Book Review: Shiver

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: August 1st, 2009

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Format of Novel: Nook

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
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Normally I would fan girl about lycanthrope in Young Adult books. Almost to the point where a review like this one would be nothing, but everything a young teenage girl gossiping on how cute the characters and the whole plot was on point. However, this was a book I wasn't a huge fan nor was I disappointed in it. To me, this book was a flat plain on a developing hill.

Don't get me wrong, I love Maggie Stiefvater and her beautiful writing (aka Raven Cycle series) and her way to bring out characters in a entertaining way. But, for this book, I almost didn't finish it because I was muttering curse words at the lack of the lycanthrope I craved. The plot was completely flat, but it lingered in hope for a better continuation of the trilogy. However, what did drawn me into the book was her writing style and her idea of lycanthrope. I'd enjoyed how she made the curse more season related because I do think wolves are more associated with winter than summer. It was a great idea, but I wish there was more to it.

The characters were flat as well in my opinion. I didn't like how there wasn't any growth to Sam and Grace throughout the novel. I liked the romance between the two, but I wanted to see more other than the romance. As for the other characters, I think there were a little stronger than the protagonists, but perhaps there will be a better out look in the other two books.

Overall, I did enjoy the idea of the book, I just felt that this book was a slow debut to the trilogy. I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to read the rest of the series, but maybe I will in the near future because I do love Maggie Stiefvater as a author and I want to give the series another try because of my love for her writing. What did you all think of the book? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be back on Tuesday with another review.

Happy Howling!

Anti-Heroes: Vicious revenge for All

Hey guys, I recently brought this lovely book in paperback, and holy crow did I love it! (Hence forth the special title down below). This review is basically going to have me fan-girling like a crazed lunatic, but I'll try to maintain an honest review about this lovely book. So let's begin shall we?

Vicious (book #1) by V.E Schwab

Release Date: September 24th, 2013

Publisher: Tor

Format of Novel: Paper back

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): 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?

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When I first heard about this story, the premise was the one thing that got me hooked so fast that I wanted it so badly. But, I wanted it in paper back so I waited, and waited until I got up and brought it with joy. I was so stoked and let's just say I wasn't disappointed in this book. The flow of the writing was so fluid, it was almost like I was reading a comic book and the twists, oh my god. I regret not reading this book sooner. I was literally going bananas in front of my dad while he was watching his Mets game and took in the jokes when they started over my fan girling. And the way the chapters were set, it was literally like watching a movie in your head. I wanted to take my time with this book, but everything in V.E Schwab's writing kept forcing me to read this book till very end.

But, let's get real here guys, what really brought us to enjoying this book? You guessed it, the characters. Victor, Eli, Mitch, etc. They're all so amazing! I'm forever Team Victor because of his personality and his way to stay loyal to his motives. He's shown to be a introverted, brilliant person, yet I felt that he wanted to be loved. He was lonely and I kept thinking, if he was more open with his emotions, than maybe things would be okay for him. But then again, he wouldn't be the Victor I love if he didn't act the way he did in the book. I loved the growing bonds he, Mitch, and Sydney are creating throughout the present chapters. They're almost like a family unit and it brought a little bit of normalcy into this story.

Eli was also an interesting person because he was the one that came up with the theory of E.Os. In someway, he did dragged Victor into it with their growing curiosity melding together as a single unit, and turned this one thing into something huge. I almost seemed to see Eli as a possible cult leader. He was charming and gentle enough to lure people into his revenge against Victor for accidently killing his girlfriend (and Victor's friend). But, I don't like the way how he thought himself as God of the E.Os. It was a little too much in my opinion, but it was necessary because of the events that unfolded in the 'past' between the two friends. His 'girlfriend' was also a nice additional into his adventure to killing the other E.Os. She reminded me of Lillith/the serpent. And I almost cheered very loudly when she died in the end, but also felt bad because of certain things I cannot really explain until the second book comes out.

Overall, this book was fantastic. It was filled with suspense, anti-heroes, and paranormal elements that shinned nicely throughout the tale. This entire story almost felt like a biblical movement, but I enjoyed it because of how crazy every character was portrayed. I can't wait for the second book now even though I thought the ending to this book was a great way to end Victor's story. If this was your favorite book, tell me in the comments below about your thoughts. I'll see you guys soon with another review. Happy howling!

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Book Review: The Restless Dead

The Restless Dead (Ten Original stories of the Supernatural): Written by M.T Anderson, Holly Black, Kelly Link, Libba Bray, Herbie Brennan, Nancy Etchemendy, Annette Curtis Klause, Deborah Noyes, Marcus Sedgwick, Chris Wooding
Release Date: July 10th, 2007
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Format of Novel: Paper back
Summary (From good reads): Enter the murky world of the undead. From a beyond-the-grave stalker to prankster devil worshippers, from a childish ghost of the future to a vampire lover with bloody ties to the past, the characters in these ten original stories will send shivers down your spine. Why do we fear the undead? Find out in this spooky companion volume to GOTHIC! TEN ORIGINAL DARK TAKES, and enjoy another graveyard walk in the company of ten contemporary masters of horror and suspense.
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I remember a few years ago that my mother gotten me this book to read. Thinking that it was a zombie book, I decided not to read it mainly because I'm not a huge fan of zombies in novels. (due to the over popularized books/shows/movies of the creature of the un dead). But since I started my job a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give a chance and man I wish I could slap my past self in the face for being stupid with books. This collection of short paranormal stories kept me on my feet and interested with each page that was turned.

The stories were a weird thing since they were pretty long. I honestly couldn't understand most of the stories that were being told, but as I gotten to the end they were about mainly ghosts, murderers, and the psychological aftermath with the families and individuals that were telling the story. Out of all stories in this book, my top favorite one was Bad Things by Libba Bray. Her story in particular was the one I was most curious about because it was about a young man and his friends trying to figure out what's causing the rise of the satanist rituals and mysterious deaths of other people. The way it was written was a page turner since it felt like you were looking at another thriller and you think that everyone was gonna die at the end, however that wasn't the case. The ending of this short story was very amazing and I was pleased with the way she wrote it as a twist.

With this book, I was pleased with the authors that wrote the ten short stories in this. I was able to understand the concept of some supernatural fiction and the methods of writing longer short stories without chapters. If you guys are aspiring paranormal writers like I am, then pick up this book to explore new authors if you haven't heard of these guys before. :)

Happy Howling!