Saturday, October 30, 2010

Letter to my followers

You have no idea how grateful I am to you. I think I've been neglecting this blog for a while and I finally decided I wanted to do something about it. So, starting right now, Yay! Reads will be transformed. Expect a bigger and better Yay! Reads than you've ever seen before.

This blog is dear to my heart and I don't want to give it up. Yes, I am extremely busy but I've realized how much I miss it and how much I'm missing out. So please make do me a favor and support me through this new phase that I'm about to start with Yay! Reads. I don't know exactly how far it would go (name change? Maybe) but be warned: You'll be in for a great ride.
Love,

Friday, October 29, 2010

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them
all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved
teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages
to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to
get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape
Candor, Florida before they're transformed into
cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor,
and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

At First Sight:
I've wanted to read this one for a while. It reminded me a lot of The Giver, one of my favorite books. And of course, the synopsis intrigued me. So when I had the chance, I picked it up and started reading it.

My thoughts:
In one word, Candor was scary. It was frightening everything that went on: how people turned so perfect, how there were subliminal messages, how it was wrong to do so many things. Even if the book started just a bit slow, it was surprising and sort of like a cultural shock to see it being developed that way.

The way Nia and Oscar's relationship progresses is almost hard to witness. We know in the deep down part of our heart that something isn't going to turn out right. These two people are in the constant look out.

But then something happens (I won't tell what) that leaves the reader so shocked that at one point, I was ready to stop the book. Nevertheless, I wanted to know what would happen, even if it seemed that all was lost.

The end of the book is sickening and perfect. It answers enough questions but leaves speculation, too. It was shocking (I know I'm using this word too much already but it was) and I kept thinking about it for days.

In One Sentence:
"Amazing and surprising, a book that encompasses it all."

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone

The third and final book in the paranormal teen series that includes The New York Times bestseller Wake and Fade.
Things should be great for Janie--she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she's totally in love with. But deep down she's panicking about how she's going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people's dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time--and he's in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.

At First Sight:
I just love all the covers of this series. They are symbolic and yet simple. There's not too much that crowds the cover which is basically how I like them. I've read this series and I've fallen in love and learned to appreciate Lisa's style of writing.

My Thoughts:
I was afraid to know how this series will end but I think that it really tied up all the knots that were necessary. It left enough amibuity to let the reader imagine how Janie's future will be like.

This book was emotional, and sometimes hard to read. But it was Lisa's lyrical and poetic style of writing that made me stay reading the story. I really loved Janie's character and I thought that throughout the series, she's really grown to accept who she is and what she can do.

Overall, it was a good end to a series, it was not explosive like some thrillers are but it was peaceful and left a good feeling at the end.

In one sentence:
"Stunning."

Plot: 5
Writing: 5
Characters: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

The Secret Society of The Pink Crystal Ball

Smart and sexy-"smexy," as termed in the novel-Risa Green's fabulously original, warm, and funny teen debut follows a trio of best friends as they navigate love, lies, school, and family-with some unlikely supernatural help. Erin inherits a plastic crystal ball and a set of cryptic instructions from her free-spirited aunt. Erin and her two best friends laughingly give it a try and discover that this particular crystal ball has an uncanny knack for being accurate-but as with all magic, it comes with limits and a price.

Risa Green brings to vivid life friendships and romance-with the perfect supernatural twist.
Praise for Notes from the Underbelly:
"...uproariously tart..." -Entertainment Weekly
"Debut fiction that's a cut above the usual chick-lit fare."-Kirkus

Sent by the publisher.

At First Sight:
The cover is simply amazing. Also, even though the title is a mouthful, it's really catchy. The little premise caught my attention but I honestly didn't think too much about the book. I thought it was going to be simply okay. Boy was I wrong.

My thoughts:
SOTPCB (as I'm going to call it now) is fun, unique, and definitely MORE than okay.

Erin is a unique yet normal character. Her two best friends provide the best balance and really, they're a terrific trio. The characters were all amazingly real and relatable. I could definitely see myself in any of them. This, like you should know by now, it's the most important thing for me when reading a book. I'm looking for myself in these characters, it's what makes YA YA.

Erin's aunt is quirky and not the normal person. I like how her death is pretty ambiguous and nobody really knows what happened to her. Erin's struggle to come to term with herself and the death of a family member is real and resonates with the reader.

I was afraid that it would be too fluffy and to "tween" but I'm glad that it did't turn out that way at all! It's a cute story that could be set in any high school. This book has humour and great writing.

In one sentence:
"Cute and entertaining!"

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5


Monday, October 4, 2010

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

I borrowed this book.

At first sight:
I loved the cover since the first day I saw it. I also know that Miley will be doing Laurel for the movie and, some of you may hate me for this but, I love the diea. So I said, why not? And read the book.

My thoughts:
WINGS is very original. THe concept you have about faeries is very different in this book. I'm always a bit unsure when it comes to changing so much about mythical creatures but Pike did it with grace and good writing skills. And, of course, I really nice cast of characters.

My only real problem with this book is that I didn't quite believe the relationships. It all just seems a bit of cliched and not too realistic for me but I kept in mind that it is a fantasy book so that didn't stop me from reading.

Good thing, too. Because the plot is really unexpected and it's deeper than one might first guess. I really liked how it developed and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book, Spells.

In one sentence:
"Magical and enchanting, like your favorite fairy tale."

Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 4
Average: 4.4 stars

Friday, October 1, 2010

$80 CSN STORES GIFT CERTIFICATE

Hi guys, I bring you here with another gift certificate to win from CSN Stores. Just fill out this form and enter your details.

Also, I want yo clarify that I have not forgotten to review. Economic times are harsh and therefore haven't been able to buy a lot of new books. Also, I'm in my junior year of high school which is really stressing me out and I haven't been able to read that much. Oh, and the blogaversary totally passed and I didn't even notice. I'm sorry.

Rest assured, though, that I have not forgotten about you guys and I'll post whenever I can, even if it is less frequently. Thanks!

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