Book Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Title: Asylum (Asylum #1)

Author: Madeleine Roux

Release date: August 20th 2013 by HarperTeen
Pages: 313
Genres: Horror, paranormal
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi

Release date: January 3rd 2012
Pages: 374
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Publisher: Harper Collins
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive. 

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1-3)

Author: Jenny Han

Release date: May 5th 2009
Pages: 279
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
My rating: 4.5/ 5 
Source: Bought 

Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

(taken from goodreads)

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ARC Review: Fragile Bones by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Title: Fragile Bones (One-2-one)

Author: Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Release date: March 15th 2015
Pages: 254
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Clockwise Press
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Netgalley

Synopsis:

Meet Harrison and Anna.

One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behaviour” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.

Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. 

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: "The Archived" by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Archived

Author: Victoria Schwab

Pages: 328

Publisher: Hyperion

Publication date: January 22nd 2013

Rating: 5/ 5

Synopsis:

The dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead, called 'Histories', rest in the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper is dangerous and a constant reminder of those she lost, Da and her little brother. Mac wonders about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. Yet someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

(taken from goodreads)

                                                     Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Review:

If there is one thing I regret, its definitely not reading any Victoria Schawb sooner. This book will always hold a special place in my heart because it was truly mesmerizing and had me compelled and intriguied at all times. The story starts with our main character Mackenzie, who is now moving into The Coronado, a hotel-turned-apatment building. With the hear-shattering memory of their son's death, Mac's parents decide that a move is the closest thing they can get to a new fresh start. Everything gets interesting really early in the book when we learn that Mac forms part of what is known as the Archived. This is the place were people's histories (their bodies) are kept after they die. There are also the Narrows, which are like halls were sometimes histories escape to when they accidentally wake up- they're like an "inbetween" . These histories ares sent back to the Archived by a Keeper. Which is the position that our main character holds.

The originality of this book is outstanding. I have never read a book like this one before, much less one that had me so engrossed. All of the fantasy-esque and paranormal elements were on point. And i just loved how it read kind of like a contemporary but with all of these crazy twists. Sometime when reading books that feature such elements, they sometimes tend to feel a bit too unbelievable. I mean, it is obviously fiction, but it is possible to create/write about  fictional characters and their worlds, while still giving them some present credibility. Not many authors, I find, can do that. Or at least not many that I know about. Victoria Schwab, however, seems to have that talent. Every single page in this book is proof of that. Her writing is somewhat magical and it will have you glued to the pages. Every single aspect of this book - and it's plot- was exquisitely written. Nothing felt out of place nor rushed, hence the pacing was just right.

As for the characters, I couldn't have asked for more. They were all so intricate and fascinating. Especially those who formed part of the Archived. Like I said, this book had me mesmerized. Also, the main character is one of the most kick-ass female leads that i have ever read about. I admired both her personality and her strength. Wesley, who is like the main male character, was so cool! He was also very cute and swoon-worthy.

Lastly, I want to mention the amazing imagery in this book. Everything was described so vividly without being overly detailed. I truly resent not having read any of Victoria Schwab's work sooner This book became an instant-favorite!

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Book Review: "Alienated" by Melissa Landers

Title: Alienated

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 344

Publication date: February 4th 2015

My rating: 4/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet. (taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: "Rebel Belle" by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.
With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.
  (taken from goodreads)

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