Lady Danielle

2.5 stars

If you loved Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn then don’t hesitate to pick this book up; they both give off the same dark gothic-like atmosphere when reading.

Well… this is going to be hard to review because I’m feeling this “I like this book, but I don’t like it” pull whenever I look at it.

Nathan has a hard and abusive life due to the fact he’s a Half Code (half White Witch, half Black). He cannot communicate with anyone accept his family, he cannot leave without having permission from the Council, he’s watched everywhere he goes, and every five years or so he has to be assessed by the Council to see if he would be considered a White Witch or a Black one by the time of his seventeenth birthday. He hasn’t met his father, but he knows the Council is searching for him because he’s a notorious Black Witch… and a murderer. To add on to his problems, he can neither read nor write... and he's on the run.

There’s a division between the two witches and you can pretty much guess who are the dominant rulers:

”Whites hate Black Witches for their anarchy and lunacy. They don’t integrate withing fain (human/non-witches) communities but don’t have a community of their own. Their marriages never last, often ending in abrupt violence. They usually live alone, hate fains and fain technology. Their Gifts are strong.”

The Whites assembled a Council and Hunters (White Witches [W.W.] who hunts and captures Black Withces [B.W.]) for Black Witches — to enslave them, tortured them, and eventually kill them. Oh, the hypocrisy coming from the W.W. It makes me think the B.W. are the good ones instead. These witches have very interesting Gifts, but I don’t consider them it to be “magical”, it feels more like Fantastic Four than Harry Potter.

***A list of the "magic" the witches receive on their 17th birthday***

+ Potion making ( PASS )
+ Breathing fire and sending fire from hands ( FAIL )
+ Invisibility ( FAIL )
+ Moving objects by thought (PASS/FAIL - it can be some form of witchcraft, then again I think of some superhero)
+ Seeing the future ( PASS )
+ Disguising oneself as any human being, male or female (FAIL - I'm going to have to give this one a fail, despite the fact glamour can be used in witchcraft; however, Mystique from X-Men keeps popping up in my head... again, superpower )
+ Flying (PASS/FAIL - I'll see how that plays out in the next book)
+ Making plants grow or die ( PASS )
+ Sending electricity from the body (FAIL - how the hell is this magic?)
+ Healing others (PASS/FAIL - mehhh, maybe. Depends.)
+ Bending and controlling metal objects ( FAIL )
+ Slowing time ( FAIL )

And here's what disappoints me: the majority of them are not being used; we're merely given a list of the "magic". Only the potion making, healing, and disguising are used here and there throughout the novel.

Unfortunately, I did not like the worldbuilding; it didn't feel as though I were in Wales, Scotland, and London (the places Nathan went to). We're given very little description which felt more like telling rather than showing. Half Bad has so much potential and I'm really upset I didn't enjoy like I hoped. This would have been 2 stars, but the last 30 pages were really good. Very curious to read the next book.

***Before I leave, there are couple of things I found interesting***

+ Becoming a witch: on the whets' (a witch under the age of seventeen) 17th birthday, the guardian of the whet has to give three gifts and perform some ceremony for the coming-of-age witch. When spells are exchanged, the whet has to drink the blood of the guardian to receive their Gift a.k.a "power". I should be disgusted, but that felt like witchcraft to me. 

+ A witch can steal another witch's power by killing them and eating their heart. Creepy, huh? That reminded me of Another Little Piece. 

4.5 stars 

I took a shitload of notes, I’ve used sticky notes to mark certain pages; yet, I still don’t know what to say about this book. I’m trying to form all of it into a review and it’s hard because there are so many things I want to talk about. So, I’m going to start off with this:

This book is nothing like the fucking Hunger Games. I wish these damn publishers would stop claiming every Dystopia novel that gets published as “the next Hunger Games!” “a reminiscent of the Hunger Games!” “if you loved the Hunger Games, you’ll love this!” (Suzanne Collins is not the creator of survival and rebellions. That shit goes back to the birth of humankind when Eve decided to eat the apple… or, if you don’t believe in that, when one of the apes decided he ain’t gon’ stay an ape anymore and evolved into a man*.)

So STOP. Just stop. I hated the HG; saying that almost made me run in the other direction. The reason why I didn’t was because of Litchick’s review.

I usually hate made up swear words, but I’m going to let the ones in here slide (also, I seem to being saying bloodydamn a lot). I must admit, some of these made up terms for objects could get a little confusing in the beginning, but I promise you’ll get used to it around page 40.

The characters in Red Rising are so believable. I’ve grown attached to Sevro and Pax (view spoiler) They are my absolute favourites. There’s a particular character in here that I’m really looking forward to seeing more of in the next installment: Cassius. When we’re first introduced to him he’s a total Draco Malfoy; you’d think Darrow would pull a Harry Potter and turn away from him, but he doesn’t. He befriends him; pretty soon, you really start to understand Cassius and can’t help but like him. I loved that Pierce Brown did this — not making the “bad guys” out to be bad guys at all. 

I really loved that Darrow was not some fearless character even though at times he may come off as that; however, inside he’s absolutely terrified. 

"I should want to kill him; instead, I want to run and hide at the thought of his name."

No. I’m not saying he’s a coward throughout the book. He had enough courage to fight and stand up for himself even though he didn’t want to; that’s what makes this protagonist a believable character, because not everyone is fearless — everyone is afraid, but our morals and purpose are what gives us the strength to fight and stand up for ourselves. That’s what makes us courageous. 

"I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.


I am no Gold. I am a Red.”


Darrow wasn’t always a Gold. He was a Helldiver, a Red, on Mars digging at the bottom of the planet for Laurels. Reds are the lowColors, the lowest of the color cast system. They are not considered humans, they are slaves to the higher Colors (Gold being the highest, of course. Rulers). The Reds have never seen the stars and skies. They don’t eat much, but they have each other. Darrow had Eo and was perfectly fine with that… until tragedy struck his life and discover the truth that has been obscured for hundreds of years.

"The city is one of spires, parks, rivers, garden, and fountains. It is a city of dreams, a city of blue water and green life on a red planet that is supposed to be as barren as the cruelest desert. This is not the Mars they show on the HolocCam. It is a place of lies, wealth, and immense abundance."

What would you do if you found out everything you’ve been told was a lie? The cities your rulers said were destroyed, but discover it’s still thriving with wealth and people? 

I don’t understand how Pierce Brown made mythology and Dystopia work together. They shouldn’t be in the same book, but it is in here and it all makes sense. Red Rising is more than just fighting — it’s about cleverly crafted manipulation, alliances, friendships, and hidden truths. The romance? What romance? There is none in here (view spoiler) and that’s what makes this book even more fucking awesome. No insta-love, no fucking angst, no love triangles. NONE. 

This book has gore, loads of it. My stomach was constantly clenching and I found myself crying out in horror at times. I thought I should warn you in case you’re not into gore; even if you aren’t, still give this a shot….

***I hope y’all enjoy this book!***


* If you got offended, I’m sorry. I’m trying to be funny. I have nothing against everyone’s beliefs/non-beliefs.

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!"



Twilight? No.

Vampire Diaries? The books? Hell no. The TV series? Absolutely not.

Speshul 18 year old Caitlin only wants to be an anonymity at her high school. Speshul Caitlin is too “weird” for people. Too boring. Too plain. Nothing speshul about speshul Caitlin. 

“… she felt alone. Not because she was the only white girl – she actually preferred that. Some of her closest friends had been Black, Spanish, Asian, Indian – and some of her meanest frienemies had been white.”



PAUSE. I’m going to have to stop this passage right there. Is this author kidding me? Is she really pulling out the race card? Is she really making Blacks, Spanish, etc., out to be feral individuals? I mean, the author clearly stated everyone in her new high school were acting like wild animals: attacking each other, screaming and yelling, etc…. AND NONE OF THEM ARE WHITE. So she tries to pull out the “oh I had friends who were black” “Oh I had friends who were Spanish” “Oh I had friends who were Asian” shit to make us give her the OK to write offensive shit like this. Give me a break. I saw right through this horribly plotted, banal, and pathetic writing. 

This was, by far, one of the most unrealistic and idiotic books I’ve ever read. Bob-wired gates at a high school? Dozens of policemen armed with weapons at the front entrance barking off orders? A FUCKING METAL DETECTOR? BARS AND FUCKING CAGES ON ALL THE WINDOWS? Really?! 

“That’s right, Barack! Give the white girl your seat” One kid yelled.
“Your name is Barack?” I asked the boy.
“No, that’s just what they call me. They think I look like Obama”.

I dropped the fucking book right here. Fuck this dumb ass book. Fuck this dumb ass writing. 
I can’t tell which is sad – the fact that the author wrote this or the fact that thousands of people love this book (I read this on wattpad, btw). I’m done with the world.

"Time stops for no one."

I'm jealous of anyone living in Europe. Since I was eight, I've always wanted to live in France. If you ask some of the people I hang out with, they'll most likely tell you I never shut up about it. France is my home. I want to go backpacking all over Europe to experience so many wonderful cultures, get to know the people, their religion, their food and language... Italy, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, Greece, Spain, etc. Europe is fucking perfect, no one will ever change my view on this. I'd pretty much do anything for a damn trip to certain countries in Europe and be happy about it... I'm still wondering why the hell this protagonist, Allyson, was so reluctant to go on this trip of a lifetime.

In the beginning, I wanted to shake Allyson and scream, "Why are you so damn ungrateful?!" For a couple of pages, she pretty much complained that her parents and her best friend dragged her on this trip that she had no desire to go on. I tried to tell myself some people hate travelling and leaving their country, but I can't even understand that. I'm not judging, I'm just... never mind. Anyway, I'm glad Allyson started to appreciate what was given to her and did what I would have done: go to Paris. I'm still going crazy over the fact it takes two hours to get to Paris from London... two hours. 

"... everything is happening all the time, but if you don't put yourself in the path of it, you miss it."

Is it possible for a novel to make me more wanderlust than I already am? I’m pretty sure Just One Day did just that. Forman’s writing is gorgeous; it felt as though I was in Paris for that one day with Willem and Allyson. I've never read any of Ms Forman's previous works; after reading this, I'm looking forward to doing so.

I now believe in the possibility of falling in love with someone in one day. I shouldn't, but I do thanks to Willem and Allyson. That's how cute and amazing Part One of Just One Day was... how believable, too. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling Part Two much, I'm guessing due to the fact Allyson is back in America and in college. We had to leave the beautiful descriptions of Paris; the bubbly feeling of adoration from the romance. Don't get me wrong, Part Two was more about Allyson realising who she was and that was done right, but I felt it was a bit slow and most of it was redundant. However, the last one hundred pages makes up for it all... just thinking about that ending makes my eyes water. Oh my god.

I give Part One: Just One Day 5 beautifully wanderlust stars and Part Two: Just One Year 3/3.5 stars.

(sighs) I knew Gayle Forman wrote this book just for me. I knew it.

"Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal."

What a misleading caption. I really hate the fact they're making this out to be like any other dystopian novels -- full of love. Landry Park was so much more than that. Many dystopian novels are not done well, and I'm very cautious to pick these up; however, in here we receive an ubiquitous amount of history about the Landry's and their importance to the new United States. I could not put this down. Apart from the history there are balls, gorgeous descriptions of dresses, romance (not predominately so, mind you), rebellions, amazing world building, and a very dark secret. 

This book became a little intense and I clawed through the pages until the late hours of the morning reading this. For a time, Madeline Landry -- the protagonist -- was a nuisance. I really wanted to put this book down because of her; then again, what's a novel without stirring up some kind of frustration from the readers? Madeline wasn't always a pain, she can be quirky and strong-willed. For the most part I liked her; the characters in here are very believable. 

I have so much more to say, but I know I'm going to spoil it and I don't want to. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment. I recommend this.

I don't know how to write a review for this, I don't.

"My lungs won't expand. My breaths keep coming in short gasps. My chest feels too tight and my throat is closing up and I'm trying to shout and I can't, I can't stop wheezing, thrashing my arms and trying desperately to breathe but the effort is futile. No one can hear me. No one will ever know that I'm dying, that there's a whole in my chest filling with blood and pain and such unbearable agony and there's so much of it, so much blood, hot and pooling around me and I can't, I can't, I can't breathe --" 

Just know Juliette has grown so much and really became a bad ass female heroine for YA literature. I look up to her and her dedication. She really proved herself here. In Shatter Me and Unravel Me she was weak and extremely annoying; I told myself she has a lot to make up for to make me love her... boy, she did just that. 

"My head is spinning, thoughts knocking into one another, but I swallow back the tears. I clench my fists and try not to scream and I tuck my friends into my heart and 
revenge
I think
has never looked so sweet."

Juliette wants to kill Anderson. She will fight back. "Fear will learn to fear her."

Juliette, I commend you.



She finally chooses, too. 

Ignite me is beautifully chaotic

"Tears are fresh and falling fast now, traveling quietly down my cheeks and into my open, gasping mouth. My shoulders won't stop shaking and my fists keep clenching and my body is cramping and my knees are knocking and old habits are crawling out of my skin and I'm counting cracks and colors and sounds and shudders and rocking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and I have to let him go I have to I have to
I close my eyes
and breathe.
Harsh, hard, rasping breaths."

God help me, I should be annoyed with Tahereh's writing, it shouldn't make any sense to me. I should be questioning her, but I can't because I love it to bits and pieces. And I understand it all. I shouldn't, but I do. I respect that it's something entirely new and different to YA literature. We receive the same stories over and over again (many times it's a rip off of another story); these novels, however, are books that will linger.

"Words are like seeds, planted into our hearts at a tender age.
They take root in us as we grow, settling deep into our soul. The good words planet well. They flourish and find homes in our hearts. They build trunks around our spines, steadying us when we're feeling most flimsy; planting our feet firmly when we're feeling most unsure. But the bad words grow poorly. Our trunks infest and spoil until we are hollow and housing the interests of others and not our own. We are forced to eat the fruit those words have borne, held hostage by the branches growing around our necks, suffocating us to death, one word at a time."

“Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures.
No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh.”

They say actions speak louder than words, but sometimes words cut deeper and plant themselves and stay. It really can have either a positive or negative effect. Words hurt. The truth hurts. I remember a biblical verse that stated, "life and death are in the power of the tongue." That's why we say think before you speak. 

Anyway, Omega Point has been bombed.

Everything and everyone Juliette has known is dead and gone (view spoiler). Warner saved her and Ignite Me picks up right where Unravel Me left off. 

" 'I have no one to impress,' he says. 'No one who cares about what happens to me. I'm not in the business of making friends, love. My job is to lead an army, and it's the only thing I'm good at. No one,' he says, 'would be proud of the things I've accomplished. My mother doesn't even know me anymore. My father thinks I'm weak and pathetic. My soldiers want me dead. The world is going to hell.' "

We will understand who Warner really is -- understand why he is the way he is. 

I've always been "Team Warner", but after this? I'm in love with a fictional character, y'all. Out of the many novels I read with swoon worthy males, Warner is my favourite.

I have so many pages marked down with quotes I loved, but it's going to take a while and I'm feeling a little bit lazy. So I'm going to leave off with this:

Even though Ignite Me is predominately a romance (it really is), and the war happened all too fast, this is still my favourite book out of the trilogy. It hurts so much it's finished. Tahereh wrapped this up nicely; however, I want to know more. I want to know what's going to happen. Damn you, Tahereh, you can't just leave us like this with that last page. You can't! I'm looking forward to more of her books. I wonder what she has in store.

"It is my very great hope that you will find this a worthy final installment." -- Tahereh 

It was. It really was.

What a HUGE disappointment. Stopped on page 280, skimmed the rest.



***Before I start*** 
let me say the writing was not terrible and the first forty pages were simply stunning. Also, I can see why many people would love this, so this review isn't trying to exhort you to change your views/love for this novel. With that being said:

I've been in this situation before: being drawn in by the gorgeous cover, exciting synopsis, glittery praises and entering this book with extremely high expectations only to be let down by the unbearable, dreadful, and annoying story with flat characters as well as a sad excuse of a romance... I've been there before, but WHERE?... ah, yes, All Our Yesterdays. I know this is such a banal thing to say -- and it's been said countless times by many, many, people (including myself) -- but, I really wanted to like this. I've been waiting for its release impatiently; it hurts so much to put this on my "I hate this book" shelf.

Lilac became and insufferable female lead after the crash of the Icarus, constantly pushing Tarver away then leading him on, pushing then leading... like one would do when pushing someone else on a swing; mentioning how her father would do "this" if he found out or would do "that" if he ever saw... constantly.



Lilac, do me a favour and shut up. Forget about what father would do and think abouthow the hell would you get off the terraformed planet alive... and in one piece, I might add. Not only that, but one page she would talk about how much Tarver hates her and how her feelings were mutual; the next it's how badly she wants to tell him how she really likes him. The oscillating "he love me, he loves me not" "I hate him, I hate him not" became tiring. She was a weak protagonist. Always slowing Tarver down. 

Tarver was an OK character, he started off pretty amazing then became boring after the crash. He never failed to say, "Lilac has never been more beautiful" whenever the opportunity would arise.

I did not like this romance at all, despite the fact this wasn't an insta-love (I'll give points for that).

About 75% of These Broken Stars was about trying to survive on this godforsaken and uninhabited planet/jungle, which I didn't like. I know I've read many Dystopia novels about survival, but this was tedious to read and I could not enjoy it. I can acknowledge that it's realistic, but... 



And do not get me started on that out-of-the-blue paranormal twist! After reading 280 pages it was not explained; after skimming I still didn't see any answers/explanations on why these "whispers" suddenly started happening... unless there were explanations and I missed it for skimming. Nevertheless, I will not be picking up the second installment, unfortunately. The ending of this doesn't pique my curiosity, either. (sighs) Honest to God, I'm losing hope for the Dypostia and Science Fiction genre.

How can I write a review for this? How can I put my emotions and thoughts into words? “Thoughts into words” – doesn't make any sense, huh? It should be simple, they’re my thoughts…. Wrong. My thoughts are chaotic at the moment; so many things I want to write down and be done with. So, I’ll start with this:

This book broke me.

"Hello, boys and girls. Hannah Baker here. Live and in stereo.”

I’ve never encountered quite a story such as this before: raw, simplistically detailed, and absolutely heartbreaking. 

"I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”

Imagine receiving a package with your name on it with no return address. You open the package to reveal seven loose audiotapes numbered from one to thirteen on both sides. Curious, you slide it into an audio player only to be greeted by a girl you knew who committed suicide not very long ago… and she says you’re one of the reasons why.

"The rules are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Number two: You pass it on. Hopefully, neither one will be easy for you.”

Do you listen? Do you feel some sort of culpability, or are you angry she would even say such a thing? My answer? I'd listen. I'd feel hurt and scared and rack my brain to find out what I said or did that made her take her own life. This is exactly what Clay Jensen does when he receives the package.

"When you’re done listening to all thirteen sides – because there thirteen sides to every story – rewind the tapes, put them back in the box, and pass them on to whoever follows your little tale.”

I'm going to be completely honest with all of you -- every single one of you: never in my life have I ever contemplated suicide. Never. Even when, at one point in my life, everything went to complete shit ; when I was pissed at the world and God -- I still never thought about suicide. I couldn't stand the thought of taking my life. But I don't hold it against anybody who have suicidal thoughts, I'm not judging. Not. At. All. I'm not an expert at this topic, hell, I don't know a damn thing about it. Who am I to try to analyse why? Everyone has a certain way of coping with things -- be it negatively or positively. The reason I'm not giving this book a higher rating because I couldn't relate to Hannah's story. And my rating system is based on the writing, the characters, if I could relate to it, and the story line in general.

“And you, lucky number thirteen, you can take the tapes straight to hell. Depending on your religion, maybe I’ll see you there.”

Whilst I couldn't relate to her, I did feel pain. I've read Th1rteen R3asons Why in one sitting, clawing my way through this story to read what story was going to be told next. Asher, this was brilliantly written. It can save someone's life, it can give someone the courage to help others who want it. And it can also help others to think before they speak; make them understand that saying/doing something the wrong way can affect someone.

“In case you break the rules, understand that I did make a copy of these tapes. Those copies will be released in a very public manner if this package doesn’t make it through all of you.” 

Not a lot of people liked Hannah, they felt what she did was dramatic and crazy; I can understand why they'd feel that way. I can also understand why she did what she did even though some of what she said seemed out there. But this is a teenage girl who couldn't take it anymore, she wanted help but didn't get it -- from no one. She told her story.

“This was not the spur-of-the-moment decision. 
Do not take me for granted… again. 
You are being watched.” 

In a way, this is a bone-chilling read and I really recommend listening to Hannah's audio tapes in order after each chapter you read because it will be a better terrifying reading experience. If you're a John Green fan, then I know you'll really enjoy this one. Even if you're not a big fan, still give this one a shot.
___________________________________________________

I also want to say, not a lot of people like the idea of Selena Gomez playing Hannah, but I disagree. I think Sel would perfect for the role... either her or Nina Dobrev were my choices. Looking forward to the movie.

"Not a single volume has been opened.
That’s a great shame.

There’s something sad about an unread book."

A spoiler free review for both The Madman's Daughterand this book!

It appears a lot of people found this book to be a disappointment; usually, whenever there’s a book that’s been hyped and loved by many, I find the read to be a letdown and wonder what everyone has read that I didn’t. What did I miss? What was so special about the book? Now the tables have turned. I should be wondering what did I read differently that made me love this book so much and the others hate it… frankly, I don’t give a flying rat’s behind: This book was so damn lovely, creepy, and simply wonderful.

+ I should care about the love triangle, but I don’t.
+ I should care about Juliet’s stubbornness as well as the constant dangers she put herself in with the choices she made,but I understand why she did what she did and can’t hold it against her.
+ I should hate Juliet, but I can’t bring myself to. In fact, I’ve grown to love her very much.

Everything about this book screams, “DON’T PICK THIS UP, IT WAS COMPLETELY STUPID AND FILLED WITH ANGST”; then again, everything about this book screams, “IF YOU DON’T PICK THIS UP, WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM.”

Megan Shepherd knows how to write -- it’s too fucking amazing. I was glued to my bed and didn’t leave it for hours because I was so enthralled by this vivid and haunting story. I look back at my rating for The Madman's Daughter guiltily because, even though I did like it, I did not like Juliet and I did not like the blasted love triangle. I found Edward to be rather dull in the first book; now I'm so confused as to who I love more -- Edward or Montgomery? And I understand why Juliet is so conflicted and constantly switching who she chooses. Her reasons and sentiments are valid.

But there's a lot more to this masterpiece than the love triangle -- friendship, secrets, betrayals, giving and taking, science, coming to terms with who you are... and this is merely a PIECE of Her Dark Curiosity. The friendship between Lucy and Juliet is by far one of the best I've ever read. I adored it so much -- no judgments, no contradictions. I'm loving how Shepherd is wrapping this story up: the first story is a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, this one of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the final installment of Frankenstein .... FRANKENSTEIN. My excitement cannot be contained.



What a perfect story to read on a stormy day/night.

This is an author every needs to watch out for; I'm realllyyy looking forward to her new trilogy, The Cage. (shivers)

***The first book of 2014 that's been rated four stars; so far the best book I've read this year***

 I'm really enjoying this so far. This story is heartbreaking and entertaining at the same time. One minute I'm like



and the next I'm like

1. Thou shall pay for editing and proofreading. (You cannot, under any circumstances, edit your own material. You will only see what you meant to write and not what you actually wrote.)

2. Thou shall give away review copies. (If you're going to contact people about reviewing your work, put up or shut up.)

3. Thou shall not respond to any review, positive or negative, ever, until the end of time, unless you requested the review, and then you may simply say thank you. (Do you see Stephen King and J.K. Rowling flaming reviewers on Goodreads?)

4. Thou shall not plagiarize. (Write your own material. This should be an obvious one, but you'd be surprised.)

5. Thou shall make at least 95% of whatever publication you've sold to the reader be exactly what the reader has bought. (The last 30% of your book shall not be interviews and ads for other books.)

6. Thou shall not put your editor's name next to yours on Amazon or other booksellers. (This option is there for editors of anthologies, not the wonderful person who made you sound literate. Thank them in your novel. Trust me, it means more.)

7. Thou shall not commit the unforgivable sin of sock-puppetry. (This is the worse form of public masturbation).

8. Thou shall not trade reviews for reviews. (So, you and your buddy wrote a book, eh? You wanna give him five stars so that he can leave you a fiver in return? This is just as bad as sock-puppetry. Don't.)

9. Thou shall not troll other writers. (No matter how much you hate Douchenozzle McShit-Stain, you are not allowed to leave him a one-star review on Amazon which states: "He sucks balls at sucking balls because he can't suck his own balls. Oh, and this book is trash!!!!!!!!!!! A few more words to make 20 so Amazon will accept this review!" Even if you know that Mr. McShit-Stain has done the same to you. Forget it and move on. He'll only drag you down in the end.)

10. Thou shall beware the company you keep. (Be mindful of groups created on social media. Sure it's cool to be in a group of like-minded individuals, but when it comes out that Douchenozzle McShit-Stain was added to your group without your knowledge, things might get hairy. I'm not saying don't do it, but you need to remember that old addage: "Guilty by association.")

To be taken seriously, you must be better than the authors of books people buy at Walmart. Not as good as, but better. You have to rise above your own soft pride and fragile ego. Reviews are for readers, not you. If a reader wants a question answered, they will contact you. 

You want to know why indies have trouble finding reviewers? Because the possibility of backlash is heightened when dealing with an indie. Readers have been shit on with such frequency and velocity that they've become shit-shocked. First, there's the immeasurable amount of unedited garbage floating around out there. Next, you have those ass-hats which choose to berate and belittle the very people who buy their work simply because said reader called them on not providing quality material. And last but not least, you have the insufferable wet-spot who inflates his reviews by having four-hundred Amazon accounts, as if readers can't tell by the Look Inside that there's no way this steaming pile deserves anywhere near 300 glowing fivers. 

Indie Author, you've been called out. The only way to sustain the momentum of this movement is to be better and not complain when no one reads or appreciates your work. Be thankful for every reader you do reach. Be thankful anyone's even paying attention to you in the first place. Seriously, have you seen how many books readers have to choose from? Exactly. 

-=Archers Addendum=-

Trufax, yo!

I'm only giving this three stars because I admired and loved Mac's persistence and dedication in finding her sister's murderer. My sister and I are very close, I cried after reading about Mac's sister's death because I can't imagine a life without mine's and I would have done the exact same thing Mac did... though I would have fought harder than she did in trying to find the murderer. Apart from THAT, Mac was an OK protagonist, nothing special. Constantly talked about her puurrty eyes and hair and her fantasticcc clothes that had me rolling my eyes in annoyance. I did not like Jericho, the abusive prick. He never apologised for giving her a bruise and the fact that he grabbed her by her throat multiple times. The guy's a fucking lunatic. 

Meeehhh, this book was OK, kind of dull. The prologue is the best read I received out of the entire novel. I didn't get the sex concept with the Faes and 

. This book had so much potential; sometimes the writing became mediocre. Don't have much to say about this except it was disappointing and I had high expectations.

3.5 curious and satisfying stars

***THE GHOSTS OF LONDON ARE DISAPPEARING!***

Let me tell you something - if the cover alone doesn't coaxes you to pick this up because a small colourful curiosity cloud formed after staring at the magical cover as it did for me, then I can assure you the following praises -- from a few dear friends of mine -- will:

"An extraordinarily witty story that accurately depicts the lives of the dead and compellingly describes the death of the living." - The Ghost of Oscar Wilde

"I wish I had written this book." - The Ghost of Charles Dickens

"Constable & Toop is a book full of life and crammed with death. All in all, a splendidly macabre and amusing tale." - The Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe
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Bloody brilliant of Gareth P. Jones to write these praises in his book. After laughing, I snatched this book from the shelf and immediately checked it out.

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If it still does not coax you then I honestly don't know what will.

Constable & Toop was a fun read -- a damn good fun read. It's amazing how a children's novel can make me this giddy and not the YA genre. Yes, dear friends, this is a children's book. If you don't read those you still might want to give this one a shot (but honestly, though, who doesn't read children's novels?). 

I am upset about one thing: the alternating point of views. There were so many of them I became extremely frustrated which is the reason I won't be giving this a higher rating. Also, I expected the story to be 100% about Sam Toop like it said in the description at the back of the book; it was not.

Anyway, ghosts, sarcasm, humour, exorcisms, and friendships. No romance, no love triangles, no insta-love, no abusive pricks, no Mary sues. Nothing. Just a good ol' entertaining novel about ghosts, a little boy being an undertaker's son who has the ability to see as well as speak to the spectres (a.k.a. a Talker), a bureau which documents the dead, and an evil entity called the Black Rot that's afflicting London and the ghosts.

How exciting!!!

The writing was exceptionally fabulous (it was awesome reading about the theatre on Drury Lane: the lights, the people, and The Man in Gray). Though Constable & Toopisn't wholly original* I can look it over since I had fun reading it (view spoiler).

Constable & Toop is set in 1884, London, and it begins with the murder of Emily Wilkins....



* ♢ The Bureau the dead goes to to be documented reminded me of Beetlejuice.
♢ The fact a ghost has to feel strong emotions in order to touch a solid object reminded me of the film Ghost.
♢ To see the dead one has to see death or experience dying reminded me of Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star. Also, it reminded me of Harry Potter -- instead HP's was with threstals.

Actual rating is 3.5 stars



"The weak have been swept away.
If you don't kill all of us all at once, those who remain will not be the weak.
It's the strong who remain, the bent but unbroken.
Floods, fires, earthquakes, diseases, starvation, betrayal, isolation, murder.
What doesn't kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us.
You are remaking us.
We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo.
And we will be your masterpiece."

This is how you should write a novel on alien invasion. I was losing hope on the post-apocalyptic genre after reading In the After by Demitria Lunetta. Though this had insta-love, it doesn't throttle the story like it does in most novels. I'll let it slide simply because I've grown to love The Silencer so much. It's so unfortunate the middle of The 5th Wave was a tedious read. People who are impatient would have put this down like I would have done; however, I forced myself to continue and the last 210 pages makes up for everything. Oh my fucking goodness, this novel is extremely bad ass.

I can see why people say The 5th Wave copied The Host by Stephenie Meyer: the alien concept was, indeed, like Meyer's idea. Nevertheless, the entire book, does not rip off The Host's story line. Not at all. Trust me when I say this because I've read The Host twice (I love that book to bits and pieces). The reason I'm not giving this book a higher rating is the hype and what I've stated about the middle being boring. The first 150 and last 190 pages is worth of a 5-star rating; the middle a 1.5... so yeah. 

When I think about it, The 5th Wave is a terrifying read. Extremely terrifying. The characters are so intricately crafted with their own personalities I love and the worldbuilding so beautifully frightening it makes me want to give this 5 stars. This left me thinking, "what would I would do if there was an alien invasion"? I'll most likely scream, cry, flail, then cry some more if you want me to be honest. I can deal with the stereotypical aliens most films perceive them to be, but this invasion along with The Host's? Forget about it.

I can't find any words to write this review except "give this book a shot" or "you should totally pick this one up".

***Also, this does not count as my first read of 2014 since I started this in December 2013***