Review + Giveaway: Velvet by Temple West

Velvet

Author: Temple West

Publisher: Swoon Reads (Feiwel and Friends)

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Goodreads Summary:

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

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Special thanks to Bibliophile Soprano for lending me a copy! :)

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Review:

First of all, I don't regret borrowing this book from my sister. (Thank you sooo much!) After reading this book, I became emotionally attached to the copy and I wanted it to be on my own shelf.

The book cover is ultra gorgeous. I enjoyed tilting the book just to emphasize the glossy Velvet!

Caitlin Holte was this tragic and depressed girl, and I really liked her development throughout the book. I enjoyed being in her world. Her POV was so relatable and laugh-able, and thanks to that, there was no dull moment. Her reaction to her mother's death was realistic, but it made me not like her at first. Her friends were good cool and funny (Trish and Meghan!)!

Speaking of "there is no dull moment," the writing. It's sooo natural. Like Temple West is talking to you. And I ALWAYS ENJOY BOOKS LIKE THAT.

Now Adrian. He's so cute and awkward and he has a much longer line of patience compared to Caitlin. He's the type of character that's certainly likeable. In fact, he's now part of my mental Favorite Fictional Boys! AND I WANT MY OWN ADRIAN.

Temple West's idea of vampires is interesting. The science looked really serious and original and awesome.

Velvet is a fun read, and I love the humor. I normally don't like chapter titles, but the titles in Velvet were part of the things that kept me reading on. I read this book faster than my normal rate because I simply can't put it down. Caitlin and Adrian's moments were so adorable! The focus of the story was more on the romance than the demon threat thing. And, thank goodness there was no evident love triangle.

I definitely recommend this book, and I WANT MORE. I need the sequel right now!

RATING: 6.25/5

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This giveaway is affiliated with Fay of Bibliophile Soprano.

Review + Giveaway: Buqo YA Bundle 3: Finding Fairytales

Buqo YA Bundle 3: Sweet Complications Blog Tour (May 11- 15)

Organized by Oops! I Read Again Tours

We all want the happy ending, the dream come true. But what if it doesn’t happen? How far would you go to get that “ever after?” Would you change who you are? Would you swallow your pride? Is the story really going to be as perfect as you think? Follow the path of these characters and see where they lead.

Review:

The first story  that I read in this bundle was When Cocoy Became Kikay by CP Santi because the title really caught my eye.

Kikay. Filipino slang word for someone (female) who loves make-up, fashion, accessories and the likes. 

It was a quick read, and it never got me bored. After reading When Kokoy became Kikay, I ended up saying "Uy guys, ang ganda nung When Cocoy!" (Hey guys, When Cocoy is beautiful!)

Fall for Grace by Anne Plaza was actually longer than how I expected the short stories to be (but it can't really go as a novel so...) but it got me after reading the first chapter! I liked Grace and Jason's development throughout the story And... Violet and Grace's KPop love! ♥ 

Shoutout to Love in The Time of Viral Videos for being so unique! I've never read anything else like that before. The only thing that I didn't like about this is that this was more of reactions than the happenings.

I recommend this bundle to you guys, especially to those going through a big change. For this week, this bundle is available for only 0.99 USD (45 PHP)! Get it on  the Buqo store!

Buqo is giving away one powerbank to a lucky Philippine resident!

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Ten Authors I REALLY Want to Meet

TOP TEN TUESDAY is a feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

It's not just the book that I love, also the author behind its brilliance! 

I was searching The Broke and Bookish's future topics for Top Ten Tuesday when this topic caught my eye. Because to be honest, there were missed opportunities for me to meet the authors I want to and feel the glory: this author wrote such a brilliant thing. 

in no particular order:

1. Jenny Han- she's part of the Missed Opportunities list, so I want to be there, the next time she visits some place I can go to.

2. Kiera Cass- she has an upcoming book signing event on September and I HAVE to go there!

3. Pseudonymous Bosch- I LOOOOVE THE SECRET SERIES. He writes like he's talking to the reader, and I love it when authors do that. They seem to predict what's going on in my mind and most of the time, they're correct. And yeah, I'd love to meet Gilbert Ford too!

Me with V!!! :DDD 

4. Veronica Rossi- I met her once because of my sister, and I would love to see her again in person. By that time, I have to have finished the Under the Never Sky trilogy. I think she's friendly because I was just taking pictures and then she called me and shebam. Glory.

5. Jay Asher- Thirteen Reasons Why was the first about-suicide-book I read, and it changed me.

6. Jennifer Niven- All the Bright Places is the newest book in my mental Favorite Books list. I cried a lot, and my bookmark even got wet.

7. Kaye Dee- When a Kiss Falls was my favorite in Taking Chances, and I look forward to more of her YA romance stories.

8. Ransom Riggs- I still remember the picture of the creepy santa. I saw him in person once, but we didn't really interact or something, so I wouldn't call it meeting him.

9. Paige McKenzie- She's not a ghost, but I want to play Monopoly with her (or maybe checkers, since it's faster).

10. Jill Santopolo- I enjoy reading and rereading (or should I say: replaying) Summer Love, because up to now, I haven't encountered all the endings. And I can't be that organized! Writing something like choose-something/choose-your-own-path is hard, so muuuuch wow for her.

This is just ten, and every YA/MG author would be glorious to meet! :) (If only I had a mental masterlist of all their names and faces...)

Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places

Author: Jennifer Niven

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children's Books)

Publication Date: January 6, 2015

Goodreads Summary:

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
 
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

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Thanks to Bibliophile Soprano for lending me her copy :)

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Review:

RATING: 10/5

Unlike my usual style, for this review, I put my rating first just to tell you that you need to read this book. It's amazing. It made me cry. I love the author's note too.

This is the second about-suicide-book I've read (Thirteen Reasons Why was the first), and so far, I like about-suicide books, not because of all of the death, I just like them.

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Erin's Note: This review may contain big spoilers that you may not want to read, so please pay extra attention to the 

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spoiler warning.

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:)

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I'm gonna start with the cover. It's beautiful and simple. I actually came to a realization that it was very related to Finch and his Post-its of thoughts just now.

The flow of the story wasn't too fast or too slow, and the cuts for the perspectives are short. The book has a lot of quotes in it, and I'm gonna feature some randomly. :)

"Sometimes, Ultraviolet, things feel true to us even if they're not."

"It's late.""That depends on who you ask. See, I don't necessarily think it's late. I think it's early. Early in our lives, early in the night, early in the new year. If you're counting, you'll notice the earlys outnumber the lates. 

And they were quoting The Waves, and I love it when they do that. I don't even know if The Waves does exist, so I'll search it later.

For the names, I had a little trouble understanding what Finch (the name) is. Is it Theodore's surname? Is it his second name? But hours ago, I reexamined All the Bright Places' cover, and noticed this: "boy called Finch and a girl named Violet." And Finch was on Theodore's house's mailbox, so yeah, I think it's his surname. Correct me if I'm wrong. :) And I like how he called her Ultraviolet. Finch is supercool.

THREE WORDS: SAD, BEAUTIFUL TRAGIC.

I admit, I'm a Swiftie, and I was just about to write something like this book is tragic and beautiful when I remembered the song.

They changed each other positively. I felt so happy when Violet started counting the days differently. Finch has always thought of suicide, and he somehow finds a way to postpone it, and Violet became a way.

Their wanderings were beautiful. People from my school actually call me Dora for being short and always walking around, and this book even pushed my mini adventures more.

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SPOILERS AHEAD

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I knew it was coming when Finch disappeared. But it took me some seconds to realize what just happened. Then I reread it. Then I just cried and cried. Violet wandering alone made me cry more.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, Theodore Finch." And he is, even more so than Eleanor.

And she lost both.

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DONE WITH SPOILERS :)

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I kept on crying up to around five minutes after finishing this book. I was so emotional.

I think that suicide is in a way, selfish. You just end your own problems, then what? Nothing happens next to you. And you leave the people who care for you in sadness.

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This book is Ultra Remarkey-able. I think I'll remember this for the next ten thousand years of my life.

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ARC Review: Lottery Boy by Michael Byrne

Lottery Boy

Author: Michael Byrne

Publisher: Walker Books

Publication Date: May 7, 2015

Goodreads Summary:

A fast-moving and gripping thriller with a powerful emotional engagement; this is a young boy’s story of loss and unbearable hope as he survives on London’s streets.

Reminiscent of Slumdog Millionaire, this contemporary adventure story set on the streets of London follows a boy whose luck is about to change. Since his mother's death, Bully has lost his old life. Living rough with his dog, Jack, he can’t imagine his future. But one day, in the last birthday card she ever gave him, he finds a winning lottery ticket, a last gift from his mum that suddenly offers such hope. If only he can get to his prize on time. Life is not that simple. Bully’s struggle to survive has just got a whole lot harder. They’re after him on the streets, everyone wants a piece of him. And even if he does claim all that money, will he really be winning what he needs the most?

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Special thanks to Bibliophile Soprano for lending me her copy! Much love xx

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Review:

Out on the streets, in with a chance. A breathtaking race to survive.

This is a sad story, and it's like I can feel Bully's struggle through reading this book. Lottery Boy brought up some things in my head. This book told me, money isn't bad, but the love for it is.

The clocking system of this book reminded me of In Time, one of my favorite movies. 

In In Time, when time runs out, you lose your life, but in Lottery Boy, when Bully's time runs out, he loses his chance for a good life.

His timer added to the thrill: If the timer shows up every like, two paragraphs, you know something actioney is going on. Bully's ways of escaping excite me. Sometimes I feel sorry for Jack(y) because I think that's a lot for a dog.

The plot is good, and I didn't find anything mainstream in this book (winning the lottery doesn't even look mainstream to me). I didn't expect the ending so plus points. :)

Overall, I like this book and it didn't bore me. The only thing that bothered me while reading this book is that I can't understand some of Bully's words, but I guess the reason is I'm not good with British slang.

RATING: 4.75