My POV: Tbh I kinda emerged in this BookCon/OneTruePastry/crazy cupcakes/Kels@Nash fandom and I couldn't stop myself to dig up the OTP and Rex blogs online (not worth your time looking them up, they don't exist! *crying sad face who is trying to console herself with a Sprinkles' Srawberry cupcake).
The saddest part, these teens had a more interesting life going on at the age of 17-18 than I had that time LOL. These high school guys became like mini-book celebrities in no time and I found myself right in the middle of online girlish fandom over books and imaginary worlds and most importantly talking about them with a wide community who share the same interests. I'd totally be one of the 22k followers of Kels AKA Halle on every possible platform if I could. Follower of Comicbooks? not so much, because watch out IRL: I am not a fan of Nash. I mean okay, he is more into books than soccer, and c'mon he is artistic, cute, master of banters and puns. Although, Halle is a big fat liar (I like her though, don't freak out ;) he lied to her and fell for Kels even though he had Halle which is so IRL. It seems boys tend to run after cases that exist only in their heads. Hands up girls, if you agree. RSVP.
So even if Halle was a total bummer in the eyes of Nash, their online friends, her IRL friends, her brother.... re: you can go on with the list, Nash made a mistake too and did not embrace the coolest thing that happened to him, well pretty much, in his entire high school experience. As for Halle, she was hell of a good Kels who didn't slip up once with her little secret during 7 months in front of Nash and the whole Twitter globe. Plus, it is kind of messed up, but I got the explanation behind her actions even if it is total bullshit. As in, her insecurity about people not accepting her true personality, thus, she is keen on hiding behind a fake persona. Let alone the publisher-buzz about her grandmother.
Let's face it, most people think (they happen to end up mostly wrong) that it is their duty to achieve something great without a big gun relative shadowing them, 'cause they feel the pressure to live up to them and they don't fancy the idea of bringing shame to the family, if they don't. Live up to a great legend, IOW. What kept me in the reading flow was that other fascinating and quite extraordinary events I could be a part of. Let's check out the Academy nominated parents directing in Israel or Le Crew or Ollie or the emotional crises of Gramps. All of them have so many aspirations, dreams to come true, and so many things going on in their lives. I just loved watching these events unfolding before my very eyes and devouring the first season of OTP. Episode one: The Blueberry dreams, Episode two: Lemon cupcakes with Deception frosting... Episode 120: the Red Velvet revelation and so on. I don't expect a second season but I keep myself posted if there happens to be one.
EOT: TQ for the book What I Liked about you.
w00t, YMMD.

As her name would suggest, Rose is not exactly a silk-petaled, blooming in the moonlight type of flower. Nonetheless, she is the crown of the Garden which is basically a grandiose theater in the middle of war between two empires that had put up a stilted theme so that everyone can be called Flowers and Wilted as in the priviliged and the expendables (it is way more dramatic, isn't it?).

Apparently, intimidation is the way to pull the strings amid the aerial dancers in order to run the majestic performance smoothly. However, it didn't really become clear for me why this little show bears so much importance in these dark ages that they needed to capture random girls and force them to dance until they slip or succeed. I suppose it was a twisted way of describing a brothel? So to say the least, I am not overly flabbergasted the original idea of the novel. As I'm told, you should appreciate the simplicity of things....but it was practially short-whitted. The plot is basically a love story that desperately needed the evil uncle character from whom Rayce could easily saved Rose once...no, twice....three times...whatever, who can follow it for now anyay? At which point I have to take note: beggars can't be choosers. (Pride and Prejudice ;) But my lack of imagination doesn't rectify the lack of creativity in this story unfortunately. Not my bad...

The story telling wouldn't be so bad, if it did not focus on the whole mushy, mawkish on-and-off meddley that these two love birds profess seriously. I can't even track who rescues who, who gets captured after who, not to mention, the occassional stabs wounds that obviously shock none of them, with what the suspense and the harroing agony for the main characters are forever lost, so for the time being I feel blank. But the thing is I love being filled up with emotions. Now judge me.
A prickin the thigh? Rose is gaily running after Oren to save him. A blow in the shoulder? She is deftly plying a sword-play with non other than the Demarion king itself being notorious for his agile swordmanship and sheer cruelty. A thrust in the gut? Rayce is happily dancing on his feet after 3 days from a stab in his middle. If he had gotten eviscerated, it would have been a cliffhanger telltale. And now you can behead me if you can :P

All in all, I am pretty negative about reading the sequel. I can do without fake drama right now. No offense.

Rating

3 ot of 5 (cause it was not frightful)

How I put my hands on Forget Tomorrow

I can't resist the beauty of book covers. It isn't such a massive crime, is it?

"But if there’s anything I’ve learned in the past couple days, it’s that we can’t live our lives in fear of the future. We have to make the right decision, for today, and trust that tomorrow will work itself out."

What if you discover some life altering fact in the future and you do your best endeavors to make it never happen but what's always meant to be?

a) run as far as you can, never looking back
b) go against the will of the universe
c) embrace your tomorrow

It never enters Callie's mind to sit tight and resign herself to Fate. Why would she? Everyone has free will and that's the one thing she's not willing to let go.
Having received the first memory from her future self, she chooses version b) that's why she happens to find herself locked up in a prison for aggressive delinquents just like her. It's okay as long as she's inhibited from killing her little sister. Oh yeah. Somewhere in the immediate future she'll murder her own flesh and blood. Her prospects are not reassuring.

“If you can fight the future, then I can let go of the past.”

Although time manipulation and looking-in-the-future thingy have always given me to do the math, I don't feel tangled this time. The story weaves its threads further and further but the whole picture is never messy. Thanks Heaven I haven't got lost in the maze of what-ifs and what-nots of future possibilities and scientific explanations. That would have been the point where I'd have waved goodbye to this book.

“If I had someone like you in my life, I would never leave to begin with."

The insta-involvement of a guy is implicit and there is no better match than a supposed-to-be-long-forgotten-yet-a-very-important childhood crush: Logan Russell. Her fortunes are on the rise when he rushes to the dungeon, snatches the girl and breaks out of the iron gates. It doesn't hurt he's the appointed leader of the resistance against the big ugly future-seeking dragon-agency.
I've missed the delicate foreplay of a blossoming all-powerful-love on their part but it's not my place to complain. I'd lie if I claimed I didn't enjoy every nano-second of their relationship. It's so simple between them. Simple is predictable. They haven't talked for five years. Today they do more than that. Simple doesn't break your heart. Duty calls to take them on different paths. Nonetheless they stick together. So yeah. Simple delights me. ;)

“I’m not your sister. I’m just a girl you haven’t spoken to for five years.”
He touches my cheek, briefly. “You’ve never been just a girl to me, Calla Lily.”

P.S.
I love PD's stark honest-to-goodness sentences. She explains the truths of the world in one phrase while others cram them in books filling shelves from bottom to ceiling.

“We’re in this together,” he says. “Whatever happens, I want you to remember that.”

After reading

Out of breath.

Rating

4 out of 5

Oh...no, nononono....what is that!? It can't be happening to me. It cannot be the end. *hysterical flailing*

And still it is. Till I get down to the final installment. In the meantime, I stop crying so I can make a decent review. *takes a deep breath*. *I can do this.*

"Your heart knows. Your soul remembers."

I happen to be in the front seat of all the non-stop emotion roller-coaster and there's no way out. Not that if I would ever want to get out. I've bought my season ticket :D

I feel the urging need to produce Team Ren shirts ASAP since the boundaries are starting to wearing off between the brother's. Kishan *swooning alert* is so upfront when it comes to his feelings for Kelsey. I'm not blaming him for falling for the same girl like Ren because it's in their DNA apparently. But it doesn't exactly foster family bond, does it? Bro's Code is out of the question obviously. Though we don't read much about their rivalry (I can take some men-in-action scrum;) For what is worth, I'm not siding the opposite seducing-bad-boy side, no matter how alluring Kishan is.

"I was destined to love you and I will belong to you forever."

The plot never leave me laid-back for one second and when I miss Ren at one point bumm! there he goes in the next chapter. Colleen Houck masterfully balances the romance with action, interweaving mythical creatures—the dragons are so cool—plus Indian cuisine and culture. She definitely made me sated. Job well done!

Ren, if I haven't said it enough times, here it is one more time. I love you. *embarrassing beetroot-cheek*

Their love is so good, just pure that is the pinnacle of affection that a girl can imagine...that's how you can tell it exists only in books.

Officially now, Ren is my Number 1 book boyfriend. Lucky him. <3 I have this strong urge to grab him at his collars, pull him out of the pages and drag him home with me. Who needs Kelsey anyway if I am there for him, right? ;)

I get to the point where I can only think about that I need an Indian-tiger-to-be-prince and if I hit a streak of good luck, I may start working in the zoo so as to find a white tiger accidentally needing me to break a hundred-year-old curse having put on him. That would be amaze-balls!

Kishan, I send you a big hug and a big kiss on your delicate lips.

What beats me, that everyone hates love triangles. How super-boring huge vacant hole of space would be the earth without extra amount of skirmish for a girl. Seriously!! What's more, we wouldn't have the privilege of admiring two super-hot virile masterpieces of mundane existence. Snatch at the possibility of being in the company of such adorable cupcakes for hundreds of pages, I suggest!

How I feel now

It left me breathless and yearning for more...more, more.

Rating

5 out of 5