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NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 5th, 2013, 9:11 pm
by laila_6045
Hello again my fellow RPerssss!

We are in the month of November and that means we are just another month away before ushering into the new year. But before that happens let us do some more reading challenges to flex those eyes and brains!
To start of this rather spooky month, we will have a spooky reading as well. So what I want you to do is go on a ghost hunting, vampire hunting and witch hunting reading. Here are the following guidelines :


** I have chosen three books with the following theme ghost, witch and vampire. The choices are:

Bad Girls Don't Die.jpg

Witch & Wizard.jpg

The Immortal Rules.jpg



** The first reader to post his/her review about any one (1) of the above books will get the chance to select one (1) book prize from the bundle below.
** The first reader to post his/her reviews of any two (2) of the above titles will get the chance to select two (2) book prizes from the bundle below.
** The first reader to post his/her reviews of all three (3) of the above titles will get the chance to select three (3) book prizes from the bundle below.
** You need to post your reviews for each title separately. The first reader to complete all three book reading gets to select his/her book prizes first. Then the next reader who gets first two reviews will select next then the reader with only one first review will select last. The winner will get to win only once based on the highest category his/her reviews qualified for.
** This challenge will officially start on November 07, 2013 and ends on November 30, 2013. Only reviews posted within these dates are to be considered valid. So please take careful note of this.
** In your reviews kindly indicate the title and author of the book. You may post your reviews under this thread.
** Kindly wait a PM from me to officially notify you as the winner of my November YA challenge after this challenge is over.
** The book prizes are all pre loved books that I want to share as rewards to my fellow readers :)


Here are the lovely book prizes that awaits you!
November Book Prizes.JPG


Good Luck Challengers :D

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 9th, 2013, 8:22 pm
by arjaye
wahhh i read na the witch and wizard before... hopefully i can jog my memory for some insights on the story.
@laila.. so many good books, so little time! arrgghh! hihi i still envy you for reading so fast! :)

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 10th, 2013, 10:14 pm
by ichelle
OMG....
These books are so totally awesome, it's really hard to describe the excitement and thrill on reading these books.

To begin with Bad Girls Don't cry seems to be a bit creepy when you look up at the cover page, but once you read the book, the first word that comes to my mind is "AMAZING". I have to admit that Alexis is really cool and the fact that it is an excellent way for readers to balance horror with mystery, but I wish that Alexis should have been more assertive in a way and gain more self-confidence.

As for the other book that I read which is "The Immortal Rules", it made me felt somehow thrilled since I really love vampire stories that much and what was interesting was that a combination of action, devilish handsome characters, whom is played by Zeke, who radiates hot and sexiness into one that makes me wish that I could be one of his victim and also suspense makes it all more intriguing. And the heroine Allie is tough, and can be sometimes really feisty when she swings her sword. A MUST read book indeed as well.

It's a shame that I haven't read Witch and Wizard yet, but maybe on a future time. I'm sure it's a cool book as well..

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 22nd, 2013, 3:38 pm
by joesel
Image

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Alexis and Kasey are sisters who are weird on their own ways – with Kasey’s fascination over dolls and then recently of antique dolls, which makes her weirder. Then we have Alexis who is considered weird too by the kids in her school and even by her own set of friends. But things get weirder when a chain of strange and unexplainable events started happening in their house - Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
And the weirdest thing is that Kasey had changed too – lost was the gentle-little-sister-who-needs-protection-everytime but replaced with a Kasey that speaks old English like “oughtn’t”and a Kasey that is angry.

And Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister.

First of all the book is more suspenseful than horror – there are no people being chainsawed or anything like that.

Also, the book includes classic elements in any horror story – haunted house and creepy possessed dolls. Nonetheless, the characters in the book plus the well-written plot lines gave the book a fresh and new twirl.

I like Alexis because she has pink hair, how cool and astig is that? :) It matches her strong, stubborn and I-don’t-need-help-from-anyone attitude.
if i have a top 10 list of favorite female fictional character, Alexis will surely be one of them.

As I scroll down the book (I was reading an ebook copy), I was filled with a mix of delight, excitement and a handful of “oh my goodness” with all the suspense thingy and some AHA moments when i figure out how the lives of the characters are connected. The writing is simple but so good so fast-paced that it would keep you on flipping the pages for hours even if you only initially want to read it in a few minutes. There was also some splash of romance happening so it was not all ghost and ghost and ghost. ;)

The book also shows how strong a sister bond is. Your brother or your sister would be the nearest person who can help you when you get in trouble - be it with bullies or with ghosts. ;)

Bad Girls Don’t Die is recommended for those readers who are looking for light horror books. The book is suspenseful and interesting enough that you can finish it even in one sitting only but not that scary to make you have some trauma on dolls or make you not go to sleep with lights off.

and if you want more ghost adventures with Alexis, be sure to read the sequels - From Bad to Cursed and As Dead as It Gets!

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 25th, 2013, 9:42 pm
by laila_6045
Reminders for those still interested to join my challenge this month there is still 5 more days to go before this officially ends. so hurry up and post your reviews :)

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 28th, 2013, 2:06 pm
by arjaye
WITCH AND WIZARD

It reminded me of harry potter, just because of the drumstick and journal that their parents had given them. Or maybe because it was all about magic and spells, and kids. Or maybe because i always think that THE ONE WHO IS THE ONE is the same as LORD VOLDEMORT, HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED.

Actually come to think of it, there a lot of similarities between the two. (1)They have both two sides, the good and the bad, the latter pertaining to government or the people in power who wants to stay in power and re-build everything according to their own ways and rules. (2) They both have young heroes and heroines. Whit and Wisty Allgood, while Harry Potter and his friends. (3)They both focused on discovering and honing their abilities, by themselves or by Hogwart's. (4) They both have their own versions of kids putting up an army against the government. One that is, garfunkel's group and the other, the dumbledore's army. (5) THE ONE WHO IS THE ONE has his own cult, has his own minions worshipping him, obeying him and all his commands. Well, that's what VOLDEMORT did too, with the death eaters and his so called "inner circle". (6)A lot of chases here and there, looking for the parents, looking for the kids, letting them out of the prison, rescuing others, kids saving the day…sounded like so harry potter and all of the seven books in its glory. The list goes on.

It is not that i dislike the story, i just got bored since the ideas are all out there. Plus the intertwining perspectives of whit and wisty makes it more complicated to understand who's talking or narrating. There were a lot of actions, though. And a lot more to expect since this was just the first book and a lot of questions were left hanging and unanswered as the book ended.

I might continue reading the gift, their sequel, but after i read books that pique my interest first. I need something new, something fresh. The book is good, though it is not for me.

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 28th, 2013, 2:24 pm
by arjaye
BAD GIRLS DONT DIE

Once upon a time, Alexis was your typical high school outcast: pink hair, bad attitude, unapologetic loner. Until the day her little sister Kasey made friends with the wrong ghost, and Alexis had to step up and do battle with an evil supernatural force. That set in motion a series of events that would forever change Alexis’s life–and the lives of the people she loves–as she learned that, no matter how bad they seem… things can always get worse.

i read this in two gulps. it was an easy read, i can say. the plot, the characters, the conflict, the twist, the resolution… your typical horror story! it includes haunted house, dolls ( i remember ugly chuckie! eeeiwww!haha but when i think about pretty barbie, ooh! she cant do that kind of bad stuff, can she now?!), evil possession, love-hate relationships between the characters, big oak tree, neighboring granny. but no matter how typical it may seem, i liked it.
first and foremost, its about sisters. i, too, have one younger sister. i am alexis, she is kasey. i can truly relate since we lived in the same environment. Mom and Dad were busy doing their own things. we were left to take care of ourselves, as young as we were. and as an older figure in her life, i tend to be so protective. So when i was reading the book, i cannot help but to imagine what if Jaemie (my sissy! :) was like that, acting weird and all. It actually played on my emotions especially those few moments of them when Kasey was fighting to overcome the other entity occupying her body and soul, and Alexis was really reaching out to her sister. i thought about us, in the real world, that there is nothing i would do just to save her.
The book was complete. the characters involved, the cause of the problem, the way they solved it. Katie presented all sides of a story. horror, suspense, human interest, relationships, even she cannot pass up on a love opportunity between characters (hehe! im a sucker for romantic loves!) Actually, the only one thing i didn't see coming was Megan having the 6th sense. I knew she will be involved but not like that. And i was not surprised at all for the appearance of a Japanese character, Mr. Sawamura. Japanese people really can do a good horror story, even i am a fan! or rather, they really do scare the hell out of me.
i can imagine this one, BAD GIRLS DONT DIE, into a movie. typical, but i will still like it.

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: November 28th, 2013, 2:33 pm
by arjaye
THE IMMORTAL RULES (Blood of Eden #1)

where to start?

first and foremost, vampire stories are so overrated these days thats why i was sailing away from them for quite a while now. but because of a challenge made by READ PHILIPPINES, i swam back to the shore and join the bandwagon. then comes the immortal rules, and there's no turning back now.

i love the book. really, really love it! to me, the characters, the setting, the twist, the emotions were all well played. unpredictable that u will crave for more. would u believe that i read it just in two days, wont put it down even i have something else to do.

i was swallowed whole by the story. i became allison sekemoto. i felt what she felt. i was scared when she went alone to the ruins, intrigued when she encountered the mysterious vampire down the tunnel, doubtful when she was to choose to die intact as a human or to live but as a monster. i was hurt when stick betrayed her, hopeful that maybe Kanin will be a love interest, had a slight scare when he did not return, but most of the time brave and full of courage despite all of whats happening in her surroundings.

but what was the most part that i really felt that i wanted to be allie… well, u know, the ZEKE part. from their introduction, to their journey together, to their almost love story, to the revelation and hating part, the reconciliation, to the almost happy ending together. actually, all of their moments together. but who am i kidding? it was bound to end that way. im just a true-blue sucker for love stories like this.

i am all aware that it is not goodbye for them. there are lots and lots of questions, lots and lots of twists. For a story like that, you cant get enough. for me, it was well-blended, all angles presented, characters well-played, one side resolved while the another problem surfacing, emotions at their best, ideas thought well. never did i get bored or uninterested in any parts. the turn of events made me gasped and voiced out loud.

it was the vampire diaries meets the walking dead to me. and those two are my most loved tv series nowadays.

to sum it all up, it was complete, the horror, romance, the twists, the characters, the actions. For an author like JULIE KAGAWA, the immortal rules will fill me for a time, but it will never sate the hunger. i will always crave for more.

On to the eternity cure (blood of eden #2) then… :)

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: December 1st, 2013, 6:01 pm
by laila_6045
This challenge is officially close. I would like to thank the members who have participated in this challenge. I will be contacting the valid winners soon after this post and will be back here for any updates.

Happy Holidays EVERYONE!!!

Re: NOVEMBER YA CHALLENGE

PostPosted: December 2nd, 2013, 10:03 pm
by laila_6045
Thank you once again for those who have participated in my November YA Challenge. Let us congratulate the following winners : @arjaye for completing all three reading challenge and so she had the privilege to choose three book prizes first. Then my second winner goes to @joesel who completed one book reading challenge, she had the privilege to choose one book prize after @arjaye's pick.
I would like to thank the newbie member @ichelle who was supposed to be the first to post two reviews but unfortunately her post was not valid since I specifically outlined in my guidelines that reviews should be posted separately. I have to stick to my guidelines to be fair to those who did follow it. I did sent her a PM reminding her to review my guidelines so that she have time to make amendments to her post if she wanted to.

However, I will have my December YA Challenge soon so watch out for that :D