The Gallagher Girls Series By- Ally Carter

19# Book Review– ★★★★☆

The Gallagher Girls (6 Book Series)

By-

Ally Carter

(image courtesy: http://www.beautifulfandoms.com)

So I’m basically writing the review of the whole series. And it’s been ages since this series came out and ended, but I just finished it like thirty minutes ago? Why, you ask? Well, I’d read the first five books out of the six quite early in time. But when the sixth book came out after a year, I decided I needed to read the whole series again, because that’s how the last book would have a proper impact, and well, because I really love this series, like ever since I was in eighth grade I think. But then I got busy and I didn’t get to read the whole thing until today. And now:

WHERE DO I STASH AWAY MY FEELINGS?! Because I know the series ended and I feel so satisfied, but I feel so attached to the characters. I feel like I’ve known them forever. Like I’ve grown up with them. And trust me, you will feel that way too once you read the series. There is some SERIOUS character growth there. Like ‘I-feel-like-a-proud-mom/best friend’ character growth.

*Sigh* where do I begin?

…From the start, I suppose.

So brief description of the series coming right up!

Cameron Ann Morgan is known as the girl who is very good at not being seen. She’s good at blending in. And that’s a good thing too. Because in her school, that’s actually considered a skill. She goes to Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. And when they say ‘exceptional’, they actually mean it. I mean where else would tenth graders be learning PhD level Physics, 14 different languages, and how to break NSA level encryptions? To the outside world Gallagher Academy is a snooty boarding school for snobby little rich girls. But in reality, it’s a school for spies.

“Women of the Gallagher Academy, who comes here?”
“We are the sisters of Gillian.”
“Why do you come?”
“To learn her skills. Honor her sword. And keep her secrets.”
“To what end do you work?”
“To the cause of justice and light.”
“How long will you strive?”
“For all the days of our lives.”

So, that’s the basic thing—the thing that stays common throughout the series, while the main plot keeps changing. The series begins with a fifteen year old Cameron aka Cammie aka Chameleon who has just begun her sophomore year in the Gallagher Academy. Now, studying in an all girls boarding school has its own set of Pros and Cons

PROS: You don’t have to actually care about your appearance that much since there are no boys to see you (unless you’re into girls)

CONS: The students are deprived in certain departments…like dating and boys.

So, falling in love had never really been on the agenda. But then during a mission/class she’s spotted by a really good looking boy. And that’s saying something because for a girl who’s used to feeling invisible, it’s a big deal to be actually seen. And before she knows it, she’s sneaking out of her school (which is in itself a massive feat since there are cameras and motion detectors at all exits) and going on secret dates with an ordinary boy that knows nothing about her world.

The next few years follow Cameron’s life through the next three years at Gallagher Academy, and her development from a dewy eyed fifteen year old into an eighteen year old lethal spy.

REASONS YOU SHOULD READ THIS SERIES

A LIST BY ME

• Amazing Characters: The characters are so…realistic. And so likeable (and hateable too) The character growth is tremendous. Like I said, you actually grow up with them. It’s like you grow up from a silly fifteen year old into a mature eighteen year old. You see so many facets of so many characters—the good and the bad, the smart, and the confused. And all the grey areas too. The characters are so…believable, so human.

 

• Friendship Goals: Two Words: SQUAD GOALS. With an amazing group of best friends, that are not only super talented (we have an actual lethal spy, a scientist, and a really smart and headstrong girl) the friendship shown in the book is actual friendship goals.

 

• Super Cool Adults: Now usually adults don’t have a very important part in teen fiction novels, and most of the time they are missing. But this book is different. Kinda. See, the adults here are super cool because they are actual spies and they go on these really crazy mission. And sometimes? Sometimes they take the kids along. (Or the kids follow without their knowledge and do their thing *shrugs*)

 

• Exotic Locations: From a small town in Virginia called Roseville, to Rome, Austria, Ireland, NYC and many more places. Being a spy takes you places. Literally.

 

• Actual Adrenaline Inducing Action: So many heart stopping action sequences because…spies. And they are written really well too. They are really understandable and it plays like a movie in front of your eyes. It really makes me wonder why this book series hasn’t been made into a TV series yet.

 

• Swoon-worthy Men: Fictional guys are goals, no kidding. But when those aforementioned fictional guys are physically fit, calculative, brave and really intense spies, they take ‘goals’ to a whole new level. Seriously. Falling in love with them will definitely not be hard (Falling out of love after realizing you have no future with the so called fictional character on the other hand would be…difficult)

 

• Heart Stopping Plot Twists: The series will mess with your head and make you want to throw your book across the room, then go and grab it again because you really need to know what happens next.

 

• Writing Style: The Writing Style is actually very quirky full of humor and intense emotions at just the right places. The ‘voice’ is just right, and it’s all very addictive. The dialogue work is really good. The information gets kinda redundant though at the start of every new novel, but it’s only to get the reader acquainted with the series.

So that’s that. I hope I’ve successfully convinced you to at least try the series. The first book might seem kinda childish if you are an eighteen, almost-nineteen year old like me (perfect for those in the 13 to 16 bracket) but the rest of the series get loads better. I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes to help you get a feel of the books:

“I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear. Well, that’s me—Cammie the Chameleon. But I’m luckier than most because, at my school, that’s considered cool.
I go to a school for spies.”

 

“Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man seven different ways with her bare hands, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl.” 

 

“You know,’ I whispered, ‘some girls might think it’s creepy having a boy watch them sleep.’
He smirked and pointed to himself. ‘Spy.’
‘Oh.’ I nodded. ‘Right. So you’re a trained Peeping Tom.’”

 

“A Gallagher Girl’s real grades don’t come in pass or fail—they’re measured in life or death.” 

 

“Just so you know Gallagher Girl,’ he whispered softly, ‘I’m going to kiss you now.” 

 

“What is a Gallagher Girl?
She’s a genius, a scientist, a heroine, a spy… a Gallagher Girl is whatever she wants to be.” 

 

“I could have lied. I could have fought. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I took a chance and called upon a Gallagher Girl’s weapon of last resort. I flirted” 

 

“There’s a boy in my life,’ I told him. ‘He’s a very bad influence.’
Then Zach nodded. ‘Bad boys have a way of doing that. But they’re worth it.””

 

“Tell me Cameron Ann Morgan, what do you want to be when you grow up?”… “Alive.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty By- Jenny Han

15# Book Review– ★★☆☆☆ (1.5 Stars)

The Summer I Turned Pretty

By-

Jenny Han

So I was feeling bored (as usual) and I decided to read a book! I decided to read Jenny Han’s ‘The Summer I turned Pretty’, and if it isn’t obvious, I was disappointed. Not hugely disappointed because I hadn’t had any expectations in the first place. But I’d seen people give it decent reviews, and I thought it would be, at least slightly likeable, if not more. Of course, what I initially thought was wrong.

Isabel aka Belly visits Cousin’s beach with her older brother Steven, and her mother Laurel every summer without fail. She’s been going there since forever. They spend the blissful month of summer in a beach house with Laurel’s best friend Susannah and her sons Conrad and Jeremiah. They spend every summer swimming in the blue ocean, boogey boarding, playing in the pool, and eating dinner at odd hours. Belly has always felt, for the lack of a better word, an outsider. While the three boys spend their time doing boy things, and excluding her, she feels left out, and tries her best to be a part of their gang.

This summer however, is different. She can feel it. She’s prettier, and ready to move on from her childhood love Conrad. This summer has so much possibility. But things take a terrible turn. Looks like, she hasn’t moved on, not really. Conrad is acting moody, and refuses to spend any time with her, or for that matter, any of them. The way that her brother-like best friend Jeremiah looks at her has changed. And Steven is leaving earlier than usual, to go on a college road trip. In a way, this is their last summer together. And Belly promises to make the most of it.

“For me, it was almost like winter didn’t count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers.”

“It was a summer I would never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it’d be different. Life would be different. And that summer, it finally was.”

“For me there was-is-nothing better than walking on the beach late at night. It feels like you could walk forever, like the whole night is yours and so is the ocean. When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can’t say in real life. In the dark you can feel really close to a person. You can say whatever you want.” 

“I had been lying to myself, thinking I was free, thinking I had let him go. It didn’t matter what he said or did, I’d never let him go.”

“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer” 

I don’t know why I read this. Reading it was a complete waste of time, as harsh as that sounds. The book was dull. The characters were bland. I couldn’t connect to a single one of them. There is nothing new about the theme—plain Jane female protagonist spending time with a bunch of hot guys on the beach since childhood, suddenly growing up so that all the hot guys see her in a different light. Except, it wasn’t even like that. She just got contacts, and a good tan. That’s it. Most of the story was spent whining and complaining about how it’s the same, yet it isn’t; comparing the previous summers to present one. It was just like a really boring diary of a silly teenager who has developed a crazy infatuation.

I refuse to believe what she felt for Conrad was love. And if it was, she’s very poor at expressing it, even to her own self. I couldn’t connect with the emotions of a single character, because there were no emotions to connect to. Reading this book was like chewing cardboard, to put it simply. Maybe the author had it planned that she’d write a series, and develop the characters and feelings in the next couple of books or so. But that does not mean you write a crappy, undeveloped, unfinished first book. Nothing forgives that. What kind of romance or teen fiction novel does not have feelings? Apparently, this one.

She could have done so much with the theme and the plot she chose. She could have shown tremendous character growth and real emotions. She could have shown what growing up actually felt like. But no, instead she decided to string random events from the protagonist’s childhood and the protagonist’s present, and make it a novel. There was no active participation in the story from any character. If possible, not even from the main character who was telling us the story. I couldn’t feel her presence in the story. None of the characters felt important. Like, if you’d remove them from the story, the story wouldn’t lose much.

I warn you against reading this book. Do not read it. It’s a waste of time and money. Go do something useful with your time and read some other Jenny Han novel, that I surprisingly love—‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.’

Unwind (Unwind 1#) By- Neal Shusterman

11# Book Review- ★★★★★ (4.5 Stars)

Unwind

By-

Neal Shusterman

‘In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn’t a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.’

Decades after the second civil war, fought over the rights of reproduction and life, the ‘Bill of Life’ is passed. Stating that life of a born/unborn child cannot be voluntarily taken by the parent till the age of thirteen. After which a parent can choose to unwind his or her child before it reaches the age of eighteen.

“You see, a conflict always begins with an issue – a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn’t matter anymore, because now it’s about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.” 

What is unwinding, you ask? Pretty simple actually. Scientists have considerably improved in the fields of Biology and medicine. This process allows them to remove the different organs and body parts of the Unwind—that is, the teenager who is supposed to go through the process of Unwinding—and donate it to those who need it.

Who can be Unwounded? Anyone between the age of thirteen to eighteen actually. Just one order from the parent of the guardian and you’re done for. The Juvenile Police comes for you as soon as possible and takes you to the nearest ‘Harvest Camp’, a fancy name for a hospital facility for the Unwinds.

‘No one knows how it happens. No one knows how it’s done. The Harvesting of Unwinds is a secret medical ritual that stays within the walls of each harvesting clinic in the nation. In this way it is not unlike death itself, for no one knows what mysteries lie beyond those secret doors, either’

Fifteen year old Connor, an orphan Risa and thirteen year old Levi have one thing in common—they are being unwounded. Out on the run, away from their families and into the wild they go through a life changing adventure where danger becomes their frenemy and survival becomes their  aim.

‘Most people have two emergency modes. Fight and Flight. But Connor always knew he had three: Fight, Flight, and Screw Up Royally.’

This is their story and the story of countless teenagers who lose themselves every day to this horrendous scientific process.

 ‘Connor had known other kids at school who disappeared over the past couple of years. One day they just didn’t turn up. Teachers would say they were “gone” or “no longer enrolled”. Those were just code words, though. Everyone knew what they meant. The kids who knew them would talk about how terrible it was, and gripe about it for a day or two, and then it became old news. Unwinds didn’t go out with a bang—they didn’t even go out with a whimper. They went out with the silence of a candle flame pinched between two fingers.’

‘”Please…,” says the boy.

Please what? The teacher thinks. Please break the law? Please put myself and the school at risk? But no, that’s not it at all. What he’s really saying is: Please be a human being. With a life so full of rules and regiments, it’s so easy to forget that’s what they are. She knows—she sees—how often compassion takes a back seat to expediency.’

I personally enjoyed this books a lot. Dystopia is slowly becoming my favorite YA genre to read and this one was definitely an entertaining read. The story was a roller coaster ride, the characters were intriguing, and had substance—they weren’t flat cardboard characters but were realistic and maybe even relatable. The author did an amazing job of showcasing their fears and inner demons, portraying them as real and believable teenagers. It was refreshing.

The story was action packed and adventurous, my heart didn’t pound in my chest but it definitely was beating faster than normal. After a little while I couldn’t put this book down.

There were a bunch of unexpected twists and turns and it was just a really satisfying read. Definitely a book worth reading! I’m off to reading the other three books in this Dystology.

Until later x

Take Me Tomorrow By- Shannon A. Thompson

10# Book Review- ★★★☆☆

Take Me Tomorrow

By-

Shannon A. Thompson

Modern day USA just consists of a few regions and not the original 50 states, ruled by Dictator Phelps whose primary concern at the moment is the erradication of the clairvoyant drug ‘Tommo’, a halucinogen that allows whoever it consumes to see visions of the future.

With the ongoing war that is threatening the country, four teenagers’ life is put to test. They must help a criminal boy escape the borders. One of those teenagers being Sophia.

Sixteen year old Sophia Grey’s life was simple. She went to a normal school, did well in her classes and led a simple life. With her father away from home most of the time, she had Argos her pet dog and Lyn her care taker to look after her.

But everything changed that Fall.

Everything changed when Noah Tommery entered her life

Noah is on the run. The dictator wants him dead. But before he finally escapes there’s one last thing he needs to do, and he believes Sophia and her friends can help him out. He needs them to help him out. And soon Sophia finds herself in a terrible mess, illegally entering official government buildings, roaming around after the curfew in the dead of the night, dodging bullets and falling in love.

For the first time, I truly felt like we were two teenagers hanging out. Not two teenagers running from the law. For that moment, I wanted to forget. I wanted to return to a normal world and pretend that Noah’s last name didn’t mean he was involved with a practical drug lord.

“Why do you take it?” I asked, trying not to scream at him. “Why do you have to take it?”
“I don’t have to,” he said, hopping down the stairs. He was inches in front of me. “I want to. I like to,” he paused as he moved toward the door. “You wouldn’t understand.” He hesitated to open the door. “Someone like me has to take it.”
“Someone like you?” I repeated.
“Someone like me,” he continued as he opened the door. The night air rushed inside. It smelled like the oak trees after they roasted beneath the summer sun all day. They smelled like they were waiting for winter. “Someone who doesn’t know if tomorrow will come would rather live every day twice than live it once.”
“No one knows if tomorrow is coming,” I argued, but he stepped outside. He stretched his arms above his head, and his back rose as he sucked in a deep breath.“Tomorrow can take me,” he said. “I don’t need today, anyway.”

Glancing around, my eyes took a moment to adjust, and I looked at Noah lying on the couch. His arm was draped beneath him as if it was a comfortable pillow, and his lips were slightly parted as he breathed, his side lifting and falling. I held my breath, struck by the absolute stillness of his expression − calm and relaxed − one that he never wore when he was conscious. It was as if I was looking at Noah Tomery before his last name became public enemy number one. Instead of a criminal or a drug addict, I was looking at a boy − just a boy.

“You wanted to know how tomo worked.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to take it.”
His head hung back as he groaned. “I’m not giving you any,” he said, repositioning himself, but his words made it sound like he had some on him. He straightened up. “I’m going to show you” (…) “Sometimes you see it.” When he let me open my eyes, his lips were against my ear, “Sometimes you listen to it.” His tender voice traveled down my neck, and my nose brushed his shoulder. “Smell comes next.” He smelled clean and crisp, like a spring breeze as it crossed over a lake. I could see the photograph of the ocean from the Raleigh Region he had given me. It was still in my pocket. I imagined that if I knew what an ocean smelled like, it would be him. “But most of the time—” he paused, and his lips hovered over mine. “you feel it,” he whispered before he kissed me.

After reading my review on another Dystopian Novel ‘Delirium’ by Lauren Oliver, author Shannon A. Thompson contacted me and gave me a copy of her book ‘Take Me Tomorrow’ in exchange for an honest review for the book. Having finally read it, I am ready to share my views on it.

The book started at a slow pace and eventually picked momentum. The author maintained an aura of mystery, not revealing anything immediately which made it slightly difficult to understand what was really going on. As a reader, I couldn’t understand why the current events were important. The book was obviously a plot-driven novel, not a character driven one which kind of didn’t sit well with me. I always like to feel connected to the characters but in plot-driven novels, that hardly happens.

I’ll be honest, the book seemed a little boring to me in the start. One event kept happening after the other and I wasn’t able to really connect to the story. I just read through the pages, without really feeling the plot, if you know what I mean. So the story started out like a barely burning candle flame, like it will extinguish any second. Then suddenly it started burning really brightly and never dimmed. What I’m saying is, it started out slow and mellow then suddenly it picked up pace and I couldn’t put the book down. I liked the action in the second half of the book, which was fat-paced and exciting unlike the first half. So yeah, you readers out there? You need to be a little patient.

Coming down to the characters. I admired them–all of them. They were brave and young and determined. I liked that. Escpecially Sophia, she does not like to take a backseat when it comes to action. She’s got this spark. I liked that. I liked the mysterious aura that surrounded Noah. He intrigued me. I liked how he was so in-control and so messed up at the same time. I even liked the supporting characters. But I couldn’t really connect to any of them. I couldn’t feel their emotions or understand them as much as I’d wanted to. That’s basically because the story didn’t really focus on those aspects.

I also couldn’t really get a feel of the dystopian world. It didn’t seem like a dystopian world. Mainly because, enough words and pages weren’t devoted to explaining the big picture. I think the author could have focused a little more on explaining what’s the current situation. Like I got the basic overview, but I didn’t really feel it. I didn’t really understand how dire the state of the country is or what’s the current state of war etc. Phelps, the big bad dictator didn’t leave an impact on me. I didn’t get enough background information about the Dystopian world. It’s like how we feel when we sometimes read some news. We read it, we store it our mind, we even understand it but we don’t understand how dire the circumstances are. We don’t connect with it. That’s how it was when I read the few pieces of information given in the story.

I liked the whole young-teenagers-doing-illegal-dangerous-stuff-and-playing-a-small-role-in-the-big-picture thing going on. It seemed believable. It would be kind of unbelievable if the fate of the whole country depended on one person. So I liked the fact that this wasn’t the case.

All in all, I liked the book. I enjoyed the second half of it and it was a nice read. I wouldn’t say entertaining or exhilarating. But it was nice. I do hope there is a sequel.

Until Later x

After The End By- Amy Plum

8# Book Review- ★★★★★

After The End

By-

Amy Plum

Juneau lives in the Tundra region of Alaska with her clan. The post-apocalyptic life after the Nuclear World War III is a struggle. Everything in the world has been destroyed. One must live like the early man, relying solely on the Earth for survival, and one can never be too careful. One must save one’s resources and use them to the best of their abilities.

The clan however is quite skilled at doing just that. They have a deep connection the Earth—to the force of Yara (a force of nature) that allows them to perform magical feats. Seventeen year old Juneau is very skilled and on her way to becoming the Clan Sage or head.

But one fateful day changes everything.

Juneau returns from a grueling hunting trip, only to find her village destroyed and her clan missing. All she knows that a bunch of brigands in a helicopter captured her family, and now it’s up to her rescue them.

So off she goes on her mission, only to find out that everything she has ever been told has been a lie. There was never a World War III. The cities and all the people are still intact. The world is a normal functioning place.

Now out in the modern world, with no clue about it she must figure out a way to find her clan. The Yara tells her a gorgeous 18 year old boy can help her.

Miles lives in modern day LA, the son of a rich businessman. He’s tired of being a disappointment to his father and wants to do anything, absolutely anything to get into his good books. Then he learns his father is after a mysterious girl from Alaska who possessed a secret formula of a drug. And bingo! He has found a way. He decides to go search for the girl on his own, capture her and bring her to her father. Little does he know how deeply his fate is intertwined with hers and that they’re going to go on a big adventure.

“Beneath me lies a city. It is not in ruins. It isn’t decimated by war and poisoned by radiation. It is a thriving city with massive glass buildings glistening in the late-afternoon sun. This is not a postapocalyptic wasteland. Where am I? What is going on?”

“”Most people I know would have a hard time believing that you weren’t…I don’t know…crazy.”
He presses his index finger to his temple and opens his eyes wide. “Or on drugs,” he continues. “Wait, no…I have another theory. You were brainwashed by your hippie cult into thinking you have magical powers. In your head you’re like a cross between…I don’t know…Superpower-Flower-Child and Harry Potter.””

“The touch of our skin sets off a reaction in me. I am immediately awake…100 percent present. And it feels like a whirlwind of thorns is whipping around in my chest, stinging me all over from the inside. That makes it sound painful. It isn’t. It’s the kind of itching sensation that makes you want to do something crazy. That spurs you forward to act on an idea you didn’t even know was in your head.”

“Sorry I tried to impress my dad by finding her. Sorry I’ve been making fun of a brainwashed girl for a delusion she can’t help. Sorry I egged her on just to make my point.”

“In 1984, at the outset of World War III, my parents and some friends of theirs escaped from America to settle in the Alaskan wilderness.”
“There was no World War III,” I interject.
She gives me a frustrated look.
“Are you going to listen or what?”
I lean back on my elbows and listen.”

I absolutely loved this book, no questions asked. It was a very satisfying read and I finished reading this book in two sittings, only to have it end oh so abruptly. The sequel comes out in May 2015 and I can’t wait! I’d craved a Dystopian book and so, I decided to read this one. However, it turned out to be a fast paced Urban Fantasy with hints of humor and Romance.

The book kept me glued to it and I found myself reading it throughout the night. The writing style was casual and expressive. I loved the dialogue work. The chapters were fast paced, short and crisp. Now usually with the action packed books we face a problem—the books are usually plot centered and enough attention hasn’t been given to the characters, making them…flat. Not in this case! I loved the characters SO much.

Juneau is cunning and smart. She doesn’t give up easily. She’s determined and independent. She’s tough and likeable—straight to the point, never beats around the bush. But she also has a human-like vulnerability deep inside her that she seldom shows. She’s good at figuring people out.

Miles is naïve, a little spoilt and childish. He’s your typical modern day teenager—slightly lazy, takes things for granted. But somewhere deep inside, he’s just so tired of how things are. He wants to change. For once he wants to be appreciated and do something significant.

She thinks he’s a moron–a spoilt, rich brat who is good for nothing. Even a liability, at times. But she needs his presence to complete her quest. He thinks she’s absolutely nuts. Who in their right minds devours bunny rabbits after hunting them, and believes they can do magic? But he needs her to get back into his father’s good books. They both are a “means to and end” for each other. And so they stick to each other, getting on each other’s nerves. Personally, I ship them–a lot.. You’ll understand what I mean when you read the book yourself. They are so perfect for each other. And Miles is SO funny. He’s one of the primary reasons I love this book. Their incessant banter is adorable.

Also, their personalities are so contrasting but they also complement each other which is a good characteristic of a successful and spicy fictional couple, the kind you wanna read about. They take each other out of their comfort zone. Their romance is realistic. From mutual distrust to slight attraction and moderate comradeship to finally friendship. Their romance is still developing as the book ends. Which is good. I like how the author is taking her time with it and not jumping into something heated and passionate so fast.

All in all, the book was a fast and action packed with twists and turns. It was funny and entertaining and cute, in many ways. It’s not realistic, no. But what fantasy/Dystopian Novel is huh? And fantasy novels usually confuse me a lot, but this one did not, it was very understandable and the action scenes were written well, so no confusion there either.

I’m excitedly waiting for the sequel and can’t wait to know what happens further in Juneau and Miles’ adventure.

Until Later xx

Numbers By- Rachel Ward

4# Book Review ★★★★★

Numbers

By-

Rachel Ward

Do you want to read something that will blow your mind? Something that will get your heart racing, ready to kick it out of your rib-cage? Do you want to feel those butterflies in your belly due to the all the action and suspense? Then you’ve stumbled upon the right book!

Jem has a gift–more like a curse actually. If she was a living person and you met her, she wouldn’t look you in the eye; not because she’s ashamed to or anything. It’s because she doesn’t want to. Whenever she looks in someone’s eyes she sees an eight digit number–a date actually. What is that date? She finds out when her mother dies on the same date she would see everyday when she looked in her eyes. She can see the date a person will die on–she doesn’t know how that person will die but she knows that person will. Those numbers never lie.

So one day, she’s hanging out with this new boy she’s met. They’re ready to get onto the London Eye except something stops her. Everywhere Jem looks, she sees the same number in everyone’s eye–the same date–today’s date. Everyone around her is going to die today for some unknown reason. She has no idea why. So what does she do? She gets the hell outta there with her guy friend Spider (yes, that’s his name) And her life changes forever.

“He loved me and I loved him, but the number in my head was telling me that he was going to die today. And the numbers had never been wrong.”

“You get use to someone—start to like them, even—and they leave. In the end, everyone leaves.”

“And just when I thought things were starting to get better, everything had gone wrong again.”

“We all know we’re one day closer to the end when we wake up in the morning. We just kid ourselves that it’s not happening.”

The description behind the book had gotten me excited, so for the first few chapters, I kept waiting for something dramatic to happened–it didn’t. You have to be a little patient. The characters in this book are not the typical teen characters. They’re messed up, broken kids. They have a very depressing outlook of the world. So you might have to get used to that at first.

But soon after, the action begins–and it never stops. It’s so thrilling, so amazing. So many plot twists, so much action. The plot is perfect and unpredictable. The book got me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. It was a race against time.

All of you guys who want something to thrill you, to blow your mind should read this. It’s not a romantic book. There is love, but no romance so if you’re looking for something mushy, please abandon this book immediately–it’s not for you. However, if you want something to give you goosebumps and those butterflies I mentioned earlier, head to the nearest bookstore and grab a copy.

Note:- This is the first part of a trilogy, however it’s sequel and the book that follows after that does not have the same characters. I’ve read the second book and it was amazing too. You won’t regret reading this series, trust me.