The Shadow's Curse (The Knots Duology #2) by Amy McCulloch [ARC REVIEW]

★★★★★

GOODREADS SUMMARY: Raim is no closer to figuring out the meaning of the broken vow that sentenced him to exile for life. But with his former best friend now a tyrannical Khan who is holding the girl Raim loves captive, he finds it hard to care. Every day, he and Draikh learn more about their powers, but it quickly becomes clear that he will never be able to stop Khareh and free Wadi unless he can free himself from the ultimate taboo of his people. Reluctantly, Raim begins the long journey down to the dangerous South, to find the maker of his oath.


In Khareh's camp, Wadi is more than capable of devising her own escape plan, but she's gradually realizing she might not want to. The more she learns about Khareh, the more confused she becomes. He's done unquestionably bad things, horrific even, but he's got big dreams for Darhan that might improve their dire situation. What's more, rumours of a Southern king massing an army to invade Darhan are slowly gaining ground. Only if the Northern tribes can come together under a single ruler will they have the strength to fight the South - but what if that ruler is an impulsive (albeit brilliant) young man, barely able to control his ever-growing power, and missing the one part of him that might keep him sane? Whoever conquers the desert, wins the war. And the secret to desert survival lies in Lazar, which is set to become the heart of a great battle once again.

Okay, I really didn’t expect that I’m going to get accepted on my request for the ARC because of the region restriction. But I really like the idea of the first book and I gotta have this, so yeah I did.

The Shadow’s Curse is packed with of exhilarating and jaw dropping adventures and it’s a MUST READ.
*bow*
I love the ending. Great job!
The very last part made me smile, and I remembered the first book and how it all started. It’s bittersweet.

*MC’s Corner*Note: Spoilers.

• The scenes are pretty predictable. But what I like is after I “predict” some scene I got more excited and just waiting for it.
  
• The Characters
  
  ·         Raim –he’s the protagonist. I like this guy, there’s so many things happened to him: exciting and some frightening adventures. But what I noticed is that he’s on his age, not like a teenager that thinks or with a brain of an adult. He’s fun and then in times of seriousness he’s serious. He’s going and Draikh, Khareh’s shadow, will discover new about their power. I think that was cool, but it made no sense because it wasn’t that much used.
  
  
  ·         Wadi –she’s Raim love interest, kinda. *roll eyes*
  She’s an Alashan, a clan who helps people (mostly oathbreakers) travels the desert. She was captured by Khareh, she wasn’t treated like a normal prisoner, I don’t know why.  She’s confusing in a good way. Sometimes she’s in Raim side then sometimes I felt she’s in Khareh’s side, in the end I understood her.
  
  
  ·         Khareh –the new Khan. He’s Raim’s bestfriend. He’s a guy full of contradiction. He’s crazy, childish tyrant but I think all he wants is good for his country, He’s a good guy and he’s just blinded by power and to those surrounds him feeding lies but he believes on what is good to his country.  It’s like he’s so bad then suddenly he a good guy…
  
• I love the part where they travelled in boat. I wish there’s more of it. And I’m wondering what happened to the Captain and his crew…. *pout* I know it’s not that important, but still….
  
• There’s no romance or declaring of loves. And it was okay, it’s was so focused in the story, kudos! Love love love.
  
  
• Knots Duology is a story of friendship. A strong friendship that will be tested and strike by storms. It’s beautiful.      

 ARC provided by Random House Children’s Publishers UK & NetGalley in exchange of honest review.  Thank you!

@gleekidMC

 

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant [ARC Review]

★★★★
GOODREADS SUMMARY: Michael Grant, author of the New York Times bestselling Gone series, has created a powerful and brilliant narrative that examines the nature of good and evil in every human.

Mara wakes in a field of dead grass, a heavy mist pressing down on her. She is terrified, afraid that she is dead. Then a beautiful young man dressed in black appears. He calls himself Messenger of Fear.

This boy is able to move effortlessly through space and time. He also sees the darkness in human hearts. He sees the evils done: the destructive lies, the cruelty, the bullying, the violence. And if the world does not bring justice to those who do evil, he will. He offers the wicked a game. If they win, they go free. If they lose, they will live their greatest fear. Either way, their sanity will be challenged.

It is a world of fair but harsh justice. Of retribution and redemption. And mystery. Why was Mara chosen to be the Messenger’s apprentice? What has she done to deserve this terrible fate? She won’t find out until three of the wicked receive justice. And when she does, she will be shattered.

Ooh!!! This is good. *thumbs up*
Messenger of Fear is a book you won’t appreciate till you finish it.
I think this YA book is intended for adult readers, not for teenagers. (No offense, it’s just what I think.)

*MC’s Corner*

Note: Spoilers.

• The very first part is creepy and confusing. Confusing in a way you’ll ask some questions.
  
• Okay, I said awhile ago that is book is intended for mature readers. The way Michael Grant describes every details is of something impeccable, it’ll draw perfectly and gory in your mind. There are so parts that are sooooo gruesome and horrible for young minds. Especially the Messenger’s game. *shiver*
  
• Is there is sequel? I don’t think there is… why? Because I really like how it ends. BUT my gut says there is… why? Why do Messenger needs to explain (and say all the names) those Heptarchy gods? And what the sense of having Oriax and Derek?  Hmmm I am intrigue.
  
• Oh… I think mentioning bj is not for young minds too. *wahaha*
  (Puh-lease!)
  
  
• What is this Messenger’s game?
  This is where the fun (not really. Ha ha) starts. *evil laugh*
  So if Messenger found you doing/done something wicked, he’ll offer you a game.
  “If you win the game, you will both go free to consider what you have done. If you lose the game, you will suffer your greatest fear.”
  This game is not just game. (I can’t say it was worse than the Hunger Games, kinda, but it’s not that kind of game.) I can’t describe the game because there weren’t many in the book (I wish they are, not really. They’re so bloody disgusting and will make you stomach flip. UGH!)
  
• Oh by the way if you refuse to play, technically you’ll lose, and you must pay the consequence. 
  See the tag line in the cover???
  “IF YOU ARE WICKED THE MESSENGER WILL FIND YOU.”
  So yeah… don’t let the messenger find you.
  Do something bad… HE’LL CATCH YOU!
  BEWARE!     

 ARC provided by Katherine Tegen Books & Edelweiss in exchange of honest review.  Thank you!

@gleekidMC

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer [ARC REVIEW]

★★★★★

GOODREADS SUMMARY: When Stephen is forced to move back to the nowhere town where his father grew up, he’s already sure he’s not going to like it. Spencer, Michigan, is like a town straight out of a Hitchcock movie, with old-fashioned people who see things only in black-and-white. But things start looking up when Stephen meets the mysterious twins Cara and Devon. They’re total punks–hardly the kind of people Stephen’s dad wants him hanging out with–but they’re a breath of fresh air in this backward town. The only problem is, Cara and Devon don’t always get along, and as Stephen forms a friendship with the charismatic Devon and something more with the troubled Cara, he starts to feel like he’s getting caught in the middle of a conflict he doesn’t fully understand. And as Devon’s group of friends, who hang out in a cemetery they call The Playground, get up to increasingly reckless activities to pass the summer days, Stephen worries he may be in over his head.

Stephen’s fears prove well-founded when he learns of Spencer’s dark past. It seems the poor factory town has a history of “bad times,” and many of the town’s oldest residents attribute the bad times to creatures right out of an urban legend. The legend goes that the only way the town will prosper again is if someone makes a sacrifice to these nightmarish creatures. And while Stephen isn’t one to believe in old stories, it seems Devon and his gang might put a lot of faith in them. Maybe even enough to kill for them.

Now, Stephen has to decide what he believes, where his allegiances lie, and who will really be his friend in the end. 

Phew!
I thought I’m not going get some sleep last night. O.o
This book is quite creepy & freaky.

I am not a big fan of horror books & flicks, most of the time when I started reading/watching it by the first quarter of half of it I stopped reading/watching it. I love my sleep and I don’t want to dream these things. GOSH!!! Hell to the NO!

So… I surprised myself for finishing this book and I finished it around 11:30pm and everything is dark except my book. Well… I am gonna thank my blanket for protecting me from the Winged Ones.

*MC’s Corner*

Note: Spoilers.

• What are ‘the Winged Ones’?
  It’s a lore in a town called Spencer in Michigan (I am not sure if this town really exist, don’t ask me) about these mythical creatures that brings bad in town. Bad lucks & horrific accidents happen everywhere and the people in town ‘believe’ that to appease the Winged Ones is to offer a human sacrifice.

• Heather Brewer made me believe in this book. I felt like she’s telling somebody’s story, this lore of some town. And Stephen, the protagonists, I felt connected to him. It was like I am him, feeling his sadness, his problems and his curiosity, especially.
  
• I love every page, everytime I turns it I just kept on wanting clues and answers. I did and… the ending is so unexpected, unpredictable but it all made sense. It was like on exam and there is question with multiple choices and you answer is wrong; you wished you chose the other one.
  *thumbs up*
  
• The Characters:
  - Stephen Truax –due to his mum’s illness he was forced with his dad, Harold, to move back to Spencer, a small town with a small population, to his bitch of a grandmother. He is desperate to find friends and then he met the very opposite twins, Cara & Devon, and Devon’s friends ‘the Cemetery Boys’ (they weren’t actually called that in the book but they do hang out on the cemetery, which they called ‘the Playground’).
  And then he learned the odd history of Stephen and he started to gather more information… that soon is going to turn his world upside down.
  
  -Harold Truax –he is Stephen’s dad. When he was young he did everything just go escape Spencer and he did and he never looked back. Little does he know that he just can’t get away to Spencer.
  
  -Cara –he is going to be Stephen’s girlfriend.
  #SPOILER She’s going to give you clues. She uses tarot cards.
  
  -Devon –the leader of ‘the Cemetery Boys.’
  
• In the start of the book there is this scene that he is going to sacrifice Stephen to the Winged Ones. So while reading the book all I think about is how is that going to happen. (That is not a spoiler.)
  
• I love the way it ended. But I don’t like how it ended.
  
• This book is twisted-ly good and I am looking forward to the books Heather Brewer is going to write next.
  
• CLUE: You’re gonna burn. *MAJOR SPOILER*

 ARC provided by HarperTeen (HarperCollins Publishers) & Edelweiss in exchange of honest review.  Thank you!

@gleekidMC

King by Ellen Oh (The Dragon King Chronicles #3) [ARC REVIEW]

★★★★★

GOODREADS SUMMARY: Girl warrior, demon slayer, Tiger spirit of the Yellow Eyes—Kira is ready for her final quest. In this thrilling finale to the Prophecy trilogy, fans will get even more of the fierce Kira and her quest to save her kingdom!

All eyes are on her. Kira, once an outcast in her home village of Hansong, is now the only one with the power to save her kingdom. She must save her cousin, the boy fated to be the future king, uncover the third lost treasure, and face innumerable enemies in order to fulfill the famed prophecy.

Kira braves a sea of tigers and battles armies of demons as she musters her inner strength and learns to trust herself, the romantic feelings for Jaewon that are growing within her, and the destiny that must be hers.

Okay…
Damn! It went very fast. I kinda want some more. Grrr!!!
I’ve been a big fan of this book since I read the first book.
I am very thankful for Harper Collins for giving me copy of King and the previous book, Warrior last year. I love this fascinating world and taking this journey with Kira and the gang. GO KANG KIRA!!! ILOVE YOU KIM JAEWON!!! *faint*

 

*MC’s Corner*

Note: Spoilers.

• What I love about this series is when I imagine Kira and other characters I don’t imagine an actual person     I imagine an anime character (particularly the characters of The Legend of Korra.) Do that too and I promise you you’re going to enjoy it more. (It doesn’t hurt if you have a poster of the particular anime you’re going to use.) *grin*

• If this book really happened I think it will took place somewhere in Asia right?
  They LOVE rice. And the names are Asian. I think that why I like it more because there is something Asian to it. (I am from Philippines, Southeast Asia.) 

• I also how romance, little humor and the seriousness mixed together.
  Kira & Jaewon’s scenes are… asdfghjkl GOSH! LOVE LOVE LOVE. And then the battle part I just want to grab me some sword and join the damn war. YAH!!! Assuming I have a sword… which I don’t. I wish I do… I want a sword like the girl in Shakugan no Shana. #IamgonnagoogleitbecauseIthinkIwrotethewrongspelling

• Unfortunately, there are some deaths. (Authors love killing some characters that the readers tend to love e.g. Finnick f***ing Odair, The Hunger f***ing Games )

• The ‘war’ & Dragon Fulang’s part really went very fast. I wish it didn’t I want it be gorier.

• Dear Ellen Oh,
  Write some more book/series like this and I am going to read ‘em all.

                 

 ARC provided by HarperTeen (HarperCollins Publishers) &Edelweiss in exchange of honest review.  Thank you!

@gleekidMC

Polaris by Mindee Arnett (Avalon, #2) [ARC REVIEW]

★★★★★

GOODREADS SUMMARY: Following the events of Avalon, Jeth Seagrave and his crew are on the run. Jeth is desperate to find the resources and funding he needs to rescue his mother from an ITA’s research lab and leave this whole galaxy behind for a new life somewhere else. But the ITA is just as desperate, and soon Jeth finds himself pursued by a mysterious figure hell-bent on capturing Jeth and his crew—dead or alive. In a last-ditch effort to save everyone he holds dear, Jeth enters into a bargain with the last person he ever thought he'd see again: Dax Shepherd, the galaxy’s newest and most fearsome crime lord. And he’s not the only one: upon arriving back at Peltraz spaceport for the first time since he witnessed the death of his old employer, Jeth discovers Dax has a new partner: Jeth’s mother, Marian.

This shocking turn of events is only the first in another breathless, action-packed sci-fi adventure rife with danger, love, and betrayal, as Jeth has to once again ask himself how much he’s willing to invest in a morally bankrupt galaxy in the hopes of saving those he cares for.

*SQUEEL*
I got book 2! Wahaha!!!

I love it! 5 stars plus all the stars in the universe!
I am not a big fan of Sci-Fi but I read a few, they make my head hurt, I don’t know why.
You won’t appreciate and like this series unless you finished reading it.
*thumbs up* I am looking forward to the next book!!!

*MC’s Corner*

Note: Spoilers.

• IT IS CRAZY!
  Yes, it made my head hurt. There are so many things going on and in the end it all clicked in to their places. I am satisfied.

• Be sure that you read Proxy (Avalon novella) before reading Polaris!
  Well you can read it without reading Proxy, but it was more fun and you won’t wonder why these characters just showed up out of the blue.

• #SPOILER
  Jeth Seagrave will wear an implant. (The one they stick in your head. Ugh! Eeew!)
  
• I kinda like the Axis thingy. It was kinda cool and I know it’s absurd but gave some answers on what the ones wearing them felt or something like that. (It’s like the internet, ones you “posted” something it’s, probably, forever in there.)
  
• Yes I think it cool but that doesn’t mean I want to wear one. UH-UH Hell to the f***ing NO!
  
• Chapter 31.
  DAMN YOU MINDEE ARNETT!
  Oh My God! O.O
  *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
  
• The title is “Polaris”, why?
  It’s a name of the ship that Jeth and the gang going to use in their interstellar/interplanetary adventure. But it’s Jeth’s. It was the same type of the ship as Avalon, a Black Devil, but it was a new and better one.
  
• Where is “Avalon”?
  *BOOM!*
  
• BOOK 3 PLEASE!!! Gimme Gimme!!!              

 ARC provided by Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Publishers) & Edelweiss in exchange of honest review.  Thank you!

@gleekidMC

Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Red Rising Trilogy, #2) [ARC REVIEW]

★★★★★
GOODREADS SUMMARY: With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

Gosh!
It's quite long!
I took my time reading it. I savored every page, words, and every scene. (Well it must to be that way.)

The near end part is a total bomb. It came out of nowhere, I was totally expecting it... but still...
The thrill and went up very high. At that time I just can't wait to finish it. My heart was pounding and beating so fast. And then I finished it...
I wish I didn't (not really), but seriously... (Damn! I don't know what to say! I was out of words. I was speechless. (While crying a little bit.)
I did came up with that conclusion, not exactly like that... but Pierce Brown just got this ability to make an awesome ending to much grander than it should, you are going to get your minds blown and your mouths hanging open.

PB will take you to a place that no one ever would. And he will surely make you like you are in the story.

*MC's Corner*

Note: Spoilers.
* I want to thank Del Rey...(or Random House) for approving my request on NetGalley. Even though there's a region restriction you still approved it. Thank you so much! xoxo
Whenever I make request they're always approved, I am sincerely grateful and honored, especially this, Golden Son, one of the first to read Golden Son? *scream* *squeel*
Red Rising is one of my favorite book ever. When I got approved... GOSH!
#GoldenSon #RedRisingTrilogy #BestSeriesEverInTheMaking

* Everything went very fast. There are so many things going on, so if you are not focused or your heart is not in the book you'll get lost and confused.
Even though there are many things going on, you just don't want to miss anything.
I even wanted more!

* This book will make your heart pound so fast. It was rivetting, every page held me captive. I think I had a Stockholm Syndrome... I just don't want to be free.


* It's a book about trust, honesty, loyalty, revenge, love, and friendship. It's going to test everything and every move Darrow's making.
And the gains and the costs of them.

* I think my head is going to explode.
I'm still mind blown from what happened.
I wish you guys can read it now.
...so that we can join forces and make PB finish writing book 3 or if it's finished, publish it early to its original date.

* I don't know how long I am/we are going to wait to read book3! I want it now!
I am going to 'volunteer' to enter the Hunger Games if the price is book 3 of Red Rising Trilogy. I will kill everyone on! That is how much I want it!

* The Characters;

 o Darrow au Andromedus ~ I don't know how to explain or describe this guy...
There are some parts that I got scared to him but at the same time... it was kinda how. *giggle*
*fanning my face*
I am pissed on you Darrow!
You just... basically ignored your "friends" (or allies). Well... technically they are your enemies... but still.
Ugh! Why is everything is so fucked up?!
I don't want to be on your position.
Prime luck Darrow au Andromedus

  o The (f***ing) Bellonas ~ Mother, Father, Son, Brother.
I WANT TO KILL YOU ALL!!!
I despise this family.

 o Mustang ~ SLUT! BITCH! GRRRR!!"
Where were you?

 o Ares ~ I knew it was you!!!
(So we are going to find out who Ares really is and then he is going to tell is story... and its sad.

 o Sevro ~ *grin*

 o Roque ~ !!!
I understand what you did.
It was Darrow's fault but its really not.
The Cost of Befriending a Gold. #spoiler

 o Octavia au Lune ~ freakiest villain evah!

 o Aja ~ Octavia's "guard."
Okay... where is my sword?
I want to cut off this woman's head.
(Do I have a sword? I don't know..
maybe.)

 o ArchGovernor Nero ~ I don't know how... but I kinda like him now... *grin*
There's a part when he told Darrow to call him Father... *sigh*

 o Pliny ~ another evil.
YES! GOLDEN SON GOT A BUNCH OF VILLAINS. AND YOU ARE GOING TO HATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!
This guy is a leech.


* #SPOILERS
(Don't read this part if you don't want spoilers.)

 o Chapter 9.
*sob*
It was heartbreaking.
Harmony is going to show and let Darrow hear what Eo, his wife, told her brother before she died.
For more than an hour, I stopped reading because of that scene.

 o On this book we are going to find out who Ares really is.
(I knew it was him/her! Goshy gosh!)
And then Darrow is going to have a new ally that he can actually trust with his secrets. (His true identity/Color.)

 o The last chapter...
I don't like what happened there. But the thing is... I don't want anything to be changed. It has this this-is-the-way-it-is-you-gotta-accept-it-and-wait-for-the-next-one-I-have-plans vibe... and its not arrogant and insulting way.
o The cliffhanger.
It was the kind of cliffhanger that will give you an idea to what is going to happen next but you just can't form or make a scene inside your head.
*banging my head on the table*
Next book please!

 o Golds are greedy. They don't care about the past. They only see the present and future. UnGRATEFUL.

* I love how everyone here accepts the homosexuality of other characters. It didn't become an issue, it was very open. Well... murder too seems to be accepted too... murders of the LowColors. They cannot murder Golds.

I advice every book readers/lovers/collectors out there to grab a copy book 1(Red Rising) before Golden Son come out! You don't want to miss it!
And I promise you that you wont regret buying it!
WORTH EVERY CENTS! 

ARC provided by Del Rey Spectra (Random House Publishing Group) in exchange of honest review. Thank you! 

@gleekidMC