T5W: Gateway Books into YA Horror

It’s that time of the week again and this week’s theme is gateway books into our favorite genre! Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes and created by Lainey @ Ginger Reads Lainey. They have a Goodreads groups that you can join to check out their monthly topics!

Because October is almost here, I decided to choose the Horror (Ghost/Zombies/Mosnters) genre. I decided to post my favorite horror books in here because I love recommending them to others and if you have read them and liked them, then we should fangirl together ♥ .

5.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

 Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas’s life.

This was my first YA horror book and I’ve been a fan of ghosts stories ever since. I really love the characters and each of their story was written really well. This is also not a typical ghost story . Anna’s character was 3 dimensional that you can’t just call her a ghost and leave it at that.She’s badass, she’s mean, she’s lonely and she’s amazing. 

4. Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world.

Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

Lockdown is more like a combination of The Maze Runner and The Escape Plan. Imagine being locked in jail where monsters are real. This book gave me goosebumps and the series was getting better and better.

3. Slasher Girls and Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

Stefan Bachmann
Leigh Bardugo
Kendare Blake
A. G. Howard
Jay Kristoff
Marie Lu
Jonathan Maberry
Danielle Paige
Carrie Ryan
Megan Shepherd
Nova Ren Suma
McCormick Templeman
April Genevieve Tucholke
Cat Winters

I’m a fan of anthologies and this one is the best YA Anthology book ever published. This book has a lot of great authors who wrote hell-raising books.

2. Say Her Name by James Dawson

Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of ‘Bloody Mary’: say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear… But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?

Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror… five days… but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before… A truly spine-chilling yet witty horror from shortlisted ‘Queen of Teen’ author James Dawson.

Been a fan of Bloody Mary ever since I watched that horror movie when I was a kid. So far, this book has the best story about Bloody Mary and it deserves all the five star in the world.

1. The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret – one that would just killto get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as “Dexter” meets “The Grudge”, based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

THE JAPANESE HAS THE BEST HORROR STORIES EVEEEER. This book is an auto-rec when it comes to horror books and it freaking deserves all the love that I have for it. I can’t get over this book and this will be a must read on Halloween. 

So there it is. My Top Five Gateway Books to YA Horror. Have you read any horror books that you want to recommend? If yes, feel free to drop them and I’ll check them out. ❤

My friend’s new blog.

Hey! This is just a quick post to let you know about the new blog my friend Kate made! It’s called The Nerdy Novelty and you can check it out HERE. She is completely new to wordpress and stuff so she deserves some support.

That’s all,

August Book Haul & where have I been? -Yasmin

HEY GUYS! So after months of not blogging, I’ve finally come around to write another post. I’m gonna be hauling all the books I got in August!

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been and why my GR’s disappeared, here’s a quick explanation. So I haven’t been blogging because I was in Asia for the WHOLE summer! I could’ve blogged a little bit, but I was meeting and gathering with family so my online life took a backseat.
I deleted my Goodreads because it got to be really unhealthy for me, and I spend too much time on the site. Now I have an account SOLELY to add books I want to read, & be able to look at ratings/reviews. But I no longer am writing GR’s reviews! 😦

ANYWAYS, here are all the books I got in August! (Most are from online because I’m still in Asia haha)

First off, I got Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. I’ve heard great things about this book and thought I’d give it a read! From what I’ve gathered its a dark, paranormal thriller.

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

Apparently Susan Dennard and SJM are BFF’s so obviously I’m gonna try Truthwitch! I’ve heard mixed things, but the premise sounds promising.

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

All The Rage is apparently a rape story and after reading a few poignant and emotional reviews, I immediately got it. I’m interested to read it.

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

I’m not exactly sure why I got this book, but the cover is really really gorgeous and I am a huge fantasy lover! But it seems like a very romance-y and trope-y book. 😦

 

 

 

I’m trying to read some more contemporary/realistic fiction and this book sounds amazing. I’ve also read many glowing reviews!

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

I, personally, do not struggle with anxiety but I know many people do. Finding Audrey was really hyped a few months ago and I’m excited to read it!

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

 

I know that Paige read this and really liked it! It sounds dark and mysterious (which I love).

Source: BookOutlet.com

 

 

 

I read ACOTAR over a year ago and it was meh but apparently this book is AMAZING. I didn’t actually plan on getting this until I reread ACOTAR so I added it to my Amazon “later” cart, and then my dad just ordered it. O.O

Source: Amazon.com

 

 

I don’t believe this requires an explanation haha.

Source: Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny story. So about a year ago I got The Raven Boys as an ebook and I ended up giving it 2 stars. But this summer I tried again and really enjoyed it! So in Malaysia, I went to the bookstore and got the rest of the series. ^-^

Source: MPH (a malaysian bookstore)

 

Challenger Deep is a book I got at the end of July but I’m just adding it here haha. I LOVED IT. It was a brilliant book about mental illness told through a dual perspective, one from real life, and the other was a dreamscape made up by the MC. I would 5/5 recommend!

Source: MPH (a malaysian bookstore)

 

My mom and I both wanted to read this book so when I saw it I decided to get it. I’ve heard super mixed things, but my godmother recommended it to me, so I want to give it a try anyways. ^-^

Source: MPH (a malaysia bookstore)

 

 

 

I got this in the August OwlCrate box! Thanks so much to Crate Joy for sending it to me. ^-^

Source: Owlcrate/cratejoy

 

 

AND those are all the books I got in the month of August! Hope you didn’t mind my extended absence. I’m ready to get back into blogging, though!

Review: The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Publication Date: June 7, 2016

Pages: 432 pages

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back–with no idea of where they’ve been.

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to.

Until today. Today five of those kids return. They’re sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn’t really recognize the person she’s supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they’re entirely unable to recall where they’ve been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn’t come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of all Max’s sister Avery, who needs to find her brother–dead or alive–and isn’t buying this whole memory-loss story. (From Goodreads)

REVIEW:

“A whole generation oblivious to the truth of the human condition is a recipe for the collapse of society.”

This is not my first novel of Tara Alterbrando since I’ve already read her co-authored novel with Sara Zarr, entitled Roomies (which I loved). Roomies is a contemporary, realistic fiction novel. The Leaving is a mystery-thriller. So, I don’t know what to expect, at first, with this book. And now, having read this book, I could say that Tara has the talent to write these kinds of novels. Even the novel has lacked of intensity, it was well-crafted and intelligently written.

The Leaving is a mysterious tale of six children who went missing without a trace and came back as 16-year-old teens who don’t exactly remember everything happens to them in the past few years of their disappearances.

And now everyone wants answers. Everyone wants to know the truth. And that everyone includes me, of course.

In my honest opinion, it is a slow journey, at first, but as I went along, it diverts to an engaging and intriguing read. Then, it comes back to being slow and backs again for being compelling, and so on. It’s like the book is giving you a time to rest; which I don’t know if it is a good thing or not. Probably not since as for a mystery-thriller novel, I like me a spontaneous heart stopping revelations and mind-blowing twists that will truly shock the hell out of me and will leave me gasping for breaths.

Anyway, as I’ve mentioned earlier even The Leaving does lack of intensity, I do think it was brilliantly thought of. It was well-plotted and well-developed. Intricate details are subtly and obviously told at the same time. And the twists after twists are sensible and reasonable. Besides, the main concept/ point of the story– of why the children has gone missing, is absolutely fascinating and unpredictable.

It’s not perfect but it is still worth a try.

T5W: Books I want to have a sequel

 

It’s Wednesday and book bloggers know what happens when it’s Wednesday. It’s time for Top 5 Wednesday! T5W is a weekly meme created by gingerreadslainey and you can follow them in their Goodreads group by clicking the link.

This week’s topic is :

Books You Wish Had Sequels
— Standalones that you wish had a sequel or the last book in the series that you wish wasn’t the last.

I do read a lot of standalones and I have loads of books that I wish the author would give a sequel to, but here’s the top 5 in my list.

 

1 . Tiger Lily : If you have read Tiger Lily, you know that the ending was superbly amazing and it was perfect. But let’s be real, no matter how much we all love the ending, a part of us is still hoping to know more about Peter, Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell.

2. Dangerous Girls: This is the kind of book that needs a sequel wherein instead of a continuation of the story, we’ll get a story narrated by the heroine’s best friend.

3. Don’t Get Caught: How to say this without spoiling anything? The story ended in  way that the readers know there will be a clash of wits in the future between *toot* and *toot*. If you have read this book,you know that those pranks made by the characters are pure genius and I want to know more about it.

4.Uprooted: BEST DAMN STANDALONE FANTASY that I’ve read so far. Usually, a book with a genre like this needs to have a sequel to be really good. Uprooted is different. It put the other fantasy book in shame. And the only reason why I want to have a sequel is because I want to know more about Agnieszka and the Dragon’s story. I’m not choosy. I’ll be satisfied with a novella with 150+ pages.

5. Eleanor and Park: Raise your bloody hand if you want Eleanor and Park’s love story to continue.

 

What’s your Top 5 books?Feel free to share or send me the link to check it out!

 

Discussion: Book Boyfriends (yes I have tons)

 

Confession 1: I love a lot of guys.

Confession 2: They are all fictional.

Let’s be honest, part of being a bookworm is falling in love with a certain hero/character and the more you read, the more book boyfriends you’ll have. But what is a book boyfriend?

It’s when you consider a certain character very attractive and his traits are something that you obsess  in a potential boyfriend.

I tried compiling my book boyfriends and put them into different categories. Some of them might differ in you opinion and you might add some things about them. I would love to hear your side and it’s much fun if we share book boyfriends to each other.

YA Charming Book Boyfriends- The type where you’re just helplessly in love with them because they stole your heart with their winks, their words and their actions.

1. Augustus Waters of The Fault in Our Stars: Tell me. Tell me if Gus isn’t charming and I’ll swallow a big marshmallow without even chewing it. This dude is endearing and just look at this.

SWOON!

2. Carswell Thorne of The Lunar Chronicles: I’m really not into Princes so Kai is not in my list. But a dashing captain/thief who is a proclaimed ladies man? Count me in.

 

Swoon again.

3. Adrian Ivashkov of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series: Let’s just say I’m fascinated with dashing vampire with green eyes.

YA boyfriends who are sarcastic / has a dry wit: boys who says the silliest and the most sarcastic things but you still can’t help but be charmed with them.

1. Will Herondale: Will freaking Herondale. There’s something really classy and amazing with a character who is British and hilariously vain. I love how selfless Will is when it comes to his friends and for Tessa and (spoiler alert) MY HEART BROKE WHEN HE HAD A BREAKDOWN WHEN HE THOUGHT JEM DIED AND THEIR PARABATAI BOND WAS BROKEN.

2. Percy Jackson : My middle grade self was in love with him when it was still the PJO series. My Young Adult self is still in love with him after the Heroes of Olympus series because guuuurl. If you need a demigod to fell in love with, it’s PERSEUS JACKSON that you need.

YA Boyfriends who are the protector type: boys who are known for selflessly protecting their loved ones.Swoon.

1. Kell of A Darker Shade of Magic : Kell Kell Kell. If you’ve read ADSOM, either you have a crush on Rhys or Kell or both. You can’t deny it. And how can you resist Kell when his coat is one of the most amazing fictional stuff ever. And I ship the bromance of Kell and Rhys.

2. Rowan Whitehorn of the “Throne of Glass”series: If ever I would be given a chance to have a partner in crime,I would choose Rowan. He’s a great fighter, he’s loyal and he’s hot.

YA boyfriends who are the best friend type: YA heroes who are usually best friends or/are best friends material that you can’t help but love.

1. Gale Hawthorne: anyone here who ships Gale? And Liam Hemsworth is hawt guys.
   2. Ron Weasley of HP series: Really. Do I need to say more?

3. Park Sheridan of Eleanor and Park: This dude is the best. I don’t usually read contemporary YA but there’s something with Park that is different with the usual YA hero. He’s selfless and kind and has the most beautiful soul ever.

 

So these are my book boyfriends and I lurrrve them all.Who are your book boyfriends? Feel free to share.

Review: Meet Me Here by Bryan Bliss

Hey guys! Paige here. Today we have a guest reviewer (hi Neil! ) in our blog. Neil and I have been good friends in GR for so long and I trust his tastes and reviews in books.

Yasmin and I thought that having guest reviewers in our blog for awhile is a great idea because 1. We’re too busy to post any good review lately and 2. We want to give a chance to some bookworms who doesn’t have a blog but are great in making book reviews. I know-I know. Yasmin & I should be canonized because of having such a great idea.

Anyway, here’s Neil and his review of Meet me here by Bryan Bliss.

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Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Publication Date: May 31, 2016

Pages: 272 pages

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: 

In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: Do what everyone has always expected of him? Or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss’s absorbing examination of one boy struggling with expectations and realities will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher.

Thomas is supposed to leave for the army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas’s certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He’ll also face the truth of his brother’s post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss’s deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, find each other, find a path, and know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to. (From Goodreads)

 

REVIEW:

The nostalgia is strong in this book that reading it makes me miss my childhood days and my childhood friends. In a stressful life I have right now, remembering and reminiscing my days as a child is such a sweet thing; a fulfilling moment that spread a warm feeling in my heart. And I’m thanking Meet Me Here for that.

Bliss’s second YA novel is a remarkably well-written and well – told book. A profound novel with good pacing and realistic characters. Even the story only happens in one night, it conveys a lot of desirable things that made this book a worthy read. It’s absorbing and it’s absolutely heartfelt.

First and foremost, I like how this is nostalgic in a way where Thomas and his long-estranged friend, Mallory, remembers and relives their past. I like the subtlety of it all that I thought Meet Me Here is all about Thomas and Thomas alone. It wasn’t. I like how the characters grow in each chapter of this novel, especially Thomas who comes up on his own term to face the inevitable. I like how the book shares knowledge about the trauma of war. And I like the open-ended ending the book has, justifying that Thomas has lot of choices with his life; his future.

Meet Me Here is all about choices and decision and the struggle with reality and expectation. And it’s relateable.

In this novel, Thomas is to decide whether he will follow the path taken by his father and brother– being an Army (which is expected to him by the people around him, especially by his father). Or to embark a new path for himself especially after his brother came back as a completely different person.

It’s almost the same with everybody, right? That expectations and pressure from the people around you. That feeling of reluctance and confusion whether to follow the current or flow against it. That indecisiveness to push through a concrete plan you made for yourself after witnessing an unexpected turn of events. It’s difficult and exhausting. Fulfilling their expectations, weighing things, deciding and all that.

Books with male POV

I’m sure you guys notice that when it comes to YA (or sometimes adult ) books, male POV is rare. Maybe it’s because most authors are female and it’s usually easy to write a story with a point of view from a gender that is more familiar or maybe because it’s the “norm”? I mean, romance is usually female’s territory that’s why adult books such as regency and contemporary romance is usually written by a woman.

Anyway, I love reading books that is in a male’s perspective. Most of the books with male narration always gets a high rating from me because

1 . Fictional males are less whiny than fictional females.

2 .  They are (usually) hilarious.

3 . As a girl, I find it fascinating to know how a male mind works.

I have compiled some YA and MG books that I’ve read with a full male pov (that means that it doesn’t have a shared female pov in the entire story).

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The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine: 

The Novice by Taran Matharu 

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Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Wonder by R.J Palacio

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The Red Sea by Edward W. Robertson

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

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Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Hold me Closer,Necromancer by Lish McBride

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

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And that’s it. I know I’v missed so many books that has a male POV (like HP, PJO series, some John Green books and many more) but I want to stick to books that are not really that well known 🙂 Let me know what are your favorite books with male POV.

I’ve read a thousand books in Goodreads!!!

 

I’m going to brag. I just reached the “thousand book read” mark.

It feels like I’m a stronger person now lol.

I’m thinking of doing a giveaway but I still haven’t decided if I’ll do it within the Philippines only or if I can afford a worldwide giveaway. But anyway, YOU GUYS ARE WELCOME TO MY PARTY!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Duly Quoted #9 : Poems for Persephone

It’s been awhile since I posted a Duly Quoted post and this time, I’m going to feature one of the most beautiful quotes that I saw on Tumblr. Do check out Poemsforpersephone to see more awesome poems and thoughts. ♥

what if
when icarus fell
apollo caught him
before he hit the sea,
arms as warm as the sun,
but safer.

art by Gabriel Picolo

what if
when ariadne cast the rope
across a broken branch
aphrodite stepped in
with a reminder that this,
this is not the kind of love
you die for.

facinaoris.tumblr.com

what if
when achilles
was ready for war
ares appeared with a smile
and said “you win well when you win,
but what are you unwilling
to lose if you lose?”
and achilles knew the answer.

if you could
retell the tale wouldn’t you want
to tell it kinder? wouldn’t you
want to give them peace, even love,
where you could?

Hope ya’ll got a lovely day.