(Consoling Angel Blog Tour) Review + Giveaway

Consoling Angel

by Denise Alicea

Genre: Young Adult, Time Travel, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Book Baby (self published)

Source: eARC 

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo

Synopsis:
Mira did not know what she had in store the day she fell asleep while wanting to escape her current situation. Overcoming a death from someone so close and burying herself in school and an internship has kept her somewhat awake and alive. An admiration for the actor, James Dean was all that kept the memory of her father alive. If she couldn’t be with her father, she could at least remember what they shared an admiration for together. She always wanted to meet James Dean… she didn’t know it would come true. Be careful what you wish for. It may just come true.

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Review:

Mira still quite hasn’t moved on from her losing her father to cancer. She spends her days trying to keep herself busy from remembering her dad. She and her dad were very close and you could say that her love for James Dean originated from him. During her free time, she remembers those times she spent with his father talking about James Dean and watching his films and thinks of meeting him to know whether the things she know about him are real or not. Falling asleep, she is transported back in 1950s where she meets James Dean.

Despite its length, I think Consoling Angel is a good read. It’s something I would surely remember. It is short, but compelling. The short scene of Mira and James Dean is well written that it didn’t feel rush at all despite it being only a few pages. To be honest, this book actually made me teary because of its bittersweet ending. The only thing I didn’t like about this book is its length. I want to know more about what will happen after the ending. Hopefully, this book becomes a full-length novel in the future because the story really has potential.

Would I recommend this book? If you’re looking for a short story that tells a good story, then this book is for you.

Rating:

Giveaway

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Connecticut, I found that I was more interested in what went on in the past, than in the future.. This makes me a hugehistory buff. I’ve always enjoyed reading books starting from ancient history, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, and of course romance. I also loved the arts so my first love was once drawing and painting until I found a new medium that would inspire me to try something new.

Denise elsewehere:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Scariest Looking Book Covers

Each week, particularly every tuesday, The Broke and Bookish host a Top Ten Tuesday based on a specific bibliophilic topic. Other bloggers are able to participate and post their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.

October 29, 2013: Top Ten Scariest Looking Book Covers

1. Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

You probably might be wondering why I think the cover is scary. Well, let me explain: first, the girl looks hauntingly creepy, second, her face is covered by a cloth which made the cover even scarier since those reminds me of nuns in scary movies and lastly, if you look closely at the face, you'll notice that the girl's face is black. DOWN RIGHT CREEPY.

2. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Need I say more? I think the cover speaks for me, so to speak.

3. The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith
I remember seeing this book on our local bookstore and I was like 'WOAH'. The cover just scared me. Not to mention its thickness. Very scary, indeed.

4. Substitute Creature by Charles Gillian

Probably one of the most scariest covers of all-time. Just imagine seeing your teacher with that expression, I would most probably scream.

5. Bedlam Stories by Christine Converse
I get scared every time I see this cover because I wouldn't want my mother to offer me up to some demon like what is implied on the cover!

6. Tales of the Undead - Suffer Eternal by Nathan J.D.L. Rowark 

Don't make fun of me, but this cover had me running to my parents' room!

7. Tales of the Undead - Hell Whore by Nathan J.D.L. Rowark

This cover just screams blood and gore. What more the content?

8. Tales of the Undead - Suffer Eternal: Volume II by Nathan J.D.L. Rowark 

I AM AFRAID OF THE APOCALYPSE. Enough said.

9. Annabelle by Ruby Jean Jensen
I would most probably sell this book if I ever have one. Why? The title is Annabelle and the cover is a doll. Well, that just reminds me a lot of Annabelle from The Conjuring which is why I find the cover scary.

10. It  by Stephen King

It's very hard to not find this cover scary considering the fact that its cover has a creepy clown who looks like he's about to murder you in it.

*This list is of no particular order. 

That's it for this week's Top Ten Tuesday! Hope I gave you a good scare. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Character Names I Love

Each week, particularly every tuesday, The Broke and Bookish host a Top Ten Tuesday based on a specific bibliophilic topic. Other bloggers are able to participate and post their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.

October 22, 2013: Top Ten Character Names I Love

1. Adrian Ivashkov (From Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.)

What can I say? I'm a total sucker for Russian names! (I even named myself Katerina Kazakov *hides*)

2. Nastiya Kashnikov (From Katya Millay's The Sea of Tranquility. GENIUS, GENIUS BOOK)

Like I said, I'm a sucker for Russian Names! Haha. BTW, this is not her real name. Read TSoT to find out! ;)

3. Calaena Sardothien (From Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series)

Her name's oozing with uniqueness and creativity that only Sarah J. Maas could perfect. Read Throne of Glass because it's such an amazingly written and well-thought out debut novel!

4. Karou (From Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy) 

She's the blue-haired girl from Daughter of Smoke and Bone written by Laini Taylor. She's tough as nails, and blue hair's a plus!

5. Alina Starkov (From Leigh Bardugo's The Grisha Trilogy)

Russian name yet again. She's a very bad-ass character, and everyone loves her. Read her Shadow and Bone to find out how kick-ass of a character she is. 

6. The Darkling (From Leigh Bardugo's The Grisha Trilogy)

It's not a russian name, but it screams sexy, and I just couldn't resist his charms. When I first saw The Darkling's name, I was immediately drawn to him, and it wasn't a mistake (he turned out to be very, very pleasing to the eyes.)

7. Mara Amitra Dyer (From Michelle Hodkin's Mara Dyer Trilogy)

She's one of the best characters of all-time. I mean, who could kill a person with just one thought? Only Mara. She's also 1/2 of the infamous duo, M.A.D.N.E.S.S. (It stands for Mara Amitra Dyer Noah Elliot Simon Shaw yeah, Michelle Hodkin's deep like that)

8. Liesel Meminger (From Markus Zusak's The Book Thief)
A pretty name for a pretty girl. Her story was heartbreaking, but it was, hands down, one of the best releases this year. Read my Review of The Book Thief here.)

9. Layken Cohen (From Colleen Hoover's Slammed Trilogy)
This name is unique, just like Sky Linden Davis's name (from the Hopeless duology also by Colleen Hoover.)

10. Anna Korlov (From Kendare Blake's Anna Duology)
A strong name for a strong character. She's one of the most selfless characters I've ever encountered. Read Anna Dressed in Blood to find out why!

*This list is of no particular order. 

This concludes my first Top Ten Tuesday post! Hope you liked it. :-)

What are the names of your favorite characters? Comment below!

Stacking the Shelves (3)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

This week, Fullybooked Green Hills and The Fort had a big sale, and I, like all bibliophiles, couldn't resist. 

So for this week's haul, we've got:

1. Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (Awesome book, btw)

2. Of Triton by Anna Banks

3. Starters by Lissa Price

4. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (*hearts everywhere*)

5. Immortal City by Scott Speer

6. Natural Born Angel by Scott Speer (!!!!)

7. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Loved it)

8. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

9. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (GO BUY IT)

10. The Program by Suzanne Young

11. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (Hardbound)

12. Just One Year by Gayle Forman

13. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

14. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (this book was amazeballs)

15. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

16. Plague by Michael Grant (I bought another one lol)

17. The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

18. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (Paperback)

19. Burned by Ellen Hopkins

20. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

21. Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

22. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

*click on the title to be redirected to the book's goodreads page

To end this post, I would like to thank my parents, and Fully Booked! :-)

What should I read next?

Timeless and Poignant: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief 

by Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Modern Classic

Release Date: September 1, 2005

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Source: Bought/Own Copy

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Author's Website

Synopsis:   

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

___________________________________________________ Review: "I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." 

Once or twice in a man's life, he will stumble upon a book that is extraordinary, and another that will leave an indelible mark on his heart. I consider this both.

It was during March of last year when I first heard of this modern classic. I remember being a bit apprehensive because of the reviews I've come across about it being a reminiscent of some tearjerkers I've read. And finally, just a couple of months ago, I made up my mind and went to the nearest bookstore to finally take it home with me. At first glance, you'd think that The Book Thief's dull, but it was, in fact, extraordinary. I wonder why I've waited so long to read this book.

Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief, narrated by the oh-so famous Death, tells the story of Liesel Meminger, together with her mother and her brother, who's on their way to Molching. While on the way to Molching, Werner, Liesel's younger brother, dies on the train. After the unfortunate turn of events, they stop for Werner's burial, where Liesel strikes for the first time. The Grave Digger's Handbook, the first of a handful of books she stole, led to her lustrous career as the infamous Book Thief.

This being a novel of Markus Zusak's it is expected to be amazing, original, and out of this world. Guess what? It was. It even went beyond that, if you ask me. I was really looking forward to how this book would turn out and now that i have finished it, boy did I wish that I spent more time devouring the small moments between these amazing characters. Kudos to you Markus for making me sob uncontrollably for a good half an hour!

Time to get to the point. I applaud Zusak whose time and effort were spent on this rivetingly narrated book. He used perfect words that constituted to unforgettable paragraphs. No word was meaningless which was probably the reason why most people didn't finish this book. Everything, and I mean everything, was told in great emotional detail. I could feel the emotion emanating from the book itself. In return it made me think of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow. It left me promising myself that I would get more out of each day spent from here on out. 

I absolutely loved Liesel. Zusak's words shaped her perfectly in my mind. The image of her, even before I saw the trailer, was so vivid that it scared me. Not only was her appearance radiant, but also her character. There's this thing about her that made me want to hug her every time I see her suffer. An aura of extreme righteousness and good-nature surrounds her that makes every reader fall in love with her. 

I also thought Max was absolutely perfect! Although at first he seemed like a dead weight to the family, amidst the chaos and rubble outside of the Hubermann residence, he made a best friend out of Liesel. She read him stories, brought him gifts when he was sick, and in return he did the thing that made me tear up the most: he wrote her a book, albeit a short one. He's the most thankful person I've ever met. (not really met, but you get the point) 

All events considered, the plot was riveting, however there were events wherein Death, the narrator, spoiled the readers. Haha. Imagine yourself saying: "Ugh. The book i'm reading spoiled me!" Seems impossible right? WRONG. In times, Death chooses to be all mysterious and reveal major details about the plot but it just gave rise to the book's awesomeness. 

The most intriguing characteristic of this book was that it was an eye-opener. It narrated the harsh reality that people manipulate, twist, and tilt words in order to make them sound like what you wanted to hear. Zusak told one of the most melancholic periods of world history and made it into a beautiful and well-crafted story of a girl who stole books. 

Rating: 

Manila International Book Fair—September 14, 2013

Photo credit: Manila Book Fair

As we all know, the biggest and longest-running book fair was held at the SMX Convention Center from September 11-15, 2013. In addition, you've probably heard us raving about it for the past month. The Manila International Book Fair—or more commonly known as the MIBF, is where bibliophiles, like us, experience sheer glee. We went on Saturday and Sunday (September 14-15, 2013) and it was our first time. With our wallets and stomachs full, we ventured farther into the unknown! 

This being our first time, we arrived at 8:30. Talk about early birds! With too much time to kill, we decided to go to Caffé Bene. (It was so homey! and the aroma emanating from their counters was heavenly.) The downer was the café doesn't have free wifi, or any wifi at all.

Our first stop was: FullyBooked (of course!)...


....and it was good! When we passed by the doors, our jaws fell to the floor upon seeing what seemed like endless shelves that went on forever. The sight that stood before us was breathtaking. After gathering our bearings, we immediately scanned shelf by shelf of books. And guess what? Most of the books are YA/NA! We slipped into a book coma not long after. (Who could resist such temptation?)
Our next and final stop was: National Bookstore.

There were plenty of books in the National Bookstore as well. One thing we hated was the floor plan of National's booth. There were so many books and lesser walking space! (We even lost a friend of ours here, haha!) The books on sale were okay, but not as great as Fullybooked's because we're YA readers more than anything else, and only 25% of the books in there were YA/NA, others were classics and self-help or biographies (cringe).

One word could easily sum up our first MIBF experience: Stressful. Many factors contributed to our being stressed, the money, or lack thereof, being the chief reason. We were practically reading premise after premise, comparing one premise to another because we couldn't buy everything we pick out, and that was really stressful because a lot, and we mean a lot, of people were book shopping as well. We couldn't just take up the whole aisle now, could we? Other than that, the other problems were expected, namely: a wide sea of people, a whole lot of elbow touching, and foot pain. Oh yeah, foot pain was such a pain in the butt. We were tired by 12nn and we rushed to go home because we couldn't take any more walking! We don't know why we got tired that easily (4 hours). Nonetheless, we enjoyed our first experience and we would gladly attend again next year (See you there!).  I believe I speak for the both of us when I say that I wouldn't miss the MIBF for the world!