Book Review: Beauty and the Beat (Smitten) by Kate Forster

Goodreads description:

Mia knows what she wants in life – she was born to perform, and she doesn't need anyone's help to succeed.

So when she is paired with the obnoxious new guy for her final music assessment, she is beyond frustrated. Rob is rude, disrespectful and has terrible taste in music. They have absolutely zero in common.

But as they spend more time together, Mia starts to realise that there's more to Rob than she'd thought. That he might even be the guy she never knew she was looking for. Too bad she's already scared him off...  

Title: Beauty and the Beat
Author: Kate Forster
Genre: Contemporary, YA, NA, Romance, Chick Lit, Mature YA
Format: Paperback

Pages: 272 pages
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Source: Purchased from Booktopia

My initial thoughts of the book is if Glee was to be set in an Australian high school this will be it.

Also Warning.. lotta Glee references and fangirling :D

We follow Mia, who goes to a school specialized in performing art is forced to work with Rob, the new kid who is dark, moody and the total opposite of Mia for their music finals. Due to their conflict they have a love hate relationship which might bloom to something more.

Mia's personality reminds me alot of Rachael Berry from Glee but how she looks i instantly thought of the character Marley! She know what she want to do in life and is determine to get it. However at times she is crazy controlling on her friends and gets quiet annoying when she does not get what she wants or when things does not go with her plans. She also tend to jump to conclusion and misjudge people without knowing their full story.

Even so I did like her character for her confidants and passion in performing art. I also like how she eventually changed and start to give people who she labeled as 'sworn enemies' a chance as she eventually made some good friends when she drop the grudges.

Once again reminds me of a character from Glee that is Jake Puckerman. Like can we take a moment to just picture him as Rob *swoon*

I love Rob! Even though i was not found of him at first as he was freaking rude and angry at first, as we get to know more about him he is a lot different from his bad boy image. Sweet, caring and and like Mia has a passion and confident for music and performing arts.

The love hate relationship is what made the book for me! They personalities and music styles are as opposite as day and night with each other. Also they hated and were reluctant to work with each other at first but as they get to know each other they managed to put aside their differences and synch in their different styles.

Also there are a lot of references go Musicals like Rent and Annie which if you are a musical junkie you'll appreciate it.

Overall a great fluffy contemporary romance that is fast pace and will sure to leave you with a smile as does all smitten romance books I've read.

Highly recommend if you are looking for a great beach read, a music and/or a musical lover along with if you are a fan to the TV series Glee (and yes I am a fan and freaking love that show to bits!). 

Also if you are a 'Jarley' shipper on Glee (like me!!!!) you can clearly picture them clearly as Mia and Rob in the book.

Since there are a lot of Glee reference in this blog post do you watch Glee? If yes what's your favorite character?

 For me hands down Santana the Queen of Lima Heights. But I also love Mike Change as I could relate alot to his character. And Finn (*cries!!! RIP Cory) And Rory as I love the dude that plays him...

 And Jake as well... *swoon*

Also Sebastian as double *swoon*

Yah I'm a Gleek :P

Book Review: Pandora Jones: Deception (Pandora Jones #2) by Barry Jonsberg

Goodreads Description:

Pandora and her team are already two members down. The survival of humanity in the post-plague world depends on them. But who can she trust?

It was difficult to know when nightmares ended and the waking world began.

Pan is still struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality. When she wakes in the Infirmary her mind replays the sight of Nate running along the shoreline and the way his body froze and then flopped after he was shot. But her memories hold more questions than answers and she doesn't know who to trust.

When she forms an unlikely alliance with Jen to try to make sense of everyone's haunting similar memories and the conflicting information about The School, she finds herself with unexpected enemies.

Pan and Jen are determined to seek the truth - no matter what rules they must break or how terrible the danger they face. But can they even trust each other?

Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival.  

Title: Pandora Jones: Deception (Pandora Jones #2)
Author: Barry Jonsberg
Genre: Sci-Fi, survival, paranormal, apocalyptic, YA, 
Format: Paperback

Pages: 288 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Won as a Giveaway Price from the Publisher

'Deception’ starts with a prologue recapping what happen in the previous book of Pandora and her friends returning from a mission. Two team mates down, Pandora makes allies with her team mate and former ‘frienemy’ Jen in order to work out the motive of The School and escape the place.
  

Following Pandora and Jen snooping around as we get to know more about The School and its hidden secrets. Trough out the book we pick up pieces of the puzzle to come out with our own conclusion of The School and the world they are living in now.

There were so many great plot twist that kept this book engaging as you want to know what happen next. The ending of the book was mind blowing as while some parts were predictable most of them I didn't expect at all! My theories have turned upside down thanks to that ending! 

Dang you cliff hanger! I have to wait for 6 months for the next book?!?! Why?!?! Need to know what happens next!

This book was a page turner! I enjoyed the plot development and the themes of the book. I like that this book focuses on the friendship between Pandora and her team mates especially with Jen and Wei Lin. There were some really good adventure moments and better action moments that was epic but nerve wrecking and kept me on the edge of my seat. 

I love the character developments! We got to know a more about Pandora, Wei Lin, Sanjitt and the rest of the group especially Jen! Jen has went from my least favorite character in the series to my favorite! Smart, sassy and bad ass  Jen is everything I love in characters and have some of the best lines! We also get to know more about her including her past. I also love watching Pandora progress trough the book as she developed her strength and talent. While she is slightly wiser and more knowledgeable in this book she still tend to make some really stupid decisions thought not as bad as in Admission. 

I like the pacing of the book and breezed trough the story. I've also gotten used to the writing style which I mention in Admission I was not a fan of at first. I am however still not fan of Pandora's inner thought. There were times where it was okay and there were times where it was really annoying as it was pointing out the obvious.

Other than that, Deception was a great sequel! Like it more than Admission. Very provocation and engaging with great story and character development. Check out the Pandora Jones series for a great Aussie YA and epic apocalyptic adventure series.

Looking forward to 'Pandora Jones: Reckoning' which is coming out in May 2015. 

What was the last cliff hanger that drove you nuts?

Cress by Marrisa Myers! I need Winter!

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 : Love is the New Black by Chrissie Keighery

Goodreads Description:

Piper Bancroft has been thrown a lifeline : her godmother has set her up with a job at a top fashion magazine in Melbourne. Having ruined her chances of getting into uni, Piper is ready to grasp this opportunity with both hands.

But when Piper starts her new job, she's as out of place as her fake Marc Jacobs handbag. Piper's determined to do a great job and prove she's got what it takes to make it. But there's one very large distraction getting in her way : her completely gorgeous and completely off-limits boss. He's be the perfect man - if only they'd met in another lifetime.

Title: Love is the New Black
Author:Chrissie Keighery
Genre: Chick Lit, YA, NA, Contemporary, Mature YA
Format: Paperback
Pages: 252
Source: Book Provided from the Publisher via Smitten Romance Book Club

 I love Smitten Romance books and own (at the moment) 5 of them so when the opportunity so read a new smitten book came along, I jumped on the opportunity.

Piper grew trough the book. She is really smart and talented at her job and though I felt the development a bit too fast pace. Also some of her decision made me cringe although *phew* they were resolved. I'm glad that she ended up with a happy ending in finding her passion in journalism and the right guy.

Mason... one word... swoon! Smart, charming, good looks not to mention CEO (okay acting CEO) of the top fashion magazines, Mason is more than just that! He is also caring and loyal not to mention trough out the book looks out for both Piper and Kara.

I love how this book took us to the 'behind the scenes' of the magazine making it not a picture perfect experience for Piper. You meet some nice characters and some nasty ones.

What's also interesting is that the book touch on the LGBT topic having that one of the characters, Kara is Gay and is forced to stay in the closet in order to keep her job and image as a well known model.

While the storyline was predictable and cliche still enjoyed how it played out as well as the development of the three main characters. It reminds me of Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty.

Definitely check this out if you want a quick light happy reads that is cute and fluffy and will leave you smitten. Also check it out if you are a fan of fashion and romance.  

 

 Have you read anything lately that has leaved you smitten?