Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: Mortal Danger
(Immortal Game #1)
AUTHOR: Ann Aguirre
PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends
PUB DATE: Aug 5 2014

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...

Source: Goodreads

Rating:

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“Game on.”

I’ve come to love Ann Aguirre’s storytelling and writing style through the Razorland trilogy. I loved the character building she has done with Deuce and Fade, and her world building skills were vivid and captivating. That was enough to convince me to watch out for her next books, and that is how I came to read Mortal Danger.

Mortal Danger is a paranormal romance mixing in the creepy urban legends that we might have heard at some extent, like Father Frost, Bloody Mary, etc.

I made a mistake of reading this book in the middle of the night. I didn’t know there was an upcoming “Bloody Mary” scene, so it’s no surprise I had to stop reading after that part. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but I easily scare so I had to find some random funny comic strip online just to get it off my mind. Damn! These things really should come with a warning!

While I don’t mind cliché’s in books since some authors can actually pull it off and lead it to be something a reader can appreciate and indulge in, this one was a miss. The instant romance between the protagonists, Kian and Edie, was not convincing. The villains, the plot, and all the drama weren’t any better either. I felt like everything was too strained. It also felt like I was being forced to like Edie with all that was happening in her life.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

I absolutely love this topic!

I had my fair share of swoon moments over books in a variety of genres. I gushed, I squealed, I giggled and had my heart race over the sweet nothing exchanges of book couples I have learned to love over the course of their journeys and stories. So expect to see me cheat (a lot!) on this top ten.

I'm probably not going to make much sense if I divulge details so I'll add up some of my favorite quotes from the books instead.

Horde by Ann Aguirre [REVIEW]

TITLE: Horde (Razorland #3)
AUTHOR: Ann Aguirre
PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends
PUB DATE: Sep 20 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"The epic conclusion to the USA Today bestselling trilogy.

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity."

Rating:

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“Because I love you.' It was easy to say it this time now that I understood what it meant. Then I quoted his own words back to him. 'Not just when it's easy. All the time.”

For a minute there I think my heart stopped.

I’ve had my bad share of series-finale books. Some got left me sad, some left me disappointed, and some even left me incredibly ticked off. So I was wary while reading Horde. I was wishfully thinking this would not blow up in my face. Thankfully, Ann Aguirre did not fail me. Oh! Thank you, Ms. Aguirre for such a wonderful ending!

I hadn’t put a lot of thought to this series when I first started off with Enclave. To me, it felt like another one of those zombie stories, blah, blah and blah. But then when I met Deuce and Fade, they poked my interest over what kind of story these characters would be going through. And so I fell in love with these two, and over time, as I watch them grow I couldn’t bear to think of these two apart.

Deuce has always been a strong character from the start. But it was humbling to see a sensitive side of her. The more she grew to learn things about life and love that has been deemed unfit for a Huntress during her days in the enclave, the more lovable Deuce became. She has truly grown so much over the course of her journey. She truly lived up as the heroine I always believed her to be.

Fade may have been the quiet one from the start, but there is no denying the aura of strength he seems to embody. Needless to say, I couldn’t get enough of Fade! He was just prefect, never mind that he was a little broken after the events of Outpost, time helped him heal, and I was so glad that Deuce was there to support him all throughout.

Book Haul [33] + A Message of Gratitude!

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello, everyone! Pardon the three-week absence of posts from my blog. One of the reasons why is that I am knee-deep in wedding preparations for most of my free time from work. I can't believe that in more or less six months from now, I am going to be married! It's exciting... and nerve-wrecking. I know I'm about to freak out or have a panic attack any moment now.

Anyway, here's my book haul, which has piled up for the weeks of not posting:

TITLES:

(from the Book Depository)
THE DESERT TALES by Melissa Marr
RENEGADE by J.A. Souders (read and reviewed)
THE IRON TRAITOR by Julie Kagawa (read and reviewed)
OUTPOST by Ann Aguirre (read and reviewed)
CREWEL by Gennifer Albin (read and reviewed)
ANTIGODDESS by Kendare Blake
MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama (read and reviewed)
ORIGIN by Jennifer L. Armentrout (read and reviewed)
 
(from Fully Booked)
A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford -Bargain Sale worth Php 100.00! roughly around $2-
CHAMPION by Marie Lu (read) -Signed Copy!-
ECLIPSE by Stephenie Meyer (read and reviewed) -Bargain Sale worth Php 50.00! roughly around $1-
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW by Cameron Dokey

(from National Bookstore)
ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth (read)
DECEPTION by C.J. Redwine
SERIOUSLY... I'M KIDDING by Ellen Degeneres (read and reviewed) 

Outpost by Ann Aguirre [REVIEW]

TITLE: Outpost (Razorland #2)
AUTHOR: Ann Aguirre
PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends
PUB DATE: Sep 4 2012

Summary from Goodreads:

"Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide."

Rating:

It has been months since Deuce and Fade were exiled from down below. After an aggressive encounter with a group of Freaks as they travelled top side with their new companions, Stalker and Tegan, they find refuge in Salvation.

Having to live in a world where she was valuable as a huntress, Deuce feels insignificant living in Salvation. Her once earned status as an adult does not apply in the ways of the people in her new found habitat. Deuce longs to do what she was trained to since she was a brat, but all eyes are on her for trying to take on a man’s job. Not only is she struggling to fit in, her former partner, Fade has detached himself from her. And she feels all the more empty without him.

But trouble steers in the quiet dwellings of Salvation. The Freaks are changing. They are getting more and more cautious, the once reckless and flesh-greedy creatures are beginning to get... organized? Now, Deuce is willing to bring out her inner warrior and finally make use of her skills again...

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2012

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

Hello there! Today's top ten is about authors that you've read in 2012 that are new to you. Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT - I've been seeing the Lux and Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout everywhere, but I only decided to read her books just recently. I can't believe I was missing out on such great books!

2. GENA SHOWALTER - I thought Gena was debuting as an author this year, little did I know she's actually written a number of novels already in a different genre.

3. ANN AGUIRRE - Another author I thought that only had about 3 books written (the Razorland series), then I end up seeing she's written tons.

4. KENDARE BLAKE - Okay she's relatively new. But I didn't know about her up until the middle of this year, so yeah she counts on my list.

5. JENNIFER ESTEP - I've heard of Jennifer Estep before but I hadn't bothered with reading her books up until recently.

Endurance by Ann Aguirre [REVIEW]

Endurance
(Razorland #1.5)
by Ann Aguirre

Summary from Goodreads:

"When rebellion destroys the underground world in which Thimble and Stone have grown up, they take Stone’s son and try to escape the chaos. Along the way, they must evade the Freaks, beings who feed on human flesh. Leaving behind the roles of Builder and Breeder which they were assigned at birth, they wander the underground tunnels, looking for safety yet afraid to go “topside” where legend has it that the light and water will burn their skin from their bones.

Their journey takes them upward to an unimagined world of tinned food, comfortable furniture, and books. Away from their regimented society for the first time, and still facing imminent danger, Thimble and Stone acknowledge the forbidden attraction which both have denied for years."

Rating:

If you’ve read Enclave, surely at some point you got stuck wondering, what ever happened to Thimble, Stone and the rest of the College people? Did they get slaughtered just like those from the Nassau enclave? How exactly did Deuce’s best friends feel about her getting exiled? Let’s get the other side of the story shall we?

WARNING: Contains spoilers.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre [REVIEW]

Enclave 
(Razorland #1)
by Ann Aguirre

 Summary from Goodreads:

"New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20s. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known."

Rating:

In the world of Enclave, Top Side, where cities used to stand tall and proud, is unsafe. The angry sun burns any human flesh in sight, and the air poisons the lungs. It is safer to stay Down Below, in the tunnels. It may be pitch black down there, reeking of cannibalistic Freaks, but better than dying within seconds Top Side – or so the College Enclave leaders say to Deuce and the other citizens.

Deuce has always seen herself becoming a huntress. When the time finally arrived, she finds herself paired in hunting with Fade, the outsider amongst her people, and yet one of the best hunters of the enclave. When Deuce and Fade learn that the neighbouring enclave, Nassau, was destroyed by the Freaks, they try to warn their leaders, who in return, refuse to listen. Suddenly, Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, and forced to go Top Side, where they find themselves facing more danger, witnessing new discoveries, and hoping for a land they aren’t even sure exists...

Book Haul [11]

I haven't thought of a name for a weekly meme of book hauls so let's just go with what's posted above.

For now, I'll call this the "Whatever it's called" Book Haul. It's only temporary, I swear. I just haven't thought of a clever name for it. So this is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

Hi there! Happy sunday to you all! 

Here's what I got for this week. I'm also including those that I got last week as well:

BOUGHT:

- P R I N T  H A U L -

ENCLAVE by Ann Aguirre (read)
THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson
STOLEN NIGHT by Rebecca Maizel
INTERIM GODDESS OF LOVE by Mina V. Esguerra (read and reviewed)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on Your Fall TBR

Top Ten Books on your Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

Hi there! How are you all? Hope you're having a good day today. Although the Philippines doesn't have an autumn season, I still packed with books to read for the coming months (that cover the season, I guess).

So here's what I plan to read for the given span of time:

(Arranged in the order of which I plan to read first 'til the last)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Fall

Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Fall

        

        

1. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

          - Who doesn't want to read this? I know the ARC's available online but I'd rather wait for the real thing. I'm not much of an e-reader.

2. Vanish by Sophie Jordan

         - I'm curious about who the cover is and what's in store for Jacinda and Will's relationship.

3. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stolh

         - I loved the first 2 books so I'm excited about this one too.

4. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

         - It's kind of like a girly version of "Lord of the Flies", I want to see what it's all about.

5. Forgotten by Cat Patrick

        - It has a very interesting synopsis.

6. Devoted by Hilary Duff

         - I've read the first book out of curiousity now I want to see how Hilary develops as a writer/author.

7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

         - Beautiful cover, intriguing summary, 'nuff said.

8. Enclave by Ann Aguirre

         - I've seen this many times on the shelf of a bookstore I constantly go to, I think it's about time I pick it up.

9. Meridian by Amber Kizer

         - It sounds dark and mysterious, I want to know if this has something new to offers to the whole raving angel-themed books.

10. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

         - This has been in my TBR list for a while and now that it's coming out I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Hopefully those that are just about to come out this fall would be available here in the Philippines as per their expected release dates. I'm really excited to get my hands on them.