Book Review: The Reckoning

Title: The Reckoning

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date: April 6, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Horror, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Summary: (From the book)

Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them.

As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...

Definitely not normal.

Review:

          I was sort of lazy not making my own summary today! LOL! But anyway, the more important thing is my review about this book.

         The Reckoning is Kelley Armstrong’s third and last installment of the Darkest Power Series. Well, the ending is kind of lacking something. There were still questions lingering in my mind and some unsolved mysteries in the book. I was looking for more. But despite that, it’s the kind of series that I really love to read and sacrifice my eating and sleeping just to finish the series! More than the flaws that I noticed, still Armstrong is one of the best authors I’ve read. I like the fantastical world that she created with her books. My favorite part in the story is how Chloe’s love life ended. I was really pro-team Simon but I was happy when Chloe realized that she’s happier with Derek and I just love how they dealt with the situation. The action-packed plot is still fun and exciting to read. Actually, you’ll forget its down side after you read the book because of the satisfying ending. I just hope there’s a fourth book for more action and adventure. But I guess I just have to read Kelley Armstrong’s another series – Darkness Rising. And, I will definitely do!

Preceded By: The Awakening

Book Review: The Awakening

Title: The Awakening

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date: April 28, 2009

Genre: Paranormal Horror, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Summary:

Chloe Saunders, a normal teenage girl, but everything changed after finding out that she was a walking science experiment. The sinister group of scientists called the Edison Group was now after her because she was considered an aberration being genetically altered by the same group. Now, that her powers being a necromancer who can see and talk to ghosts and even raise their dead bodies or worse raise a battalion of zombies from their graves was becoming more powerful. She now, became a threat to the other members of the Edison Group and they were eager to hunt her down and end the experiment they had started permanently. Chloe had to run for her life with her sorcerer, werewolf and witch friends.

Review:

                I just finished reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick today. I started yesterday and I was so hooked that I was able to finish it today. Haha! Though, my review today is not about it, well, I just want to give some spoiler of what will be the next book series I will review. J

                So, back to The Awakening, here’s my review …

Necromancer, Sorcerer, Witch and Werewolf joined all together to create a fantastical world of friendship and love. In the second installment of Kelley Armstrong’s the Darkest Power Trilogy, The Awakening, comes another excellent plot of adventure and excitement.

If you’re a fan of vampires and angels, you’ll surely gonna love this one. I wasn’t able to write that much on my last blog about the first book (The Summoning) so I want to give it all in here. I was really impressed of Kelley Armstrong’s flexibility and at the same time consistency with her books. I’ve read almost all of her Women of the Otherworld Series and she stick to the genre of paranormal romance though the difference between the two series is that the Darkest Power series is a young-adult paranormal romance while the latter is an adult novel. But, I’d love to make a review of the Women of the Otherworld, perhaps after I finished this trilogy.

So, anyway, back to The Summoning. In this book, Chloe Saunders, our main character became more powerful being a necromancer and she already knew how to use her capability to defend herself and her friends as well from the scientists who were hunting for them.

The fast-paced story of The Awakening didn’t let me get out of my room for the whole day while reading it! LOL! Seriously, there was no dull moment in every chapter of the book. Every adventure of Chloe and her friends was intelligently planned and exciting to read.

Moreover, in every story, the most important thing is the moral you’ll get from it and I think the most important lesson in this novel is treasuring your friends and trusting them.


Preceded By: The Summoning
Followed By: The Reckoning

Book Review: The Summoning

Title: The Summoning

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date:  July 1, 2008

Genre: Paranormal Horror, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Summary:

Chloe Sanders wanted a normal life but seeing and hearing ghosts since childhood, she knew that her life can never be as normal as going to school, meeting new friends and maybe meet a boy. She tried to live a normal life but things got worse when once in school, she saw a ghost and freaked out. Because of that incident she was diagnosed to have schizophrenia and was sent to Lyle school- a group home for mentally disturbed teenagers. The school seemed okay but when she started meeting other patients like Simon, his brother, Derek, mean Tori, and Rae who was a “pyromaniac”, there seemed to be something strange and sinister that put them together in that school. Now, she had to find out what was that and was it connected to  the strange “illness” of the patients of Lyle House and with her capability of seeing ghosts ?

Review:

                Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors because of her exceptional idea and genre of paranormal stuff. I like her idea of combining all of the urban fantasy characters in one plot. Werewolves, Demons, Sorcerers and Necromancers are all in one book. The “Darkest Power” Series is just one of the book series that I totally got hooked into. The page-turning horror and thrill are in the books. In this first installment of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Power Series, I’m really impressed of the plot and the twist of the novel. It was thrilling and fun to read.

                What I like about the characters is that they seem to be really at their age, the way they think in the story, the way they act and the way they feel. I like the character of Chloe. She’s innocent but smart and witty. I also like the mystery of the other characters in the story like Derek’s and the others.

                Fantasy and Paranormal Fans will surely enjoy this Trilogy. Watch out for my next reviews about the following books: The Awakening and The Reckoning.

Followed By: The Awakening

A Fallen Novel Series: My Dream Casts

            Just to break the ice, I will be writing something different today. Instead of another book review and since I really can’t get over with my Fallen Novel addiction, I want to write about my dream casts for the Fallen Novel series if ever it will have a movie adaptation.

         According to www.thewrap.com, Disney has optioned Fallen by Lauren Kate which will be produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray through their Mayhem Productions (also the producers of Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne Johnson). That’s a ‘hooray!’ to all the Fallen fans if it is true.

              Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson—these are just some of the novels which successfully made it to the big screen. Well, for all the fans of Fallen Novels and Lauren Kate, we all have our opinions of who should portray the role of our favorite characters in the book. So check out who my bets are! :)

 

Kaya Scodelario as Lucinda 'Luce' Price

She’s perfect for Luce’s role. She’s simply pretty and I think this can be a breakthrough for her career. She has a lot of potential. She’s been acting in some movies as supporting roles like in the ‘Clash of the Titans’ as Peshet.

Alex Pettyfer as Daniel Grigori

He’s proven from his ‘I Am Number Four’ and ‘Beastly’ movies that he’s now one of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood. He’s perfect for the role of Daniel Grigori. Just imagine him with wings! Isn’t he gorgeous? I think he’s better looking than Edward Cullen. Haha! Peace to Twilight Fans but I’m sure they’ll also fall in love with Daniel as much as they did for Edward. :)

 Ian Somerhalder as Cam

He’s perfect for the role of Cam, a fallen angel who sided with Satan and became a demon. His devilishly handsomeness in the TV hit series ‘The Vampire Diaries’ as Damon Salvatore has proven that he’s perfect for third party roles. He’s perfectly match for the angelic gorgeousness of Alex Pettyfer. And fans should watch out for their intense rivalry!

         

                So, that’s my dream casts for the Fallen Novel Series. For the other casts, it doesn’t matter for me whoever will play their roles. I’m just concerned with the main casts. So, I hope you enjoyed reading because I really can’t wait for the movie adaptation of this novel. I’m pretty sure that this will be major hit in the film industry. There’s just no confirmation yet of when will be the movie release but I hope soon. I’m just so hooked with the novels and I really can’t get over it! Congratulations in advance to Lauren Kate and Disney!:)

An Angel’s Passion

Title: Passion 

Author: Lauren Kate

Publication Date: June 14, 2011

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young-Adult

Summary:

Lucinda Price would die for Daniel Grigori and she already had over and over in every lifetime. And in each lifetime, Luce had witnessed firsthand how painfully they were torn apart by the curse that they had been going through for thousands of years! Luce knew that there’s something or someone that can help her to give answers and break the curse. And Lucinda could only think of one way to do that and that is by going back to her past. Luce traveled by her Announcer (the shadow that can travel to the past) and the past showed her how  she and Daniel were passionately in love with each other but in the end of each lifetime, she burned and died and left Daniel tormented over and over. 

The Outcasts and the other angels and Nephilims including Shelby and Miles, and Cam were chasing for her but none as eager as Daniel, afraid that Luce might alter the future by rewriting the past. Daniel would chase for Luce and he knew she would find her as he always did in each lifetime. 

Review:
             "Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever." -- Daniel Grigori

Oh, I’m so in love with the story of Passion! Going back to the past of Daniel and Luce gives me the answers that I’ve been looking for from the first (Fallen) and second (Torment) book. In this Book Lauren Kate had shown how great the love of Daniel for Luce was. Daniel was left tormented in each lifetime that Luce had to die and he would wait for Luce and him to meet again after seventeen years. Yet, in this lifetime, there was a loophole to the curse and Lucinda would do everything to find out the cause of that loophole and stop the curse. But, what if Daniel is the key and the reason why the cursed had a loophole? Now, Daniel was also eager to make the change and break the curse and most importantly find Luce no matter where it takes him to. 

           Lucinda and Daniel in this story were so passionate and this book was really the book of all the revelations though not totally. There are still unanswered question but let’s leave it to the fourth and final book Rapture to answer those. In this story, Lucinda had proven and realized that Daniel is worth fighting for because for me, the curse is heavier for Daniel; seeing you love die over and over and waiting for another seventeen years to meet her again without any idea that they had loved each other over and over. 

I was surprised by the new character during Lucinda’s quest and shocked by the revelation that the strange creature that Luce met was Lucifer/Satan himself. Now, Lucifer is eager to alter the future and erase the love story of Daniel and Luce from the past.

            I really love the twist of the story and now that somehow everything’s becoming clear, a new battle for Daniel and Luce will be coming: a battle for their love against Satan. Will they be able to beat him and be together forever? Why was Lucifer so eager to ruin their love? Will my theory be true that Lucinda Price is related to Lucifer and that is the reason of their cursed love?

 
              Well, let’s find out about it on the last installment of Lauren Kate’s A Fallen Novel Rapture to be released on the Spring of 2012. :)

Two thumbs up for Lauren Kate! I can’t wait for the fourth book to be released. Consistently beautiful and enticing book covers to all the Fallen Novels. :)

Preceded By: Torment

Followed By: Rapture (2012)  

Tormented by Love

Title: Torment

Author: Lauren Kate

Publication Date: Sept 28, 2009

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young-Adult

Summary:

After the great battle at the Swords and Cross, Lucinda Price had to leave the place because the Outcasts were hunting for her. And the only place safe for her is Shoreline – the school for fallen angels and Nephilims (offspring of fallen angels and humans). Shoreline is a cheerful and vibrant place unlike Swords and Cross but Luce was still not happy because her fallen angel boyfriend Daniel Grigori had to be far from her to protect her from the Outcasts. Luce met new friends at Shoreline like Shelby and Miles. But Miles had special feelings for her and with Daniel’s absence; she was not able to trust Daniel and entertained the idea that maybe if she would not choose Daniel, the curse will be broken. Is it worth it to sacrifice her love for Daniel if both of them would live their own live even if it takes to be tormented?

  Moreover, Lucinda learned how to use her Announcers (the shadows that can travel to someone’s past) and used it to know more about her past with Daniel and found out that Daniel wasn’t telling her everything she had to know.

         In the end, the angels and the Outcasts had an encounter fighting over Lucinda and which side should she choose. Luce, confused and tormented, left with her announcer and Daniel had to look for his love wherever it takes him to.

Review:

  If you loved Fallen, you’ll surely love Torment, a Fallen Novel and the second installment of Lauren Kate’s Fallen Book Series. From this sequel, again, I fell in love with the story and at the same time, it broke my heart. I didn’t like the way Luce doubted Daniel’s love for her. I think that in every relationship, trust is the most important thing to make it work. Luce did not trust Daniel’s love and it was heart-breaking for Daniel to see Luce’s intimacy with Miles. I also hate how Luce reacted after finding out that Daniel had a past with Shelby.

   
           I admire Daniel in this story because despite of Luce’s doubt on him, he patiently and sincerely loved Luce the way he always did in every lifetime. 

           Still, Lauren Kate was able to affect me with the plot of the story. The ending was quite unexpected because in this sequel Luce and Daniel did not end up together. Furthermore, it left me with theories and questions of what might happen in the next book:

• Will Lucinda change her mind and go back to Daniel?

• Is Lucinda Price somehow connected with Lucifer or is she, herself is an angel? If not, then why was    Daniel so concerned if Luce might be shot by the Starshot (an arrow that can kill an angel and has no effect to humans)?

• What is the mystery behind Lucinda and Daniel’s cursed love?

             There is only one way to find out all of these and that is to read the following books by Lauren Kate – Passion and Rapture.

              Be ready to be tormented by this book!

Preceded By: Fallen
Followed By: Passion 

Do Angels Fall In Love?

Title: Fallen

Author: Lauren Kate

Publication Date: Dec 17, 2009

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young-Adult

Synopsis:

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Summary:

Lucinda Price is a seventeen-year old girl sent to a reform school Swords and Cross after the tragedy that happened to her ex-boyfriend Trevor. And, because of the tragedy everyone thinks that Luce was responsible for it and even she, thinks the same. While in the school, she met many friends and enemies as well. She fell in love with the good-looking and highly intelligent Daniel at their reform school but soon discovered that he is a fallen angel, cursed, and destined neither to ascend to Heaven nor descend to Hell. The two realized that they have spent their lifetimes finding and losing one another, and face the final challenge to keep evil forces at bay and seek redemption for all.

Now, it is not only Daniel who wants Luce: Cam is another fallen angel who sided with Hell (a demon) and he is eager to have Luce even if Daniel fights with him.

Review:

                In the first installment of Lauren Kate’s Fallen Novels, Fallen, she showcased a new approach to the typical young adult fantasy romance. Amidst the rise of vampires and werewolves, Kate has brought a new genre of characters – angels and demons.

                If you’re a fan of Twilight, you’ll surely love this new saga. And, if you think that Edward and Bella’s love story is the best that you’ve read, think again because Lauren Kate has brought Lucinda Price and the gorgeous fallen angel Daniel Grigori. Though the personality of the characters in this novel is much like Twilight’s, what makes it exciting is the mystery behind the story of the main characters.

      After I’ve read the first book, I just fell in love with it and I couldn’t wait to read the next book (Torment).I’m just so envy with Luce because of the two gorgeous angels are fighting over her. However, it left me so curious of what is behind the curse of Daniel and Luce. How does an angel fall in love? And is it worthy for Daniel to fight for his Love for Luce? The author didn’t give everything in this novel and I think that it is an effective technique to keep the readers wanting for more.

                I can’t wait to read the next book and I think that Fallen Novels will be much better on the big screen!

Followed By: Torment