Nirvana for Geeks | Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Publisher: Crown Publishers

Release date: August 16, 2011

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopia

Pages:374

Source: Downloaded it

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In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

Review

Oh, well. 

It's about time I finally got around writing this review that I have been planning on writing since months ago, but I was always too lazy to do it.

I read this book mainly because of the hype that surrounded the movie adaptation a couple months ago. I fell in love instantly with the trailer of the movie when I watched it last year and my immediate thought was "heck, i need to really read the book this time". So I did.

Here are the things that were constantly in my mind while I was in this roller coaster ride:

The Heartbreaking Past of a Ruthless Queen | Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: November 8th, 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling, Romance, YA
Pages: 453
Source: Bought it
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Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Review:

I was heartbroken to bits the moment I finished this book. No, heartbroken isn't enough to describe how I felt. I felt betrayal, sorrow, fury, and helplessness all rolled into one giant lump of unsorted emotions. No, it was not because the book was disappointing or anything like it, it was the opposite, but not quite.

We all know that this book is going to end in misery, don't we? Since the past of the cold-blooded Queen of Hearts we all know in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll must be one that did not contain happiness or else she would never become the way she was in his story. Still, Marissa Meyer was able to make me fall inside a rabbit hole, fall in love with her ludicrous and idiosyncratic characters, and then shred my heart into millions of pieces by the end of this book.

A Marvelous Start to a New Journey | Quests for Glory

Quests for Glory (The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years, #1) by Soman Chainani

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release date: September 19th, 2017

Genres: Fantasy, MG, YA

Pages: 568

Source: Bought it

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With every end comes a new beginning in the fourth installment of Soman Chainani’s New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil series, Quests for Glory. Join Sophie, Agatha, Tedros, and the other students as they begin a new era in the Endless Woods—The Camelot Years—where Evers and Nevers alike must move beyond the bounds of school and into the biggest, boldest adventures of their lives.

The students at the School for Good and Evil thought they had found their final Ever After when they vanquished the malevolent School Master. Now, on their required fourth-year quests, the students face obstacles both dangerous and unpredictable, and the stakes are high: success brings eternal adoration, and failure means obscurity forever.

For their quests, Agatha and Tedros are trying to return Camelot to its former splendor as queen and king. For her quest, Dean Sophie seeks to mold Evil in her own image. But soon they all feel themselves growing more isolated and alone. When their classmates’ quests plunge into chaos, however, someone must lead the charge to save them... 

If I'm not mistaken, I bought this book LAST YEAR. But because I was a freshman and still am, I couldn't find time to read this book at all. So, when the holiday came around last month, I finally got time to read it! YAY!

First things first. I definitely didn't expect Soman Chainani to release another book about the School for Good and Evil. So, my first reaction to finding out that news was this:

The Life of a Rainbow-Haired Teenage Hacker | Warcross

Warcross (Warcross, #1) by Marie Lu

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Release date: September 12th, 2017

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Pages:  368

Source: Bought it

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For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

Review:

I finally read this book after months of neglecting it on my bookshelf. I preordered this book way back in August, but I read it more than three months after it has arrived on my doorstep. Sigh. College life, I blame you.

Okay! On to the review!

When a Life in a Space Station Goes Haywire | Gemina

Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Release date: October 18th, 2016

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Pages:  608

Source: Borrowed it

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The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

Review:

When I read the last sentence in Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Illuminae, heart in my throat and hands possibly shaking, I was thinking, “There’s no way in heaven and hell I’ll find a book as perfect as this.”

Well. Mistake number one.

One day, my dear friend Inas came to me and said, quite hysterically, that there would be a continuation of Illuminae, new characters and all. Needless to say, I was not impressed and had a very low expectation of said book. I was still too emotionally tied to Kady and Ezra from Illuminae that the very notion of new characters had not held any appeal to me.

Well. Mistake number two.

Let me say this loud and clear: Gemina is divine, and here are the reasons why:

Cuteness Overload! | Always and Forever, Lara Jean

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All The Boys I've Loved Before, #3) by Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release date: May 2nd, 2017

Genres: YA, Romance, Contemporary

Pages:  336

Source: Bought it

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Lara Jean’s letter-writing days aren’t over in this surprise follow-up to the New York Times bestselling To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You.

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

Review:

Hey, guys! I'm back! After almost a whole year of not posting book reviews, I'm finally back to pamper you with so many reviews you'll probably get sick of it! My college applications are done and now I can only sit back and pray for the best. With that being said, let's get down to the review, shall we?

To Infinity and BOOM! | Illuminae

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Release date: October 22nd, 2015

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Pages:  599

Source: Bought it

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This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Review:

*All profanities have been removed due to the reviewer's motto to stop using profanity*

One does not simply review this oh-so-awesome book without freaking out and leaving a fangirlish mess all over the page. Therefore, forgive me if I do freak out and leave a mess.

First, lemme show you a .gif that sums up this book in utter perfection:

Apollo: The Dramatic God | The Hidden Oracle

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo) by Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release date: May 3rd, 2016

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Adventure

Pages:  361

Source: Bought it

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How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

Review:

At first, when I found out about Rick Riordan's new book—new series!—I was part excited and part perplexed. I mean, yeay, another book! But I was also like, what? Another book?

 

In Love? Call 911! | Delirium

Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release date: February 3rd, 2011

Genres: YA, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Pages:  441

Source: Bought it

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Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing.

They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review:

I've been avoiding this book for as long as I can remember. Every time I saw it in a bookstore, I was never interested even in touching it. Why? Because it was about love! As a disease! It practically shouts the whole story line already. Of course the book would be about romance. Like, hundreds of pages of sickening romance. I predicted it'd be about a girl who (OF COURSE) eventually fell for a guy even though she wasn't supposed to.

But, well. I was wrong.

I Hate This Book | The Crown

The Crown (The Selection, #5) by Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release date: May 3rd, 2016

Genres: YA, Romance, Dystopian

Pages:  278

Source: Bought it

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When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Review:

This book is a lot of things. But predictable isn't one of them.

I read through this finale with a HUGE expectation because seriously, I've been waiting for it for a whole year! And well, I didn't exactly get what I wanted.

Another Ship is Coming Your Way | The Infinite Sea

The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave, #1) by Rick Yancey

Publisher: Penguin Books

Release date: September 16th, 2014

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Pages:  320

Source: Bought it

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How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Review:

OH MY GOSH

Those three words pretty much sum up my general reaction throughout the whole book.

The Infinite Sea continues some time (not too long) after the end of The 5th Wave. Evan hasn't come (as he promised) yet, but the crew/team/whatever-you-want-to-call-it can't stay in the hotel for long because winter is coming. They'll need a better shelter. So, Ringer volunteers to go look for the cavern they knew about from a pamphlet. And from there, things got interesting.

An Epic Finale | The Last Ever After

The Last Ever After (The School for Good and Evil, #3) by Soman Chainani

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release date: July 21st, 2015

Genres: Fantasy, MG, YA

Pages:  672

Source: Bought it

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In the epic conclusion to Soman Chainani’s New York Times bestselling series, The School for Good and Evil, everything old is new again as Sophie and Agatha fight the past as well as the present to find the perfect end to their story.

As A World Without Princes closed, the end was written and former best friends Sophie and Agatha went their separate ways. Agatha was whisked back to Gavaldon with Tedros and Sophie stayed behind with the beautiful young School Master.

But as they settle into their new lives, their story begs to be re-written, and this time, theirs isn’t the only one. With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the villains of the past have come back to change their tales and turn the world of Good and Evil upside down.

Readers around the world are eagerly awaiting the third book in The School for Good and Evil series, The Last Ever After. This extraordinary conclusion delivers more action, adventure, laughter, romance and fairy tale twists and turns than you could ever dream of! 

Review:

I just bought this book last Sunday and I couldn't keep my hands off it ever since. I kept reading it in between classes and teachers' lectures (I know, my bad) and I'm proud to say that I probably just finished one of the most anticipated books of 2015.

I expected something better, way better than the second book (not that it was bad, it was awesome!) and oh boy did I get what I wanted! Seriously. This book is everything I thought it would be and it even surpassed my expectations. And believe me, I had lots of it regarding this book.