Book Review: If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Book Review: If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Plot:

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” 

A magical tale by one of the best creator of fiction love Cecelia Ahern.

‘If you could see me now’ is about Elizabeth who’s serious responsible and stuck in a small romantic Irish town, which bears not a hinge of interest for the placid-thinking Elizabeth, with her 6 year old nephew Luke.

The abandonment of her free-spirited mother in early age has made her look and think far from her age while on the other hand Saoirse, her younger sister, is replica of her mother. She left her newborn son in charge of Elizabeth and left to live life to its fullest, though she comes back time to time in her life for favors.

Then there is Ivan, he is and isn’t at the same time, well the hero (My most favorite of all other fictitious heroes) is an imaginary friend.

Ivan is a citizen of the Imaginary World where there are fairies and friends always present to help disturbed children. But as the tale proceeds its not only Luke who needs a friend.

Ivan soon realises that Elizabeth can feel his presence, the more she gets deep into depression the she feels him. At last there comes time when she could see him but not as Luke’s imaginary friend. They both go out and spend time together changing and transforming each other, completing themselves. Elizabeth smiles down to the life that she had around her forever, she allows herself to finally feel the pull of love thats greater than gravity.

At that point the task that was given to Ivan is complete. He has done what he was sent for, mending the lives of his friends. Opal, Ivan’s boss feels the change in him and reminds him that their Love is as imaginary as him.

Eventually there comes a time when Elizabeth stops seeing Ivan and he is again invisible to her (a major heartbreak).

Somehow they both carry on with their lives, transformed into something better,

But Elizabeth Remains His Favorite Friend.

“Don't ever take for granted when people look in your eyes; you have no idea how important it is to be acknowledged. Even if it's an angry stare, because it's when they ignore you, when they look right through you, that you should start worrying.” 

Review:

“I think I wished for you all of my life.”

The Happily Ever After is not what you expect but here it comes in a style that only Ahern can write.

If you could see me now is something beyond words. The love and the feel of this outstanding book is everlasting. The fiction within the fiction is so real that makes you believe the stories of childhood and relive them with a new dimension.

This book is special, as special as every small moment of happiness in life is. This book is not about Elizabeth or Ivan, but this is a story of how angels are sent down to bring people back to life. It is lovestory that doesn’t need any place or time to survive, only a moment of realisation will do.

If I let go without writing about the moment of separation, it remains incomplete. Ahern has given words to the feel of leaving your loved one alone and watching them as they go on with their lives, living the dreams that you saw together. It is that time when you wish that They could see you now,

The air of magical romance of a small Irish town mixed up with an unforgettable Lovestory that one can ever get hands on to,

“If you love something, let it go. if it was meant to be, it will come back to you.” 

I left my heart in the last page of the book where Ivan watches Elizabeth and Luke happy with their lives.

So I would rate this epic tale:

*****

Reviewed by Adina Farid

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Book Review : The Other Side Of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon

Book Review : The Other Side Of Midnight
by Sidney Sheldon

Plot:

Novel by one of World’s favorite storyteller, Sidney Sheldon. This epic tale is a story of two women born far away from each other but linked closely by fate. One of them being the most beautiful powerful and wild Noelle Page and the other being the smart brainy and unaware of the mysteries that beauty and sexuality beholds, Catherine Alexander.

Noelle has a tough start to life as she struggles to become something she thinks she is. On the way road to success, moving past/with different men she finds the one who’s ‘the one’ the American RAF pilot Lawrence "Larry" Douglas.

She has a nice warm affair with him but soon he leaves her, alone and pregnant, dressed up for wedding.

She then swears on her life to take everything away from Larry which would quench the thirst of her rage starting from his unborn child.

Larry meets Catherine and gets married to her soon after. This is when Noelle meets the Powerful Constantin Demiris (Costa) and finds her way to go to the extreme limit and destroy everything. Everything. Including herself.

Review:

“If you don't know why, I could never explain it to you.”

Written by the pen of Sheldon, this one beholds a tale of deception and rage which eventually results in doom. One of the great thing about this book is the drama and theme of it. The strong storyline and bewitching characters may be a part of fiction but never once you feel them far from reality or you don’t want them to be.

The character of Noelle Page is the protagonist. She has a different nature, the one you would want to know more about. Sidney creates an aura of mystery around her and even when she does evil you can not disagree to her moves keeping in mind all that she had to bear. the rise and fall in her career is a mirror to a struggler’s life.

The story is different. Theme is fantastic and to sum it up this book is a must read.

“To be successfull you need friends and to be very successfull you need enemies.” 

I would give this one of my two introductory books of Sidney Sheldon (the other being ‘Stars shine down)

a whole-hearted:

****1/2

Reviewed by Adina Farid

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Book Review : The Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris

Book Review : The Silence Of The Lambs 

by Thomas Harris

Plot:

Clarice Starling, the young and smart FBI trainee is called up to present a psychological research related questionnaire to the brilliant psychiatrist as well as a cannibalistic murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

The real intention being assistance in the most recent killer hunt who has tried to escape every FBI trap and is continuously murdering girls to make a hide out of their skin. Buffalo Bill is a complete anonymous as he leaves no sign of evidence after getting complete with his victims and disposing them in river.

However Jack Crawford, Clarice’s boss knows it well that Hannibal Lecter knows more than much about the out and about of Buffalo Bill and uses the smart mouth trainee Clarice who soon becomes an integral part of this case to trick Lecter into uttering out truth.

The book is more surprising and full of 440 volts shock waves and unravels like a flower in our minds. It is raw but interesting just like moths.

Review:

“Over this odd world, this half the world that's dark now, I have to hunt a thing that lives on tears.” 

There is no doubt in this novel being one of the most greatest horror thriller ever written.
The theme of this novel is one of the most unusual kind but never fails the reality. The drama and mystery that it creates is like a thick fog which almost leaves you paralysed to go back to the real world until you’ve read the very end.
It would be an understatement to say that this book leaves an impact on mind because it certainly becomes the favorite of every thriller you ever read.

“Problem-solving is hunting; it is savage pleasure and we are born to it.” 

This book is a deep study of human psychology which insists that we work hard and wish to go to any level to solve a query which refers to the ghosts of our past and a solution to which will result in the Silence of the screams that we hear everyday in our mind.

“The intimacy of the detail - why The Silence of the Lambs is quite possibly the Thriller Writer's bible.” 

This book is pure addiction, silenced my lambs!

So I’d be too mean to rate it any less.

*****

Reviewed by Adina Farid

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Book Review : The Geography Of You And Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Book Review : The Geography Of You And Me 

by Jennifer E. Smith

“And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart 

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)” -- E.E. Cummings

Book Synopsis:

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Review:

I started reading this book online today and completed it right now. There's something about this book that is addictive; I just couldn't stop reading it once I started. There was instantly something so simple, sweet and adorable about the entire scenario, getting stuck in a lift with someone, and how those few seconds’ difference could have made the biggest of changes, yet Lucy and Owen were such realistic characters, and they brought this naive and spontaneous nature to themselves that made the story what it was. There's something kind of wonderful about the thought of meeting someone in a lift, and being stuck with them and their company throughout what should have been one of the most scary experiences of somebody's life, and to then share that moment for a whole night, in the middle of a New York City blackout with defrosting ice cream and a sky full of stars, is just magical. Smith managed to make the whole thing so believable and almost like a conscious thought that I was so lost and wrapped up in the whole story from chapter one; I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Their story, written across the globe in miles and postcards, via lakes and rivers, from New York to the hills of Edinburgh, the Point Zero in Paris, London, the seaport of Seattle, right back to New York, to the night they met, for me, couldn't have been more perfect. 

It covered the aspect of growing away from people, moving on with life, taking what live throws at you, living your dreams and how your dreams aren't always what you want in the end. Something about family, the difference between having someone and not having someone, having something, somewhere, a part of you lost everywhere you've been and being happy with it. Owen and Lucy grew so much as people, growing as they learnt from their wrong relationships, growing into themselves and the journeys they took over nine months, growing as they learnt from each others’ lessons, and growing to meet each other once more.

There was something so honest and perfect about this story, something so sweet and lovable, something so amazing about trekking across the world to find that home isn't a place, it's a person, and a feeling, a pull to something better.

Some Great Quotes From the Book:

• “He was like one of her novels, still unfinished and best understood in the right place and at the right time. She already couldn’t wait to read the rest.”

•“Sometimes it seemed as if his whole life was an exercise in waiting; not waiting to leave, exactly, but simply waiting to go. He felt like one of those fish that had the capacity to grow in unimaginable ways if only the tank were big enough. But his tank had always been small, and as much as he loved his home- as much as he loved his family- he'd always felt himself bumping up against the edges of his own life.”

• “But there's no such thing as a completely fresh start. Everything new arrives on the heels of something old, and every beginning comes at the cost of an ending.”

•“There's a difference between loneliness and solitude.”

This book seems to be quite underrated but it took me places, and I enjoyed in the simplicity it offered.

 I’ll rate it with:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer

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Movie Review: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)

Movie Review: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)

" Let Life In"

Ben Stiller directs and stars in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, James Thurber's classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

Review :

Watching this movie, there was a smile on my face the whole time. I wanted to drop everything off and go out on an adventure just like Mitty did. And that is right. Sometimes you do have to take the leap. There is so much beauty in this world waiting for you to notice it. Just like John Green mentioned in TFIOS:

“The Universe wants to be noticed.”

This is exactly what I felt and understood while watching this film. In a way we are all like Mitty: we imagine so many things, keep daydreaming about how we are going to face every obstacle in our lives with some super hero strength but in reality, we are afraid. We are oh so afraid to do what our heart tells us. But we have to take chances in order to live. I should be reviewing this movie about how perfectly Ben Stiller did his role, how beautiful the landscape was, how the special effects were spot-on. These all things were there and surely played a major role but the message this movie contains is far too important than any of these things, Hence; my totally philosophical rant above.

I just saw this movie and I think it deserved a fricking Oscar. It was that awesome. Nevertheless, this quote from the movie justifies the cruelty of Oscars:

 -“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”

It will always be a thought-provoking and a really really beautiful movie for me. And those of you who have good taste in movies will definitely love it too.

I’ll rate it with:

****1/2

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer

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Book Review : The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Book Review : The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

“Everyone loves a conspiracy.” 

Book Synopsis: 

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last. While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

Book Review :

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?” 

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a fast paced thriller where the main characters have to decipher clues in artwork, architecture and riddles to get to the bottom of a murder and save themselves. This is the first book I ever read by Dan Brown and I was completely speechless. It is book is so engaging that I was not able to put it down. Dan Brown is the master of mystery and fictional history likewise. He fabricates the story with such intricate and minute details and suspense that a reader cannot even guess what is going to happen on the next page. If you are looking for a book full of historical and mysterious intrigue, this book is for you. And mind you! It is is a long book. 

From the instant the book starts, Dan Brown immediately grabs the reader’s attention, grabbing them by the throat and making them read on right until the end! I like conspiracy theories, so the whole basis of the book was interesting.

Obviously most of what is in the book is fiction, but Brown's story telling makes you think it's real. 

I thought his use of real places, people and events in what is a fictional story was very clever.

 “Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.” 

   If you're into mystery/suspense genre, history or secret societies, I recommend this.

I’ll give it:

****1/2

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer

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Book Review : Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Book Review : Dear John by Nicholas Sparks 

-“I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart.”

Book Synopsis:

Our hero John grew up with a silent, meticulously organized father that he didn't understand. In his teens he began to rebel, hanging out, playing pool and drinking. This continues for a number of years with John working menial jobs, getting several tattoos and going nowhere fast. Eventually John decides it’s time to grow up and he joins the army. In fact it's during 2 weeks leave that he first meets Savannah, diving into the ocean to rescue her sinking purse. Savannah is your stereotypical good-girl; raised in a stable family she's kind, pretty and hopes to save the world. It's also love at first sight for our couple despite the warnings from her tattoo phobic college friends. Together the pair plans a future together, counting down the days until John's discharge as Savannah helps him understand his father and he in turn feels contentment for the first time in his life.

On Sept 11 everything changes as John in a moment of patriotic loyalty chooses to re-up in the army, putting a hold on their marriage plans while he enters the war in Iraq. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship but the war changes John and the years apart put a strain on their deep love. When John's father grows ill he returns home but will he be too late to save both his relationship with his father and the love of his life?

Review:

You can always tell you're reading a great book when you find yourself skipping ahead into the final chapters to see how things will be resolved, even though you've vowed you wouldn't. Love doesn't always have a happy ending (especially when it comes to a Nicholas Sparks novel) and this is a wonderful yet quick tear-jerking romance.

 I fell in love with John's character and surprisingly his father too. Each is well written and they felt like real people. I also enjoyed reading about John's military career and the reasons that take men into a war. Savannah as the heroine was a little too perfect for me but their heartbreaking love story and the regret that they both share will keep you up into the wee hours, and leave you wondering about John long after you've finished reading its bittersweet ending.

Some Great Quotes from the Book:

-“Passion is passion. It's the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn't matter where it's directed...It can be coins or sports or politics or horses or music or faith...the saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all.” 

- “I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.” 


-“The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last.

This heart-wrenching book is one of my favorites from Sparks, 
I’ll rate it with:
****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

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Book Review: Where Rainbow Ends (a.k.a Love Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern

Book Review: Where Rainbow Ends (a.k.a Love Rosie)
by Cecelia Ahern

“Home isn't a place, it’s a feeling”

Book Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.

Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S. 

She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex. 

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

Book Review:

This book from the author of P.S. I love you is a sweet read that clutches at your heart. Totally different from other styles of writing, this story is told in the forms of correspondences that take place between the main characters in the story. Rosie and Alex are childhood friends who grow up together till Alex has to move away due to his father getting a better job offer in US. However, Rosie's and Alex's friendship does not grow weaker, instead they seem to develop feelings for each other which does not reach a fruitful conclusion till the very end of the novel by which time Alex and Rosie are in their 50's and a whole lifetime has passed without them being together.

You hang upon every word and wait with impatience for the end. Until it is the end and you wish it'll continue because you don't want to let go of the characters you've come to know and understand, most of all to love. Rosie Dunne is a wonderful woman; she has dreams even though she keeps facing the treacherous twists and turns of life. And Alex Stewart who succeeds to follow his dreams but keeps making the stupidest mistakes when it comes to love. Two soul-mates who through their life never get a chance to meet the way they should. Best friends since childhood, we see them grow up and face life in their own way while preserving  their  friendship.

Cecelia Ahern keeps you hanging wondering and even cursing these two for making the wrong decisions time and time again. It is a must read! You get the whole idea of how life works, how for the youngster it doesn't stop at school but it continues way after, how you can survive any ups and downs, how if you finally speak up and say how you feel you'll get to be with the person you love and cherish! 

Some Great Quotes From the Book:

•“Twice we stood beside each other at the altar, Rosie. Twice. And twice we got it wrong. I needed you to be there for my wedding day but I was too stupid to see that I needed you to be the reason for my wedding day. But we got it all wrong.”

•“You deserve someone who loves you with every single beat of his heart, someone who thinks about you constantly, someone who spends every minute of every day just wondering what you’re doing, where you are, who you’re with, and if you’re OK. You need someone who can help you reach your dreams and protect you from your fears. You need someone who will treat you with respect, love every part of you, especially your flaws. You should be with someone who could make you happy, really happy, dancing on air happy.”

This is the kind of book that you start with a smile and end with a smile. 

I’ll rate it with:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer

Movie News:

“Love Rosie” is in its post-production state & this movie is going to be released  in October 2014. Sam Claflin ,who played Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,is going to star as Alex and Lily Collins ,who played Clary in The Mortal Instruments:City Of Bones, is playing the character of Rosie. I think this movie is going to be worth watching, simply because Sam is in it. *swooning*

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Book Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Book Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead 

“You're my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other.”

Book Synopsis:

 In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.

Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch—a former Alchemist who the organization denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus’s help, Sydney realizes that the group she’s been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?

As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her growing magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her special blood—or else she might be next.

Forging her own ways is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain—and following her heart—she’ll be able to finally figure out where she belongs.

 Book Review:

I think I’m one of the few out there, who’s loved Sydney from the beginning. I love her analytical and sharp mind. I found her social awkwardness endearing and hilarious, but in The Indigo Spell, Sydney comes into her own! She’s had a lot of changes and upheavals in her thinking, and I think she’s grown so much from the Sydney we met in the Vampire Academy series. Even though, I’ve always loved Adrian from the beginning, I never thought of him as viable boyfriend material. He was charismatic, but all over the place. In the Bloodlines series he’s grown so much, no longer is he the spoiled and pampered playboy. Not that he’s lost his mischievous edge, he just thinks of more than himself now. First and foremost, he thinks of Sydney: 

•“Well, you can think what you want, so long as you remember—no matter how ordinary things seem between us—I’m still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will.” 

 •“No one’s going to throw you around and get away with it,” said Adrian.

“What happened with us has nothing to do with you,” retorted Marcus. 

“Everything about her has to do with me.”—Adrian 

He was so sweet and protective over Sydney, I had a big smile on my face, and I was basically doing a happy dance throughout the book!

I’ll rate this one with:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

Bloodlines : http://reviewsentertainment.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-bloodlines-by-rachelle-mead.html

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) : http://reviewsentertainment.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-golden-lily-by-richelle-mead.html

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Book Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Book Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Summary:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

Review:

In this installment, we pick up right where we left off in Bloodlines. The group is minus the traitorous Keith, with Sydney making points for handling the situation so well. Dimitri and Sonya have arrived to study spirit with Adrian. Both the vampire community and the Alchemists want to find out why, once a Strigoi is changed back into their original state, they will never be able to be turned back to Strigoi again. Sydney, Jill, and Eddie continue to attend Amberwood Prep as siblings but they have a new addition to assist in the protection of Jill: Angeline, the dhampir from the Keepers, a separatist group of Moroi, dhampir, and humans who don't care for the rules of the Moroi court. Angeline is a fun addition to their group, and I like how she mixes things up for Jill and Eddie! 

Richelle Mead really shines in character development, and this is my favorite part of this story. Sydney had come a long way since we first met her in VA. Her prejudices are slowly breaking down. She is finally seeing the Moroi, and dhampirs as people, not as evil, unnatural creatures. My favorite part of her growth, though, is that in relation to Adrian. To see them grow close, and lean on each other was a real pleasure. There are many moments of swoon and hilarity. Adrian is his usual wise-cracking self, and then Sydney can just be so clueless with social situations, you can't help but laugh. The best part with them is seeing how much they genuinely care for one another. I've always had a soft-spot for Adrian. In VA, he helped Rose so much without questions or strings attached (well, maybe a little bit of string!). But I always thought he went above and beyond for her, as well as Jill. He's even more of a sweetheart in this book. There were times I would be sighing, oh Adrian! I don't want to give anything away, but fans of "Sydrian" will not be disappointed.

"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth. And you don't even know it." 

And I have to give you this one too:

"Sage," he said. "What are you wearing?"

I sighed and stared down at the dress. 

"I know. It's red. Don't start. I'm tired of hearing about it."

"Funny," he said. 

"I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at it." 

This one was my personal favorite or maybe I am biased because of Adrian,

 I’d give it:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer

Sequel to Bloodlines :http://reviewsentertainment.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-bloodlines-by-rachelle-mead.html

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Book Review: Bloodlines by Rachelle Mead

Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Summary :

Sydney’s blood is special. That’s because she’s an alchemist –one of the group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets – and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with the allegiances in question, her future is on line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she’s still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir – the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir – is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill’s guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk outside – and within – the school grounding. Now that they are in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

Review:

Bloodlines is a spin off from the Vampire Academy Series. As such some of VA’s secondary characters come back and take centre stage action here. This is also an entirely new plot line and not a continuation of the original story. Certainly a few key plot elements from the VA series are mentioned throughout the book and are of importance, but the book can be read irrespective of having followed Vampire Academy or not.

It is written in what has now become typical Richelle Mead style, i.e. intrigue intermingled with humour and romance. It is also designated for young adult readers, yet it is not restricted to just them. It does make an interesting and easy to follow plot line that can amuse and entertain whoever decides to pick it up.

I have to admit I was a little scared of this one. I really liked Vampire Academy and I didn't know if Mead could pull off a spin off, but let me reassure anybody who has doubts this book is awesome! This book is told from Sydney’s point of view. For those who don't remember she was the alchemist who helped Rose escape from prison. I liked Sydney in VA series but she always seemed a little cold. Well in this new series we get to find out why and I have to say that if I grew up like she did I would be pretty cold too. I really liked her voice and I will even go as far as saying that I liked her better than Rose. Sydney has her flaws of course but she is such a strong character that those are easy to overlook. The whole Alchemist world interests me and I think there will be some strong story lines to come. We also get to see several characters from VA and among them of course is Adrian. I will state for the record that I was Team Dimitri all the way but oh I have completely fallen for Adrian now. 

Vampire Academy fans will embrace the new story & new readers will become absorbed by Moroi and Strigoi culture, by the Alchemists’ sometimes medieval beliefs and by the simple thing that’s called life and it comes to challenge the much likeable characters.

 Bloodlines does not disappoint.It intrigues and excites and it does entertain. 

I’ll rate it with:

****

Vampire Academy : http://reviewsentertainment.blogspot.com/2013/12/vampire-academy-by-richelle-mead-plot.html

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

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Book Review : The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Book Review : The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.”

Plot:

Narrated by Death, The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a nine-year-old German girl who given up by her mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in the small town of Molching in 1939, shortly before World War II. On their way to Molching, Liesel's younger brother Werner dies, and she is traumatized, experiencing nightmares about him for months. Hans is a gentle man who brings her comfort and helps her learn to read, starting with a book Liesel took from the cemetery where her brother was buried.

Liesel befriends a neighborhood boy, Rudy Steiner, who falls in love with her. At a book burning, Liesel realizes that her father was persecuted for being a Communist, and that her mother was likely killed by the Nazis for the same crime. She is seen stealing a book from the burning by the mayor's wife Ilsa Hermann, who later invites Liesel to read in her library.

Keeping a promise he made to the man who saved his life, Hans agrees to hide a Jew named Max Vandenberg in his basement. Liesel and Max become close friends, and Max writes Liesel two stories about their friendship, both of which are reproduced in the novel. When Hans publicly gives bread to an old Jew being sent to a concentration camp, Max must leave, and Hans is drafted into the military at a time when air raids over major German cities were escalating in terms of frequency and fatality. Liesel next sees Max being marched towards the concentration camp at Dachau.

 Liesel loses hope and begins to disdain the written word, having learnt that Hitler's propaganda is to blame for the war and the Holocaust and the death of her biological family, but Ilsa encourages her to write. Liesel writes the story of her life in the Hubermanns' basement, where she miraculously survives an air raid that kills Hans, Rosa, Rudy, and everyone else on her block. Liesel survives the war, as does Max. She goes on to live a long life and dies at an old age.

Review:

Disclaimer: 

If you want a fast read, this book is not for you. If you only like happy endings this book is not for you. If you don't like experimental fiction, this book is not for you. 

If you love to read and if you love to care about the characters you read about and if you love to eat words like they're ice cream and if you love to have your heart broken and mended on the same page, this book is for you. 

“When death captures me,” the boy vowed, “he will feel my  fist on his face.”

Personally, I quite like that. Such stupid  gallantry.

Yes.

I like that a lot.

Death himself narrates the story about a little girl named Liesel growing up with her foster parents in Nazi Germany. At the beginning, I felt somewhat intimidated by the idea of Death as a narrator. I assumed that his voice would be dark and thunderous, but for the most part, he was a ray of light illuminating earth’s saddest time. Incredibly insightful observations and occasional dry humor are only some of the things no one but Death could have brought into this story. Besides, we hear people calling God’s name every day for many reasons, but when Death calls to Him in despair and even those calls fall on deaf ears, no one can fail to understand the gravity of the situation.

I do not carry a sickle or a scythe.

I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold.

And I don’t have those skull-like 

facial features you seem to enjoy

pinning on me from a distance. You 

want to know what I truly look like?

I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.

The Book Thief is not one of those books you read compulsively, desperate to find out what’s on the next page. No. It is, in fact, better to read it slowly, in small doses, in a way that allows you to savor every word and absorb the power and the magic it contains. All the while, you know what’s going to happen. Death has no patience for mysteries. However, anticipation of the inevitable makes it even worse. My whole body was tingling with fear because I knew what was coming and I knew that it was only a matter of time.

Zusak found a way to give a fresh approach to a much-told story. He offered a glimpse at the other side of the coin. Really, should we feel sorry for the people hiding in a basement in Munich suburbs? Sure, bombs are falling on their heads, but most of them are members of the Nazi Party, willingly or reluctantly. Some of them truly think that Jews are no better than rats. Some, on the other hand, are hiding a Jew in their own basement. Some are just innocent children. But the more important question is, are we any better at all if we don’t feel compassion and sorrow? Death does a great job of asking all these questions in a calm, unobtrusive way.

Some Quotes From the Book:

•“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”

•“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”

•“Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.”

•“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skills is their capacity to escalate.”

•“There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life: 

1. He would part his hair from the opposite side to everyone else. 

2. He would make himself a small, strange mustache. 

3. He would one day rule the world. 

...Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words.”

I’d rate this different yet powerful novel with:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

Book Review: Casual Vacancy By J.K Rowling

Book Review: Casual Vacancy 

By J.K Rowling

Review:

Utterly out of the Blue Rowling chose a very different subject this time to suit her pen, Politics.

It is pretty hard to believe that J.K Rowling could write a novel so different from the bestseller & historical series of Harry Potter but on the other hand she seems to master the art of telling story as The Casual Vacancy is gripping from start till end apart from its rather dry subject.

When in a small town of England a casual vacancy arises after the death of councilman the whole town except some suffers deep misery. The story sheds light on many of the social problems that they go through including drugs, prostitution, rape and the class differences.

The story revolves around and we get to see how the councilman’s character was important to the people of Pagford & how instead of being able to live a fulfilled life the children in town were enduring the suffering which came from the negative attitude of their parents.

This novel is a reflection to bad parenting, breaking marriage, crushing hope and the power of suppressed aggression.

The Casual Vacancy has set records & has every reason to be in your book shelf.

Rowling is at her very best in her first experiment with adult fiction.

A touch of deep & classy literature after a long time.

I would rate this one:
****

Reviewed by Adina Farid

Book Review : Fifty Shades Freed by E.L.James

Book Review : Fifty Shades Freed 

by E.L.James

Plot:

As we return back to the last & best of Grey series we find everything at its peak.

E.L James has created this last book with more magic & less kin!

The book starts with a jolt when Christian wakes up from his nightmare about his past where his mother lies cold and dead on floor.

Ana and Christian get married and go on honeymoon in Europe.

Christian's purchase of SIP goes through, and he tells Ana that he wants her to eventually run the business.

When Christian is out of town on a business trip, Ana sneaks out to have drinks with Kate. Jack attempts to break into Escala with the intention of kidnapping and assaulting Ana. The security team catches Jack and has him arrested, but Christian is furious with Ana for not staying home when she was told. Ana tells that Christian is too overprotective and controlling, but she tries to understand why he feels the need to protect her.

Christian surprises Ana by inviting Kate, Elliot, Mia, and Ethan to all go on vacation in Aspen, Colorado. Elliot proposes to Kate at a restaurant in front of all their friends.

Ray is badly injured in a car accident with a drunk driver, but manages to make a full recovery. Ana learns that she is pregnant because her birth control shot ran out early and she missed four appointments with Dr. Greene. When she tells Christian, he walks out on her. He tries to find Dr. Flynn, but instead finds himself at Elena's salon. He later comes home drunk and while Ana is trying to get him in bed, she sees a text from Elena. Ana worries that their marriage is on the rocks.

Jack is bailed out of prison by an unknown party (later revealed to be Elena's ex-husband, Mr. Lincoln). Jack and his accomplice (revealed to be Elizabeth Morgan) drug and kidnap Mia and hold her for a $5 million dollar ransom. Ana is able to outwit Jack and manages to save Mia's life, but is hurt in the process. Later, Ana discovers that Jack wanted revenge against Christian for destroying his life and taking SIP away from him. Elizabeth eventually feels guilty for her part and willingly testifies against Jack to the police.

At the hospital, Christian is upset with Ana for endangering both her and their baby's life, but apologizes for walking out on her. Most of Ana's family and friends are upset with her for being reckless -- except for Mia, who is actually grateful for being rescued. Christian finally opens up to Ana about his childhood in Detroit and his relationship with Elena. With Christian finally opening up to her, Ana's worries are put to rest.

In the Epilogue, Anastasia and Christian have a son Theodore and are expecting their second child, a daughter they name Phoebe. Kate and Elliot marry and have a daughter named Ava.

After the book ends with a happy ending there is some bonus material about their life afterwards. Ana gives birth to a baby boy whom they name after Grace’s father Theodore, and is expecting again with a baby girl.

The story has ended well but still with some space for yet another sequel!

Review:

“I want your world to begin and end with me.”

Outstanding and complete! Not a slight detail left unattended. What an splendid end to what an awesome series!

The turn of events and the unfolding Grey wraps up readers in to a mystified fog, intoxicating and addictive.

This last book of trilogy is also the best one as it is unputdownable right from the start!

If you are able to save yourself from kinky Christian after two books, the good and irresistibly hot Christian is waiting in this one!

All the secrets are revealed smoothly.

“Life is never going to be boring with Christian, and I’m in this for the long haul. I love this man: my husband, my lover, father of my child, my sometimes Dominant……my Fifty Shades.” 

I would rate this outstanding climax of one of my favorite series, a little over the top, with:
****1/2

Review by Kelly Cutrone

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