In which I am crazy. Again.

So last night I was at Best Buy in line to return something. And Best Buy has these reaaalllyyy tiring lines, especially during the holidays. I was zoning out and then I look to my right. WHAT DO I SEE? A FAMILIAR BLONDE GIRL.

"But whoooo...." I thought.. And then a familiar boy walks up to her. THEN IT HIT ME. SHE LOOKS LIKE GRACE...WHO DOES HE LOOK LIKE? He looks like Sam O_O. GRACE AND SAM FROM SHIVER. My mind had been blown. The guy had that crooked nose complete with that sadness look too! What do I do? I stare for another five minutes before doing somethingmore crazy.

I don't know what was stranger...me seeing a lookalike Sam & Grace at Best Buy...or me taking a picture of them from behind (did not want them to think I was loony XD)... I will leave that up to your judgement...

BUT HOLY SPRINKLES. SAM AND GRACE!!! :O

I have witnessed a Christmas miracle. Unless, of course, it's just me. And that looks exactly nothing like them. And I'm crazy. Yup. That's probably a more reasonable evaluation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! :D

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Rating: 5/5

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Review: OHMYGOD. HOW AMAZING WAS THIS BOOK? I am still reeling from its awesomeness. A little bit dazed still.

Angelfire was the perfect read for me to cuddle up with in midst of all the rain in California. Like an open fire, it was warm and bright, setting off many sparks for my eyes to see. Not only were the characters molded into such beautiful beings by the author, but the story itself had a life of its own. It breathed and it lived, like all books should. The only qualm I have about this book--ONLY one--is that the beginning was a bit slow. It was a nice introduction into Ellie's life but it dragged. The upside to the beginning, though, was KATE. I LOVED KATE. I wish all best friends were that awesome.

I loved, loved, loved Ellie!!! I developed such a strong connection with her that I wasn't able to do with many other YA characters. When she felt frustrated, I was pulling out my hair with her. I felt like I was going through every event in the story along with her. I even had mini spasms throughout her sword-pwning battles. Every time she was in the middle of a fight with a reaper, I had to constantly remind myself that she was going to make it through! I mean, there was another two hundred pages after this scene. SHE WAS GOING TO LIVE, RIGHT? RIGHT? Well, with this book, you never really know. Bravo to the author for keeping you on your toes and guessing throughout. It's not a work of fluff and romance. Angelfire is the perfect balance of romance and action.

Angelfire is a book that will make you giddy and grin like an idiot. You will squeal like a crazy fangirl over Ellie and Will's endearing romance. You will get weird looks from your mother and possibly forget to eat because you just can't put this book down. And when it ends? You'll be wanting to trade your soul to the reapers for more.

(Let me digress... Since it is the holidays, I have a tradition with my sisters: We have a Sailor Moon YouTube/VHS marathon because...well... just because!! O_O DO NOT JUDGE. I am currently watching Season 3 episodes and well, I AM STILL HIGH ON SAILOR MOON. [again, do not judge xD] AND I LOVE GIFS so voila! Plus I am getting tired of my "What I thought of..." parts in my reviews SO I AM CHANGING IT UP!)

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The beginning was okay~

The middle:

THIS STORY IS AMAZING. KICK THEIR BUTT, ELLIE. KICK THEIR BUTT.

OH MY GOD. ELLIE AND WILL ARE SO CUTE. AH!H!H!H!H

GO ELLIE!!!! KILL ALL THEM PATHETIC REAPERS. REALIZE YOUR LOVE FOR WILL. YOU LOVE HIM. YOU LOVE HIM! YOU MUST LOVE HIM.

The End:

NO, ANGELFIRE. YOU CANNOT END. You must last FOREVAAHH! SOB.

No! IT HAS ENDED! NOOOooo000oo.*stares at book for another half hour*

TAKE MY SOUL. TAKE MY SOUL. PLEASEEEEE. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!! PLEAASSEE.

And for all you Sailor Moon fans out there: Angelfire is like heaven for people like us. Ellie and Will? They are about as epic as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Now that is saying something.

Yup. Read it. Read it now. Or Sailor Moon will punish you.

Before That Night - Lauren Barnholdt

AH!! FREAKOUT SESSION. Why, you ask?

Lauren Barnholdt has just posted up a prequel to One Night That Changes Everything (LESS THAN THREE. LESS THAN THREE.)

It is available to read online. Just click here! NOW!! O_O

This is the best Christmas gift! :D

Waiting on Wednesday

(Why yes, this blog is not dead anymore. At least I hope not...be warned this post reflect upon a very hyper and giddy Kim)

This post sort of coincides with THE book I am waiting for in 2011. Now, I call it THE book because this is the book I am most excited for in the new year. It sounds so edgy and alluring that I deem it to be THE book. The cover is beautiful; the synopsis is amazing--basically, every piece of it is a burst of beautiful.

....DUNDUNDUN...

This is THE book...

And if that wondertastic (yesh, I am making up words. That's how excited I am!) fireball of amazing does not astound you and make you want to read it now, now, NOW, watch this video:

Harhar, do you want to read it NOW? Why, yes, yes you do.
Why is this beautiful novel not in my hands? Why is it haunting me everywhere I go? The other day when I was in my horrid Chem class learning empirical formulas, I was thinking, "Divergent! Divergent!" Who does that? What do empirical formulas have to do with the word anyway? Nothing--nothing I tell you! -Sigh- I need this book NOW, NOW, NOW. But patience is key. Only less than 150 days before I get my hands on this book. I might actually write a letter to Santa about this...(one can dream...) XD

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Rating: 3.4/5

Synopsis: An impossible truth. An impossible love.

After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with—the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead—Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all.

But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and to the famous legend that binds their fates—a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess....

Review: I wasn't sure if I should give the series another try, but I did, and I've got to say: it was better this time. While far better than its predecessor, The Haunted is still lacking that quality that makes me fall in love with its characters. The characters are definitely not three dimensional, but for some reason I can't build any connections with them. I hate that. Hopefully the next book will change that.

I think the reason this book was much better was because The Hollow was just dripped and painted with just so much sadness. The Haunted differs from that. We definitely do not get the same melancholy Abbey for hundreds of pages. Her character changed, and new characters were introduced. And Caspian...he was just so lovable in this book! Honestly, the best character out of this entire novel.

While The Haunted is not the perfect read, it leaves you hanging with unanswered questions. Those of which will make you want to read the third book. :)

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Very slow, but I am loving the changes to Abbey!

The Middle: This is getting so much better. I am actually turning the pages faster :D

The End: ARGH. CLIFFHANGER JFLSDKFJKSLDFJ.

FTC: Checked out from library