Otome Review: Mystic Messengers First Impressions

Game Description:

You were looking for an app, just to kill some time, and stumbled upon an app called "Mystic Messenger". It sounded interesting so you downloaded it. 

Once you opened it, you found yourself chatting with someone nicknamed "Unknown". They persuaded you to go to some studio apartment. 

As soon as you walked into to the apartment, your app is suddenly connected to a mystic group chat with attractive guys!? After a long chat, they ask you to join their secret party planning association called RFA...

 -Story Summary from Cheritz Official MM website

Title: Mystic Messengers
Route:  Casual routes ( Zen, Jaehee and Yoosung)
Developer: Cheritz Co. Ltd
Genre: Romantic Sim, Slice of Life, Mature YA, NA, interactive adventure, Party Games
Platform Played: iPhone/ iOS

Official Website (Click Here)

Avalable for download on : iOS, Android

Disclaimer: CGs/SS/IMAGES belongs to Cheritz Co. Ltd.

Hello people of the interweb! I'm back with a brand spanking new otome review after a LONG time blog! So recently I upgraded from the iphone 5s to the iphone 7 plus and one of the things I was excited about was the fact that this new phone have a heck load of storage space ( its exciting upgrading from a 16GB phone to a 128GB! no more storage shortages and constantly have to transfer my photo album to the computer!!!). So one of the games I first download was Mystic Messenger as its the game that blew up everywhere! Tumblr, twitter, Instagram heck even Kotaku was talking about it so I finally let myself play Mystic Messenger since my new phone can handle the game and the memory space. 

Yes do note that if you are planing to play this game it requires a hella lotta memory on your phone.

Game Plot

The game starts out with the MC ( AKA. you, the player ) downloading a mysterious yet interesting app from the app store of your choice (it can be Apple or Google Play your pick^^).

Upon downloading the app the MC finds a chatroom and is lead by 'Unknown' (yes the person you are communication IS named 'Unknown' till its known) to a apartment owned by Rika (who unfortunately passed away prior to the events of the game) the founder of 'Rika's Fundraising Association' aka R.F.A. which is a charity organization run by her and her 6 friends.

The MC interacts and befriends with the the existing members through the R.F.A. portal and chatroom, text messages and calls and is tasked to invite guests to the party through emails. As the game progresses the MC gets to know her 6 new acquaintances, learning more of the R.F.A. and maybe developing a relationship in the process.

Characters

Like your typical otome game this game has a diverse cast of characters in terms of personality and background though what surprised me was that there was a female option in the game. I like the cast. You can tell they are close and that they care for each other like family and even if they have conflict, they will find a way to resolve it.

Now the characters are split into two types:

1) Casual Route (Zen, Yoosung and Jaehee): Where advice to start here as the characters are introduction characters to the story.

2) Deep Mode (Jumin and 707): where its advice to wait till after you complete the casual route as their stories not only reveal more of the mystery of the game but also it's gonna cost you 80 hour glasses to unlock each route.

And the advice is to unlock/play the character in the order of:

Zen >>> Yoosung >>> Jaehee >>> Jumin >>> 707

As for writing this I'm giving my thoughts and first impressions on the characters based of what I've played so far which are the casual routes (Yoosung, Jaehee and Zen's route). 

Jumin Han

The heir of C&R International, he is the son of a wealthy business man and is usually away on business trips through the routes. He's usually very cool headed and mature however due to his very pampered upbringing, he views the world differently which makes him butt-heads with Zen. I don't really know what to think of this guy as on one hand he is amusing to read about especially when it have to do with 'commoner labeled' things or regarding his cat Elizabeth 3rd (like the dude spams mostly uploads cat pics in the chat) but on the other hand I find him kinda meh and mysterious so I guess I'm gonna have to eventually read his route (and hunt for 80 hourglass) to figure out this guy.

Zen

Up and coming musical actor and an A-class lovable narcissist. HOLY MOLY he is basically the Mystic Messenger's version of Tomaki from Ouran High School Host Club!

 

There are moments that I'm sure the developers threw in for fan service (not that I don't mind ^^) where he spams the chat with selfies and there was this one moment in Yoosung's route where he reminded us of his raunchy jalapeno stage play! Even so I like his character. I especially like his interaction with Seven, Yoosung and Jaehee (especially in Jaehee's route! its where their friendship shines).

His route to be honest is kinda meh. Its something you should not take too seriously as the choices he favors are all to boost his ego and make me gag as they sound too lovely dovely fangirling. But he does have a decent back story of how and why he becomes an actor as well as we learn about the relationship with his estranged family. One thing to note is that his route is very different from the others as its the only one where he meets and interact with the MC before the Party (as the MC is not allowed to leave the apartment due to multiple issues) but also he has A LOT of visual novels and its the only one so far I've played where you get to make choices while playing the visual novel moments. 

In a way I can see why they recommend to start with his route as it's probably one of the lighter stories with a lot of drama, fan service and excitement.

Jaehee Kang

Personal Assistant to Jumin. She's serious and professional most of the time but the best part of her is when she let her emotions slip and fangirl about Zen. I like her more than I expected especially since its nice to have someone in game to fangirl and die of nosebleed with over Zen sometimes ridiculously sexy fan service pics. Also in Yoosung's route we learn a bit of her past which is covered in detailed in her own route.

Also she's kinda overwork cause of the nature of her job and her super demanding boss so poor Jaehee is stressed out through the routes i've played especially her own. Jaehee has a really sad back story and its lightly touch upon in other routes but of cause goes in deep in her own route where we learned that she lost her parents at a young age and while taken in by some relatives she learned to be strong an independent so that she does not have to rely on them. 

I enjoyed her route more than I expected and though do note its not a yuri route (girlxgirl) but more of a BFF route. Otome is weird I know.  I also like how even though Jaehee is strong and independent she learns as the route progresses that its okay to be vulnerable and relax and to let others help her when needed. 

Yoosung Kim

A college student studying medicine and addicted to playing a game called LOLOL. Shy and sweet he's a happy go lucky guy on the outside but in the inside he is lost with what he wants to do in his life as he is not doing well with his studies and have joined and given up on multiple clubs at his school. Also since the loss of his cousin Rika he has been playing more of LOLOL in order to cope with the pain and grieve of losing someone he love and admire.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE GUY IN THE GAME!! I adore this guy to bits partly because he's the character type i tend to gravitate towards more when playing otome games. Through playing his route he's that junior that you can't help but want to look after and save from his demons! Its hard to talk about his route without spoiling the entire wtf moment of the route so I'll get more into depth on his character if i get around to playing all parts of this routes and reviewing it but do note its very heavy and I'm kinda wondering why didn't they classify his route as the deep route... 

707 aka Seven

Or also could be called Seven is a hacker THE GAMES OFFICIAL POSTER BOY and is the one in charged of the the security and the RFA portal that we are playing this messenger game on.

He's playful and jockster personality makes him instantly likable which explains why he's the poster boy for the Mystic Messengers. Nothing much is known about him apart from the fact he has a very unhealthy lives off Honey Buddha chips (i want to try this!!!) and PH D. Pepper Coke. All i know is that its advice to play his route last as that's where all the mysteries of Mystic Messenger unfolds from.

So far from all the routes I've played I can see why people are tempted to jump straight to his character. He's a cool and easily likable from his sarcastic sense of humor yet he's very caring towards his friends especially Yoosung (though he tends to also mess with him and his innocence lolll A LOT) and Zen (who he tends to tease him through the game).

Game Play

Your aim is to established a relationship with one of the five romancable characters by raising heart levels with interacting of choosing choices in the chatroom and visual novels. 

As the game is formatted like a messenger app  its called mystic messenger duhhhhhh the game play/ character interactions comes in the form of chat rooms, phone calls, emails and text messages along with the typical visual novels and CG cut scenes you would expect in an otome game.

What's really unique about Mystic Messenger is that it follows the internal clock of your phone/devices so the characters will come to the chatroom ever couple of hours more or less to interact with you. Also if you miss a chat you can use hourglass to 'buy back time' to interact with the characters in the chatroom since they are programed to not sleep and be up at like 3/4am when a normal human will be sleeping unless you are up at that time then power to you! I like my sleep so i spend a lotta hourglass for that.
 

Each round routes last for 11 days. It starts with a 'Common Route' for 4 days before branching out into the character route that get the most heart affection. So let's say you're aiming for Yoosung's route try and choose choices in the Common route that are more favorable to him over the others.

As for playing the game I've encountered both the good ending and the normal ending but not any of the bad endings (there are at least 8 bad endings in the game). The endings are affected by the amount of heart affection you build through the game when interacting with the characters in the chat rooms.

 

Once you're done with a route there is an 'After ending' where its basically and epilogue of you and the character's life after the good ending of the game. I've only played Yoosung's and Zen's After ending! Need to get the other routes but its gonna cost me another 20 Hourglass which I'm saving for the deep route. 

Also there are a few DLC events in the game to commemorate celebrations like there is one for Christmas, Valentines day (as seen above) and April Fools day. Its not a priority to unlock them unless you have the hourglass but it is advice not to play them till you unlock all the routes so that you won't spoil the story. Similar to why you should not unlock the DEEP ROUTE cause SPOILERS!!

Don't worry if you miss a call or mess up a text as those are just extras thrown into the game to make the interactions more lifelike experience and won't affect the heart affection level or the ending.

A big part why I don't want to miss a chatroom is because of THIS!!! Party guests! One important elements of this game is to invite guest to the party at the end of the route. Its your responsibility to answer emails from the guest to convince them to come to the party as it effects the ending of the game. You'll get the normal ending if you invite less than 10 guests and the good ending when you invite more than 10 guests.

Recommend using the email guide on OtomeObsess and I rely on this heavily when playing the game cause I'm shitty with making decisions and perusing guest to come to the party lolll.

You can play this game without spending a dime and its also easy to earn those in-game currency which are:

Hourglasses: The premium currency and can be purchased with real life $$$ via your device store account or exchanged with the hearts you earn in-game. 100 hearts = 1 hourglass.

Hearts: you earn them from not only participating in chats/text messages/visual novels when you answer a favorable answer towards a character/characters but you can also    as well as looking out for Seven's spaceship and hoping that it gives you some hearts. You get hearts and occasionally hourglass in chat so all you gotta do is just keep earning those hearts to exchange for the hourglass.

Look/Sound

I really like the interface of the game and that it's set up to look like a chat portal. Its easy to play around and get used to the features of the game. The closest IRL counterpart of this app I can think of is LINE. 

The game is partially voiced so you'll hear the character here an there in the chat but you'll also hear them talk on the phone call and sometimes the visual novels. 

The voice acting done in this game is all in Korean but with subtitles and I actually like it. I don't know or understand Korean, not immersed in it in any ways since I don't listen to K-POP or K-Drama but I enjoy the voice acting especially for Yoosung Zen and 707. 

The opening theme song 'Mystic Messengers' is really catchy and sucks you in excited for the game! If you go to the Cheritz youtube channel you can listen to the English version of the of the song as well as some behind the scenes of them recording.

Also the end credits theme is 'Like the Sun in the Sky' is a beautiful but bittersweet ballet that gives me a lotta feels whenever the credits roll. 

Narration/Writing

I like the writing in this game! Its hilarious the interaction among the characters as they banter about or tease Yoosung. Its also very character emotionally driven as we learn more about the characters and their troubles. Its fun uncovering more and more chat rooms, getting to know the characters and the mystery of the story. Also what's great with this game it its very self aware and makes fun of itself and the whole otome/reverse harem genre but also reference a lot of pop culture and in real life companies/people.

The choices were well done especially when given a choice to be sassy/snarky. My only complain is for Zen's route where I really was not a fan of being all lovely dovely heart eyes at Zen during the choices. I felt really stupid making some of the ego boosting decisions in his route made me CRINGED! *sigh the things I do just to raise heart levels and not end up with the bad ending But his swoon worthiness during the talky bits made up for it. No correction actually the dude who made me swoon more during the talky bits is Yoosung's! Seriously the guy is so sweet especially with the way he ask the MC out its just heartwarming!!!!! Also I will have post Screenshots of how he ask the MC out but I don't want to spoil you guys or get in trouble with copyrighted

Of the routes I've played, Yoosung's the best written but also the most emotional while Jaehee is the most exciting and unexpected route that I grew to love. 

Overall

Its a good game... but I don't recommend this to everyone. *I'm gonna hide* 

While this is a a great refresher from the traditional Japanese and Voltage Otome I've been play non stop for the last couple of years since discovering the genre I was not a fan of how I have to babysit my phone just so I don't miss a chat or phone call (and if any of you guys don't already know from the style of me playing games, I'm kinda a perfectionist and MUST achieve 100% everyday for the chats) every couple of hours for 11 days straight. 

This is not a game I'll recommend especially if you are new to otome (maybe play this game after playing a voltage style romantic novel otome games), a student who is not allowed to bring their phones to school (this still exist in my home country so its why I'm mentioning this) or someone with a demanding job that you can't use your phone through the day since you'll miss out a good chunk of the chat rooms as the game is just as tedious and demanding as those 90's tamagochi. 

I'll recommend if you love otome games to give this a go if you have like a long vacation or if your life is flexible trough the as its a unique take to the otome genre, have a likable cast of characters with really good voice acting and CGs. Also if you like K-Drama/entertainment and want to hear a beloved Oppa whispering sweet nothings into your ears during the phone calls this is the game for you.

Rating:

Let me know your thoughts on the app I mentioned. Also follow me on tumblr (rotantrm) and the hashtag  #row plays otome for more of my otome rambling/ game play commentary.

Also Check out the Otome Games section of this site for more otome games recommendations and just to see how trash I am for the genre. 

Now if you'll excuse me...I need to earn more hourglasses for the deep route and romance with 707 and his Honey Buddha Chips xD

Till Next Time

 

Book Review: Pandora Jones: Reckoning (Pandora Jones #3) by Barry Jonsberg

Goodreads Description: 

Pan blinked. Something strange was happening to her mind and body. She felt relaxed, but at the same time, acutely aware of everything. She remembered the Professor's words: she was the cause of the destruction of humanity. And she felt the truth of those words.

Pandora Jones's problems appear insurmountable. She must convince her team that nothing is as it seems and that they must escape and expose The School to save the world from the plague she unwittingly inflicted on it. The only thing Pan has on her side is her gift of intuition, and her belief in the people she cares about.

But with the clock ticking, can she find a way to stop the plague, and should she do it at any cost?

Pan and her friends face off against the might of The School as the final pieces fall into place in the hugely compelling Pandora Jones series.

Title: Pandora Jones: Rekoning
Author: Barry Jonsberg
Genre: Sci-Fi, survival, paranormal, apocalyptic, YA, 
Format: Paperback
Pages:312 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from the publisher

Warning: This review might spoil evens from Book 1: Admission (Review Here) and Book 2: Deception (Review Here).

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and like every last book in a series I'm excited yet scared on how its gonna end and thank goodness Reckoning did everything right on ending a series!

The third and final book of the Pandora Jones series picks up immediately where we left off in Deception. In this book the truth behind the school, Pandora and her friends reason for being there and most importantly where did Pandora's powers come from is revealed.

I savored the story not wanting it to end yet wanting answers for all the cliff hanging questions in the previous book and this book delivered, tying in all the loose end in ways i didn't expected with a nice little bow. While I still was not a fan of Pan's inner captain obvious thoughts, I'm now at a point to where I'm used to it so it didn't bother me as much as it did in the previous books. The pacing in this book was slightly slower pace but I preferred that as it gives me a breather to process what's going on. Also like the previous books the action and suspense were nothing but nerve wrecking and epic to the point I'm on the edge of my seat hoping they'll be okay (spoilers... not really).

The scientific element is wicked and easy to follow and I also like how they talk about the ethics and morals of science and health. Lastly the way the book concluded was fitting and perfectly done! Prior to the released of the book my over thinking theory brain could not think of a 'happy' and satisfying way for this series to conclude but gosh did the author did a great job of summing up the series!

The character and relationship building in this book was probably the best in the series where we not only explore more of Pan and Jen's friendship that was established in the previous book but we also get to know more of the other characters aka their group mates like Wei Lin, Sanjit, Sam and Karl where in the short time we manage to get more of their backstory and their strengths, weaknesses and secrets which will all be important for the later part of the book. Mostly I enjoy how this diverse cast of characters interact with each other as they work together to try and crack down the secret behind the school.

Pan's relationship with Nate was surprisingly bittersweet and though Nate was such a hit/miss character for me through the series, his fate was the saddest part of this book. I seriously was rooting for Pan and Nate to be together especially with how he redeems himself ( comparing him to Theresa in Maze Runner AT LEASE HE TRIES TO REDEEM HIMSELF which got me to emphasis for his character) and the surprise of his relationship with a certain school faculty member.

Lastly the truth behind Pan's powers was kinda confusing but surprising. I had to re read that whole scene a couple of times but I like what they did with her finding out the truth and also answers some questions I had of another character in the previous book. Also from what I gather, Pan 'unlocks' a new level or ability with her power in each book which is really cool as we get to see her developed and adapt to her 'gift'.

Overall the Pandora Jones series is seriously one of the best and unique apocalypse/sci-fi theme YA I've came across as well as one of the more underrated Aussie YA out there. I highly recommend this series for its diverse cast of characters, epic and fast pace action and plot twisting story line.

Book Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Goodreads Description:

Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever. 

But then we all looked up and everything changed. 

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end. 

Two months to really live

Title: We All Looked Up
Author: Tommy Wallach
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Paperback. Arc

Pages: 370 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from the publisher.

I was intrigue with this book when I first got it but it took me a couple of tries to actually finish it.

The Plot

What do you do if an asteroid is heading towards Earth and you only have 7 weeks to live? Do you go on with life like everything is normal? Sit there and wait for the asteroid to hit? or what about abandoning your label and live your life to the fullest?

With the end of the world happening, we follow the lives of four high school senior who were defined by their labels abandoning the stereotype as they live their last days of their lives.

 Characters/Narrative

Multiple POV are usually a hit or a miss for me. I was not a fan of the multiple POV at the start but it's something I grew to enjoy when reading this. Also with FOUR different characters we get four very different opinions on what's going on and were easily distinguish with their different personality. 

At first the cast of characters looked like your stereotype one dimensional high school students but as the end of the world begins they abandon their labels and developed for the better as they become . This book is filled with character and relationship development I enjoyed especially when the characters and their story intertwine with each other. 

Anita's my favorite character followed by Eliza then Andy and Peter. I mostly like Anita on how she handles the situation thrown at them positively and maturely as well as her growing as a character. Eliza is another favorite especially on how her story progress as she followed her passion of photography and put it to use to rebuild her reputation with taking photos of humanities reaction to the end of the world.

Writing

The writing was my favorite part of the book. Its a story of 'what if'' and makes me question and maybe even doubt about life and the things we do. I really enjoy how provoking and philosophical the book become especially in the event of something similar to an asteroid were to happen how will people react.

I love the concept of the story! Its the breakfast club meets the end of the world reminding me a bit of Melissa Kell's 'The Incredible Adventure of Cinnamon Girl'. Also the story was more of a coming of age as each of the characters get push out of their comfort zone to take a leap into living the life they always wanted.

Books with a music element thrown in are usually a love/hate but for this book I love the music element which makes sense since the author is also a musician.While I have yet to check out the companion soundtrack to the book I do like how they talk about music especially how it bonded Anita and Andy's relationship.

Romance take the back seat in this book till the later part of book and while it was kinda force and sudden, it suited the situation they were going trough with the apocalypse,so better get together now than maybe never. Also this book dealt with the sex situations honestly and positively especially with Andy who's obsess with getting laid before the end of the world and Eliza who owes up to her actions.

There are also some side plot of complicated family and friendship, being in the wrong crowd, breakups and in Eliza's case bullying and slut shaming.

While the pacing of the book was a bit draggy and as I mentioned had a hard time getting myself connection with the book, after about three 'chapters' I finally am enjoying what I'm reading. Along with the multiple point of view there is a 'countdown' to when the asteroid is estimated to hit instead of the traditional chapters which I thought was a fun addition to the book.

The tone of the story is dark and hopeless it still have its lighter and maybe even an optimistic side to the situation as people loosen up and celebrate their lives while our four main characters figure out what they really want in their lives.

Overall

I really like how smart and provoking this book is and was intrigued till the end. I also like how it concluded where it gave an ambiguous ending leaving us for the readers to imagine what happen next which suits the the story. 

Check this book out if you like a provoking and bittersweet story with an edgy dark twist as well as a cast of realistic character with very diverse personalities.

ARC Review: The Pretty App (App #2) by Katie Sise

Goodreads Summary:

Poor Blake Dawkins! She's rich, she's gorgeous, and she's the queen bee of Harrison High. The girls want to be her; the boys want to—okay, enough said. But it turns out Blake’s life is not so perfect—just talk to her dad, who constantly reminds her that she's not up to par, or to her ex-bff, Audrey, who doesn't even look her in the eye.

Then Harrison—and every other high school in America—becomes obsessed with posting selfies on the ubiquitous Pretty App. Next: Leo, an adorable transfer student, arrives at Harrison and begins to show Blake that maybe being a queen bee doesn't mean being a queen bitch. And though Audrey suspects somebody’s playing foul, Blake finds herself catapulted to internet fame after being voted one of the prettiest girls in the country. She's whisked away to star in a reality show—in Hollywood, on live TV. 

But she doesn’t know who to trust. Because everybody on the show wants to win.

And nobody is there to make friends.

The Boyfriend App author Katie Sise spins another irresistible tale of technology, secrets, and big-time romance in this story of what it takes to be #trulybeautiful.

Title: The Pretty App (App #2)
Author: Katie Sise
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit
Format: Paperback, ARC

Pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from the publisher

 

Mirror mirror on the wall who's the prettiest of them all?

I read The Boyfriend App last year (Review Here) and loved it! So when I saw The Pretty App coming out I was intrigue as we get the point of view of Blake, the mean girl in the last book who I felt like there there was some missing plot holes about her friendship with Audrey.

While this book can be read as a stand alone, though I think its better to read The Boyfriend App as you get a better the story and character building that was established in the first book. Also there are minor spoilers for The Boyfriend App.

This book takes place the following semester from the event in The Boyfriend App where the company Public (their version of Apple) has a new app contest called the Pretty App. Think of it as Americas Next Top Modal meets Instagram.

In The Boyfriend App, it is established that Blake is a pretty, rich and popular mean girl with a lot of power in her hands as her dad is a politician and her uncle is the principal of the school. I hated her trough most part the boyfriend app as she was a flipping bully (physical, verbal, you name it she did it) and a MEGA B!TC#! Noticed I say the word MOST as there was this one part where she see a bit different side of her that I assumed was foreshadow her story aka this book.

I surprisingly like this sequel and Blake's character more as we see this self-centered mess up mean girl turn her life around.

No I didn't like her from page one as I already know her character in 'The Boyfriend App' but she grew on me as the book progresses. The more I read about her the more I feel pity for her. We learn that underneath that mean girl she's actually very insecure and feels abandon by the one she loves (her sister and best friend). With that she bullies other kids as because she's 'the popular girl' and feels guilty with her actions and even makes up for some of her bad choices.

She's a more than meets the eyes character as thought she does not think of herself as smart as her sort-of-ex-bestfriend Audrey, she's still intelligent and have some of the snarkiest lines in the book (and you know me, I love a good snarky narration).

I like the part where she talks about make up and how it gives her confident as I'm a make up girl and I agree make up can make you feel confident. But I love the part when she looks in the mirror at her naked face and talk about how she feels. That's beauty! You feel pretty when you feel confident in your own skin. This is a powerful message that I hope that everyone will take from reading this book is to be comfortable in your own skin. 

We learn more about Blake's family, her dad who is a 'clean' politician who only has no faith in Blake and values her for her good looks, her mum who lives as her husband 'trophy wife 'and in his shadow and her sister older sister Samantha who cut her off from her life when she went to college has problems and secrets of her own. Reading more about her family makes me feel bad for her as she longs for her parents to love her unconditionally and attention. I like reading about her relationship from her sister who she adores and looks up to.

Also we got to know more about her friendship with Audrey. It's establish that they used to be best friends in the last book but I felt like something was missing. We didn't know much about their history and what caused them drift apart so it was great that this book covers that loose plot hole I was looking for in 'The Boyfriend App'.

I adored Audrey in the last book and was so glad to see more of her and her computer science genies friends in this book especially Nigit as he's awesome ( and I kinda wish there was a book about him *hint *nudge *wink to the author). What I found very off was how Audrey's friends were very supportive of  Blake entering the pretty app as Blake was horrible to them in the last book.

Speaking of computer science genies friends, New Guy alert and he's swoon!

Leo is the new kid who befriends Audrey and her gang. Swoon worthy, good looking and has the brains of Audrey and her friends computer coding skills combine. Yup I like this guy the moment I first read about him. He also has a secret that I didn't see coming and made my eyes poke out and my hands drop the book.

He's flipping working for Public to spy on Audrey and the gang as well as to make sure Blake enters The Pretty App competition. To top that he is a flipping computer science child prodigy and is a judge on the pretty app pageant. Did I mentioned that he's 19 years old and is done with High School??? Dang that was a good twist I didn't see coming!

I like Blake and Leo's romance. Its very fluffy and feel good but also a rocky thanks to Leo's secrets. still I shipped them!

I like Katie Sise's style of storytelling where she intertwines our generations of obsession of technology. In 'The boyfriend app' she shows the dark side of technology. In this book she pokes fun on our love for the fifty million filters on Instagram to the iconic '#'.

Also like 'The Boyfriend App' the book was split into two parts, before and during the Pretty App competition. I like the way this book is paced out though I wish that the competition part was longer. Even so it was entertaining in a 'oh the ridiculous eye rolling things they make you do on a reality show to boost the ratings' sorta way.

Its like watching American Idol when the contestant get out of their comfort zone to film those Ford commercials.

Also reading the result of the competition was nerve wrecking as I seriously didn't know who's gonna win.  The ending was a Taylor Swift 'How You Get The Girl' song playing in my head. Happy, heart warming and feel good sweetness. I like how it ended but I still feel like something is missing from the book (again) though I'm hoping this is not the last App book! Yes the ending left me wanting more from the author!

Overall I like how tables have turn for this installment in the 'App' series and that we get the POV of an unlikely main character. Apart from this I've only read one YA that is told from the POV of a mess up mean girl (the other one is Anatomy Of a Misfit). I like Blake's character development as who she is at the end of the book is so different from start.

Its a book about real beauty, second chances and out generation's obsession for social media.

Check out The Pretty App for a fast pace, feel good fluff and laugh out loud snarks!

Also just for fun here's a #NoFilter #NoMakeup pic of me and my copy of The Pretty App!! Lol I don't know how people manages with selfies as most of mine needs like 50 million snapshots to the point my arm hurts from holding the phone still!

Till Next time

Book Review: Every Breath (Every #1) by Ellie Marney

Goodreads Description:

Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den - literally.

A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again...

Title: Every Breath (Every #1)
Author: Ellie Marney
Genre: Conteporary, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Format: E-book

Pages: 335 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: free of itunes

Thanks to Miranda of Bookss101 and Ebony of DarlingDemsel as watching and reading your rave made me read this! :D

I love Sherlock and have watch many adaptations like the the Robert Downey Jr movies, the  Steven Moffat BBC adaptation and my personal favorite, MidSomer Murders (especially the Tom Barnaby and Ben Jones arc!!!)! 

This is one of the best and unique adaptations. Sherlock meets YA set in Melbourne!

Follow Rachael Watts who's family moves from the country to Melbourne befriends her neighbor Mycroft. Together the neighbors, best friends and partners in crime investigates the murder of their friend Homeless Dave while Rachael finds herself falling for for her mysterious friend. 

I liked Rachael from the start! Quick thinking, tough and tomboyish, she's a country girl trying to fit in and adjust to life in the suburbs of Melbourne. Though she is mature, there were times where she makes some stupid decisions though thanks to her quick thinking she manages to get them out of the situation. 

Mycroft... where can I get me one?! I love reading more about Mycroft as he is so mysterious and has some mess up secrets and past which makes him kind of insane. He has a lot of issues that got me a bit frustrated at times bout once I understand him I empathize him. Also I love reading about his passion or forensic science and though I don't understand the jargon at first it was still fascinating reading all about it! 

Also did I mention he is British? Hello sexy British accent!

I love reading the diverse cast of side characters! Mai and Gus, Rachael and Mycroft's classmates and best friends were great to read especially Mai and her knowledge for Legal studies.

Also I love the family element of Rachael and her family! Though she's angry with her parents for moving to the city, she is still supportive and does not make a fuss about the move. 

I also love her relationship with her brother Mike as I RARELY see YA with a good, strong and realistic brother-sister relationship! In fact THIS how a brother-sister relationship should be written (I know as I have a little brother and the way Rachael interacts with her brother is how I interact with mine).

I enjoyed the plot and how it throws you straight into the action without giving the readers a heart attack along with the pacing though I found the first one third of the book a bit hard for me to click with the story. There was a good air of mystery which made the book a page turner as I want to know what happens in the end! 

I like how we slowly got to know a bit about both Rachael and Mycroft and their past trough the book. I also like the suspense and gripping moments of THAT climax as I was on the edge on my seat reading it! There were some good plot twist though I kinda foreshadow the big WTF event the moment I got enough evidence though it came out totally different from what I expected.

Though I've read a couple of Aussie YA's that is set in Melbourne (which has been my second home for the past 5 years) its still refreshing and exciting to read a book set in somewhere familiar and was great picturing them taking the tram/train and going to some places that I've passed by or am familiar with.  

One thing that made the book for me was Rachael and Mycroft's relationship! As the book progress they developed a 'more than friends/neighbor/partner in crime' relationship and boy was the tension between them gripping to read! 

They keep insisting they are 'just friends' but the more the story develops the more I wanted to shout 'OH JUST GET TOGETHER ALREAD- oh.... ohhhhhhhh xD' 

I love when the two of them bilker and watching the tension between them build and though it took a while for the romance to build but ITS WORTH THE WAIT! Best friends turn romance is one of my favorite kind of romance and I love how once they established their mutual feelings its not dragged for the rest of the book!

Also when they are together expect alot of swooning as the romance is cute and HOT!

Overall this is a great and solid start to the series! Its well written and researched, great cast of characters and refreshing plot! Rachael and Mycroft are one of the best bookish duo's I've read!

I just purchased the whole series and am currently reading Every Word! This is a great YA Mystery & Crime Romance and Sherlock with a twist! 

Check out this book (and series) and get lost in the mysteries! 

Now to get back to my copy of Every Word as I NEED MORE WATTSCROFT !!!