Rick Abueg

4/5

Revisado: 07-01-18

Well-written, good world building, action-packed. Mariko has always been strong-willed so when her father promised her to a neighboring Prince, she was anything but happy about it. On the way to the Prince's, her caravan was attacked, and by some miracle she was able to survive. She poses as a boy in order to infiltrate the Black Clan, the group she thinks is responsible for the murder attempt on her life. The more time she spends with them, the more she realizes they are not as they seem. Characters were interesting, but there were just so many of them. Multiple POV. Ends in a good spot for the sequel.

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5/5

Revisado: 07-01-18

Debut novel. Loved this book. Maddy is a stay-at-home wife and mom who seems to have it all. Her husband, Brady, and daughter, Eve, both love her, but they can be self-absorbed and selfish at times. They took things for granted...and they took Maddy for granted. Work was very important to Brady in order to provide for his family. Hanging out with friends was important to Eve. Her family was the most important thing to Maddy. On the outside, she appears to have it all, until she kills herself. The book begins with her already dead. Brady and Eve go through the stages of grief and they question why Maddy committed suicide. Her death (and the way she died) forces them to reevaluate themselves as well as their relationship with each other. Maddy watches from above and even through death wants to take care of her family. She looks for a suitable replacement to fill her role. Beautifully written, funny dialogue, and well-developed characters. Told through multiple POV's, but never got confusing. HEA, in a sense.

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Hilarious

Revisado: 07-01-18

Funny, heartwarming, and inspiring autobiography. Loved the audible with Trevor Noah as narrator. He did a great job doing all the character voices. This coming of age autobiography is set in apartheid South Africa. Trevor was born to a Swiss father and black mother, which at the time, was against the law. He spent much of his childhood trying to figure out where he belonged. Although the book had serious undertones, there was a lightheartedness that provided some comic relief. Trevor lived an interesting life and I enjoyed listening to him retell it.

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4.5/5

Revisado: 07-01-18

I've had this audiobook for a while and kept putting it off. I'm so glad I finally listened to it. The story was inspired by "A Thousand and One Nights". Shahrzad (Shazi) volunteers to marry Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, after her best friend, Shiva, is murdered. Khalid has been marrying a new bride each day and they all die by sunrise. Shazi is determined to find out why the girls have been dying and views to exact revenge on the boy King. It's with a surprise that she is able to live through the night by telling Khalid a story that ends on a cliffhanger. Little did she realize that she would also start to love him. She finds out the truth about the murders and the curse that was placed on Khalid. Meanwhile, her first love, Tariq is plotting to rescue her. The book ends in a good spot, making the reader want more. The characters are developed well and I loved the relationship between Shazi and Khalid. Surrounding characters, especially Despina, who was hilarious, and Jalal, who was sweet, were entertaining to read about. Multiple POV. Ends in a good spot to prepare you for book 2.

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Some spoilers...

Revisado: 05-20-18

Princess Lia is arranged to marry the Prince (who she never met) of a neighboring Kingdom in order to align the two. On the morning of the wedding, she leaves and starts a new life in Terravin, shedding her identity as a Princess and becoming a tavern girl. She meets two men who pretend to be something they're not. Rafe, who is the jilted Prince and Kaden, an assassin sent to kill her, both show up. Story felt kinda slow and was somewhat confusing due to the different POV's. Mostly told through Lia's POV, other chapters were told by "the Prince" and "the Assassin", and sometimes "Rafe" and "Kaden" (without you knowing which was which). I confused the two and didn't find out who was who until later on in the book. The character development was well done for all 3 characters. I did enjoy the love triangle, although their interactions were somewhat sparse for Lia to end up loving one of them...the Prince Rafe. I actually wanted her to end up with Kaden (the Assassin). Throughout the book, Lia grows into a stronger person. She opens herself up to her "gift" that first daughters usually have, but that she has shown no sign of up to this point. The book ends with Lia being brought to Venda, as a prisoner, by Kaden. Kaden was able to spare her life by saying she possessed the gift (even though he doesn't think she does). Right before they get there, Rafe comes and says he has a message for the Vendan Komisar. He sacrifices himself in order to protect her. Mult POV. 1st book in trilogy.

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Loved it

Revisado: 05-20-18

I loved this book even though I had a feeling of how it was going to end. I knew it was going to be heartbreaking because it needed to be for the story to be told. Theodore Finch and Violet Markey were different. Finch was often times made fun of at school, being called a "freak". He never cared too much what people thought of him. Violet was popular and had a lot of friends. She lost her sister in a car accident months ago. She was in the car with Eleanor when she died. Since then, she's felt stuck, oftentimes playing the "I'm just not ready yet" card when she didn't want to do something, suffering from some type of PTSD. Not really moving forward, she's counting down the days until graduation. Even though they go to the same school, the first time Violet and Finch interact with each other is when they're both on the ledge at the top of the bell tower at school. Finch is up there, contemplating suicide which is something he does often. Finch talks Violet off the ledge and because they've attracted an audience, he makes it seem as if Violet saved him and not the other way around. It's clear pretty early on that Finch suffers from some type of mental illness, most likely bipolar. When they're paired up on a school project to discover the natural wonders of their state, they discover more about themselves and each other. It is only with Violet that he is able to be himself and feel loved for who he is. It is only with Finch that Violet is able to start living again. She learns how to live from a boy who wants to die. The book is beautifully written and the characters were very well-developed. This book made me laugh and cry and smile. It gave a realistic look into mental illness and the stigma often associated with it. Dual POV.

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3.75/5 some spoilers

Revisado: 05-20-18

I had high expectations from this book. I wanted to rate it higher, but I wasn't the biggest fan of Laia. She was just too wishy-washy and didn't seem to have much of a backbone. It took almost the whole book for her to develop one. The book is set in a dystopian society where an Emperor rules. The Martials run the Empire due to their superiority with making weapons and defeating other groups. As scholars, Laia and her family live a quiet life in the Empire. One night, the masks (the Empire soldiers) arrest her brother for treason and kill her grandparents. She makes a deal with the rebels...be a spy for them in exchange for help to free her brother. She's brought into the Empire's military academy as a slave to the Commandant. She meets Elias, who is the Empire's best soldier. Elias has become disillusioned with the Empire, wanting nothing more than to be free. Before he can make his escape, Caine (one of the Empire's oracles, or Augur), persuades him to take part in a contest to become the next Emperor, promising "true freedom of body and soul" should he accept. There is a love quadrangle in the book which I've never read before. Laia's heart is drawn to Keenan, a rebel soldier, but her body is drawn to Elias. Elias is intrigued by Laia, but also has feelings for his life long best friend and fellow soldier, Helene. Characters are well-developed. Pretty graphic with some brutal scenes. The story is told through both Laia and Elias's POV, alternating chapters. I love dual POV, but if felt kinda choppy since they alternated every chapter. Will be listening to the rest of the books in the series.

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Interesting book

Revisado: 05-20-18

Emika Chen is a teenage hacker who works as a bounty hunter in order to make ends meet. She hacks into the opening game of the Warcross Championships, putting her into the limelight. Hideo Tanaka, the game's creator, offers Emika a job she can't refuse. Work for him inside the tournament as a spy in order to uncover a security problem...in return for 10 million dollars. Emika jumps at the chance. Well-written, great action scenes, good character development, interesting story line. Didn't realize there were more books in this series. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but did leave you wanting more. Emika's POV.

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Beautiful story

Revisado: 05-20-18

Ove is very opinionated and sees things in black and white, right and wrong. He could be stubborn, but has a big heart (literally and figuratively). At first glance, he seems to be a very simple man, but on further look, he's very complex. He loses his wife, the love of his life, to cancer and would like nothing more than to follow her there. However, something always seems to interrupt his many attempts to end his life. A young couple with two daughters move in next door and they form an unlikely friendship. I love the surrounding characters and the dialogue among them was funny and heartwarming. The writing brought the characters and the neighborhood to life. I laughed, cried, and smiled while listening to the audiobook. The book is told in the present day, along with flashbacks that help the reader better understand Ove's character. Ove is a lovable, cranky old man that touched so many lives. Told through Ove's POV. Somewhat HEA, depending on how you look at it.

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