Book Review: The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine #1) by James Dashner

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Goodreads Discription:

From James Dashner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, comes an edge-of-your seat adventure. The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams... and your worst nightmares.

To catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

For Michael and the other gamers, the VirtNet can make your wildest fantasies become real. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Who wants to play by the rules anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. One gamer has been taking people hostage inside the VirtNet with horrific consequences.

The government needs Michael, but the risk is enormous and the line between game and reality could be blurred forever...

Title: The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine #1)
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Sci-fi, YA, action, triller, suspense,
Format: Paperback

Pages: 320 pages
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Source: Purchased from Scholastic Warehouse

James Dashner has done it again!!! The Eye of Mind was mind blowing epic!! Breezed trough this in less than a day and my brain is fried after reading this!

Set in the future where there is this virtual reality game called VirtNet we follow Michael and his gaming friends Brydon and Sarah recruited to hunt down a hacker and cyber terrorist named Kaine. 

A way to describe the book is if Harry, Ron and Hermione are skilled hackers and gamer and had to face obstacles to take down Kaine in a virtual reality Sims.

I liked the concept and enjoy the pacing of the story though there were times where I got a bit lost as the scenarios was confusing. I also love the world building of the virtual reality video game.

James Dashner has a way of writing fast pace, nail biting action sequence that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In fact I like how the book at the start instantly throw you off the cliff into the action.

Because you are throwned straight into the game its confusing at times and like in The Maze Runner it has its own slang and world that takes a while to figure out but you eventually get used to it. Also the 'vicious monsters' trough the books was hard to picture but that I assume is left for the readers to use their imagination. 

I liked Michael from the start. Though we don't get much character development we get to know his Smart, sarcastic, cocky and brave personality. I also liked his friends Sarah and Brydon and love their friendship though once again not much character development so I am hoping to know more about them in the next book. Its cool how they have never meet in real life but trough the VirtNet game. Its a great example of how  now a day people can make friends trough online community and networks.

The ending of the book threw me off! 360 degrees!! I love the plot twist trough out the book especially the ending! It left off as a cliffhanger but in a way where its not too provoking yet leaving  you wanting to read the next book to continue Michael's adventure.

Overall a great start to The Mortality Doctrine series! I am definitely getting my hands on the next book in the series!

Check this book out if you like James Dashner's books especially the face pace action in The Scorch Trials and the plot of The Death Cure along with futuristic science fiction and the concept of virtual reality gaming. Its very different from the maze runner yet has a familiar feel.

A great adventure book that is thought provoking, thrilling with fast pace action and awesome friendship !

Book Review: Pandora Jones: Admission (Pandora Jones #1) by Barry Jonsberg

Goodreads Description:

Pandora Jones wakes in an infirmary - her body weak, her memory providing only flashes of horrific scenes of death. She soon discovers that her family has succumbed to a plague pandemic which almost wiped out humanity. Pan is one of the survivors who have been admitted to The School - a quarantined, heavily guarded survival-skills facility - to recover their strength, hone their skills and prepare for whatever comes next. Pandora's skill is intuition, but how useful will it be outside the secure walls of The School? And what if it leads her to question where the truth lies...

Plague. Pandemic. Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival.

 

Title: Pandora Jones: Admission
Author: Barry Jonsberg
Genre: Sci-Fi, survival, paranormal, apocalyptic, YA, 
Format: Paperback
Pages:312 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Purchased from Big W

The moment I opened the book and saw 'It took slightly under eight hours for Melbourne to die.' I knew i had to read this!

Filled with suspense, mystery, action and a hint of paranormal, Pandora Jones: Admission was a great series starter! 

The book starts with Pandora waking up in an infirmary with bits and pieces of her past including the last day of her life. Confuse and curious, Pandora finds herself in 'The School' where surviving youths are sent after humanity including her family succumbed to a plague. There they are cut out from the outside world and are trained 'For the future of humanity' physically with combat and mentally with regular school classes. She is placed in a group where each student have a special ability like combat, sports, technology, etc. For Pandora she has a six-sense institution of locating lost objects and developed her ability trough the book. The longer she stays in 'The School' the more she question about the odd and off things about the place.

Pandora was a likeable character. She reminds me a bit of Tris from Divergent, an averaged girl throned into a boot camp and Thomas from the The Maze Runner who is curious, intelligent and compassionate.

Her 'love interest' and partner in crime Nate, an American teen who's ability is running is my favorite character! Brave, a natural leader and like Pandora is compassionate and curious about the motive of the school. Is it mean to say that I feel like he is a 'rejected' Maze Runner Character?!?! (joke lol). I pictured him as Newt from The Maze Runner as he is the peace keeper of the group and a bit of Minho with his great leadership attitude. 

I was not a fan of Pandora falling head over heals with Nate at first sight. Heck i was not a fan of her initial inner thoughts of Nate and to be honest i thought it was unnecessary. Other than that I love their friendship.

The side Characters include Wie-Lin, Sanjeet, Cara, Sam and Karl were great however i have mix feelings about the character Jen as she can be a freaking B!tch at times and have opposite views with Pandora which stir up some conflict between the two of them. However between her idea and action verse Pandora's ideas and actions I will have to go with Jen as it makes more sense locally. 

Apart from that, I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters where they come from all places like New Zealand to Hong Kong as well as a mix of races.

I had mixed feelings on the third POV writing style and felt it was flat. I also was not a fan of Pandora's inner thought. I felt like it will have been better from first POV so that we will know what is going in Pandora's head and not trough her inner thoughts.

I like the concept of the story. Though first one third of the story was a bit slow and very confusing (which should be a good thing as I was just as lost and confuse as Pandora was) along with alot of world building. After that he plot picks up and we get into the fast pace, nerve wrecking action sequence. There are some eye opening themes like morality vs survival along with trust issues on the authorities of the school and their motive for Pandora and her friends.

The ending of the book... whyyyyyy ?!?! nooooo?!?! whyyyyyy?!?! Dang you plot holes!!! Why!

It was a freaking provoking and ended with a cliff hanger with a good set up for the sequel!

Other than that I this as a great first book in the series! I love the concept of the story and have so many conspiracy theories running trough my head when I was done with the book!

I highly recommend if  you are a fan of  Divergent, The Hunger Games and especially The Maze Runner, as there are some elements from those series but the book has its own unique spin! Also for video game lovers out there check this out if you are a fan of the survival Apocalypse of  The Last of Us and its Prequel (of Ellie sent to the boarding school) and the Paranormal elements from Beyond Two Souls you need to check this out! 

Its great to see Aussie lit diverging from the Contemporary into the dystopian, paranormal genre.

I am currently reading the sequel Pandora Jones: Deception so expect a review on that soon!

 What was your last favorite Aussie Lit?

Incredible Adventure's of Cinnamon Girl by Mellisa Keil! I devoured that book xD

Book Review : Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Goodreads Discription:

'5 years ago, I died. 178 minutes later, I woke up.'

In this post-apocalyptic thriller a deadly virus mutation sees teenagers raised from the dead and trained to be vicious soldiers until Wren, the deadliest Reboot, joins forces with Callum, the most innocent, to try to overthrow the organisation that has corrupted their world.

Title: Reboot (Reboot #1)
Author: Amy Tintera
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post Apocalypse, Romance
Format: Paperback (UK edition)

Pages: 384 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Purchased from Dymocks

I am a sucker for anything with the word 'Zombie Apocalypse'! This is a really cool and unique twist on the genre where instead of the undead coming back as flash eating monsters they come back as super bionic humans! The longer they are dead the stronger but less emotional they are rebooted.

I put off getting the series as I wanted to get the sleek looking US covers from the bookdepository but recently I won the sequel Rebel in a giveaway (which was the UK/Aus cover) so naturally I had to get the matching edition.

The pacing of the book is fast pace and full of awesome action pack moments. Reading it, the atmosphere reminds me of some great survival apocalypse themed video game that I've played like Left 4 Dead and The Last of Us.

The plot have a good balance of action where they were fast pace but not too fast that you can barely catch up as well as some great character and world building moments.

I instantly love Wern and Callum characters! Wern has been dead for 178 minutes which makes her one of the strongest, deadliest but emotionless reboots. Strong, sharp and straight forward, she's what I like to see in a main female character.

 Callum is the total opposite to Wern which is very different from a lot of books as if there is a strong female character there usually is a stronger male character. In this case because Callum has been dead for only 22 minutes, he is one of the weakest reboots, and is practically human with the fact he show's a lot of emotions. Unlike a lot of reboots he ask too many questions, he refuses to kill and fright and cause he has alot of emotions he smiles alot. Still he is sweet, funny and charming and is not afraid of Wren. He makes her feel less of a monster and more human.

I like their relationship! The pacing was surprising as usually in dystopian/apocalyptic the romance is insta-love. Instead the build up to the romance took a while so that was refreshing to read.

I whiz trough Reboot and picked up the sequel Rebel the moment I was done. The ending was sort of a cliff hanger which was a good not frustrating set up to the sequel.

Overall I love this book! It has everything I enjoy in a survival/apocalypse genre! Check this if you want a great survival action reads along with a unique twist to the Zombie Apocalypse world!

Book Review: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner

Goodreads Description:

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.Remember. Survive. Run.

Title: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)
Author: James Dashner
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Action, Thriller, Suspense 
Format: Paperback

Pages: 369 pages
Publisher: Chicken house
Source: Borrowed from friend

 I was introduced to the series as an alternative to the Hunger games when watch Elle from AllThatGlitters21 book reviews years ago. At that time I was not a fan of Dystopian so I put it off till a week ago when friend suggest we watch the movie and lend me the book.

Now all i can say is that I am hitting myself in the head for not reading the book sooner... sorry I am just not one who give into hypes easily :P

The book started out a bit slow and confusing but full of suspense and mystery for me at first as I had to understand all the slang and words the boys use like Med jack, slammer, etc as well as the introduction to the Glade's world. Eventually I managed to catch on and by the end of the book I was used to the slang. 

I felt like I was watching a group of guys talking gibberish but obviously i managed to catch on and gotten used to the dialog. But after the 2 or 3 chapter the book takes off.

The pacing of the book was good but the ending was intense and a bit confusing. I re read the last few chapters as it kinda left a big cliff hanging gap which was obviously is a set up for the next book but I felt like it was a bit too rush. Even though so the ending is pretty damn emotional... 

*wave fist at the freaking feels!!!*

There were a good balance of 'bormance' and friendship moments. The boys in the Glade form a good tight-knit society and manages to keep everything in order to survive the maze.

I like the cast of characters. Thomas, our main character wakes up in a lift where he finds himself in the Glade with about 50 other boys with not a clue on how or why he is there with the only memory of his name. He is different from the other boys in the glade. Curious, intelligent, brave and willing to help others he barely knows. Though he is all that I kinda love and hate his character as at times he can be a bit of an idiot with his not so wise choices but he always manages to counter his decisions and get himself out of the situation. Also reading his character reminded me a bit of Harry Potter.

The other boys in the Glade, it took a while for me to warm up to. A lot of them started out as snarky, annoying or mean but I'm guessing that that's their nature of how they talk to each other in the Glade. Even though there were lack of character development, you do get to know some of them like Alby, Newt, Minho, Gally and Chuck.

Chuck is definitely my favorite side character! He is like the annoying loveable little brother and I love his brotherly relationship with Thomas.

Minho was really snarky and sarcastic but can be loyal and friendly. Same goes for Alby. I found him really mean when I first read about him but I eventually like his personality being the leader of the group. The friendliest I've read is definitely Newt. 

Also Theresa, even though we don't get much character development on her I like reading about her! Trough the book you'll want to know why is she there? What's her link with Thomas?

The grievers in the book, I had a hard time picturing them so in my head I just think of the spiders from Harry Potter but its Hybrid with robotic legs.

I love the concept of this book! Its very different from cliche YA dystopian. I had so many theories going trough my mind like why are they in the maze, who is Thomas and Theresa and why do they have that link, what's with the memory wipe and so much more and the plot twist that answer some of  my theory really got me off guard! 

Overall definitely check this out if you like a dark unique twist to the dystopian genre. The suspense and mystery behind the maze makes the book a page turner along with the fast pace actions.

I'll probably be picking out the sequel 'The Scorch Trials' but not too soon.

 

Book Review : To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han

Goodreads Description : 

Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)
Author: Jenny Han
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Chick Lit, Romance
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 355
Source: Purchased from the Bookdepository

I heard so many good things about Jenny Han with her 'Summer I turn pretty' trilogy and the 'Burn for Burn' which I have yet to pick up (IDK why) but the moment I heard the concept of this book I had to pick it up!

The book focuses on  Lara Jean who writes 'good bye' love letters to her crushes, keeps them in a hat box and moves on with life. One day those letters gets send out to the guys she wrote the letters to and has to deal with the fact this boys all know how she used to feel of them. Though it sounds like a haywire situation, she actually gotten to know some of the guys better especially Peter. 

I like Lara Jean from the start. I like watching her grow trough the book having she started out as not so confident and living in the shadows of the older sister Margot to becoming more confident and independent as well as capable of looking after their little sister Kitty, their dad as well as around the house. In a way both her and Kitty did become better with Margot leaving for college as Margot was the head of the house, being an example to her sisters and keeping everything in order.

Margot is a love-hate character. Me being the eldest I could relate to her in some ways like putting siblings before myself and worrying what's gonna happen to the family when I'm off to college but I feel she has a problem of letting go and letting her sister and dad look after themselves. Though she has her good intention of being strict and protective over her family, she really just need to let go and let them learn for themself. I feel like I will have enjoyed Margot more if we gotten to know her better. In fact I think it will be cool if there were a spin-off story on her.

Kitty... gosh I love her to bits! She's wise beyond her years making me sometimes forget she's only Nine. She know's how to wrap you around her fingers as well as is very particular with who she warms up to. However don't mess with this firecracker as she'll mess with you big time! . Basically I though she was gonna be my least favorite character turned to be my most favorite (beside Lara Jean and Peter). 

Lara Jean is my most favorite character in the book! Cute, witty, free spirit and dreamy! I seriously want to be friends with her where we can hang out and bake cookies and cupcakes all day! As mentioned her character development was one of the few things that made the book for me. Yes like most main character I've read she has some flaws like the fact that she was kinda innocent and naive as well as some of the ways she handle her problems were not ideal. Though she still have some room for improvement and growing up to do she matured at the end of the book as well as learn a lesson or two about love (both family and boy wise) which made me smile.

Josh who is one of the boys that Lara wrote the letter to as well as Margot's ex-boyfriend (dun dun dun...) not to mention their neighbor so even after Margot broke up with him they still do see a lot of him. He is obviously close to Lara Jean since they are friends for a long time. Like Margot he is protective over her and Kitty. Though I like him I find him as the 'typical boy next door' aka kinda bland.

Peter... gosh he was a hate-love-hate-love-I-am-so-thorn-with-my-feelings-but-love-you-in-the-end-but-but- character. He started out as a freaking jerk who was using Lara Jean to get back at his ex (*cringe* *cringe* cringe*... okay so Lara Jean 'was' using him to hide her feelings from Josh) with going into a fake relationship (contract and all the works lol that was cute!). Peter surprised me having that he started out as the 'bad boy jock' sorta guy with a very screwy and manipulative ex but once you get to know him he can be as complex as complex gets. Yes he was a jerk in so many parts of the book I literally threw my book across the room out of frustration but he managed to redeemed himself to be quiet a good sweet guy who actually does care for Lara Jean. He show's his sweet, caring compassionate side... swoon... I need a guy like him in my life... lol. In fact most of my favorite LOL and cute moments in the book were the Lara Jean/Peter relationship. And tough I am freaking annoyed with his character, I am at the moment Team Peter! ( Now all we gotta do is kill off the jealous ex-girlfriend... any ideas?? lol)

While the book does have some high school romance and drama, I feel there was a larger focus on family love and drama which I like especially the sisterly love and father daughter love. There were some parts of the book that was emotional and heart warming. I expect this to have some cute and fluffy moments but the book turned out to be more complex than expected.

Random like but any Potter Heads will be happy with the Harry Potter reference xD 

Also in case you don't already notice from this blog (wink wink nudge nudge, check out my other book reviews) I like book with diversity, from the book characters, the place the book is set in or even the authors and this book is an example of that. The author, Jenny Han American Korean. The book talks a lot about Lara Jean's Korean culture and even though their mum (who is Korean) have passed away their dad still try to incorporate their Korean roots into their lives. 

I purposely saved this book so that I could devour after my exams and the wait was worth it! This was a real page turner and there were a couple of times where I shouted "WHAT" out of shock or frustration especially at a particular boom drop at the end where I did kinda predicted not not in the way it happened (I also threw the book at the sofa at one point and got a bit teary eye at another). The ending I was not that happy about... I literally scream 'WHY?!?! WHERE ARE THE LAST LIKE 20 PAGES OF THE BOOK (ala Augustus freaking out on an Imperial Affliction style for you TFIOS fans :P) but hey... they need to leave use hanging for the squeal for a reason since this will be a duology. 

Other than that I enjoyed this book! Sweet, heartwarming but complex reads that's filled with touching emotions (kinda got teary at one part). This is definitely more on the character/relationship driven side than the story. Check this out for likable characters that feels realistic and that you could relate to, a good family and sisterly dynamic relationship as well as unique story line concept. 

NOW GIMME THE NEXT BOOK!! NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?! WHY 2015!?!?

Who will you write a love letter to??? 

Also Team Josh or Team Peter?? 

*cough *cough *Peter ^^ 

Book Review : That Boy (That Boy #1) by Jillian Dodd

Goodreads Description :

That Boy is a contemporary romance about falling in love with the boys next door.

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits.

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth.  Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me.  And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.
One boy will teach me to make out.
One boy will take me to prom.
And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.
They will both be my best friends.
But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.
Only one of them is That Boy.

Title: That Boy (That Boy #1)
Author: Jillian Dodd
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, NA , Mature YA
Mature YAFormat: eBook
Pages:-
Source: Free off iBooks

Where do I begin.... ?!?!

Okay so I'm a fan of Jillian Dodd's The Keatyn Chronicles which I've read all the books that are so far publish so when I saw 'That Boy' on iBooks for free I had to download it!

The book is written in a diary style with cute doodles/illustrarion following JJ (Jadyn James) Reynolds from childhood till early adulthood along with her two best friend Phillip and Danny, both described as the "hot boys next door". 

We follow JJ's life is filled with fun happy times that brings a smile to your face as well as sad tragic times which could literally pull your heart strings. I like reading her monologue which is  a bit dramatic its mostly laugh out loud funny and at times adorable!

I love the characters especially our main trio. JJ's strong, tough, sarcastic, happy-go-lucky, competitive, down-to-earth and witty characteristic made me love her from page one. Yes she tends to not make some bad choices trough the book but she eventually resolves them. I also love how she has many characteristics! One moment she is just one of the guys playing football (or should I say strip football *wink *wink) and the next she's just one of the girls though she hates shopping and at times need's a girlfriends advice on what to wear for a date. I could relate with her in a lot of aspect and at the end of the book I literally want to jump into the book to ask her to be my best friend!

Phillip and Danny are total opposite guys but are equally swoon worthy! Heck even I had a tough time choosing which guy is THAT BOY!

Danny's the golden boy, quarterback on the football team, the jock that all the girls swoon over! He's fun-loving. loyal, freaking hilarious, flirty, sexy and gahhhhh just freaking amazing! Though he has the playboy sorta lifestyle he treats girls with respect (which he better since JJ did teach him a painful lesson about girls when they were kids). Although they didn't click well when they first meet, its nice to see them grow closer trough as they grow older and that they are both really similar.

Phillip is just down right preciously adorable and a freaking sweet heart!!! where can I get one??? 

Though he can be a 'bit' bossy, strict, conservative, and uptight. he's freaking sweet, sensible, always-there-for-you Prince Charming, who knows and understand JJ better than anyone since they have been friends since birth! He's been there trough every moment of JJ's life and is there to rescue, help, support, protect and be there for JJ no matter what. I literally melt the more I read about him as even as friends he is super protective on JJ and they just have this bond that they can't see but others can! 

The friendship between the trio is realistic and its heart warming watching them grow from childhood till adult hood. Also the parents and friends in the book were amazing to read as well! My favorite supporting characters are JJ's Dad which some of the more tender moments are between JJ and her Dad, Lori who is JJ's sorority sister and best friend from college as well as Phillips  mum!

The story got me hook from page one as I want to know who is 'That Boy'! Trough the book you'll go trough a roller coaster of snap shots of JJ's life of first dates, a heart wrenching tragedy, kissing 101, college life, friendship and most importantly finding 'That Boy'.

This book is ridiculously sweet and adorable and though there were times I was grinning like crazy there were some times where I felt overwhelming feels thanks to a freaking plot twist that I seriously didn't see coming! Also this book may have a 'love triangle' element but its love triangle in a diffrent way which is nice and refreshing and most importantly NOT ANNOYING! As for the romance aspect of finding out who is 'That Boy' when you do you'll be one of those who jumps in the air and screams FINAL-FLIPPING-LY and promise you that you'll be satisfied with 'THAT BOY'. 

Also the line 'That Boy' is mentioned quiet a number of times and while reading I highlighted ever single time the word 'That Boy' was mentioned and there is a variety of ways its mention (just checked iBook search and found its mentioned atleast 36 times :P) like 'I give that boy a mad face', 'I hate that boy' and my personal favorite ' WHERE THE *&%# IS THAT BOY?' which literlly made me laugh for a good 10 minute straight!

Gosh I say 'THAT BOY" so much in this post that if Riley from the Keatyn Chronicles was here I would have taking shots every time i see the word 'That Boy' trough out the book! lolz:P

 I can't believe this was Jillian Dodd's debut novel! I always thought it was the Keatyn Chronicles that came first. Anyways I love this book to pieces and was super happy and satisfied with the ending! Happy, fun, emotional goodreads with an amazing cast of characters that I grew to love and care for and a realistic storyline! Definitely give this book a go if you like contemporary romance/ chick lit and also check out Jillian Dodd's other series Keatyn Chronicles.

Also check out the author's website

I just finish the sequel 'The Wedding' which a review should be up really soon. Till then SOMEONE HAND ME THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES!!!

  

Which team are you on? Team Danny or Team Phillip?

*Team Phillip ALL THE WAY!!! (But I also like Danny ;P)

Book Review : A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1) by Anna Adams

Goodreads Description:

Maude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the north of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt. Maude will dive into a new fascinating world discovering New York City, music, family, love and the truth about her past.

Title: A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1)
Author: Anna Adams
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Chick Lit
Format: eBook, Wattpad Book
Pages: -
Source: Read from Wattpad, Free on iBooks.

So I found this randomly on Wattpad which started my addiction to 'The French Girl Series' by Anna Adams. 

Maude, a talented pianist who dreams to be an opera singer lives in rural France with her terrible foster family where they mistreat her, forcing her to work from dusk to dawn like a slave. One day while out on a school excursion in Paris, she stumble upon a cafe where she plays a couple of songs and gets discovered by James Baldwin, music mogul and owner of Soulville Records who gives her a chance to escape France to go to New York to make a record.

I had a couple of issue with the book:

Firstly the narrative was not what I expect since its from first person point of view as I felt like the book would have been better if it was from Maude's POV.

Also the song lyrics... usually in books where the author 'compose' song lyrics are a hit or a miss. This case it is a miss as I found it really cheesy... like overly cheesy...

Maude's character and personality got me hooked from page one! Talented, hard working,Sassy, strong, caring, determine driven and passionate made her a really likeable character. She makes you want to cheer for her to succeed and have a happy ending. Yes like all characters she does some flaws

thanks to her innocent/naive she tend to not make wise decisions at times and sometimes a bit too stubborn for her own good. Her character development in the book is a good setting stone for the idk how many books the author plans to write in the series (she just announced the forth book a few days ago) but seeing her grow personally and professionally is what's gonna make me want to continue reading the series.

Matt. a pop heartthrob who happens to be Maude's song writing mentor is super cocky, witty and most importantly Maude's love interest. While his first meeting with Maude didn't exactly hit off well (literally one of the best moments in the book!), his character grew from the egoistic pop star to a likable, cute, dorky guy that you just can't help but love! 

Ms Tragent, Maude's singing coach is one of those mentors who pushes her to bring out the best in Maude. She reminded me of my piano teacher who was super freaking strict but for a good reason that made me thankful for later. 

 

The Baldwin family who took Maude in with open arms were all amazing! James is a great mentor and 'father figure' for Maude where luck and faith was with him when he discovered Maude. Jasmine who is the same age as Maude but with an opposite personality to her which balance out their friendship. Her confident, enthusiastic personal made her stand out! Also Cynthia, the oldest sister surprise me with her law skills at one point of the book (btw I have a decent background knowledge of law so for me it was a breeze to follow not to mention another favorite part of the book)! I also love the Baldwin's family tradition that incorporate music. 

Overall, the storyline while predicable was a page turner where you want to know what happens to Maude in the end. There were some cliche elements but was nicely balance out with the struggles, love hate relationship between Matt and Maude, the family dynamic with the Baldwin as well as the freaking 'I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING' plot twist really made the book or me!

Also check it out if you are a music lover and is a fan of 'musical' theme books since the story incorporate classical music and pop music well as the fact that the main character plays the piano which for me motivated me to play the piano more when I was reading this.

  

 A great addictive read that got me hooked onto my ipad/iphone when reading it! A Modern Cinderella retelling with its own unique spin. Great starter to a series! Best part? Its free on iTunes,Amazon, Smaswords and Wattpad so if you want to test out the series definitely pick this up!

Check out the author on her blog Strolling in Storyland for more info in The French Girl series.