Review - Entice

* This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for a honest review*

Title: Entice

Author: Erica Crouch

Series: Ignite #1.5

Publisher: Patchwork Press

Release Date: November 13th 2013

My Rating:

With the aftertaste of Heaven still strong, Pen and Azael cloak themselves in their new demonic destinies, fighting for Lucifer against the angels. Pen, warring against former friends turned vengeful enemies, still struggles with defecting to Hell. But in one short battle, they go from forgotten to famous, thrust into the spotlight where she has no room for uncertainty.

Suddenly top-tiered demons, they’re tasked with seeing through hell’s new agenda: corrupting man. But tarnishing Eden isn’t as simple as they thought it would be, especially when they’re forced to work with another team of demons who are trying to claw their way up the ladder of power.

Entice is an e-novella that prequels Pen and Azael’s story in Ignite.

MyThoughts

Erica Crouch has a way of keeping the readers completely hooked in her books. She has a wonderful way with words that allows you to see the environments exactly the way she intended too.

Unlike her previous work, in my oppinion, this book was never slow. Maybe because I already had some sort of knowledge on the characters or maybe since it was a novella it had to be short and to the point. This being said, Entice is a wonderful piece of work.
I absolutely enjoyed the way she portrayed 'The Garden of Eden' and I loved even more the way she retold the fall of man.

As I said in the review for 'Ignite' I need to know more about Lucifer and Michael, especially how they got locked away together... Maybe Erica Crouch is planning another novella on this subject? Let's hope so.

This author keeps leaving me breathless with her endings, in a way that she hints on what's going to happen next but still, as all good authors do, never says much about it, leaving us readers frustrated and sad, in a good way of course.

I believe this novella was indeed needed in order to fully understand the relationship of Pen and Azael in a more deeper level, to allow us to get even more connected with them, and possibly suffer more once we read the final book in this trilogy.

Something else I must mention before finishing this review, is that the cover is absolutely beautiful, stunning even.

New Additions

I have recently got the opportunity to buy these next books (click on the pics to be taken to their Goodreads page):

              

                   

Review - Insanity

Title: Insanity
Author: Cameron Jace
Publisher: Jawigi Publishing
Release Date: December 20th 2013

My Rating:

After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder is now a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. Only a hookah-smoking professor believes otherwise; that he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll's paintings, photographs, and find Wonderland's real whereabouts.

Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the wonderland monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night.

The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamond, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.
                                                                 

My Thoughts

I have a soft spot for fairytale retellings, especially when it comes to Alice and Snow White. This being said, I haven't had the oportunity to read that many retellings about these two, even though I have some in my 'to be read' list.

When it comes to the this particular author, I have always high expectations since I have read one of his many 'Grimm Diaries Prequels'. I believe he has a particular gift for these kind of work - retellings - and he most definitely should be more known in the industry.

Now when it comes to this particular book, one word comes to mind... SPECTACULAR! I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for what Cameron Jace as in store for Alice, in the future. I hope the next book comes very very soon.

I think it was very original of him to make the characters reincarnate in human form, in our century and make them (or most of them) serial killers of some sort. This was the vital piece that kept me hooked through the entire book.
My favorite character, you would expect, should be Alice. But I was very surprised when I realized that I became completely interested not in her, but in Professor Carter Pillar. I found him so brilliant and so funny that all I wanted to know was what he was going to do or say next. Keep in mind that this does not mean that I found this Alice poor constructed in any way. I actually found her very interesting and I can't wait to be able to read more about her.

I can't state enough how well built this book is to me. I love the fact that Lewis Carroll was inserted in the book as more than the author of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' but also the fact that Cameron Jace took the time to investigate about Lewis and his past in order to insert him in the book.

All in all this book as made its way to my favorites.

Beatiful Covers

I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the most beautiful book covers I have ever seen. I will do this on occasion because there are tons of books nowadays with incredible covers.

You can click on the covers to be taken to their goodreads page.

      

        

           

Review - I don't want to be crazy

Title: I don't wat to be crazy
Author: Samantha Schutz
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: February 1st 2010 (first release on July 1st 2006)

My Rating:

A harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl's struggle with anxiety disorder. This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder.

When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence ... but as pressures increased , she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.

My Thoughts

Reading this book was sort of a self-discovery experience for me since I suffer from both major depression and anxiety. I could really connect with the author and actually relate to her experiences through out her 'diary', which allowed me to feel not so lonely.

Anxiety is commonly dismissed as shyness or overreacting but if you suffer from it or know someone who does you know the truth about it. Anxiety, as most mental diseases, is a very serious issue and Samantha allows us to see it through her writing.

I consider Samantha Schutz a very brave woman for being able to share this difficult time of her life. It must have been extremely hard not only to put it down to words but also having to listen to negative reviews about it. But at the end of the day I feel like Samantha has helped a lot of people feel like they are not alone in this struggle. And sometimes feeling like you are not alone is enough.

Here's a passage that says a lot to me and about me:

"I am not happy.
I am not unhappy.
I am frozen somewhere in the middle
that is so much worse.
I am NOWHERE.
Nothing is happening
and I am getting more and more sad."

This to me describes exactly what is feels like to be depressed - most of the time. It is very hard to put down to words what it feels like living with this mental disorder but Samantha does a hell of job with her writing.

"I am so lonely.
Every day is the same—
trying to move slower than the rest,
to not be so angry,
so serious in the morning,
to not make myself crazy."

I found myself crying a lot through out this book, because it felt so close to home. It felt like she as writing about me, like she entered my mind and stole my thoughts and wrote a book about it.

"I don’t think that I am happy,
but then again, I don’t know.
Sometimes I get so caught up
in the process of living—
of eating, dressing, taking the train to work,
that I don’t give it enough thought.
Maybe happiness is being content.
But is this really it?"

I would recommend this book to anyone who lives with depression/anxiety or that simply wants to understand a bit more about it.

I should apologize for my review on this book, because it is incredibly hard to write about how I feel about it. It has such a special meaning to me that I cannot find a way to share it.