Review: The Opportunist (Love Me with Lies #1)

Title: The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1) by Tarryn Fisher
  
Rating: 5/5 (Heartachingly and heartbreakingly GOOD.)
  
Synopsis:
Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

REVIEW:

Summary of my emotions:


Book realization: 


And while you're on it, why not listen to this song while you read this book just to give the knife poised on your chest a little more encouragement to plunge deeper and deeper gutting every single skin and cell that gets on its way?


First of all, I want to warn everyone who's reading this that there may be (unconscious) spoilers within this review or hints of what's going to hit you once you dive into this book. Do know though, that I tried my best to give a spoiler-free review but right now, I'm more inclined to nurse off my bruised heart by pouring every single feeling I felt while reading this book.

I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book because I love to be surprised when it comes to gems awaiting to be discovered. And this one is a diamond talked about by a lot of book bloggers but not talked about enough! I mean... this book needs to be recognized more! So if you dear reader has not yet read this one and still looking for an affirmation that you're picking possibly (most definitely) one of your best book reads this year--- you are wasting time! Hurry up and start reading this book.

Almost 10% in Florida with Olivia and Caleb and Cammie and Leah and Jim and everyone else, my heart is aching!!! Aching as in damn-this-book-hurts-too-much-i-think-i-want-to-cry kind of aching! The type of hurt wherein I don't want to read further because I know it will get uglier until I can't contain the pain blooming in my chest. Whenever I can't take the pain anymore I stop reading it and breathe and think for a second that I'm better off with my own bubble full of happy endings and that I don't wanna know what kind of ugly made Olivia and Caleb break up. But then I also feel like I can't stop reading. I'm in too deep, rooted so strong, basking in the sweetness and bitterness of this book that I. JUST. CAN'T. STOP. One moment I'm melting in the warmth of everything Olivia and Caleb but then the story takes two steps back and hammers my heart into tiny little pieces. I feel like I'm hyperventilating because the pain is too much to take in, that I can't almost breathe. I also felt a connection with Olivia when it comes to her personality. I'm a little bit like her when it comes to little, normal details. Maybe that's why I felt her pain so much it feels like I'm the one who had a bad break up with her ex.

The twists in the story... I just can't put it into words. You have to read it yourself, ride the roller coaster of emotions and feel like you're the one dealing with a broken heart. And as much as Olivia blames herself too much for their destruction, you have to give her the benefit of the doubt. Remember, every action has a reaction. *winks* Know that they both messed up (badly and miserably) something that could have been good. 

I was finishing this book earlier today in the library in our University and I swear this was how I looked like (I was trying so freaking hard not to cry because I was in a public place. What would people think if I started bawling out there? So I had to suppress my emotions!): 

 “I will love again, Olivia, you will hurt forever. What you’ve done is…You are worthless because you make yourself that way. You will remember me every day for the rest of your life because I was the one and you threw me away.” And then he left.”

"I was the one and you threw me away.."

"I was the one and you threw me away.."

"I was the one and you threw me away.."

"I was the one and you threw me away.."

"I was the one and you threw me away.."

That line was pretty much my undoing. If I could throw tantrums inside the library, I would have. And I was hoping deep inside my freaking heart that this would not freaking happen to me. Because then, it will hurt too much. And I'd rather die than feel that much pain.

I read Tarryn Fisher's bio on Goodreads and it says there: "I would like to write a novel that every, single person loves, but not even J.K. Rowling could do that. Instead, I try to write stories that pull on people's emotions. I believe that sadness is the most powerful emotion, and swirled with regret the two become a dominating force."
-I would just like to say that you have accomplished that goal very well in The Opportunist!! Just.. damn! It felt like my heart was in a tight grip all throughout the book! And it kept squeezing and squeezing until I 'm not sure if another book can make me feel this way. 

This book ruined me. Gutted me open and pour a sack of salt on my open wounds. Raw emotions. Pure honesty. Striking words. Go figure.

Bloggers alert!!!

This is a repost ;) And by the way, I'll be blogging again before the week ends. So stay tuned for my upcoming reiews :P

We Want You...To Be Part of "The List"

Calling all bloggers! Calling all bloggers!

Entangled needs you! *points at you*

Be part of The List!

Here's what you need to know:

One of my awesome publicists at Entangled is compiling a list of bloggers.

Here are the requirements:

Do you have a blog? YES!

Do you love to review books? HECK YES!

Do you want access to books before they release? ME PLEASE!

If your answers to these questions is a resounding "YES" then you're the right blogger for the job.

We want you! Now's a great time to join The List.

If you want to be a part of The List, here's what you have to do:

1. Add Til Death to your Goodreads TBR pile: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16129271-til-death

and

(on Kate's blog: HERE)

2. Leave the following in the comments section:

a. Your Name

b. Your Blog URL

c. Your Goodreads Name

d. Your Email Address

Source

Additional Option: URL to your blog post about this call for bloggers.

Priority will be given to those who help spread the word by creating a post on this call for bloggers on their blog. *smiles*

Be part of The List today. 

DEAR BOOK, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE MIND-BLOWING??

WARNING: This is an informal review. I'm gonna be too lazy to copy paste the blurb so you'll have to look it up yourself, but I swear, reading this book will be the most life changing thing you will ever do in the span of your life. You won't freaking regret picking up this book, take my word for it. This is just my lame attempt of appeasing myself, calming my emotions down and trying to get over this book. Because that's just how I am. When I come across an awe-inspiring book I tend to not dwell too much on it and move on as fast as I could because there's no point in gushing over something that I've already read. And sometimes what's done is done and we just have to accept it. So now I'm in stage one.... Denial.... In denial that I have encountered this masterpiece and that I am done reading and devouring every single page of it. So you've been warned.. some thoughts may be repetitive, unoriginal, jumbled, incoherent and cliche... but it is 100% truth.

Win a copy of Stormdancer!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff


Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.
But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?


Enter the giveaway by clicking this!! :)

Speechless Giveaway @ The Midnight Garden :)

Speechless by Hannah Harrington


Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.



Enter the awesome giveaway here!! :)

Spreading the word

AWESOME GIVEAWAY ENDS IN 2 DAYS! BETTER HURRY AND VISIT THIS SITE NOW ;)

Okay we are getting SO CLOSE I can almost taste it... I mean read it...  Well I have already read it but you can almost read it!  *deep inhale*  I am just so  excited about this!!   The party takes place on twitter using the hash tag #TranscendParty & is on Tuesday Sept. 18 @ 9pm EST

Prizes will include:

Book swag for all of my books

a pack of love letters from Ien to Kiera

Signed Hardback Copy of Lacrimosa

Special Edition Hardback for Transcend (not shipping until Dec)

Signed Copy of TEN by Gretchen McNeil (ships at the end of the month) 

Click me for more details! 

Awesome Giveaway!!

So this is one of the awesome giveaways I came across! Be sure to visit the site of this incredible book blogger and check it out!! Let's keep our fingers crossed in the hopes of being the lucky person to win the goodies Book Nerd Reviews offer ;)

Random Ramblings

I haven't been posting reviews lately because of lack of time. My routine these days is to: Pick up a book, Finish or Drop it, Start a new one. I don't have the time to come up with a sensible review with every book I read so I guess I will just be posting my Read, Currently Reading and To Read for some time until I can squeeze a review or two. Or maybe in one entry I can post short reviews/thoughts about a couple of books. School sucks. I wish the semester would end!!




So the most recent book I've Read: Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout

Short Thought: Am I the only person who didn't enjoy this book as much as the other squealing fans did? Most of the time I found myself rolling my eyes during the cliche moments. Daemon is swoon-worthy, I must admit, though Katy is freakingly annoying! It was so frustrating! I can't remember if she annoyed me this much during the first book? Hm. I keep putting off this book. Didn't finish it in one sitting, even skeptical about going through the headache of dealing with Katy. So you see, I was surprised I even finished this one. Sadly the book was not as mind blowingly awesome as her other series which is The Covenant. I hope Katy gets better (in terms of her personality) and become a little less Katy on the next installment. 

Rating: 3.5 over 5 ;-)


Now for my Currently Reading: The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

I think I'm a quarter through the book. I'm currently in a neutral state with regards to my opinion with this book.. I guess I'm still in the process of engaging myself with the plot. Although so far... it hasn't yet given me a reason to put off this one and pick up a new read. What I'm expecting is for this one to blow my socks off (metaphorically, of course) as how the other bloggers would've gushed over their reviews over this one. :P So I guess I'll find out!! For my "Next Read" picks, I think I'll be posting a new blog entry tomorrow... rather later this day. It's 2:46 AM. I have to get ready for class at 4AM, so you see.. I need my sleep! :)) See what I mean when I said I don't have the time to blog about my feelings on every single book I finish reading!! So yeah, be posting more awesome stuffs later! Ciao. :-)

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Synopsis:

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Rating:

    

THIS BLOG NEEDS TO BE REVIVED

I have been so busy since summer school started and ever since it ended I haven't encountered a book good enough have me fan girl-ing over it and posting a review about it. Either the books I've read were "meh" worthy or full of crap. Uggh. And now that regular classes have started I have less time to read a book :\ And I miss reading a book that will make me fall head over heels in love with its plot and characters. Nevertheless, I'll make sure to find time to get back on my game and will revive this blog ASAP. Textbooks have been keeping me preoccupied and they're not making me happy :\

Review: Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer Armentrout

Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer Armentrout
There is need. And then there is Fate...


Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.
When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.


Rating:     


Interpretation: 5/5-- And if a rating such as 100000000/100000000 exists, believe me I would have given it to this one!!! Such an amazing sequel!!! I am left speechless... just go buy this one NOW if you still don't have it!!! 


WARNING! HARDCORE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Spellbound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted. 

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.  Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Rating:     

Interpretation 4/5-- what a great way to wrap up an epic series!

eARC Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1)

by Leigh Bardugo 

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.

Rating:    

Interpretation: 4/5 froggies-- different yet beautiful writing that plunges you into an imaginative world! A series that will keep you on your toes.

Waiting on... Sunday?

I know it's supposed to be Waiting on Wednesday.. but I can't wait until Wednesday to post this book I just recently discovered!!! So behold and do the girly squeal I just did after reading the blurb ;-)

Love and Other Perishable Items
by Laura Buzo

Synopsis from Goodreads:


Love is awkward, Amelia should know. 


From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, 15, is 15.


Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together? Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up.

The blurb... the cover... *sigh* isn't it brilliant!?!?!?! Sadly we'd have to wait until December for this one. :-<

eARC Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon
by Anna Banks

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Rating:     

Interpretation: 5/5!!! Eeeeeep! I am on a roll here! If you skip this book on your TBR pile, you're going to MISS OUT on an epic roller coaster ride of a wonderful story!!

Warning: There may be spoilers ahead!!

eARC Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.


Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control. 


Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk. 


Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf. 


Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.


Rating:     


Interpretation: 5/5 - One of my favorite love triangles. Don't miss out on an epic journey of love, heartbreak and friendship :-)

Second Chance Read #1: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Before anything else, what is this "Second Chance Read"? Second Chance Read is a segment in my blog wherein I get to pick a book (may or may not be recently published) which everybody claims to be great but which I failed to see long before it became a hype. Sometimes when I get bombarded with too much YA or when I just finished an awesome book, the book that I pick up after it suffers because I'm nowhere near getting over the former (even if I wanted to). These are the books which I didn't finish because I was looking for a certain pull that will make me engaged to it but wasn't able to find it in its first few chapters. So I'm ready to look at these books the other way, and read it without judgment as if reading it the first time. :-)

US edition Cover:

  

Much better cover (Hungarian Edition):

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 


But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Rating:     


Interpretation: MINDBLOWINGLY AWESOME!!!! Took my freaking breath away!