One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

 

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

 

 

4/5 stars

 

If you like The Breakfast Club, you would love this book.

 

It is wonderfully written, easy to read and keeps you guessing up to the very end. Karen keeps the suspense going, making you want to read it in one sitting.

Writing the story from the viewpoint of the four suspects and not from the detective, made me love it even more. These kids are from all clicks in a high school, none of them friends, all different personalities.

The story has great character development, it flows naturally from one POV to another. If a series were to be made of this book, it would be a hit. Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club.

 

It is definitely a young adult book. The fact that a few high school kids can unravel and solve the mystery is a bit unrealistic, but for young adults it would be a treat. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book immensely and are looking forward to reading the rest of Karen’s books.

End of Days - Sylvia Browne, written by Lindsay Harrison

 

The Apocalypse. The Rapture. The End of Days. Humans have long been concerned with the ultimate clash of civilization, but never more so than now. The world has become a scary place – everyday, news of religious wars, global terrorism, and genocide is broadcast into millions of homes worldwide. In End of Days, world-renowned psychic Sylvia Browne takes a fascinating look at the myriad prophecies, beliefs, portents and signs about the end of the world.

 

·         What do all the prophecies mean – Nostradamus and the Book of Revelation among them?

·         Was the 2020 worldwide coronavirus outbreak foretold?

·         What does it signify that Sylvia has recently encountered many people on the past lives – people who will not reincarnate?

·         What will happen in the next 50 years? Or the next 100 years?

·         If the world id really going to end, what will happen next?

 

For anyone who’s ever wondered where we’re headed, and what – if anything – we can do to prevent a catastrophe of biblical proportions, End of Days is a riveting and insightful must-read.

 

 

4/5 stars

 

If you like predictions, this book is for you. End of Days gives you a good summarized overview of some predictions make since before Christ. Not all predictions, but those talking about when the earth will end, when Armageddon will come. Some of which has been proved correct.

­­­­Sylvia Browne not only talks about general people’s predictions, but also about most, if not all, religious and prophet and cult predictions. She also gives you her own predictions for the future.

Her predictions, whether true or not, ties in with a lot of my own beliefs.

 

In my opinion, the human species are the most cruel and egotistical on earth. We also consider ourselves the most intelligent. But it is this same “intelligence” that will be our downfall. And it will be our ego that will destroy the only home we have. Earth.

My other belief is that the earth, as any other planet in any of the countless galaxies and solar systems, can, and will, save itself. It will purge itself of the toxic species that has no regard for it, and it will destroy them to survive.

 

But I am ranting. This train of thought and my beliefs regarding this subject is for a whole different time and place.

 

I really recommend this book for everybody to read. Maybe we can still save our existence yet.

Shadow & Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow & Bone:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Siege & Storm:

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Ruin & Rising:

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

*** 3 stars

SPOILERS!!

I should say from the start that I only read the first two books in this trilogy. The lead character in this story irritated me just too much, I could not get myself to read any further.

While the story’s background and world building are incredibly good and remarkably interesting, most of the characters need much improvement and growth.

The writing style is particularly good, and the books are easy to read, moving at a pace that is fast enough not to get bored quickly.

Now for the characters…

Alina, the female protagonist, is very childish to start with, but other than characters in other books and stories, she does not grow in herself. She stays the same. She cannot make up her mind, no matter what, and is way to egotistic for someone who is supposedly going to save her world.

Then there is Mal, who I cannot see any different as Alina’s lapdog. No matter what she says or does to betray or hurt him, he keeps following her like a lost puppy. And she realizes this but are too selfish to let him go. These are traits I strongly dislike in people.

The only character I liked was the Darkling, who is the enemy and needs to be destroyed. What a shame because he is confident and strong without being particularly evil in my opinion. He knows exactly what he wants, is on a path to achieve this and on the way there, grows as a character.

The love triangle between Alina and all the lead men (the Darkling, Mal and a prince) makes the books difficult to read, especially since I usually avoid stories with love triangles in them. Except if it is written in a particularly good way and not overshadowing everything else in the story.

Well, these are my thoughts, and I’ll no doubt get a few very angry people, since I know many people love the Grishaverse.

Elf Dae in Oxford deur Elizabeth Wasserman

Alicia het skaars op Heathrow-lughawe deur doeanekontrole beweeg, of sy kry ‘n video-oproep van haar suster, Inez, uit Oxford. “Maak gou, Besem. Dump tannie Aggie en kom direk Oxford toe. Nou. Dadelik!”

“Maar my bagasie-“

“Stuff jou bagasie. Ek kan sien waar jy is – ek track jou. Stap reguit aan, draai links en volg die bordjies met die bus op. Daar is ‘n bus wat oor sewe minute vertrek. Jy moet jou stert roer!”

Maar toe hulle op Gloucester Green-busstasie in Oxford aankom, is haar suster nêrens in sig nie. Sy het darem Inez se adres en ‘n nuwe kaart-app wat die vriendelike Siya op die bus vir haar op haar foon gelaai het.

Waarom sou Inez haar so dringend hier wou hê? En die kaart-app met sy Alice in Wonderland-tema, wat het dit met Oxford , en met háár, te doen? Vreemder en vreemder . . . Gou tuimel Alycia, nes Alice, af in ‘n konyngat na ‘n andersoortige Wonderland.

Gradering: 2 sterre uit 5

Hierdie was ‘n besonderse moeilike boek vir my om te lees en om nou ‘n resensie oor te skryf. Hoofsaaklik omdat dit bedoel is vir tieners.

Die sestienjarige Alycia gaan kuier vir haar suster, Inez, in Oxford. Maar van die begin af gaan dinge verkeerd en Alycia sit sonder bagasie en haar suster is skoon veld. Siya, wat sy op die bus ontmoet, laai vir haar ‘n app op haar foon en hiermee gaan sy op ‘n buitengewone avontuur.

Die storie is geleen van die “Alice in Wonderland” boek deur Lewis Carroll. Sonder die “Alice in Wonderland” karakters en storielyn is daar nie veel in die storie te lees nie.

Die taalgebruik is baie verwarrend en pas glad nie by ‘n tiener van 16 nie. Nie in my “ouvrou” opinie nie, maar ek kan dalk verkeerd wees. Ek het self nog nie ‘n tiener in die huis nie.

Ek voel ook die skrywer is in sekere opsigte bietjie uit voeling met modern tegnologie. Niemand stuur meer sms’e op selfone nie.

Op plekke lees die boek soos ‘n IT lesing, of ‘n wiskunde les, of ‘n toergids se notas.

Hierdie boek is definitief eerder bedoel vir tieners en nie vir mense ouer as 18 nie.

Review of Warcross by Marie Lu

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

Rating 4/5 stars 

I enjoyed this book immensely. I kept me interested from the start right through to the very thought provoking end. It has good characters and a brilliantly imagined world. Marie Lu’s descriptions are so good, it feels like you can see exactly what she intended! All the colors and shapes of the virtual world.

Emika’s character builds from a ‘’one man show” kind of girl, to a first-class team player. Even though she is a down and out teenager, who struggles financially, she makes friends with billionaires and high ranked game players.

The virtual reality of this book is outstanding, evidence of the writer’s skills. I have read some of Marie Lu’s other books and it is just as great.

The book has a very thought provoking ending. A choice between two things. One is good, the other bad. But the good are also bad, and the bad are also good. So which one will you choose?

I think both adults and teenagers will love this book. 

#marielu

#warcross

Review of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

***** 5 stars

What an interestingly written book! It is written like no other book I’ve ever read before. Almost like a comic book or graphic novel, but the pictures are made of words. The whole story consists of files, reports, messages, etc. It is in fact a report compiled by someone about what transpired on the Planet Kerenza, and after.

It is such a captivating read. I was really surprised that you can tell a whole story, in enough detail, with just emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and such. Very creative! I’ll definitely be reading the next two books in this series soon (Gemina & Obsidio).

I fell in love with the two main characters from the start, and empathized with them, their situation, their very complicated relationship. The character building is so good. Kady and Ezra really grow as people from childish teens to more responsible young adults.

The way it is written make for an awesome read that never bores. The twists (yes, plural!) in the end are something I never would have predicted. And I absolutely love unpredictable books! This is definitely one of the very few 5 star reads I’ve had in a while!

It is classified as a young adult book, but it is quite graphic in some scenes, I would not recommend it to younger teenagers. It has a lot of violence in it more suitable for older teenagers/young adults.

Review of Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Everyone loses something to the Tox; Hetty lost her eye, Reese's hand has changed, and Byatt just disappeared completely.

It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put in quarantine. The Tox turned the students strange and savage, the teachers died off one by one. Cut off from the mainland, the girls don’t dare wander past the school’s fence where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure as the Tox takes; their bodies becoming sick and foreign, things bursting out of them, bits missing.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her best friend, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie in the wilderness past the fence. As she digs deeper, she learns disturbing truths about her school and what else is living on Raxter Island. And that the cure might not be a cure at all...

**** 4 stars

This was a very interesting read for me. It was written nicely throughout the whole book, which made it a pleasant read. It does require a lot of trigger warnings, though. (I’ll mention some below) The book is classified as Young Adult, but I would say that you should be a bit of an older young adult to not get scarred by some of the things going on in this story.

It is brutal and does not try to sugar coat what really happens. I would say it is borderline horror. Which I like!  I describe it as similar to Lord of the Flies, but with girls. Without giving any spoilers, there are animal deaths, human deaths and maiming. And the animals are, well, lets just say they’re not like they used to be.

The ending is a bit weird. It didn’t fit in with the rest of the story for me. But, that’s just me.

Trigger warnings:

Suicide, suicidal tendencies

Violence (graphic)

Gore

Parental death, animal death, character death

Starvation

Non-consensual medical treatments

Body mutilations

Reading Slump - A Reader's Worst Nightmare

As you might have guessed, I am going through a terrible reading slump the last few weeks or so and I absolutely hate reading slumps!

After I finished my last book, I went through my TBR list to find my next read. Picked up the book and started reading. A few chapters in, I start to realize I’m not into it. And no matter how hard I try to force myself to finish, I simply can’t. Ok, fine. Next book, same. And the next lot after that too. At one point I must have stood in front of my bookcases for a full 15 minutes, if not longer, trying to find something, and I have lots of books. I even tried reading something I’ve read before and enjoyed a lot. Nope, nothing works.

Now my question is, does everyone go through something like this, or am I just weird (which I am)? I get slumps like these often. Especially after I finished a really good book. Then all others seem to be dull and boring. Even if at any other time I would have enjoyed it immensely. It is so frustrating, because reading is like an addiction for me. I cannot not read. Impossible.

So what is the solution? What do you do if this happens? Do you have a list of go to books? All I can do is pick up book after book and hope (pray!!) that the next one will be THE ONE. Yes, I end up half/quarter reading several books (sometimes up to 10!) before one captures me so completely, I never want it to end. But what else am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit on the couch and stare at nothing. Yeah, I’m weird, but that would be pushing it a bit. I might just get admitted.

So, let me know what you do in a situation like this.

Here are a few quotes I love:

“Never force yourself to read a book that you do not enjoy. There are so many good books in the world that it is foolish to waste time on one that does not give you pleasure.” 
― Atwood H. Townsend, Good Reading

“When you stand in the darkness, when you have lost all hope, when you can’t see any path to walk ahead, read; reading will act as the lantern to show you the path. It might not take you to the destination, but it will keep on guiding you towards a resolution.” 
― Neelabh Pratap Singh, Pi Agency

“Read! It is as important as breathing until you are breathing.” 
― Hira Shahid Kazim

Review of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Rating: ★★★★ 4

Historical fiction is not really my genre, but I read this book for bookclub, and man was I surprised! Very pleasantly surprised. I couldn't put it down, I literally read it in one day.

It was a very easy read and flowed well 'till the end.

This book made me think about how fortunate most of us really are. We don't always realize it, because we all look at the world from our own perspective. And perspectives are formed through life experience, age, opinions, relationships and all manner of different things. 
This tale makes you realize how strong the human will is. And how strong the emotion, love, is. The two main characters fell in love in the most inhospitable of circumstances.
So yes, it is not just a historical fiction, but strip away all the background, who they are, where they are, why everything is happening, and what you get is a love story.A beautiful love story, great for any romantic.

I was a bit disappointed at the lack of detail, though. Detail about what really happened in the camp. The gruesome, ugly truth. I am one who likes the ugly details and the dark side of things.
I did only read the YA Edition, so maybe that is the reason. After I've read the adult edition, I'll let you know.

I also would love to read a book from the other point of view. Maybe from the viewpoint of a Nazi soldier guarding the prisoners. 

I would recommend this book to YA and adult alike. 

Full review of Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

★★★ 2.5 - 3


"FIND THE ROAD. FIND THE GATES. FIND THE GIRL."

Briar Glen has it's own ghost story. Lucy Gallows went down a disappearing road in the woods during the 1950's, never to be found again, dead or alive.
This mysterious road appears every year, with a game attached to it. And like every game, it too has rules.

Becca is missing and Sara, her sister, thinks she went down that road a year ago to play the game. This year she is going to find the road and get her sister back.

So, my thoughts:

It begins with enough mystery that it made me want to read on, thinking this would be a great read, with this story line.
There are good character building, relationships and myths in the beginning. But, as soon as you get to the ghost story part, it slows down significantly. The characters stagnate. Only Sara, the main character, grows throughout the book. The rest is like background noise.
I had to force myself to read on to the end, because it did not bind me. It got a bit boring. And that, for a ghost story, is not good. It should keep you at the edge of your seat and even scare you, it was not scary at all. So those of you trying out some horrors/ghost stories, but are a bit apprehensive? You should try this one. It's a good intro to this genre for teenagers too. It is mild enough.

Then the ending seemed all over the place. Not really ending per se.

I would recommend this book for teens aged 15-18.
I, unfortunately, was a bit disappointed.

First impressions of Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Love the cover! Love red and love dragons, so the combination is beautiful. And with dragons in any book, I'll read it and love it!
It's engaging and thrilling. There's kids being forced into adulthood through circumstance.
Would definitely want to read this book till the end.