From the shelf: Dark Places

Title: Dark Places

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Date read: March 29-31, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars.

Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?

She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.

Who did massacre the Day family?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

How will a sole survivor to a gruesome massacre ,of her mom and sisters "orchestrated" by her brother, keep on living? Pretend that nothing happened and live a crappy life or retrace the past and entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe your brother didn't do it. That was what tears Libby Day apart. Libby, the baby who survived and whose testimony was the final straw in imprisoning her brother branding him as the prime suspect to the massacre. It starts when she encounters a group of crazed mystery solvers (The Kill Club) who were convinced that her brother is innocent. I like this novel more than Gone Girl maybe because I was spoiled having to watch the movie first before reading the novel; but even though I didn't watch the movie first, I still would've liked this better. It would be impossible for me to discuss this book without giving anything away (I suggest reading it to know what I'm talking about) but all I can say is this book took me into a myriad of emotions, a roller coaster ride. It had its peaks and times where I could hardly breathe. I would've given it just 3 stars because of the anticlimactic moments toward the end but I still enjoyed the middle part so I easily gave 4 stars for this one.

Till the next read..

From the shelf: Gone Girl

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Date read: March 11-29, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? 

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

My only regret is: why did I ever watch the movie first before reading the book....as always. I don't know if I read too many books but I predicted the ending of the movie therefore spoiling the surprise in the book. Movie aside, this book had that compelling mystery and thrill that made me addicted. The story starts on their 5th anniversary when Amy went missing confusing Nick triggering the lies, deceit and their twisted, dysfunctional marriage. Of course there was a big twist nearing the end and I have stop without giving anything away. This book was dark, thrilling and mysterious...just the way I like it.

Till the next read..

From the shelf: Divergent (Divergent #1)

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Date read: March 20-21, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Why haven't I read this sooner? 

Once again, I was captured with the dystopian genre and most especially the premise of this story. I know that this would be compared to the "Hunger Games", well that's what all dystopian books suffer, but I liked this book. The post-apocalyptic world is divided into factions. Factions that everyone thought would be the solution in having a peaceful community: Candor (honest), Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Amity (peaceful) and Erudite (intelligent). Though this may seem like the perfect world, there would always be something missing, questions will be asked and someone will always be curious; that is human nature and Tris kind of represents that. No one can be just one thing, there would always be something missing. No one can compartmentalize and solely be that one thing because although that would seem like the perfect solution, there would always be cons and conflicts attached to it. I liked the movie but the book is so much better. Will I read the next installment? Hell yeah.

Till the next read..

From the shelf: The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3)

Title: The Death Cure

Author: James Dashner

Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Date read: March 8-10, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

It’s the end of the line.

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

Will anyone survive?

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

The truth will be terrifying.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials

Finally, the awaited conclusion of the Maze Runner trilogy. I like dystopian novels that could grip the reader till the end of a trilogy and this dd absolutely that. Cranks reminded me though of those zombies from the walking dead. This third installment which should have been the conclusion to the questions at the first two books became so much more. There were more lies, deceit and questions as the book neared the final chapter. Even I didn't expect that death at the end and I still have this feeling that something went unanswered.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

Title: The Scorch Trials

Author: James Dashner

Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Date read: February 12- March 8, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)


Summary (cr: goodreads)

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. 

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off. 

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: The Maze Runner

This is the second installment of James Dashner's "The Maze Runner series. The plot gets thicker and there were times in which I was confused and surprised by the turnout of the events in this book. Although there were times that I also anticipated the events. Everyone who thought that they were safe and that the worst is over when they survived the maze are in for disappointment. There were more adventures, more characters, more questions and less of those answers. But I guess that is the author's way of gripping the readers till the end of the trilogy.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1)

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Date read: February 9-11, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

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. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Let me just say this: I, once again was fooled by the movie, This happened to me once and that is Rick Riordan's 'The Lightning Thief'. I, again watched the movie before I read the book and just to be fair the movie was interesting. It was the reason I decided to read the book. But as I devoured the pages, I realized the book is always better. Not just because of the movie's wrong sequences but because the book is more action-packed and downright interesting. I have my own speculations about the future of the book's characters as well as my judgement on WICKED's true intention and with that I'm going to read the second book of the series.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Geography of You and Me

Title: The Geography of You and Me
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Life, Chick-Lit
Date read: February 7-8, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

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. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This is the 3rd book that I have read by Jennifer Smith (The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, This is what Happy Looks Like) and as per chick-lit standards, it didn't disappoint..although there were parts that I was bored. This story is about unexpected meetings, the value of change and holding on. Owen and Lucy were two people coping with change, one moving on from a loss and the other leaving her safe zone doing something she really wanted to do. Both of them literally have worlds apart between them geographically and they start to grow up as they experience life.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Parang kayo, Pero hindi

Title: Parang kayo, Pero hindi
Author: Noringai
Genre: Humor, Love, Contemporary
Date read: January 6-7, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The “parang kayo, pero hindi” stage. Others call it MU or mutual understanding. Pseudo relationships. Pseudo boyfriends. Flings. Almost like a relationship, but not quite. It is a phase where the persons involved are more than friends, but not quite lovers.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I don't usually read essay type books but it changed when I read Bob Ong's years back and with that said I enjoyed this book. This book is a breeze to read, best read on a day where you decide to just chill out and relax. Although there are some chapters that are in your face (the fact that you can relate), I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through the pages and even laughed out loud ironically at some. Only a person who truly had those experiences could write something like this.

Till the next read...