Rapture by Lauren Kate (Fallen #4) 5 cups of tea!

The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer. (Goodreads.com)
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How to begin?
This book kept me awake after I read it.
This book is very accurate in hitting a place in your heart where it settles with stitches made of the same tissue as everything that you hold dear and can cause you pain if you want to have it removed.
I think that pretty much covers it.
Well not exactly but I am truly blown away by how good this book is. I think that Lauren Kate is a fabulous author. She can make lines so beautiful that you have to read them again plus her way of describing a scene is very well done.
This book has some huge themes to focus on, certainly after Passion. I honestly thought that Passion wasn't as good as Fallen and Torment and I was a bit scared and curious on how Lauren Kate would finish it. Certainly after her lovely short stories of Fallen In Love.
I can say that she's reached the top 5 of my favorite authors with Rapture.
The way she spins the bible into this book and explains things, is brilliant. She really made me think; well yeah, maybe it is/was like that. And then there is the lovestory. It is huge, it is sweet and has a certain dark edge to it. It isn't like Romeo and Juliet, thank 'heavens' no, though I think it is definitely as beautiful and capturing.
The only thing I'm stuck with is this; I want to know what happened to my beloved Cam. Because he is on of the best bloody characters in the entire series.
Further complaints I have not. I'm still too blown away!
Absolutely deserved 5 stars and a place in my heart (and it is crowded in there with all those beautiful fictional characters, I can tell you that!)

 

Fracture by Megan Miranda, 3 cups of tea.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.
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The story has a great concept. The characters are well laid out. The amount of thrill isvery very high and it totally gave me the creeps.
All in all, I can't really explain why I don't really like it. Maybe it has something to do with the power of Delaney. She felt miserable and so did I. She felt like no one cared for her and only wanted her dead, and for the few hours that it took me to read the book, I felt too.
Megan Miranda did a very good job, that must be said. The story is great and so is the writing, but honestly, it didn't leave me entirely happy. I still have questions I want answered, like; what's going to happen now? Is what happened to Troy, also going to happen to Delaney?
I do recommend this book, it's a story that's going to make you think and suck you in. But it didn't leave me with a very happy feeling, so be warned.

 
Kind of appropriate to the story :)

Cassie Clare's City of Lost Souls, 5 sugared cups of tea!

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

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It doesn't happen very often. A book that you HAVE to put down because you can't temporarily take it.
It did happen with CoLS. What a book, never a dull moment, not even an emotion that you couldn't find yourself having while reading.
Clary is such an amazing character, she really grows in his book and you grow a little with her. This book just kicks butt with every other book I've ever written. There aren't many series that, as they continue, keep getting better and better. City of Lost Souls definitely is.
Before I can give a more detailed review, I think I need to read it again, it was just so full of action, romance, drama and comedy that it is impossible to give you a good image of the book.
My best advice is to read it.
It definitely adds to the series and I'm quite sad that after City of Heavenly Fire, it will truly be over. But then again, this series is so amazing that you'll keep on reading it again and again :)
So conclusion: there is no emotion to describe the whirl of feelings that lifts you off your feet and takes you in a flow of excitement throughout the book.

Gaston Leroux's The Phantom Of The Opera, 5 cups of tea

What did I think of it? Good question.
I've seen the 2004 movie first and then I wanted to read the book, thinking that the movie would be based on it (of course).
I must say this first; despite the horrible ending, I hate it when the story doesn't feel 'finished', it is a fun, terrible, romantic story to read.
I'd expected that you would read from Christine's perspection as well, which would be tremendous, but then it wasn't. I didn't like it at first but as I went on, it added some sort of thrill and in the end, you did find out what had happened.
I like that the author has written the book like it has all happened for real and he's the journalist that's reporting it.
Even though I found Raould de Changy a bit whiny in the beginning, you cannot doubt his actions and his devotion towards Christine and even though she is a very naive girl in the beginning, she has faced terrible things and remained strong, which made her also some sort of heroine.

What can I say about the Phantom? I've loved him in the movie (honestly, who wouldn't love Gerard Butler?) and even in the book, in which he seems different, to me at least, he has something that is drawing you in and wanting to feel pity for him and go and comfort him.
The characters are honest and very well described, they are a part of the story, everone even the minor ones. The different perspectives also give you the hectics of an Opera house and you feel like you are a part of it.
Conclusion: a confusing book in the beginning but when it has seized you, captured you by the powers of the Voice and unheard but imaginable music, you can't let it go and it stays with you, wherever you go.
So yes, it will go on my favorites list with 5 cups of tea.

My rating system:
I use cups of tea (I told you I was obsessed ^^)
1 cup of tea: not my cup of tea, I didn't like it.
2 cups of tea: it was okay
3 cups of tea: that's more like it, I like it!
4 cups of tea: I really liked it
5 cups of tea: That's for sure my cup of tea, I loved it.    

Review: The Host, 4 cups of tea!

Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

Summary by Goodreads.com
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.


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The big question is, what did I think of it?
To be honest, this book has been on my shelf since it was published in 2009. Somehow I never felt the urge to pick it up and start reading.
Now, with the movie hitting the theaters next year, I felt that urge, plus I had a friend who was almost forcing me to read it. ^^
And I simply love her for forcing me into it, I owe her brownies and a cup of tea I guess. :)
When I started reading at first, I was completely confused. I didn't get the story and I really had to be sucked into it. But then the story started going and it was as if I couldn't stop any more, as if someone had cut the breaks. I have been speechless for a whole day after I'd finished it. My first thoughts, after 5 minutes of being completely numb, were: "chocolate, I need chocolate".

Firstly, I must point out how well written all the characters are, everyone has his story and his own character.
All the characters were so well expressed and I felt like I too got to know them. Of course the setting is hard for them but it shows that together, and with a dose of craziness, you'll stand strong.
The writing and the story are very clever, with both Melanie and Wanderer being the leading ladies and you can relate to both of them. Of course, Wanderer isn't human but her thoughts are pure, being a soul and all. And it is very interesting to read their conversations and discover that those girls really don't look alike but then in the end have one thing in common. Their relationship is an adventure alone in the book.
Secondly, though the whole setting might be a little unbelievable, you can do nothing but believe it while you are reading. It is so well described (though I only began to understand everything after the first part of the book) with a dosis of humor and sensation.
I also must add that I cried my eyes out in chapters 57 and 58. I just couldn't believe it but when those chapters ended it was like; "yeah it's supposed to go this way". So I must say I was absolutely shocked with the events after those chapters.
Maybe I'm a bit prejudiced because I love Stephenie Meyer's books and I am really sad that some people can't seem to do the same, tastes differ, I know. But in my opinion, books must always entertain, is a book entertaining, than it has succeeded in its duty. And 'The Host' definitely is entertaining. I have been stuck in this book with my nose for 6 days at every free possible moment.

I rate 'The Host' 4 cups of tea. I really liked it a lot and the book has ended on my favorites list and The Host will definitely be read many, many times. The one thing I thought that wasn't so good about the Host, was the trouble I had in being sucked into it. It has some starting issues, but like oldtimers, when it finally runs, it runs good :)

So if you haven't read it yet, please do, give it a shot -yes all those pages-, it's worth it.

My rating system:
I use cups of tea (I told you I was obsessed ^^)
1 cup of tea: not my cup of tea, I didn't like it.
2 cups of tea: it was okay
3 cups of tea: that's more like it, I like it!
4 cups of tea: I really liked it
5 cups of tea: That's for sure my cup of tea, I loved it.       

Oh and another thing...

One thing I might add to what I've just written. Why the name of this blog?
Well let me explain something first. One of my "books" has a theme of an arch, the other books have that theme too, a little, but it's more important in this book. It's the symbolic of an arch that appeals me. An arch is a place where things cross. And in this blog it will be my thoughts that cross the arch of the world wide web. And since I spend a lot of time in my worlds of ink (I love those series by Cornelia Funke, they've changed my life) I thought it would be an appropriate title.
I sometimes believe, but then again, I am a bit crazy (but who isn't eh ;)), that if I'm bleeding, I'll bleed ink. The amount of fantasy that sometimes gets into me brain is crazy.
I shall immediately explain another thing. I'm a Dutch girl, writing a blog. Then why is it that you write in English? You could question that. It's just that this is an international thingy, you could say and that could reallybe an explanation. In this case it isn't, and this another crazy thing about me, not everyone can understand it so I try to hide it an awfully lot, but English is like my second language. I write all my stories in English and I find that when I'm kind of stuck, I can express myself better in English. Plus, everything sounds better when I put it in English.

I hope that later this week, I'll put up my review of The Host. I've finished it like a few hours ago and I'm still in awe and can't really think straight.

Another warning for future readers, my mind is silly and I write when I feel the need to. So somedays, like today, I will post two times a day and then again I will not for a few days.
So I hope I can keep it up and post frequently.

A start

After a very exciting e-mail from one of my dearest friends, I decided to start a blog.
It's a strange thing to do and very obvious actually.
Strange, because I said once that a blog was nothing for me.
Obvious, because it actually is something for me.
I am a writer, as I call myself very convincing and proud. Not that I have published anything yet, I'm still in the phase in which I have 5 stories in my mind and about 8 written down.
Though people, friends, say that I have a talent, but I guess it's their duty to say so.
I've asked them several times to honestly say, without any prejudice, what they think of it.
But they remain enthusiastic and encouraging.
So when my dear friend, whom I've known since the first grade - that was like 15 years ago since I turn 19 this summer - said to me that a blog was a good way to give people reviews of books and tell them stuff.
I'm obsessed with books and the world of the written. Though I enjoy a good movie, like, every night. I seem to have no mind of my own, my mind is completely filled with song lyrics, quotes from books, quotes from movies and above all, conversations between my own fictional characters.
It is amazing that there is still space left to stuff with all the information a speech-therapist needs. For I am learning to become one at the moment. I'm in my second year of college at the Hogeschool Utrecht in the Netherlands.
I don't know yet what to achieve with this blog, maybe it's just another way to let my voice speak with the hope to be heard. So enjoy my reviews, my thoughts and everything else I want to tell.