The Kiss of Deception a Novel | Review

This novel was fun to read! I had problems with some of the book's aspects, i really think that the premise was cool, having your reader guess which is which is quite fun. 

Rating: 3/5 Stars


The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am still curious of the assassin's real person! i feel like he is still hiding a very crucial information about himself.

This was good read, not a lot of feels for me but i am sure that a heck of a lot of new adult readers would have loved this. It was fun guessing who were the Prince and the assassin. It was easy to predict it but the fact that the book has a sequel, this series is obviously going to get better!

I had trouble with two things:

a) how the Princess so easily escaped the night of her wedding. I mean, she just went straight to the back door with her friend/Lady in waiting without any hitches IN A ROYAL CLOAK which screams bloody Princess.

b) her fingers were broken and had to be immobilized and yet she managed to dig 2 graves in 7 hours straight. It was not indicated at this time that she already had her magic and that it had healed her hand faster than normal.

I hope in the next novel, the writer would be able to handle these areas of the story more solidly.

I won't mind reading the sequel. I like Rafe :)

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Hemlock Grove A Novel | Review

rating: 4.5 stars
I have heard of the show first before the book. My sister told me that this show is pretty good and knowing it's a werewolf show, i had high doubts about it but man, when i started reading the book, i was blown away how first of all, the writing was so effing good. I have watched two episodes of season 1 and the transformation of Peter into a wolf was so freaking good i just had to screen shot it. 

Peter's transformation into a wolf

In the book, it was accurately described: a snout emerged through its lips and worked open and shut, its old face bunched around it in an obsolete mask. 

I say this novel is a delicious concoction of Gothic and paranormal! 
Hemlock Grove: A Novel by Brian McGreevy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of my absolute favourite gothic reads this year.


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Okay, first things first. 
Let's polish our vocab, shall we? Big words found in this book (or words that quite tickle my fancy)

Gesundheit - German, used to wish good health to a person who just sneezed
deliquescing - become liquid, typically during decomposition
augur - (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome
golliwog - a soft doll with bright clothes, a black face, and fuzzy hair
Peripeteia - a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in  reference to fictional narrative

This novel follows Peter, a half Italian, half gypsy young man, moving into Hemlock Grove with his mother in a trailer off the side of the road. Peter is no ordinary boy. In fact, he came from a line of werewolves, and he turns into one when the sun sets during a 'Harvest Moon'.

He had an unfortunate encounter with this weird girl named Christina, admitting to her he was a werewolf, in a jest and she started to spread gossip around school that he was and this caused Peter to suffer several bullying episodes, even though he could not care less.

The Godfreys are the town's most influential family. They own several buildings and business including a hospital that has a special unit for 'experimentation'. Peter has befriended the young heir, Roman Godfrey, who had fascination for blood and has an uncanny talent of influencing people's actions through intense eye contact. 

Peter was also quite fascinated with Roman's sister, a giant girl with a glowing blue face (much like when you read your phone in the dark except it's like blue backlight and it's coming from her features) which also made other students bully her endlessly. Roman would rescue her sister as he is very fond of her and regard her quite tenderly. Shelley is her name and she is Roman's tender spot. Godfreys tend to stick to each other and no brainer that Roman is also tight with his cousin Letha Godfrey, his uncle Norman Godfrey's sociable daughter.

Now, amidst all that's happening between school and the blossoming friendships among these young people, a mangled body of a young girl was found which appears to have been attacked by a wild animal and this drove Peter and the other kids to find out who is responsible for the murder. The murders kept coming and it would occur during night time, preferably when the moon is full. Now, going back to the gossip Christina made, Peter is now being suspected by everybody for all these murders. Roman accompanies Peter in finding out who the real killer of these poor innocent girls.

First of all, the writing is very gothic and a little bit like Lemony Snickett-y which i like pretty much. Also, the book has only 319 pages but it felt like it should have been a trilogy instead. It's brilliant in such a way that you get a lot of goings on in such a short book. The writing takes a little bit used to, sometimes it feels like the author is slowly pushing you forward in a dense foggy forest and suddenly you find yourself in the edge of the cliff and falling, fallling! 

My favourite character is Shelley, the big gentle giant. She reminds me a bit of Herman Munster, huge and tall, but gentle in spirit. Unlike Herman, though, Shelley is extremely intelligent.

In one of her letters to her uncle Norman Godfrey, she goes:

"And more important, i feel as though Mother took note. I am more than some living--albeit unweildy--marionette who will dance obediently at the manipulation of her strings; as you have been so kind to suggest, i am an intelligent, autonomous individual with valid desires."

Also, there is an introduction to the story of an unusual creature, a Valgurf,a wolf gone insane. He attacks regardless if it's hungry or not, provoked or not for the sheer pleasure of attacking. 

The story does not only revolve around Hemlock Grove and the kids and their sleuthing around but it delves deeper into the lives of the older generation... the parents of young Roman Godfrey and Peter's grandfather Nicolae, the lone werewolf and how these old families' past affected the most recent generations.

I felt like there should be more to the book, it felt like there should be a more concrete closure to each of the families. It's the only reason i'm taking a half star out of my ratings.

All in all, i was quite fascinated by the magical elements of this story, how  each of the characters have influenced each other's lives indirectly and the scary choices that each of the kids have to face and above all, heroic acts that lead them to pursue and vanquish the real enemy.

Lastly, i am sad to say i was spoiled with the ending of Season 2 of the show, and reading the book, the cliffhanger DID NOT happen in the book. This leads me to believe that the producers plan to extend the book and build more into story than what the book can offer. I can totally understand where it's coming from because the book is so rich in plot that they would be able to do so. 

"Don't hunt when you're not hungry; when you do hunt, go for the flank, thus avoiding antlers in front and hooves in the rear; and when you are filled with the song of the universe, the breathing spirit that passes through and unites all things, throw your head back and close your eyes and join in" - Hemlock Grove

"Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk. It must be a thing of action and sincerity." - Hemlock Grove 

Bout of Books 11.0 | TBR

It's here! Yays!

I was so proud to have finished quite a number of books towards the Bout of Books 10 challenge. I felt so accomplished reading these 9 books from the previous readathon! 

So now, we have come to the next bout of reads. It will officially start on Aug 18 and run for about a week. Anyone excited along with me? 

Here are the books i'll be reading: 

Bout of Books 11 TBR pile

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

How about you?

What are the books you would love to finally be able to read this summer?

To all the young ones,

Respect your parents,

say your Prayers before bed,

don't do drugs!

Say NO to Bullying!

xoxo Nayeomi

Water Therapy, Does it Work?

I have been doing this water therapy that i have read in a post somewhere....
Drinking 3 Liters of water a day does wonders to your health.
It's on my third day, and man. Pee Goddess all the way?

Actually....

Okay, first day didn't really impress me much. What i observed was that i did pee a little more often than usual but not like in a major way and this leads me to believe that i am pretty dehydrated. My pee color is very light yellow so it's not exactly dehydrated but the volume of urine is low.

Second day, i notice that my clothes are a little loose. I was like, meh, maybe i'm imagining things. I do have a lot of breakouts especially in my neck and back... this could be the toxins that my body is trying to get rid!

Third day, OH MY! i am losing weight! i have slimmer thighs and my stomach is flatter. No water retention happening although i am on water therapy. Weird, right? Also, this is very important, i have not changed my eating habits. I still eat the same amount of food, sleep in the same time as usual. I did not change any other routine in my daily activities except drinking 3 Liters of water a day.

Also, tomorrow i will be pretty strict on the following:

1. After waking up and before brushing my teeth, i will drink 600mL of water. Breakfast will follow 45 minutes after.

2. After breakfast, i will not drink water for two hours. And resume drinking after the amount of time has passed.

-----

I use a bottle blender which can hold 600mL of water at a time. I have a post it at the back of my door which helps keep me track of my water intake a day. For a day, i should have finished 5 bottles of 600mL towards the goal of 3Liters a day, No Brainer!


-----

this is seriously doing wonders to me! This is definitely a trial month so i will continue to keep track of things after 7 days and i will post again the changes that i notice in my body and my behaviour towards food and such. 

Keep posted!

The Viscount and The Witch by Michael Sullivan | Review

This was sent by the author for an honest review.

The book also contained first chapters of Theft of Swords and The Crown Tower but i hate reading chapter samples so i only did a quick page one read of Theft of Swords and opted to go buy the book instead of reading it now and then wondering what the hell happens first.

FYI, the rating at the bottom of my blog is for the Goodreads Review i have of the book and is not intended for an actual rating of this blog. Thanks! :) The Viscount and the Witch by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*this was sent by author for an honest review*

I am very impressed by the way Riyria Chronicles has swept the Fantasy world of late. It has very high ratings and I cannot wait to rate it myself!
Quite delighted that I was enough to be sent an ebook copy by Mr. Sullivan himself for the two short novels set in the same world. This is the first one:

The Viscount and the Witch

First sentence: "A woman wielding a broom charged at them, looking as much like a witch as anyone Hadrian had ever seen."
- Oh yeah, I can tell that I am going to devour this short novel very quickly.

This book follows the adventure of an assassin and an ex soldier, on their way to a 'mission', when a bedraggled looking woman with hair in dirty knots ask for their help on the road. Hadrian offered to help the lady immediately but Royce was very reluctant and kept on warning Hadrian of the dangers of trusting such random helpless strangers.
True to the woman’s word, a man has been squatting in a barn she claimed is hers, and from there the story unfolds about how the stranger came about to be in the barn and who the lady really is.

Royce, one of the protagonists is the brooding one, cynical of the two. He is the quite the 'brains' between the two, always two or three steps ahead of the game, or probably any heist they concoct. He is also an assassin, probably one of the most ruthless ones in a guild, but he’s ‘retired’ and now works in partnership with Hadrian, a guileless soldier, gentler and more open to the concept of goodness of the world. Hadrian, on the other hand, although a bit naïve, is the brute force. As an ex soldier, he has seen many unnecessary deaths that he has this strong god complex in him, wanting to fix anything and eveything if he can help it. He is also determined to change his friend Royce into a more unsuspicious thief, as they go about their usual occupation of ‘procurement’ which a term I love that thieves use when asked about what it is that they do.
They quite balance each other nicely and I love the chemistry between Royce and Hadrian. Their order of business reminds me strongly of the Gentlemen Bastards and i am very interested how the author go about the story in the actual series.

This story has quite gripped me at the first page. You know that feeling when you read the first few pages, and you think to yourself, “oh yeah, this is gonna be good.” That vibe came to me strongly and now I am curious as to the many crazy adventures that Royce and Hadrian aka Riyria have in the actual series! Fantasy reads are quite tricky as they tend to sound English (quite formal and very different from the usual writing) but this book is quite an easy read! I did not feel like walking in the fantasy world like walking in cobblestones, sometimes pausing to catch my footing and making sure I don’t stumble a bit around. This fantasy read felt like I am walking in the concrete, smooth gait all the way through.

I am definitely bumping the series up in my TBR list.

And thank you Mr. Sullivan for giving me the opportunity to read and enjoy your short novel, welcoming me to the world of Riyria Chronicles.



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Chew: Taster's Choice Volume 1 by John Layman, Rob Guillory | A Review

Lookee here, a new comics to mince on. Hooray for my poor pun!

Meet Will Graham

(in the body of Grimm's cool character of Reggie Lee) 

if he would have gave in to Hannibal's flesh fetish. This comics is light, fun and awesomely entertaining!


  Chew, Vol. 1: Taster's Choice by John Layman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Watching that tv show Hannibal and having serious withdrawal (next season is TBA, goddamnit), i was inclined to look for a similar theme in books or other tv show to no avail but thankfully came across Chew.

Okay, so what would happen if Will Graham finally gave in to Lecter's slow brainwashing dark therapy sessions, always coaxing him to embrace the dark truth of his character and become yet another stone cold Cannibal like Hannibal himself? We will have (Tony) Chu (sort of), a cibopathic detective. Cibopaths can eat a piece of flesh or get a lick of the victim's blood, and memories of that victim will flood into him including the name of predator who killed him, the scene in his mind so vivid it's like a memory film. Full name of the murderer is granted, middle initial included. How ridiculously cool is that?

Chu was recruited by F.D.A, now the world's most powerful task force after a routine cop stakeout turned out to be a huge ass case. It was in relation to the death of millions of people due to allegedly 'Avian Flu', which caused the government banning any and everything chicken. So yes, no more BBQ chicken, no more turkey bacon, no more KFC. FUN!

But not as fun as what Tony Chu does. He has to take a bite of nasty things, such as severed index finger, an unwilling dying murderer, and even a freaking putrified dog carcass just to get a lead. Chu's partner Savoy, a large beefy man who always wears a beret and purple tunic, is all Chu needs for a back up. He saves Chu's tiny ass in stand offs all the time. Savoy, though, has a dark past and it may caught up to him soon. Their partnership is solid and strong, but for how long?

Poor Chu, he only survives in BEET SOUP, which thankfully gives him zero disgusting memories of how it was butchered, transported or mixed with actual human flesh, salad on the side. Garrrrkkk!

Would it not be cool though, if we know it when a psycopath is serving our food? if our coffee has been spat on? or a milkshake has been mixed with a 6 hour booger? Bleecchh.

And this comics is funny!

At the start of Chu's work in FDA, he had a loadshit of unsolved cannibal-related cases dumped on his desk. His boss, who hates him, saunters over and barks, "So, anything yet, Chu?"
Chu replied, while flipping over documents, "Well, sir this is a lot to digest."
The boss got beet-red in the face and yells, "Is that a fucking JOKE, CHu?"

Lol! We hear and read bad puns all the time, but this comic book is just damn funny to me, bad puns or not.

Worth a read, definitely!

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