Katana, by Cole Gibsen

- Katana #1
Release date: March 8th 2012
Published by: Flux
Genre: Young Adult
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Skater girl or supernatural samurai? Rileigh Martin wants to believe that adrenaline gave her the strength to fend off three muggers in the mall parking lot. But adrenaline doesn't explain the voice in her head giving her battle tips and warnings.

While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

As much as I enjoyed the premise of a teenager finding out she's actually a samurai warrior, the book itself, unfortunately, didn't live up to its hype. At first glance, the summary immediately made me think of Angelfire, by Courtney Allison Moulton. The essence of the story looked the same - even the romance involving a guy from the girl's previous life, and all that. However, as I really worked up the courage to dig into Katana, I realized there was just something missing in this book. 

Rileigh, the main character, was a likable character at times - and sometimes, she was impossible to be around. It was like there were two sides of her - the one mentally stable, and the one I was afraid was going to kill somebody. That didn't bode well, especially since - because of that - I failed to connect with her and her ambitions. I never understood certain decisions that she made, and to be quite honest, Rileigh was unremarkable enough for me not to remember her name three days after I finished reading Katana - and I'm not lying. That actually happened. I had to look it up on the summary to write this review. I have everything about the story memorized, except details about Rileigh.  

The romance, by no means, was good enough to entertain me throughout the book. I mean, yes, Kim was cute and there were a few scenes in which he was swoon-worthy (very swoon-worthy), but most of the times, he was this dull character with no depth that I couldn't really understand because of his secrets and half truths. I know he couldn't tell Rileigh everything, and that the author wanted to keep his badboy vibe on, but it just didn't work. He tried to come off as mysterious and sexy, but only managed to look stalker-ish, possessive, and crazy in love - even though we never got to see why he loved Rileigh/Senshi in the first place. The romance was there, but it was already developed, and that didn't add up to my liking.

The set of secondary characters was the only thing that truly grabbed my attention, especially when it came to Rileigh's best friend, Quentin. He was a walking, breathing stereotype, but I loved him nonetheless. He was funny, and understanding, and his advices were ridiculously hilarious, which I found pretty entertaining. Drew, Branden, and Michelle, Kim's friends, were good characters as well, and I liked the dynamic that existed between them. Now, I won't even begin on the whole mystery surrounding who's behind Rileigh's attacks. I figured out who the villain was about halfway through the novel, and that just... well, it sucked. I wasn't surprised by anything, I wasn't blown away by anything, and most of all, the climax scene was so predictable I literally rolled my eyes when I saw it coming. I mean, seriously? Can you, please, not be so obvious? 

Katana had a lovely premise, but with the dull main character, Edward-esque love interest, and the lack of an eye-catching mystery, I can't say I enjoyed this novel very much. I'll probably read the sequel, though - I'm curious about where the story is going, especially regarding the secondary characters.

Waiting on Wednesday #14

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm anticipating:

Origin, by Jessia Khoury
Publication date: September 4th 2012
Add it on Goodreads 

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.

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.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost. This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of Matched with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of Lost.





I'm so lame. So, so lame. You guys have no idea. When I first heard about this book, it looked good, and the cover was beautiful.. and then, when I read the synopsis like, two days ago, and I found out it's set in the Amazon jungle, my reaction was like this, I swear:

 

So yes, I'm basically looking forward to reading Origin - crazy to read it, actually - because of its setting. I mean, seriously, the Brazilian Amazon jungle? I just have to check that out. Also, the premise is very interesting :D

What about you? What are you guys looking forward to, this week? Tell me in the comments or leave me a link!

Why I love Ash, from The Iron Fey series

    Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series, is giving away 3 copies of The Iron Legends on her blog.     

    This text is my entry to this giveway. You can find more information about it here. 

Why I love Ash, from The Iron Fey series

Why I love Ash, a.k.a. His Royal Icyness? Why wouldn’t I love a loyal, determined, sweet, caring, badass, skilled, breath-takingly gorgeous Prince? Is this question that hard to answer? Well… yes.

My love for Ash came a long way. It all started in The Iron King, when he first danced with Meghan. I admit, I wasn’t all that impressed by his charms, but something in him almost dared me to challenge him. He was an interrogation point. And I couldn’t entirely trust him. 

As Ash proved again and again to be – though not trust-worthy – valuable, and just plain badass, I realized that there was much, much more than meets the eye when it comes to him. Buried inside layers of indifference, there was a tortured soul, and an honorable boy, in there. This was so obvious, and as the story went on, I fell more and more in love with him. Every quick remark, every intense look... it all made me fall even more for him.

To put it finally into words… but why did I fall for him?

Well, Ash is just so incredibly honorable, good, and human (despite the fact that he has no soul) that it’s impossible not to look at him and think “I want him next to me. I want this guy to exist so that I can hug him, and make him smile and ease his suffering. I want to put all his concerns on my shoulders and make him laugh. Just because I want to, and because he’s so good that he deserves it.”

And it’s kind of hilarious, really, since Ash threatened to take off a guy’s testicles and put them in a jar, and instead of me reacting like any person would:

 

It was more like this:

and this:

But most of all, I love Ash because of his strength. How he’s able to pick up his sword and attack a battalion of lethal monsters to protect the girl he loves. How he’s so hell bent on being with the one person that means the most to him. How he goes to the end of the world and back to be with Meghan. How he suffered Ariella’s death, how he got torn apart, but had the sense – and the heart – to put himself back together for Meghan’s sake. But what really amazes me is how I can look at Ash and see a pure and fragile heart, despite everything that he went through. How he feels as real as the person that’s sitting right next to me.

 

I love how Ash helped me when I found out the boy I was in love with for more than 4 months was in love with my best friend. I love the way I was able to open The Iron Knight, and dive into Ash’s mind, in his protective nature, in his determined instance and I was surprised to see that it helped. Ash – indirectly – helped me heal my broken heart. When I looked at him and saw how he went through all of this… I thought “I want to be as strong as him.” And I was. Kind of. It’s not like I can kick some ass.

 

But I can still do this:

And that's good enough for me. It's hard to put all these feelings into words, but to be quite simple, I love Ash because he's not perfect, but with his force of will alone, he gets what he wants, and does whatever is necessary - no matter what. 

 -----------------------------------

So, that's my entry for the giveaway. It was so hard to write this text, and it's really huge, so I apologize for that. I tried my best, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough xD Gotta pray to every single god out there! \o

 Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

Showcase Sunday #4

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren. Its aim is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.

 I only got a couple of books this week, since my TBR pile is huge. Like, huuuuuuge. 

Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth

Something Strange and Deadly, by Susan Dennard

The Assassin's Curse, by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for sending me an E-ARC of this for review. I can't wait to dig into this book, it sounds fantastic! 

I've seen mixed reviews of Struck on Goodreads, so I'm not sure I'll like it, but I'll give it a shot. The concept of a girl addicted to lightning sounds interesting. 

Anyway, what did you guys get this week?

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Release date: June 5th 2012
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

 

There's something incredibly refreshing in reading a well written fantasy book. Maybe it's the fact that the author has created a whole new world in which you can loose yourself in, or maybe the characters are so different from what I'm used to, yet I'm able to relate to them completely. Well, both happened while I was reading Shadow and Bone. I wasn't sure whether I would like this novel - usually, I'm afraid to read books that have a lot of hype - but Leigh Bardugo enchanted me with her fantastic writing, realistic world, and human characters.

Don't get me wrong - it's not like this novel doesn't have any flaws. It's just that the good things about it has captivated me so thoroughly I forgot about the bad aspects of the story as I was reading. It was like a balance - the negative was cancelled by the positive. Take it the romance, for example. I hated that Alina seemed so obviously in love with Mal since the first chapter. It felt like insta-love, and that's something pretty much unforgivable these days. However, as the plot progressed, and we got to see how deeper the connection between these two characters ran, I understood every little aspect of their love for each other, especially on Alina's part. It was fantastic.

I fell in love with them, with the way they were so passionate and human about what happened around them. How, even though they made mistakes, they tried to be better and do the right thing. It's pretty ridiculous, I know, but this tiny thing made me happy. I'm tired of stupid heroines that make stupid decisions and it's up for the heroes to save them. Instead, here we have a young man and woman determined to make the best out of the situation they're currently in, regardless of the specifics. I feel like I could on and on about how realistic and heart-warming they were, but that would spoil the best part.

And the best part, I feel compulsed to say, it's the world itself. In the beginning, I was lost - I mean, what is the Fold? How did it come to be? As Alina got lost in world of the Grisha, however, her surroundings felt like home to me, and I began to understand exactly what Bardugo created here. Language, mythology, geography, magic, politics - that's the best part of a fantasy novel, and Shadow and Bone has it all. Bardugo's writing style was adorable, full of descriptions that weren't tiring.

Shadow and Bone is a lovely fantasy novel, and I can say for sure that I'm looking forward to reading its sequel - though I have no idea what Alina's next adventure is gonna be like. Leigh Bardugo has captived me in every way, and I'm eternally grateful for that. And if you're asking yourself: Does this book really lives up to its hype?, well...

More about the book:

• Map of the world of Shadow and Bone
• Recipes from Ravka
• A pronunciation guide for Ravkan
• Booktrailer

Feature and Follow Friday #1

Feature and Follow Friday is a meme, hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, that gives bloggers the opportunity to meet other bloggers, and gain followers :D
I've been wanting to participate for a while, but only got the courage to do so now.


Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Well, this is an interesting question. My favorite book was, hands down, The Obedience Drug, by Pedro Bandeira. I just love the whole mystery that Pedro created, and though it's quite juvenile, it still manages to entertain me.

In an environment filled with mystery and suspense,five students - the Heads - face a macabreinternational plot: the sinister Doctor I.Q. intends to subjugate humanity to his evil designs by administeringa dangerous drug to the youth! And this drug is already being experimented on students from the best schools in São Paulo. Michael, the leader and idealizer of the most read about group of adolescents in Brazil, must take the lead in this electrifying fight! This is a job for the Heads: the inverse of the old, the opposite of the nerds!






What about you, what was your favorite book that you had to read when you were in school? Leave me a comment, or a link to your own Feature and Follow Friday post :D

The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead

- Bloodlines #2
Release date: June 12th 2012
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

This book is also known as "the book in which all my expectations are met, and destroyed at the same time". So much has changed in this series, and so much is still the same. I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I should do so by saying that The Golden Lily surprised me immeasurably. It's like Richelle Mead heard my screams over everything that went wrong in Bloodlines, and decided to fix all of them in The Golden Lily. Seriously, every single thing that I disliked in Bloodlines was non-existent in this novel.

Take Sydney, for example. She was boring in Bloodlines - boring as hell. I didn't like hated her as a main character, with her brainy observations and arrogance over her own knowledge, and how, because of her, I was always away from the action, because Syd wasn't a fighter, and how everything fell into a dull, lifeless rhythm when I was seeing things from her POV, and... well, you got what I mean. She was a poor excuse of a main character, especially since my only experience with the world Mead created was Rose Hathaway, whose point of view, let's admit it, is far better - and more exciting - then Sydney's. So you can only imagine how surprised, and pleased, I was when Mead took a different route with Sydney's character, and showed us a different side of her in The Golden Lily.

The Syd I knew was changed over what happened in the ending of Bloodlines, and I loved that. She was intelligent without being arrogant, and fierce without having to fight. Her weapons were her words and her own experience as an Alchemist. I was still able to catch a few glimpses of ol' Sydney everytime she freaked out over something as simple as sugar count, or corrected someone automatically, or started to explain things that were totally out of context, simply because someone expressed curiosity. I loved that more than I thought I would, and more important, I was able to relate to Sydney and what she was thinking most of the time.

As with the plot... well, like I said before, Mead took a different route to everything in this novel, so the plot should be no different. The mystery wasn't as obvious as it was on Bloodlines - though it was still pretty easy to identify the villain. A novel like this, in which intelligence and quick thinking are some of the things that are highlighted the most, because of Sydney herself, the plot shouldn't be this predictable. It was better than Bloodlines, but it still wasn't as good as it should be. However, the secondary characters more than make up for the lack of a great mystery. Eddie, Angeline, and Sonya are fantastic characters, and I was more than glad to see their potentials explored. The relationship between them is promising as well, something that we can see through Sydney's eyes, but don't actively participate in.

And I won't even get started on Dimitri. I wasn't just glad to see my favorite character in the Vampire Academy series - not to mention my biggest crush - back in action. I was overjoyed. When he appeared for the first time in The Golden Lily, I swear I sat up straight and had to control my nerves not to start acting like a fan-girl. Him acting like a secondary character was disappointing and surprisingly nice at the same time. I just wanted to see more of him, to know more of him. I love Dimitri, but I also missed Rose in this novel. It'd be wonderful to see a Rose/Dimitri scene from Syd's POV - or that's what I tell myself. I wouldn't be surprised if my subconscious missed Rose and Dimitri as well, and only wanted a scene with them.

I know this review is insanely long, but before I'm done with it, I have to express my crazy love for Adrian. I never loved him in the VA series, but now? I'm all for you, Adrian. His relationship with Sydney is incredibly heart-warming - and frustrating, since their interactions are limited to a fair amount of talking and cute moments on Adrian's part. This is a typical Richelle Mead romance, full of chemistry and affection and protectiveness. I love it, and I can't get enough of Syd and Adrian. I'm really looking forward to reading The Indigo Spell - you know, scratch that. I'm dying to read The Indigo Spell. Richelle Mead just proved why she's one of the best authors I've ever known, and the Bloodlines series definitely has my attention now. It's still not as good as Vampire Academy, nor does it have the same deep relationships that VA had, but Bloodlines has its own potential, a potential that I can't wait to see explored thoroughly.