DevTheReader

Coldplay rocks my world.

 

I've been listening to the song on repeatedly and I just can't stop.

The tone of the song is so beautiful. I can imagine Katniss' turmoil and badassness just by listening to the song and the trailer as it is looks so promising. November, you better come soon.

 

Atlas by Coldplay.

 

 

Book: This song will save your life

Author: Leila Sales

 

 

 

 

Here’s my story:

 

My dad is in the Indian Navy and so ever since I was born we’ve been on the move from coast to coast and city and to city. It’s been a lovely experience, because every new city brought me closer to new people who followed different lifestyles and had absolutely different tastes. I would stay in the city of Vishakhapatnam (It’s a southern Indian city.) and I would get to eat dosas and idlis and all sorts of south-Indian food that don’t taste as good as they should in other places! And there was also the case where people spoke a completely different language. Then after about three years or maybe two years, we would move to a different city, be it Mumbai or New Delhi and I’d get acquainted to different cultures, all over again.

Now, here’s where I’m going to cut in and tell you as to why I’ve been going on and on about my experiences.

 

School.

 

You see, because I went to different cities, I would be admitted into different schools where I would know absolutely no one. But since I’ve always been on the move, I’ve adapted to a lifestyle as such and I’ve always found it easy to make friends. Then there were the cases of how sometimes I’d come across people who my bestfriend or some other friend would know because I used to stay with my family in the defence housing colonies and like me, there would be people who would go to the same school and have been to different places where they would meet someone who I knew from before because I had stayed in that place too, so I’ve always been a part of this interconnected web of friendship.

Because of this, I’ve never really felt lonely. I’ve always had someone to lean onto and someone to joke with. There was always someone. Ofcourse now the whole situation is quite different but this was something that I experienced at school. 

 

Sure, I had my own personal set of insecurities and phobias and I still have them, but that’s natural because I’m only human, but what I’ve been trying to say all this while is that I’ve never truly felt the brunt of not having a companion. So when I read books, where I would come across characters who like Elise, in this book, have felt that it was always difficult for them to make friends, I ‘sometimes’ don’t understand them and end up not liking the book. That’s why I avoid reading books on bullying. I’m not saying that you have to be a victim of bullying to read such books, I’m just saying that from a personal point of view, I avoid such books because I don’t want to be insensitive.

This is my perspective here, of how I feel when I read about books where a girl or a boy are bullied or where they’re socially inept or how when they realise that what they’re put through is absolutely wrong and that no way in the world is it their fault, yet they continue to suffer, makes me tag them as people who have no ‘spine’ or people who simply irritate me. I realise that every person is different, but THIS is my Achilles’ heel, I sometimes come across as a very insensitive person because I just don’t understand the whys and hows and that is my problem, not yours. 

 

That being said, this doesn’t mean that I’m completely repel from things that have such concepts, I’ve read a few and I’ve liked some of them and This song will save your life, in my opinion is an absolute winner.

Elise Dembowski is a very powerful protagonist. She came across this ‘real’ person with real problems and I felt that she is one of the greatest female protagonists, that I have come across in a very very long time.

 

I thought that her journey was one that most of us would connect with in some or the other way. I, myself could connect with some of the elements in the book, like the part where Elise talks about her relationship with attention and how sometimes when you’re in a situation and in a place which seemed okay a few seconds ago starts to feel like a place where you don’t belong or that you shouldn’t be here. Then there were things that seemed so fascinating about Elise and I felt that wow, it would be so nice to meet someone like that. Someone who’s so..honest? Real? Refreshing? Smart? There were a couple of conversations that she had with Char, the nineteen year old guy she meets later in the book and I’m thinking that if I were there in her situation then I would probably just gape and be clueless like an idiot. I love how the relationships unfolded. I loved how Elise thinks. I LOVED Elise.

 

Besides, Elise I felt that almost every character, from the ones who had been mentioned just once to the ones who had been one of the main characters, played pivotal roles. Every character was important. The novel was Elise’s life story and just like, the way different people in different walks of life affect different situations in our lives, in the same way, every character’s role in how they affected the way Elise was came out with a force and there’s nothing like loving every element of a well-written book.

 

The only complication?

I still don't understand why people treated Elise the way they did in the book. I get that she was a bit different, but it wasn't like she was a creature with two heads from another planet.  There were people who were much much MUCH weird. But who knows what goes on in the minds of people in general.

 

So here’s the deal. Everybody loves this book. I love this book. And I’m pretty sure that you would too.

 

So earlier today, while I was on my usual stalking prowl at goodreads, I got to know about things which well, are obviously quite sad. 

 

I'm technologically handicapped. It took me god knows how many hours to 'understand' just what in the world a CVS file was. I've tried about a million times to set up my own blog, which obviously didn't work out but then I joined up with another one of my friends who frankly handles the 'entire' blog, from the art to the reviewing and I love her so much and she's amazing, so go check her out. http://zemiradjedovic.booklikes.com/

 

But what I'm trying to say is that it is 'very' difficult for me to handle Booklikes. Goodreads was...is easy? I don't know. It doesn't really take rocket science to know where goes what and what does what and now that I see that Booklikes is very similar to blogging, which I love but my stupid schedule gets in the way, so how does this work,huh?

 

Two blogs? 

 

Now that I've started getting the hang of things, Booklikes seems like a lovely experiment. I just hope that this experiment doesn't turn out to be one which I get bored with and later, discard.

 

 

Holy cow. Good stuff. Review to come! :D

I don’t know about you, but I thought that this was much much MUCH better than Anna dressed in blood and Girl of Nightmares.

If you take the aformentioned books into consideration, we can come to a unanimous conclusion that Kendare Blake sure as hell knows how to write a novel.
She writes things that are very engaging and fast-paced. There is lots of badassness. Lots of gruesome-ness (if necessary). Lots of action (oh boy oh boy) and Lots of looove. (OH YEAH. But not the sappy kind so keep your cringing in, all you cringers!)
I love Kendare Blake’s writing. What I couldn’t love was the fact that what she presented to me earlier lacked that ‘oomph’ factor. That factor which makes people go mad and suspends them into a suspension which screams ‘Pigs are flying and it’s exciting’ (ooh, that rhymes). The factor which makes you LOVE a story and makes you gaga over the characters. It’s a wonderful feeling, you know. Now, while I enjoyed ADIB and GoN, I just couldn’t go past that phatic stage of communication. I just couldn’t get intimate with it. And I crave intimacy with my books. I want to love them in and out, front and back, up and down, left and right, top,centre and bottom and....AND...Long story cut short: just about EVERYWHERE.

And I think with Antigodess, I’m touching new heights of intimacy.
WOW.

This was great.
I have my own reasons to love this book more too. But first things first. Lets start with the general analysis.

Gods are dying.
There are two teams. One’s the good team and one’s the bad one.
Both the teams are looking for ways to prolong their lives but the bad one’s are slightly more whacked as they’re plan of action is to gobble other gods to prolong their lives. Gross.
As for the good team?
The good team is led by Athena, the goddess of battle strategies and wisdom. And then you have the enigmatic comic aspect of the novel, Hermes the god of thieves. Together they search for decent solutions to save their ‘immortality’ without chomping down their brethren or becoming the chow-chow themselves which then leads them to an ordinary human, Cassandra and her group of friends.
But is she really ordinary? Hell no.
She is the KEY to the weapon to the solution of the mind-blasting goddess war.
Wow. Oh wow.
It wasn’t all that exciting as it sounds right now but what follows later had me singing praises. So yes, I’ll stick with the WOWs.

You see, I love badass female protagonists and Athena is the goddess of battle for lords sake! I thought that she was fantastic. I loved her attitude. I loved her I-will-look-you-in-the-eye-and-mock-you-and-smile-at-you attitude. I loved her inner turmoil. I loved how she was fighting her instincts to do what was right for everyone and not just her. You see, it was all about saving the lives of the gods and her own and human beings were these little pawns which would help her achieve her goal because afterall, she’s a goddess and a powerful one. She doesn’t need to care about the lives of mortals and yet, there she was fighting for doing what was rationally right. That doesn't mean that she didn't make mistakes. She was egoistical. She was filled with pride. She was downright bossy because She is , afterall, a goddess. And she was meant to live forever. But now she was dying and all she knows that she isn’t going to die without putting up a fight.

I loved her.

And then there was Cassandra. I get her actions and her reaction to certain events but that doesn’t mean that I have to like them. I mean, she was a great character. A pivotal one. It’s safe to say that the entire plot revolved around her, which is fine since she is the key to the survival of the gods. But then, there were times where I felt like whacking her because she was just so infuriating. What she did made sense but sometimes things that make sense deserve a nice beating. Just saying.
I think the characters were wonderful and well laid out. I loved Cassandra’s brother Henry and her friend, Andie. I loved Aidan. (OMG. I didn't see what happened to him coming. Seriously? WHY MUST ALL THE NICE CHARACTERS DIE) I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hermes! He’s like this cute teddy bear that I intend to hold onto and never let go. Then there was Odysseus. Hah! I can’t wait to see his luring tactics when it comes to reeling in a girl.
What I’m telling you right now won’t make any sense until you read the book and I strongly urge you to catch hold of one because it’s bloody good.

And now for the BIGGEST reason of why I love this book to bits.

TROY.

Do you remember Troy? The movie?

Brad Pitt? Eric Bana? Yes?*sighs*

Ever since I saw that movie, I’ve been in love with it. Infact, I love war movies. Be it of any period and Troy is one of my favourites!(If you haven't seen the movie, YOU MUST.)
You see, Brad Pitt, is Achilles and Achilles is a fascinating character. That man destroyed empires and in the died because of a stupid arrow. And Hector? The brave prince of Troy who was the only man with the balls to compete and stand his ground with Achilles. The Trojan War itself is a very interesting concept in itself. I remember screaming at the TV screen at those stupid Trojans who thought that the Greeks had waved the white flag and had left. I was screaming more when they decided to take that stupid Trojan horse INSIDE their impenetrable kingdom because they thought that the Greeks were nice people who liked leaving mementos. Can people really be so stupid? Troy was destroyed and the royal family was murdered and THEY FUCKING KILLED BRAD PITT. Brad Pitt was not supposed to die. Why must all the nice guys die?!?! *weeps*(Thinks about what happened in the book and starts to cry more.)
The story of Troy fascinates me till now. (even though the Trojan were idiots.) and the Trojan story was a MAJOR element of the story-line and I think, Greek Mythology fascinates most of the people on this planet, so , obviously, this a Win-win situation.
Although, I love the book, I will warn you that there is not much that will surprise you in the book because well....nothing is that surprising. But the tempo of the book is exciting and energetic and that exceedingly makes up for whatever flaws I seem to be blind to.
The only thing, I ask from a book is to give me originality and an engrossing story. The concept here is clearly, very original and engrossing, it is. So if I were to read these 400 pages again and again, I would do it again and again, with love.

Oh and you guys must read it too.

"Everything born must die." she repeated.

Holy cow. I can't even tell you how AMAZING this entire series is. Just Can't Wait For Book 5!

Two words to sum up Forbidden:

Fucked up.

So SO fucked up.

It was so fucked up that I can’t even tell you how much of a mindfuck this book was and how much this entire book fucked with my feelings.

You see, I have a kid brother. He’s a nice, sweet guy. I love him. He’s the best.

And then came Forbidden.

Don’t worry. I don’t have those twisted feelings for my brother because for the love of god, HE’S MY BROTHER.
Also, he’s a kid.

My brother and I share this beautiful relationship of sibling love and funny rivalry and the thought of incest makes me gag. Is Incest normal? HELL NO. Is it repulsive? Uh, duh. Should I encourage it? Ok. I take this question back because it’s all kinds of wrong. But do you see what I’m talking about?

If the idea of incest repulses me so much then why was it that when I was reading Forbidden, that I felt that maybe in Maya’s and Lochan’s situation, it wasn’t so bad.
Ms.Suzuma has managed to take something so wrong and turn it into something so tragic and sad and weird and nice?
Nice, some may ask? I felt so much pain while reading this book. It wasn’t just the contents of the book that pained me but the whole concept of the storyline. This was my first book with incest as the primary element and I just knew in my heart that I’d either end up hating it or loving it. Right now I’m at a very Fork-in-the-road situation.
When I started reading Forbidden, all I could think about was how does one end up falling into an unnatural situation such as that of Incest?
Dysfunctional family? Hormones? Psychological disorder? Loneliness? Who knows.
But the fact that a person comes to a situation where the heart finds a lover in sibling is the saddest thought of all.

There were two sides of me while reading this one. One that felt like throwing up and one that kept on contradicting the other side by saying that, ‘WHAT IS SO WRONG IN IT? IT’S THEIR FUCKING LIFE!! LET THEM BE TOGETHER!’ (There was a third side which was sobbing because the whole situation was so tragic and sad. But lets ignore it for now.)

Do you catch my drift?

If a book can divide you in such a way when even the irrational side of seems irrationally irrational then you know that you’ve either hit jackpot or that you’ve made a mistake.
And, right now? I’m wondering if this book was spectacular or was it the weirdest book in the worst way possible.

I wouldn’t say much about the characters. All I can say is that I felt sorry for each one of them. Except, the mom. THAT ASSWOMAN.
Maya and Lochan are tragic characters. And this entire book is a tragedy. Emotionally? I was battered. Maybe I was overthinking each element or maybe it was just the book. But here’s what I’m going to ask myself.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, yes I did.

It’s weird. The language of the book sometimes felt too nice for teenagers to me but honestly, I didn’t mind. I don’t know where the book went, because I was flying through it. I was so curious to see how this one would end , and GODDAMNIT. THAT END. Poo on you, Suzuma. As if I already wasn’t feeling bad for them. I love tragedies and this was something that took tragedy to a whole new level.

As for recommendation? Dude, I was curious. Ergo, I read.
For you all, think about it.

Oh and about the fork-in-the-road problem? I guess I’m leaning on the side of wonder.

I kept on seeing him in my mind whenever Four spoke:



and instantly I was happy.

Aww this was adorable! :)

Review maybe.

I started loving this book as soon as I came across this:

"Her lovely dresses and ornate clothes were gone, replaced by an unforgiving,close-cut black tunic and pants, her hair pulled back in a long braid that fell into the folds of that dark cloak she was always wearing..."

You see, when I met Celaena Sardothien, I thought that she was the most vain and stupid 'assassin' that I had ever come across. In fact, if you think about it, there was nothing really assassin-y about her. All she cared about was how pretty she looked and how ugly everybody else were. There was this one time when I actually found her badass, but even that moment was quickly overpowered by her absolutely mental attitude.

And now? I guess, we never really got to know her. It makes sense. It was the first book. If Ms.Maas had played all her cards right at the start then would Crown of Midnight be CROWN OF MIDNIGHT?
Because holy hell, this book is absofreakinglutely fantastic. There were so many times when I kept on wondering if I was reading the sequel of the previous book or some other random book. Seriously. This was so unexpected.

At this stage, even if there were any flaws, I don't think I noticed any one of them because I was so busy picking up my jaw from where it fell on the ground. I think I was in this perpetual state of gaping and gawking throughout the entire book. There were those twists. There was Chaol (OMG, you girls. I know WHAT you guys were talking about. *fans herself*). Then there was Celaena. I think I have even started to like Dorian as well. But, Celaena stole the show.

She was so BADASS. I can't even begin to tell you how much my insides were quaking whenever she went into her assassin mode.

"It was war upon them all. Let them tremble in fear at what they had awoken."

I loved this Celaena. I loved her choices, her decisions, her thoughts, her ideas because they made sense. I understood why she did what she did and there was never a moment when I felt that I needed to scream at her. She was so so good.

Chaol and Dorian. I remember not finding either of them appealing in Throne Of Glass. Given a choice, yes, I would have always gone with the captain but, like I said before, I never found any of them appealing. They were these characters that had been placed there for the sole purpose of a love triangle and I just couldn't bring myself to care about them. And now? HOLY CRAP. Dudes, where have you been?
Chaol and Dorian are very different from each other. While Dorian may come across as a person who's much softer in his demeanour, it's safe to say that it was Dorian's and not Chaol's decisions and ideas that I thought were much more rational. Chaol on the other hand, is all man and awesomeness. IF Chaol enticed your hormones in ToG then in CoM, he will entice your soul. I just..I just...I just don't know what more to say?

It really is hard to write a review about something you truly truly love because sometimes what you feel is so hard to explain and put into words. There were so many things in Crown of Midnight that had me shaking and jumping. I love me some actions and it was full of it. There were so many mysteries and so much of love, that I still get a bit choked when I think about it. Many times during the book when I was doing my side business of guessing the storyline, I just kept on wondering if everything was as predictable as it seems, but NO! Ms. Maas made sure that she twists you in her coil of awesomeness every which way and that you love it! And love it, I did.

Everything is so much better in this one. EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL. I never want to let go of this book. This book has raised the bar to such an extent that if the third book doesn't outdo this one then I would be left heartbroken.

You made me like you Celaena. I want you to make me love you. I want to love you. For all I know, I probably do.

My review is such a hotch-potch of thoughts and emotions. I start writing about something and then I start remembering my experience with the book and then I start thinking about something else and then I start writing about that! So I apologize if this review seems a tad incoherent.

Did I tell you how much I loved the characters? I think I already did. But I have so many emotions right now and I just do not want to stop. No character was perfect. They had their good and bad days and when they felt happy, I genuinely felt elated but when it came their misery, I swear, my heart broke every single time with each and every blow. Did I mention the storyline? I think I did that too! I just want you all to know that this was one hell of a blockbuster and that if you didn't read this one then you will be missing out on a very successful book.

If you are a person who was initially very skeptical about reading this one? DON'T BE. Forget your apprehension and just dive into it. And for those who loved it, you're all bookie-clairvoyants. You just knew that this was going to be awesome.

"We'll never be a normal boy and girl,will we?" she managed to say. "No", he breathed, eyes blazing. "We won't."

*sighs*

DAMN YOU 2014.

This review and many other things at YA Fanatic

rating-2.5

review to come.

Woah this was great! Review to come! :D

RATING- 3.5

Reasons I fell for the 'Reasons I Fell For The Funny Fat Friend'.

1. I felt like I was suspended in a delicious mix of chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. Everything was so sweet and nice.

2. It's always nice to see a guy appreciate a girl in each and every way. Right from those warm hugs to the way she talks and the way she walks and her way of looking at life and handling it and the way he feels with her and the way SHE makes him feel. *sighs*

3. If a guy says that he craves you in the least creepiest and the cutest way possible. MARRY HIM.

"I press my forehead against hers, locking her in my gaze. “You are so beautiful. Inside and out. I don’t just need you. I crave you. Everything about you. You are the only person I’ve felt this way about. You’re my best friend.”- Brody.

4. If his craving doesn't convince you, then this definitely should, "Reason 13: I'd beat the crap out of my own flesh and blood for you."

5. "Reason 23: You're as horny as I am."<----Am I the only one who finds this funny? This book was hands down hilarious and equally adorable.<br/>
6. A romance like this has always been my fantasy and to see it play out this way made me extra gooey and happy!

Now, you see. Brody is the kind of a guy an average girl generally dreams of. One that doesn't judge you. One that stands by you no matter what. One that bears your wrath even when both he and you knwo that it's your fault. Also,he's hot. (Apparently he has abs and pecs and he's tall. So physically he's a homerun.) That being said, he's your everyday guy. He's horny. He's insecure. He's bored. He stares at a girl's bum and even admits it. He's a cliched dirty-room keeper. But, he's cool. To him, it's what inside that matters and this is something he realizes along the course of the book. Right from the beginning we know that he has the hots for his brother's ex-girlfriend and when Hayley decides to mentor him and help him, he soon realizes that what he feels for Hayley is so much more than what he feels for the girl he's behind. He finds amazingness in her bizarreness. He appreciates her perception. He is responsive and it was all so very real. His thoughts made sense. If he thought that Hayley was an irresistible hot-mama, then she was! HE made me believe in everything he said and in everything he did. I loved this guy!

Now for Hayley?
Since this was from Brody's POV and I was deeply infatuated with him so I couldn't think about anything else. So sorry, Hayley. Though, I will say this that I appreciated their dynamic and since a relationship is a two-way street, thank you Hayley for being fantastic.

TRIFFTFFF (God.) , was fast paced, engrossing and I finished the whole book in one sitting! I was enjoying the ride and I just didn't want to let go of it. It's not the best contemporary book I've come across, but for a rainy day or ,at least for me, any day in general, it's a treat to read.
With a hilarious tone to the book with tons of cute elements, The Reasons I Fell For The Funny Fat Friend is a total winner!

Am I the only one who's excited for this? Look at that blurb! It's hilarious. :D

Oh god. Please don't hate me.
I promise to explain but this was just not for me. Review to come!