The Chemist -Stephanie Meyer

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The Chemist.
It was not what I was expecting, for there was nothing supernatural about this book unless you count a genius doctor and a corrupt government.  
I, personally, have not read a book like this one before. needless to say, this book is unlike what Meyer has previously written. The characters are few but potent. The plot is slow activating but then hits you all at once getting more intense with each passing page. There is an powerful antagonist causing disasters at every turn. The imagery was fantastic and engraved in my mind. It is also kind of gruesome if I might say so, but all for the purpose to make the danger feel ominous.
The chemist herself is a portent in her own right leaving a trail of havoc in her wake but she has difficulty trusting people. But when forced to rely and works with others she realizes the following reaction is more effective. 
There were times that I was brought to laughter with the quip remarks of the characters and other times I was on the edge of my seat.
There is a lot of intense action and some romance to fill the cracks. It felt like a spy movie just in book form. Worth the read.




*Thus far when I has written review, I have stayed away from any sort of summaries and I have tried to focus on the strengths and weakness that I found in the work of art. Should I put more summary?

TRUTHWITCH - Susan Dennard

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This is our book-club book for the month of October.We try to switch up the genres to give us a better variety. We went with fantasy, which is the genre I prefer and always seem to fall back on. In fantasy, there are so many fun ways to explore the imagination giving us new scenarios that have never before been discovered.
Truthwitch is the first book in the Witchlands Series.

When starting this book, it is a little confusing because there is no introduction or explanation about this new world of fantasy world. The reader is forced to put the picture together from the clues given, making you confused for the first couple chapters before the pieces start to fall into place, after that the story starts to flow and the world solidifies. The characters are strong and robust with strengths and weaknesses open to development.
The story is fun and unpredictable. Dennard does a great job at surprising you with the little happenings between the characters thereby distracting you to the shifts in plot leaving you pleasantly satisfied. 
There is a lively romance that doesn't overpower the plot which gives us a refreshing insight to the characters as well. 
After completing the book, we are left with unanswered questions about the details of the world which ruffles the feathers a bit. Knowing this is the first book of many more to come, I am filled with anticipation knowing that Dennard will reveal mysteries later weaving the books together beautifully. All good series must have a strong anchor as the first book in order for the sequels to add depth and complexity to the series as a whole. I have a feeling that the sequels will surpass this debut and as the readers we will want to reread Truthwitch again to see where it all started.
Next month's Book for the book-club is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Feel free to read as with us and give your own comments! 

Genius: The Game

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So, I love when other readers recommend me a book, I absolutely think it is the best way to find the best treasures. That is the main reason I started this blog. I want others to benefit from all the reading that I do. 

Also, when I go browsing at a book store, I love to read the reviews written on the covers. Yes, it is an advertising ploy but I choose to believe in the integrity of the authors. Authors tend to read( and thereby review) books that are similar to what they write because that is what interests them. They are a pretty good judge of whether a book is unique, innovative, commonplace or downright junk. So, when they recommend a book, I believe them. It works best when I have read something previously by that author, but sometimes recognition of the name is enough. 

The reason I bring this up is because I picked this book up solely based on the review written by James Patterson. I have yet to read anything by him but the review was outstanding and I thought I would give this book a try.  

 My expectations were, as you might guess, fairly high and I feel like I was let down a little. I guess I was expecting more coming from a such a extraordinary review. I did enjoy myself however. Genius: The Game actually reminded me of Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu( which I will post about later on) which I loved and will likely reread one day. I was reading two books at the same time and Genius grabbed my attention enough to pull me away from the other. As I was reading, I found myself wanting to learn how to code, because when you follow a group of young geniuses, you get to explore what life is like for them living in our world knowing what they know. And then you understand why they feel as if they can change the world. I wanted to join them in their adventure and change things in my own life so it could resembles theirs. A high compliment when it comes to realistic fiction. 

It gives great insight of how the whole world is connected through technology and how with technology we can do great things. 

I have no doubt that the sequel will be even better based on the cliff hanger it leaves you with. Many more adventures to come I suppose. 

Illuminae -Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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A Sci-Fi!

Wow!

Just wow!

I finished this book today and my mind is still reeling.
I have never read anything like this book before. 

Its unique,
one-of-a-kind,
beautiful
&
a piece of art.

The whole book is written is a data files, yet there is a perfect blend of action, suspense, romance and thrill. 
It builds upon itself page after page where you do not want to put it down and the finish still blows you away. 
There were times when I marveled the different themes that intertwined. 
A few years ago, Kaelene (another sister) introduced to me the convenience of listening to audio-books. I was going to college back then, with no car, so I walked everywhere. Frankly listening to music can get a little boring sometimes and thus the audio book became a good friend. I always have a audio book or two I am listening to via Audible (which makes it way cheaper) and by random I picked out this book. I started to listen to it and I knew right away that I had to have the hard copy in my hands. 
I recommend that everyone read and listen to the audio version AT THE SAME TIME! Why? because the audio adds to your experience tenfold. It is recorded by 4 different people along with computerized sound effects to give you the illusion of a movie while you are reading. But you shouldn't just listen either. There are things that you miss from the book itself and it may seem difficult to catch on to the story. For example, here is just one of the pages of the book that cannot be expressed through listening...  
 It truly felt like a movie was being played in my head in a way unlike I had ever experienced before. I am totally on the edge of my seat just to get someone else to experience this book like I did. Yes, not just to read it, to experience it!
The next book comes out in October! Less then 30 days away. I am super excited for its release!