books – Page 13 – Zakiya N. Jamal

POLL: Do you have to finish every book?

Posted on June 19, 2015June 18, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

There are two kinds of book lovers in the world: those who have to finish a book they start and those who refuse to read books they don’t like. Where do you stand? If you start a book do you have to finish it or are you willing to stop reading a book if you don’t like it? I used to be Team “I Won’t Stop Reading ‘Til This Book Is Done” but then I read a book I hated and stopped probably a third of the way through.

Cast your vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments why you have to finish every book you read or why you don’t.

Results of last week’s poll:

Twilight or Fifty Shades?

In a surprising twist (honestly I was expecting neither to be the winner) Twilight came out on top with 60% of the votes. I guess after all these years the Twihards still show out when it counts.

Book Review: Gone Girl

Posted on June 16, 2015June 15, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Gillian-Flynn.com:

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. As The Washington Post proclaimed, her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Employing her trademark razor-sharp writing and assured psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

This book was crazier than I expected it to be, which is saying a lot because I thought it was going to be crazy. I heard from multiple people that I needed to read this book and that I “wasn’t ready.” They were all right. I was not prepared for this.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone because this is a book that just shouldn’t be spoiled. What I will say is both Nick and his wife Amy are very interesting characters. I liked the use of both of their point of views and how the book was split into three different parts.

Gillian Flynn did an excellent job of keeping the suspense throughout the whole book. I wasn’t sure who to believe or who to trust. I wasn’t sure if Amy was dead, if Nick had killed her, or if something entirely different was happening. I’ve read a few mysteries/suspense novels in the past and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that caught me as off guard as this book did. I wasn’t expecting any of the twists and certainly was not expecting the ending.

I haven’t watched the movie just because I felt like I needed some time to recover from the book before I tried to actually watch this book come to life. Even so, I’m excited to watch it and see how they take the book to film because the way the book is set up I think it is crucial to the plot development.

If you haven’t had a chance to read this bestseller yet please make the time. You won’t regret it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Once you finish it you’ll want to go back and look for clues. The library already took my copy back and I’m upset. Don’t make my mistake.

Favorite Line:

There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.

Stars: 5 out of 5. The book was brilliant. The ending was perplexing but I still liked it.

Other Reviews

The Book Smugglers

Girl with her Head in a Book

Dear Author

TBT: The Private Series

Posted on June 11, 2015June 10, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

First book published (Private): July 1, 2006

Last book published (Vengeance): August 30, 2011

Written by: Kate Brian (Kieran Scott)

Total number of books: 14 plus two prequels and a spin off series

It feels like ages ago when I was obsessed with this series. Honestly, I don’t remember what drew me in specifically. Was it the idea of a secret society within this posh boarding school? Or the typical outsider trying to make her way into the inner circle aspect? Or maybe it was the murder mystery side of things? Most likely it was for all these reasons.

The series follows new girl, Reed Brennan, as she enters into the Billings house, an all girls house at the posh boarding school Reed now attends on scholarship. Thrown into a life of the rich and somewhat famous Reed is forced to go through initiation as she struggles to become a Billings girl. Of course, being a Billings girl comes with multiple challenges and rules that make Reed question if being a Billings girl is really worth it. Filled with girl drama, boy drama, love triangles, a lot of lies, and murder, this series will suck you in and refuse to spit you out until you’ve read every book.

Off the top of my head I can’t even say I truly remember how this series ended but I do know at some point in my life I owned every single one of these books, including the prequels and a good portion of the spin off (which I loved even more than the original series, to be honest). However, I do remember that although I felt the series went off the rails a little bit as it went on I did like how it all came to an end. I believe everyone got the ending they deserved and I was satisfied with it.

This series is definitely a throwback I’d love to revisit. Although I remember the main plot points there’s so much I’m kind of fuzzy on and would like to remember. Plus it’s always interesting to reread a mystery once you know the truth. And I first fell in love with Ms. Scott’s writing style with this series (although I didn’t know at the time it was Scott that wrote these novels).

The Private series is still one of my favorite series written and if you haven’t given them a chance yet you definitely should. They’re really short and easy reads and perfect for the beach. Enjoy!

POLL: Where’s the best reading spot?

Posted on May 22, 2015May 22, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

As summer draws closer it’s time for summer reading. But where to read? The beach? By the pool? Indoors? What do you think? Vote in the poll below.

Book Review: Angelfall

Posted on May 19, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with Raffe, an injured enemy angel. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco, where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

How I’ve neglected to discover this trilogy until now is besides me. This is the first book that has genuinely made me grateful I decided to do the POPSUGAR challenge. I’m hooked and can’t wait to read the next two books.

The novel follows Penryn, a girl who’s had to be strong for her family, which includes her schizophrenic mom and handicapped younger sister, Paige. Feeling like the protector of her strong family, Penryn is devastated when Paige is taken by the enemy angels and is willing to do anything to get her back. That includes making a deal with the ~~devil~~ angel, Raffe, who lost his wings in a battle with the same angel that took Penryn’s little sister.

Teaming up with the understanding that they’re on opposing sides, the two head off to find the Aerie, the angels home on Earth. Along the way they run into Penryn’s mom, a human gang, a human resistance group, creatures neither Penryn or Raffe have ever seen before, and of course, angels. Making friends and enemies the pair begin to realize there may be more in common between humans and angels than they thought.

However, Raffe knows the risks of an angel getting too comfortable with a human and wouldn’t dare let anything beyond a mutually beneficial partnership happen between himself and Penryn. Meanwhile, there’s a battle for power amongst the angels and secret dealings amongst them. While the humans struggle to recover in this post apocalyptic world the angels have their own issues.

Romance, drama, comedic relief, and more violence than I was expecting, this book was fantastic. Obviously, there’s a great similarity between this novel and The Hunger Games (teenage girl taking care of her mother and sister is not a new plot device). However, Susan Ee does an amazing job of creating a new dystopian world. She plays on this idea of what would the rapture really look like. We’re given warring angels who aren’t even particularly sure why they’re attacking the Earth and some who aren’t even sure God exists.

It’s a twist on an idea anyone that’s walked around New York City has heard from someone screaming on a street corner: “The End Is Near!” Ee gives us beautiful angels that are creatures of destruction and blurs the lines between who we believe are the good guys and the bad. Honestly, it made me want to reread the Bible and see if I could glean any knowledge about what the angels could be doing on Earth and if Ee is really drawing from the Bible or if it’s all fiction. Yeah, it’s that good.

Definitely a book you should pick up if you haven’t already. I listened to the audiobook for this one and it was fantastic, however, it doesn’t necessarily add anything to the story that you wouldn’t get from just reading the novel. Either way you read it, just make sure you do.

Favorite Line:

“Sometimes, as we’re stumbling along in the dark, we hit something good.”

Stars: 5 out of 5. I loved it!

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Honestly, I wish I had this on my Kindle instead of just on Audible. I might buy it. For reals.

Other Reviews

Dear Author

Knite Writes

What A Nerd Girl Says

Man Crush Monday: Adrian Ivashkov

Posted on May 18, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

When I think about Adrian Ivashkov I immediately picture a hot guy with a bad boy attitude who’s too cool for school leaning against a wall, smoking his cigarettes. Adrian is the definition of swag. He’s a rich boy who’s basically had everything handed to him his whole life.

Normally, this is the kind of guy I would hate but Richelle Mead doesn’t make one-dimensional characters so there’s more to Adrian than first meets the eye. The truth is Adrian is a very caring guy who loves hard. He’s an artist who sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him but it’s his inability to keep his feelings in control that makes him so lovable. When he falls for someone it’s not an easy fall. He gives the person he loves everything he has and then some and that’s both breathtaking and heartbreaking, depending on how it works out for him.

Besides that Adrian is a funny guy. He brushes off serious topics with little quips and is always flirting. Even so, when it’s time to step up and help his friends and family, Adrian is there doing what he needs to do. He goes above and beyond to help out when he can, sometimes pushing himself too far in terms of using his abilities (he’s a vampire with an affinity for spirit; if you don’t know what that is read the books!).

Overall, Adrian is an attractive guy with a great, loving personality who provides comic relief in serious situations. He often speaks in poetry and is one of the most loving characters I’ve ever read about. Check him out in the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.

[Adrian] was too perfect, despite being one of the most imperfect people I knew.’ – The Indigo Spell

Book Review: Fall With Me

Posted on May 12, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice.
Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

Maybe I should’ve been clued in by the cover but I didn’t expect this book to be as erotic as it was. I guess I had low expectations for how hot and heavy this book would get because the only other books I’ve read by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the Lux series which are teen books. Regardless, once I realized the level of adult content I was reading (actually listening to) I changed my mindset of the book and I actually enjoyed it.

For this book I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of Audible credits. I didn’t expect to get sucked into the story as much as I did but the relationship between Roxy and Reece kept be enthralled. Roxy, who’s loved Reece since the age of 15, let’s her pride get in the way of telling Reece the truth about their “one night stand” and they both let foolish ideas stop them from speaking to each other for almost a year.

Watching them end their long stand off and come back together as friends and then something more was entertaining. Roxy’s a little on the quirky side, wearing shirts with funny sayings that usually have to do with books, and she’s an artist. However, Roxy’s also dealing with taking care of her best friend, Charlie, who’s staying in a long term care facility and facing the guilt she feels over what happened to him. At the same time, Reece, a cop who also served in the military, has his own ghosts that he struggles to deal with. Basically, they both come into the relationship with issues.

On top of all of that, Roxy also has a stalker and there’s a mystery of who her stalker could be (although, honestly, it was pretty obvious to me who it was early on). With all these factors in play Armentrout writes a pretty interesting book that kept me drawn in. However, I did have a few issues with it. Overall, I liked Reece but his use of “babe” in reference to Roxy was too much for me. Additionally, the whole premise for why Reece and Roxy stopped speaking seemed a bit ridiculous and then easily resolved for something that made them stop speaking for 11 months.

Lastly, as I previously mentioned, the whole stalker mystery wasn’t really that much of a mystery but that could just be me. Maybe others were shocked by the “twist” but I was not. Even so, I still really liked this story. I fell for Reece and Roxy’s relationship and the relationships of the other supporting characters. Plus, I really liked Roxy. She’s smart, funny, and although she makes a lot of mistakes she eventually gets it together.

Favorite Line:

‘I’m scared, too. And there are times I question what I deserve, but we’re in this together. So fall with me.’

Stars: 3 out of 5. In terms of keeping me entertained this was a good book. Like I said, I was hooked. However, if I’m being honest, writing and plot wise it wasn’t that great. The idea of Roxy taking so long to realize someone had been in her house was a bit far fetched. As was the whole premise of Roxy and Reece’s reasoning for not speaking.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. It’s not a book I could see myself rereading.

Man Crush Monday: Dimitri Belikov

Posted on May 11, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you haven’t figured this out yet I’m obsessed with the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It’s no surprise then that the male lead in the series, Dimitri Belikov, is today’s man crush Monday.

He’s hot, strong, protective, and extremely loyal. As a dhampir guardian he’s considered a god with his great strength and speed. Beside that he’s the quiet, brooding type of guy. He walks around wearing a cowboy duster and loves old westerns but he’s also fierce and a force to be reckoned.

What I love most about this character, however, is underneath all of that is this really sweet, loving guy who cares deeply about people. This is most clear in his relationship with Rose Hathaway but it’s also seen by how fiercely he tries to protect the people he guards. Dimitri is also the kind of guy that wants to be married and have a family. He’s the only boy in a family of women and he’s protective of his family and loves them dearly.

I could go on and on about how perfect Dimitri is but honestly you should read these books and see for yourself. Trust me, you’ll be in love with by the end of the first book if not sooner.

“My immediate associations with Dimitri were always intense and fierce; it was his sexy, battle-god persona that came to mind. Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful.” – Blood Promise

Book Review: The Heir

Posted on May 5, 2015May 9, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illéa’s royal family into a whole new Selection—and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story…but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!

I got this book at 12:40 AM this morning, started reading at noon and finished at 8 PM. Yeah, it was that good. I won’t spoil anything in this review because I know sane people haven’t finished it yet (but I know A LOT of you have). Let’s begin.

This novel begins 20 years after The One ended, and it’s now time for Princess Eadlyn, the daughter of Maxon and America, to have her own Selection. Except she doesn’t want it. After Maxon worked so hard to disband the castes in Illéa, the people are rioting and rebelling and Maxon is struggling to understand why. Therefore as a distraction they’re bringing back the Selection but with a twist.

Because Eadlyn’s not really in support of the idea she has some conditions, mainly if she doesn’t find love in three months she doesn’t have to choose anyone to marry but instead can go on her own way and be the independent Queen she wants to be.

And so the Selection begins and Eadlyn is introduced to 35 guys from throughout Illéa, including one much closer to home than she’d prefer, and finds herself actually considering these men as potential suitors. Maybe.

However, the Selection has it’s ups and downs and Eadlyn’s not sure if she’s really helping or hurting her country. Even so, she’s determined to stick with the Selection for the three months she promised whether it works for her or not. She wants to help her father, King Maxon, in anyway she can and this is the only way she knows how.

Although I wasn’t a fan of Eadlyn (she’s pretty bratty, to be honest) I was a fan of a lot of the other characters. Maxon and America are still my OTP. Their love for each other knows no bounds and it means the world to me. Their son, and Eadlyn’s twin brother, Ahern is so cute and his love for the French princess, Camilla, also knows no bounds. I ship it!

Kile, the son of America’s friend Marlee, is fantastic and I love that he tells Eadlyn exactly what he’s thinking and doesn’t care that she’s going to be the next queen. He doesn’t have time for her nonsense and I appreciate that.

Lastly, and this may be a little bit of a spoiler so if you don’t want to know I’d say stop here.

I LOVE ERIK (Eikkio)!!! Erik is the translator for one of the selected and although technically he can’t win the Selection himself I want Eadlyn to pick him. He’s super sweet, nice, and supportive to Eadlyn. I think he would make a perfect match for her and I ship it like FedEx. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be mad if she ended up with Kile. But I think she should be with Erik. He’s seems like the better match for her and I think she would see that if she let herself fall for him.

Of course that’s easier said than done because it’s complicated but still, I want Erik to win (and if you agree you can vote for him here).

Overall, I love this book. The ending … it was a good cliffhanger. I can’t say I was happy about it because it left me in tears but such a good cliffhanger, writing wise. I need to know what happens next and ASAP. If I have to wait a year for this next book I think I’ll lose it. Honestly. How Kiera Cass could do this to all of us is mind blowing.

If you haven’t read the Selection series yet please do so ASAP. It’s definitely worth a read.

Favorite Line:

‘Sometimes the very thing you’ve been hoping for will walk through the door, determined to fend you off. And still, somehow, you will find that you are enough.’

Stars: 5 out of 5. Honestly, Eadlyn definitely annoyed me throughout the book but she did grow on me. Plus, I loved the other characters so much it made up for Eadlyn’s bad behavior.

Borrow or Buy: Are you kidding? Buy this. Buy it right now if you haven’t already. You need this on your bookshelf. Trust me.

Man Crush Monday: Liam Stewart

Posted on May 4, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Try to picture the sweetest guy you know. Now multiply that by 100. That’s Liam Stewart. He’s sweet, caring, strong, and the male lead in The Darkest Minds trilogy.

As a Psi kid, a teen with a superhuman ability (in Liam’s case, telekinesis), Liam has gone through a lot including having to leave his parent’s home to escape being put in an internment camp for Psi kids. He was then a soldier for the Children’s League before he left and was then put in a camp that he later breaks out of, causing a lot of casualties that he hadn’t anticipated.

Liam is a natural born leader who believes the best in everyone and he always does his best to protect those he cares about, which is almost everyone. Plus, he’s the perfect southern gentleman. Although his naivety can sometimes be annoying, in this dark series of books, his positive outlook is illuminating.