Starters #2)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="by smallText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4902564.Lissa_Price" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; line-height: 19.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;"><span itemprop="name">Lissa Price</span></a> </span></span></div>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">How should I start this? I loved the concept of <a href="http://the-bookaholics.blogspot.com/2012/04/starters.html" target="_blank">Starters</a> and I greatly enjoyed it, but Enders didn't seem to live up to its predecessor. Callie was pretty much an annoying brat and not helpful towards the story at all. The plot execution lacks depth, and I did not really enjoy the story. It was also not quite believable that Callie would trust someone who pops out of the blue and claims himself to be the son of an evil mastermind but is against his dad. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">While Hyden (The Old Man's son) was hiding a big secret, I kind of guessed it at the beginning of the novel already. Blame it on reader's instinct that develops after you've read hundreds of books. Haha.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I somehow finished the story, but Enders definitely lacked the oomph that got me hooked on Starters. It's still quite alright, but I can't decide if I actually like it or hate it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rating: </span></span><img alt="3" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating30.gif" /></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-49815809095230674312015-07-04T23:02:00.001+08:002015-07-04T23:03:18.316+08:00Savage Drift<div style="text-align: center;">
Book 1: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1552365074"></span>Monument 14<span id="goog_1552365075"></span></a></div>
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Book 2: <a href="http://the-bookaholics.blogspot.com/2015/07/sky-on-fire.html" target="_blank">Sky on Fire</a></div>
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<img alt="Savage Drift (Monument 14, #3)" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1383823580l/18215086.jpg" width="267" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18215086-savage-drift" target="_blank">Savage Drift</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;">The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety. </span><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SPOILER ALERT!</span></b></div>
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Niko, at first devastated over Josie's possible death, now embarks on a mission to save Josie after seeing her photo in the newspaper. Meanwhile, Astrid is getting suspicious that the government intends to experiment on pregnant women when she discovers that a fellow pregnant lady went missing from the refugee camp.</div>
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In this book, I enjoyed reading Josie's side of the story more, because it was portrayed as a hell on Earth. I love how Josie had become so strong, yet she keeps her power and rage in check at most times, exploding only when she is pushed to her limits (when someone messes with her new family in the prison).</div>
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The ending, though action-packed as usual, is lacking of its usual persuasiveness. Josie ended up in the USAMRIID testing laboratories, and after a deal with the Dr which allows her to see Niko, she signs the consent form allowing them to extract her spinal fluid for further testing (to which the nurse had warned her against). However, in the end, she was not tested on and was released, along with Astrid who was rushed into the same center for a C-section to deliver her huge baby. The baby was not experimented upon as well.</div>
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It is not logical that the government, with all the kidnapping of pregnant ladies for experiment earlier, would actually release these two mighty valuable lab rats without much hesitation, even though the Dr learned that they were actually all related to his now dead son Brayden in Monument 14.</div>
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Perhaps the author just wants them to unite with one another no matter what?</div>
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Happy as I was on their reunion, I had hoped that Laybourne would explore the possibilities of MORS following a testing done on Josie and Astrid's baby. But all in all, this is a real good series, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys Dystopian novels and appreciate a good, quick read!</div>
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Rating: <img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating45.gif" />Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-46885859905349063952015-07-04T22:35:00.001+08:002015-07-04T22:45:03.117+08:00Sky on Fire<div style="text-align: center;">
Book 1: <a href="http://the-bookaholics.blogspot.com/2015/07/m14.html" target="_blank">Monument 14</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Sky on Fire (Monument 14, #2)" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364599871l/16075615.jpg" style="font-family: inherit;" width="266" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16075615-sky-on-fire" target="_blank">Sky on Fire</a></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . . </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: red;"><b>SPOILERS ALERT!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is by far the best book in the series. It is raw, action-packed, and full of tears, heartbreak and kinship. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Niko is someone you can count on, but below the tough-man appearance he has a loving heart. He cares for his young ones, and never complains. I feel that he's just the right guy for Josie and vouched for him from the beginning. However, he is able to put aside his love for Josie temporarily to lead the kids to safety. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Josie is a type O without herself realizing it, but she is different from the other mindless killers as she can control herself from harming the ones she love. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Love for a family without blood ties can go beyond value for one's life, as demonstrated by Josie who voluntarily ripped off her gas mask and turned O to save the lives of the ones she love. Now Josie is lost, but Niko swears to bring the rest of the family to safety. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in the warehouse, where Dean, Astrid, Chloe (the 3 other O's who were left behind for fear of turning into killers) and the twins were situated, things were not that good with Alex (technical wizard) gone, Jake abandoning them for good, and Astrid pregnant with Jake's child. Dean still loves Astrid, but Astrid seems to have reservations of her feelings towards Dean.</span></div>
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Now the government plans to drop bombs in Monument in order to wipe out MORS-contaminated areas. Will Niko arrive at DIA in time to save the others left behind in Greenway supermarket? </div>
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Sky on Fire is just brilliant. I finished it in one sitting. </div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: </span></span><img alt="5" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" /></div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-85280243506868708382015-07-04T22:13:00.000+08:002015-07-04T22:16:38.101+08:00Monument 14<h3 class="r" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Monument 14 (Monument 14, #1)" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337779838l/12753231.jpg" width="266" /></span></h3>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12753231-monument-14" style="color: #660099; cursor: pointer;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Monument 14</span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In Emmy Laybourne's action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world-as they know it-apart.</span></blockquote>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Woah. This book just blew my hats off. The plot is so eventful and packed with suspense and fear of what lies ahead. While there are 14 different people trapped in Greenway (the superstore in Monument, Colarado), they all have different personalities which I grew to love and appreciate, even though some of the characters are douche-bags or spoiled/angsty brats. </span><br />
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The main focus in this book is how the kids strategize to stay alive for as long as possible under the leadership of Niko, who used to be a Boy Scout and had the survival instinct and knowledge drilled in him. He made a good leader, but he was terrible at socializing and expressing his thoughts. </div>
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Meanwhile, Dean has been in love with Astrid, the swim team goddess for quite some time, but Astrid seems to be attached to Jake, who is sometimes a good person, sometimes a bully. </div>
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I find the most lovable part of the story was the presence of the 7 kids who each has a different personality. I love Max with his wild stories, Ulysses with his limited English and pot belly, Henry and Caroline the sweet-natured and docile twins and Batiste with his ultra-religious behaviour. They are quirky but simply adorable. Sahalia desperately wants to be an adult despite being 13 years old, and Chloe who is 10 is just a rotten brat, but I appreciate their presence throughout the book anyway.</div>
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And we found out about the MORS biological weapon which was leaked during the earthquake, sending people into a frenzy amidst a cacophony of disasters. MORS attack people based on blood groups, type A blisters up and die from tissue failure, type AB undergoes hallucination and paranoia, type O turns into raging monsters and type B becomes sterile. </div>
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The author gives you a raw chunk of what is happening without any sugar-coating, which gives a real touch to the story, highlighting how bad it is outside. The way the children actually made a temporary safe haven out of the supermarket is actually quite impressive, despite the horrors ongoing in the outside world. </div>
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Go ahead and read it, you'll like it!</div>
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Rating: <img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating40.gif" /></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-91886008484158454972015-06-30T21:38:00.000+08:002015-06-30T21:40:34.947+08:00Extraordinary...Not?<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Extraordinary" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341193984l/7456034.jpg" /></div>
<div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span class="by smallText" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 14px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7456034-extraordinary" target="_blank">Extraordinary</a> </span><span class="by smallText" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 14px;">by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/63983.Nancy_Werlin" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 19.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">Nancy Werlin</a></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Phoebe is drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new girl at school. Soon the two become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory’s magnetic older brother, Ryland, arrives. Ryland has an immediate hold on Phoebe — but it turns into something dangerous, as she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon Phoebe discovers the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt she’s meant to pay. Will she be strong enough to save herself from the curse?</span></blockquote>
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The story and the whole concept was too old-fashioned, or should I say weird. The pace was much too draggy, when the plot was only based on a story/fairy tale that could have been 3 pages at most. The conversations of the fey children with the fairy queen were monotonous and slightly robotic, written in an amateurish style. I find that these conversations were rather annoying and unnecessary as it breaks the reader's focus on the story line. I did not enjoy this book very much, and I skipped several pages at once while reading, but it wasn't all bad. The good parts are the story from which the Rothschild ancestor came in touch with the fey and the bargain, and the fact that although Mallory was a changeling, she had real concerns and cares for her human mother. On a side note, the book cover is gorgeous! </div>
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Rating: <img src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating25.gif" />Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-5721153875666704232015-02-21T14:38:00.000+08:002015-02-21T14:42:17.415+08:00Guest Post: Michelle Moran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs53K2grfBUQcIho1E6avVThymdenITFtpP3qcgQUGQT0bEbTIyX2886CDAHVL22msLvjTe5nvuDHSaSrPCCyXXhDM8H1MpFYS6qU6uBSP7xbLQVYAg2gMzJgjuCrAuVmzMp_hNclutZZ_/s1600/JanamKundlicover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs53K2grfBUQcIho1E6avVThymdenITFtpP3qcgQUGQT0bEbTIyX2886CDAHVL22msLvjTe5nvuDHSaSrPCCyXXhDM8H1MpFYS6qU6uBSP7xbLQVYAg2gMzJgjuCrAuVmzMp_hNclutZZ_/s1600/JanamKundlicover.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="b028m-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$b028m" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="b028m-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$b028m.0:$b028m-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>JANAM KUNDLIS</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="8neug-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8neug" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="8neug-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8neug.0:$8neug-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Michelle Moran</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="3a22a-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$3a22a" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="3a22a-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$3a22a.0:$3a22a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="3a22a-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$3a22a" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="3a22a-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$3a22a.0:$3a22a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">With every book I write, I discover something about the culture I’m researching which completely blows me away, often because it’s so unusual and something I’ve never encountered before. In the case of my book, REBEL QUEEN, set in India during the British invasion, the concept of Janam Kundlis struck a chord with me, particularly since Janam Kundlis very nearly played a role in my own life and my marriage to my husband, who is Indian. </span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="3a22a-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$3a22a" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="1vof9-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$1vof9" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="1vof9-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$1vof9.0:$1vof9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Also known as an astrological chart, a Janam Kundli is made by a priest for each child in India. No one is sure when the concept of a Janam Kundli came to be, but as Vedic astrology is several thousand years old, it’s not surprising that my protagonist’s Janam Kundli would have looked similar to my husband’s, even though they were born more than a hundred years apart. A person’s Janam Kundli includes the details of their birth–time, date, planetary alignments. It also includes other things which aren’t so common in the West, such as that person’s probable future career and who they were in their most recent past life (in my husband’s case, a yogi!). </span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="4ehbc-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$4ehbc" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="4ehbc-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$4ehbc.0:$4ehbc-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="4ehbc-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$4ehbc" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="4ehbc-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$4ehbc.0:$4ehbc-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Reading a person’s natal chart is serious business. Once a person’s Janam Kundli is created, they will keep that document with them for life, producing it when it’s time for marriage. Even today, Janam Kundlis are used to make prospective matches between brides and grooms throughout India, where the majority of marriages are arranged. And woe betide anyone whose Janam Kundli declares them to be a manglik, or a bad-luck person. If that’s the case, as it was for the famous Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, one of two options are available. You can either marry another manglik, thus canceling out your bad-luck status, or you can hire a priest to conduct a variety of ceremonies that will make it possible to marry someone who isn’t a manglik like yourself. This last option, however, is only available if the non-manglik person’s family finds the risk acceptable. In Aishwarya Rai’s case, her in-laws obviously felt the “risk” was worth it, and in 2007 she married a tree before she married her husband, thereby canceling out her bad-luck in this way. </span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="8cqvt-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8cqvt" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="8cqvt-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8cqvt.0:$8cqvt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="8cqvt-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8cqvt" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="8cqvt-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8cqvt.0:$8cqvt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Why a tree? Well, this was something I very nearly discovered myself when my own Janam Kundli was made. Apparently, like Aishwarya Rai, I too am probably a manglik, meaning marriage for me would most likely end in the divorce or death of my spouse. I say probably because my Janam Kundli was done online. The effect, however, was very nearly the same. Major discussions took place as to whether I would need to marry a tree before the wedding could proceed, or whether my Janam Kundli should be discounted since I am not, after all, Indian, and my Janam Kundli hadn’t “officially” been made by a priest. </span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="8cqvt-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$8cqvt" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="1f5e7-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$1f5e7" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="1f5e7-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$1f5e7.0:$1f5e7-0-0">In the end, it was decided that my husband should take the risk and go for it. I never had to marry a tree or even choose among a variety of clay urns for my groom. Either option, apparently, is acceptable, as it’s believed that a person’s manglik dosh can be canceled out if the manglik person’s bad luck is spent on the first marriage. Thus, the bride first marries a clay urn or a tree, then either breaks the clay urn or chops down her tree-husband in order to become a “widow” (in some places, </span>the tree is allowed to survive). After this, the second marriage is ready to proceed without a hitch. </span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="1f5e7-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$1f5e7" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="a0al-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$a0al" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; direction: ltr; line-height: 16px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="a0al-0-0" data-reactid=".t.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.$a0al.0:$a0al-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There are varying interpretations of this ceremony, and even though it didn’t end up affecting me, a person’s Janam Kundli can alter their destiny, just as I describe in the beginning of REBEL QUEEN. It’s cultural gems like these which make researching historical fiction such a pleasure, and it’s these type of details which I try to include in each of my books. As a writer, my hope is that they pique the reader’s interest along the way, and as a reader, they are the sort of facts which help ground me in another place and time.</span></div>
Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-81278659254283476562015-01-26T18:32:00.004+08:002015-01-26T18:32:44.240+08:00Pearl of China<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pearl of China" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312044125l/6951073.jpg" width="208" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Anders, sans-serif;">Synopsis</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It is the end of the nineteenth century and China is riding on the crest of great change, but for nine-year-old Willow, the only child of a destitute family in the small southern town of Chin-kiang, nothing ever seems to change. Until the day she meets Pearl, the eldest daughter of a zealous American missionary.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Pearl is head-strong, independent and fiercely intelligent, and will grow up to be Pearl S Buck, the Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning writer and humanitarian activist, but for now all Willow knows is that she has never met anyone like her in all her life. From the start the two are thick as thieves, but when the Boxer Rebellion rocks the nation, Pearl's family is forced to leave China to flee religious persecution. As the twentieth century unfolds in all its turmoil, through right-wing military coups and Mao's Red Revolution, through bad marriages and broken dreams, the two girls cling to their lifelong friendship across the sea. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Anders, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">Review</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Anchee Min's <i>Pearl of China</i> is a heartwarming tale about the friendship of two girls —— a country bumpkin (Willow) and a white-skinned, blue-eyed Chinese (Pearl). The fates of these two have been entwined since young, when Pearl's father (Absalom) came on a mission to spread gospel in a small town called Chin-kiang. Willow's father was poor and though he first embraced Christianity and became Absalom's sidekick for physical sustainability, he gradually became a staunch believer and promoter of his faith, attracting the masses and converting many people in his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Willow and Pearl's friendship spanned throughout their whole lifetime, creating a wonderful memoir of timeless friendship against the backdrop of Mao Tse Tung's reign and fall in China. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: justify;">It was interesting that Min inserted a love story between Pearl and Tsu Chih Mo, a legendary contemporary poet who was known for his constant pursue of love and romance, and had Willow playing the stuck-in-the-middle person. Willow had her eyes on Tsu, but Tsu's eyes reflect only Pearl's image. Willow, albeit initially wallowed in jealousy, finally decided to give her blessing to her favourite man Tsu and best friend Pearl. She became the lovers' middle-woman, giving the pair a chance to rendezvous. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: justify;">From the beginning till the end, Pearl was by heart a Chinese, she loved Willow as a sister she never had, and Willow loved Pearl dearly against all odds. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Fine as this story was, I think <i>Pearl of China </i>lacked a certain oomph factor that makes a good book a great book.</span></div>
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<img alt="3.685" content="3.685" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating35.gif" property="v:rating" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18.1499996185303px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 8px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-91385352037061604952014-08-04T10:57:00.004+08:002014-08-04T11:01:44.911+08:00The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="http://andrewfukuda.com/images/the-hunt-uk-press.jpg" width="202" /><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12296595-the-hunt" target="_blank">The Hunt</a></b><span class="by smallText" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"> by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span itemprop="name"><a href="http://www.andrewfukuda.com/" target="_blank"><b>Andrew Fukuda</b></a></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">SYNOPSIS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population. Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">REVIEW</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For once things are different - in <i>The Hunt</i>, humans are now known as <i>hepers</i> are close to extinction and are hunted down or bred as food. And the others, the ones who dominate the world, are those nocturnal human-like cannibals who somehow exhibit vampiric features. It's certainly a fresh twist, and a horrific, heart-gripping one at that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blending in with the predators has been how Gene kept himself alive for the past 17 years. He still remembers the warning his father gave him: don't exhibit any facial expressions, use some special formula to cover your body odour, and whatever you do, don't stand out of the crowd. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A fellow predator girl with flaming red hair - Ashley June, caught his eyes. He controls himself, though. Distances himself from her. No good can come if your girlfriend eats you up for breakfast, right? But there's more to Ashley June than meets the eye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When both are selected for the Heper Hunt, Gene must overcome all odds to stay alive. And that proves to be a more challenging task than he ever thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This pacing of this novel is quite good, given that most of the events are focused on the days before the Heper Hunt. I really appreciate the author's unique storytelling that keeps me seated until I finally finished the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Somehow I loved this novel. Though some parts of it are illogical, put in mind that this is a fantasy young adult novel, so do not expect everything to be explained rationally. Nonetheless, I hope the author will give a layout of the history/background of how the cannibals came to be in the next two books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fans of <i>The Hunger Games</i> and <i>Divergent </i>will most likely to enjoy this novel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RATING </b><span class="bea-portal-theme-alibrisMain" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; line-height: 18.149999618530273px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="bea-portal-theme-alibrisInvisible" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating50.gif" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 8px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.149999618530273px;"> </span></span>Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711502888889750424.post-29452243877302459472014-08-02T16:50:00.000+08:002014-08-04T11:02:00.231+08:00The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="The Thief" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1376276598l/18308683.jpg" width="208" /><br />
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18308683-the-thief" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Thief</span></a></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="by smallText" style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5109680.Fuminori_Nakamura" itemprop="url" style="color: #666600; line-height: 19.799999237060547px; text-decoration: none;"><span itemprop="name">Fuminori Nakamura</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b>SYNOPSIS</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Thief is a seasoned pickpocket. Anonymous in his tailored suit, he weaves in and out of Tokyo crowds, stealing wallets from strangers so smoothly sometimes he doesn’t even remember the snatch. Most people are just a blur to him, nameless faces from whom he chooses his victims. He has no family, no friends, no connections. But he does have a past, which finally catches up with him. And now the Thief is caught in a tangle even he might not be able to escape.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b>REVIEW</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Despite being such a short novel, <i>The Thief</i> is fast-paced and entirely engrossing. It chronicles the life of an experienced pick-pocket, who got caught in a web of events which are much bigger than what he expected. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Nishimura is a loner, he has no family, no friends and no connections. Being a thief, it's the best for him that way. However, when he accepted a task of robbing a political figure, his life started to change. He also grew a friendly relationship with a little boy who steals food supplies for his prostitute mother. When his past comes back to haunt him, he has no choice but to accept new tasks, or risks the little boy and his mother being killed, and also his own life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I read this novel with a kind of intensity I do not experience often. It was so captivating that I couldn't put it down. The chapters were short and sweet, but there's always something up. The only thing I had against was the ending. It leaves the story unresolved. It's like a cliffhanger, but it isn't cos this is a stand-alone novel. I really want to know what's gonna happen next! I'm so </span><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">flabbergasted when I realize that's where it ends. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b>RATING</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="4.000" src="http://www.alibris.com/images/review/rating40.gif" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); color: #666666; line-height: 18.149999618530273px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 8px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></div>
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Aikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07120383471104483739noreply@blogger.com0