Review - Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Title: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Publication Date: September 24th, 2013
Paperback/Hardcover: 364
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

 Summary:
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Review:
I confess I had been meaning to read this book for a long time but only recently got around to doing it.
I thought the premise for Vicious was very interesting and so I had high expectations for the book. Gladly, I was not disappointed.
I quite enjoyed the characters in this book and have to confess that Victor was my favorite. He’s extremely complex, dark and mysterious. He’s methodical and intelligent and will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
Eli is as ambitious and as hard to peg as Victor. As I read I knew exactly which one of these characters I wanted things to work out for but I realize both of these characters are complex and it’s not easy to qualify them as either good or bad. Probably because, at times, they can be both.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and thought they all brought something important to the story. Mitch and Sydney, especially, give us a different insight into Victor.
Plotwise, Vicious is extremely well-written and develops at just the right pace. I enjoyed the fact the readers get to understand what happened in the past and made our characters who they are in the present.
All in all, Vicious is one of the best books I have read lately. It is extremely well-written and thought-out and the characters are simply flawlessly fleshed out. The plot is imaginative and had me hooked right from the start.
I would definitely recommend Vicious to all fantasy fans.
This is definitely a must read.

Rating: Must Read (5 Stars).

Review - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Publication Date: April 22nd, 2014

Paperback/Hardcover: 422

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mystery

Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary: 
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Review: 

I’m probably a little late for the ‘I’m reading Gone Girl party’ but better late than never, right?

I don’t even know what to say about the two main characters: Amy and Nick. At one time they seem to be one thing and then, as the story develops, they turn out to be completely different people.  This is obviously the author’s goal and it works perfectly.

This story is all about two people who don’t and, at the same time, do know each other perfectly well. The things they do, the people they deceive is amazing.  Amy, especially, is probably one of the most complex characters out there.

The way the book is written purposely makes the reader think one thing when the truth is completely different. And once everything is revealed you are left thinking about how some people really do go through life pretending to be someone else and are capable of anything to get what they want.

This book is full of surprises and schemes and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book is written in a very smart way and I was hooked from the beginning. I don’t want to give anything away to the people who haven’t read the book yet so I’ll just say this book is incredibly well-thought out and definitely left an impression on me.

This is definitely a must read.

Rating: Must Read (5 Stars)

Review - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You by Jojo Moye
Publication Date:December 31st, 2012
Paperback/Hardcover: 36
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Review: 
If you ask me why it took me so long to start reading this book I couldn’t answer. I’m glad I finally picked it up, though because I absolutely loved it. I think it might be my favorite read of 2015.
First of all I really liked the characters and the fact they seemed real to me right from the start.
Louisa is a very interesting character. She’s quirky and positive despite everything and I couldn’t help but to like her. She was thrown into a situation she knew nothing about but she still did the best she could with it
Will is, understandably, a very complex character but I don’t think it’s that hard to understand his point of view ore where he’s coming from. I enjoyed reading about his relationship with Louisa and how she was able to make him a little happier.
I also liked most of the secondary characters and believe all of them brought something to the story and made the reader understand the main characters and their actions and reactions a little bit better.
I believe this is a hard topic to write about but Jojo Moyes did a wonderful job of it, as I have come to believe she always does. Plotwise, the story develops at a wonderful pace but I really do believe this story is all about the characters and their development.
All in all, Me Before You is a beautifully written story, with amazing characters you can’t help but to root for. I was pretty sure I knew how this book was going to end but that didn’t stop me from being happy and sad as I read it.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances or simply wants to read a great story with strong characters.

Rating: Must Read (5 Stars)

Review - Touched by A.J. Aalto

Title and Author:  Touched by A.J. Aalto

Publisher: Booktrope

Publication Date: Septemeber 10th, 2012

Paperback/Hardcover: 424

Genre:  Paranormal

Find it at: Goodreads

Summary:

The media has a nickname for Marnie Baranuik, though she’d rather they didn’t; they call her the Great White Shark, a rare dual-talented forensic psychic. Twice-Touched by the Blue Sense--which gives her the ability to feel the emotions of others, and read impressions left behind on objects--Marnie also has a doctorate in preternatural biology and a working knowledge of the dark arts. She is considered without peer in the psychic community.
Then her first big FBI case ended with a bullet in one shoulder and a chip on the other, a queasy heart and a serial killer in the wind, leaving her a public flop and a private wreck. When the FBI’s preternatural crimes unit tracks her down at a remote mountain lodge for her insight on a local case, her quiet retirement is promptly besieged by a stab-happy starlet, a rampaging ghoul, and a vampire-hunting jackass in tight Wranglers. Marnie figures the only real mystery is which one will kill her first.
Too mean to die young, backed up by friends in cold places, and running with a mouth as demure as a cannon’s blast, Marnie Baranuik is about to discover that there’s no such thing as quitting time when you’re Touched.

Review:

I have received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.

I wasn’t completely sure about this book in the beginning but I ended up really enjoying it.

Marnie has a psychic ability. She is able to feel the emotions of others, and read impressions left behind on object. When the FBI asks her for her insight on a crime scene she is thrown in the middle of a mystery that includes vampires, hunters and much more.

There are a few interesting characters in this book. Marnie is the main character and she’s a good and funny lead. She’s brave, witty and sarcastic. There’s a softer side to her, though, which I thought made her even better.

The other characters like Harry were very good as well and brought a lot to the story.

When it comes to the plot, it is very fast paced. There are several twists and turns able to keep the readers guessing.

All in all, Touched is a fun, fast-paced and interesting book. I think the author did a good job creating a character like Marnie with her peculiarities.

If you like a good paranormal book with a bit of suspense and interesting characters you should definitely give Touched a chance.

Rating:  Must Read (4 Stars)