Review: Fairest

And the most villainous alien Queen award goes to Levana. Not only does she impersonate ex-lovers to seduce her prey, she's also manipulative, possessive, selfish and makes a horrible babysitter.

After an incident left her disfigured, Levana is forced to use a glamour 24/7 in order to communicate with others. Regardless of how beautiful she appears or how helpful she tries to be -- no one wants her around. Until Emret, a palace guard, gives her a pendant. The only gift she will receive that year. Instantly, Levana vows to marry him at any cost. Why is it so hard to make someone love her? How long can she keep forcing herself on others until they fight back. As Levana says ''Love is a war'' (Or a battlefield if you prefer Benatar's version)

Meyer provided enough background to help us understand why Queen Levana embodies such a cruelty in Lunar. I loved seeing glimpses of Winter, Cress and Selene. And can now move on to the final book with a more in-depth perspective.

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach reads

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

TOP BEACH READS 2016

It's beach season (or pool season for those of us in Montreal). But regardless of whether you are toasting your toes on the sand or tanning on the boiling concrete, here's my top ten beach reads for this 2016 summer.

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

This book won a few awards for its thrilling plot story, and the goosebumps you'll get from reading it might be a great way to keep cool on the sand. 

Bad Karma by David Safier

I recommend this one to chick-lit fans. There's character growth, laugh out loud moments, and irresistible characters that make karma fun to experience. 

Along for the ride by Sarah Dessen

A heartfelt story that takes place in a small town during summer. 

Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Because it's great to meditate by the waves. It has romance, action, plot twists... this graphic novel has it all. 

A thousand nights by E. K. Johnston

The desert gives a nice setting to this book, and I can't think of a better place than to read this on the beach with a nice cool drink. 

The red tent by Anita Diamant

My first bible retelling so far. I enjoyed seeing the biblical characters through different eyes. The author did try to keep the story as realistic as possible. Also a desert setting.

   

Dear Emma by Katie Heaney

A romance for the brokenhearted. This novel answers so many relationship questions such as ''why didn't he call me back?'' without turning into a self-help book. 

We were liars by E. Lockhart

My final pick for the beach has to be this small novel from Lockhart. Although, it's not her typical high school story, she make sure to add several plot twists and a warm small town feel that will make you wish you were on near the water. Oh wait, you are!   

Which books would you take to the beach?

Review: My best friend's exorcism a novel

Promising idea that needed a better editor.

Since elementary school, Abby and Gretchen have been inseparable. From sleepovers, to cafeteria lunches, vacations -- you will never find one without the other. But after an acid trip (it was the 80's) gone wrong, their friendship will be tested when a demon follows them home. 


The story began with an older Abby, now divorced and wiser, telling us about her friendship with Gretchen. Sadly, the author never really returns to this voice, but rather continues the story in a linear form, allowing us to accompany the girls from elementary to high school. In fact, the horror takes such a long time to appear, that the plot felt more contemporary than anything. The details about the girls families, friendships and Abby's acne filled skin are numerous, and worse, the author prolongs the story way too much after said possession. None of the characters ever take responsibilities for their actions, and the police and school investigations regarding the possession just didn't seem plausible. 

All in all not for me, although I did enjoy the 80's song list titles. 

Review: Dear Emma

''I wanted to come up with the perfect text, and the perfect time to send it, and to know what the exact right move was to keep him from just ... ignoring me.'' Girls night often (if not always) brushes the topic of relationships. Why didn't he text me back?, He seems weird lately, and yeah, odd sex moves (like last time this dude put his hand on my throat while... sorry TMI). This book dissects all of that. Heaney inspired herself from Jane Austen's Emma, and delivered us a modern female college columnist who provides love advice once a week to her readers. Sadly for ''Emma'' (she uses a pen name) her love life is chaotic. Her dating partner, Keith (I wish and so does she that we could call him boyfriend), has stopped texting her. Even in person, he downright ignores her. And worse, social media suggests that he's seeing another girl who Emma works with. Can Emma give this girl relationship advice, and most importantly, what can she do to stop missing Keith? I love how this books makes us feel human. How we are not alone in going through these things. But most of all, Emma's column was extremely well written with powerful advice for college students, people in the dating pool, and friendships.

Book and Movie Challenge: Room

It's no wonder Room got so much praise at the Oscars.  

If you`ve read the book, then you expected the tears that this movie would undoubtedly cause. However, the book was written under the voice of 5 year-old Jack, making it even more realistic in the tone. Let's face it, a five-year-old child can't lie or embellish the truth. Therefore the captivity that him and his mom were forced into by Old Nick appeared even more gruesome in the hardcover.

That is not to say that the movie lacked in tone. Being character driven, it relied on Jacob Tremblay(Jack) and his mom played by Brie Larson (Joy) to impress us with their acting. I have no clue how the director coached Jacob into performing so well, but they really do pull us into the story and allow us to experience what it would be like to overcome an abduction.

All in all, an amazing adaptation that deserves to be watched and read.