This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers Review

This Is Not a Test 
by Courtney Summers
Published on June 19th 2012
St. Martin's Griffin, 323 pages

Find the title on Goodreads
Book Depository - Amazon

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to? 

- Goodreads.com description

Wow. This book totally blew me away. I'm really in awe. And I am still trying to figure out if I connected with the main character so much that I actually felt all the feelings she was feeling, or that I was just in a bad mood. But I am willing to bet my money on the first ;) My emotions were all over the place. Literally.

Sloane. My sweet little Sloane. I felt so bad for her. She is so brave and so strong and in the same time so fragile, my heart was breaking all over for her. I don't know how much to say except for; Sloane, I really felt you. I did.

Well, it's a zombie book and I must admit it's the first zombie book I've ever read. And I liked it! I was terrified and scared most of the time, but it was incredible. And as a psychologist - the dynamics of the group was described amazingly. I guess the author knows a lot about Social psychology and group dynamics ;)

The writing. OMG the writing in this book was so freaking good. In the beginning I was shocked because I felt it was something I could have wrote. I felt like the writing style was so similar to mine, that the connection got me hooked for the rest of the book. So, really, Courtney Summers you did an amazing job with This Is Not a Test! ;)

So, if you're searching for an awesome zombie book filled with action, sorrow, loss, will to survive, and good romance, This Is Not a Test is the perfect book for you!

Waiting around to be saved is like waiting to die and I have done more of both than anyone else in this room. There's a whole lot of nothing before there's something and running was something.

The worst kind of emptiness fills me. Imagine loving someone that much, but imagine them loving you back. I thought I knew what that was like but I didn't. I never did.

And then I step into the lot, feeling the bravest and most indestructible I've ever felt in my life which is strange, I guess, because I'm readying myself to die.

"You really think there's nothing left for us?" he asked. 

"I think there's nothing left for me. I don't think that for everyone else."

"So what do they have that you don't at this point?"

I pressed my lips together. I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't want to talk about how everyone has something even if they don't really have it anymore, that what they had makes them strong enough for this, to keep going.

Maybe the only way our story can end is varying degrees of sad. And that I miss her, that I need her, and this kind of missing, this kind of need, the kind of emptiness it leaves behind is worse than waking up one day and finding the whole world has collapsed in on itself, that I was over long before it was.

Top Ten Great Books That Seems Like I Can't Recommend Them Enough

It's Top 10 Tuesday (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) and the topic is freebie, so: 

Top 10 Great/Awesome/Amazing Books That Seems Like I Can't Recommend Them Enough.

1. Bared to you by Sylvia Day

Omg this book (serie) is so freaking good! One of the best Adult books ever. It teaches you that (sometimes) love is worth fighting for no matter how fucked up you are. So really, if you're searching for an Adult book filled with great romance, hot sex scenes and some psychological issues, this book is perfect for you! ;)

2. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

This book is so beautiful. Written in such a beautiful way. And the story is, OMG, painful, amazing, overwhelming and the romance is so cute. It's about death and struggling to go on with life as best as someone can. Loved this book so much and I would recommend it to anyone, because really, it's worth it.

3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This serie. OMG this serie is completely and totally amazing. It's my favourite serie EVER and there is no way I would not recommend it every person on the planet. You need to meet Rose Hathaway ;) And of course Dimitri <3

4. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Oh hoh. This book. This book will blow you away. Just one word: Daemon Black. Trust me on that ;)

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
This book really teaches you about courage and facing your fears. It teaches you about different values in life and how important they really are. I would recommend this serie to all of you that are looking for a book/serie full of action, good romance, and individuals that fight for what they think is right.

6. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Because the main two characters are so freaking hilarious that you'll find yourself laughing your ass out :D Their sarcasm is simply priceless. ;) 

7. Speechless by Hannah Harrington
This book is simply amazing. It shows you just how much a character can grow in a book. Seeing Chelsea's story reminded me that sometimes people can really change. And it teaches you that "Words matter - how we use them and how we don't. Sometimes it is really difficult and even scary to speak up for what you believe is right, but it's important to do. At the end of the day you answer to yourself, no one else, so you'll be happy that you did."

8. Jellicoe Road by Mellina Marchetta
Well, this book is simply stunning. It teaches you a lot about life. And it's written in such a beautiful way. I recommend this book to everyone. There are no words in the world enough to describe how beautiful it really is ;)

9. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Well, the Infernal Devices are just.. well, lets just say Cassandra Clare has a talent for how to make you laugh like crazy in one moments and break your heart in the next. And in the end you still think it's amazing.

10. Crewel by Gennifer Albin
I think this woman is a complete genius for creating such an incredible world. And such deep characters. And these two characteristics mixed together? Pure awesomeness. ;)

Have you read any of them? Did they impress you as much as they impressed me? Change your world completely?

Say Hello To..

..the new world's greatest (and sexy) psychologist! :) 

Amazing news!! :) :) 

I am happy to announce that I finally have a bachelor degree in psychology! <3 

Yeeeeeeeeey!! :) I did it! I fucking did it! 

and as enthusiastic and excited and overwhelmed and proud as I am, I'm gonna quote Mellina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road:

"Here I am, world; are you ready for so much passion and beauty and goodness and love and every other word that should be in the dictionary under the word life?" 

Dipl. psiholog(UN)

Reflected In You by Sylvia Day Review

Reflected In You
Crossfire #2
by Sylvia Day
Published on October 2nd 2012
Penguin Group (USA), 432 pages
Find the title on Goodreads
Book Depository - Amazon

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession... 

- Goodreads.com description

It's 7.30AM and I still haven't gone to sleep, because I literally couldn't put this book down. Holy cow, this book is a roller coaster of emotions that will have you all messed up trying, no, struggling to understand what in the world is going on. Damn it, Syliva Day you did it again. My emotions are spread all over the place, and I seriously think I need to go to sleep to collect my thoughts, so I can write down this review.

Reflected in you starts where Bared to you ended. I couldn't believe the story could become even more complex and addictive and amazing, and oh, I was so wrong. Sylvia Day wrapped Eva and Gideon story in a way that I was left completely in awe. Something felt off and I couldn't understand what was going on, but I knew there must me something behind it all. And of course it was. The author is a complete genius. But it took me several break downs to finally see it. It was awesome.

Eva. Oh, my sweet Eva. My heart broke several times for this amazingly adorable character. I felt so bad. You know why I love Eva's character so much? Because she is so far from perfect. She has her issues and her traumas and she isn't afraid to say it out laud. She accepts reality for what it is, and she tries to face it anyway she possibly can. I like this about her. And also, she grew a lot in this book. I was so happy to see the change.

Gideon. I knew this guy was a complex individual. I did. But God, it was so fucking hard to understand his behaviour in this book. He played his part so well, that he almost fooled me. But I had something Eva was loosing every moment more.. faith. 

Reflected in you is an amazing sequel to this serie. I haven't seen it coming. So, I was really positively surprised. It was beyond awesome. And I've read it in one sitting, so you must figured it was really good ;) And the hot scenes were written perfectly. I wouldn't have it any other way. <3

So, if you're looking for an Adult book, full of good romance, hot sex, psychological issues, loss and hope for the better, Reflected in you is the perfect book for you! And seriously, I can't wait for the third book to come out! Sylvia Day really got me addicted to this serie.

"Doctor." Gideon set one ankle on the opposite knee and settled back, creating a picture of unyielding decisiveness. "The only way I'm keeping my hands off her is if I'm dead. Find another way to fix us."

I had to keep moving forward, even if I was heading in a direction I couldn't bear to go.

"We're so fucked up, and I've handled everything all wrong. We're going to kill each other with this. We'll tear each other apart until there's nothing left."

1-year Blogoversary Winner Announcement

First I want to say, I am so sorry for being late. I know I am. But I was so caught up with my thesis and my job, that I simply haven't found the time to select a winner. Hope you forgive me :P

And the winner is..

#199 Faye Rogers

and she picked Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Congratulations Faye! ;) 

And thank you to all the beautiful people that participated in this awesome event! ;) ;)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin Review

Crewel
Crewel World #1
Gennifer Albin
Publication date October 18th 2012
Faber and Faber, 368 pages
Find the title on Goodreads

Book Depository - Amazon

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

- Goodreads.com description

"You've put as in an impossible situation."

"Not impossible," I say lightly. "Just challenging. 

Nothing is impossible for a Creweler."

"Except reality," she reminds me. 

"Except reality," I echo. I'm not sure what she means, 

but I know it's important.

Oh. My. Freaking. God. These kind of book reminds me again and again why I love reading so so much. This book was fantastic, fabulous, amazing and I am struggling to find every possible positive adjective out there to describe just how incredibly good this book is.

It's a science fiction plus some dystopian characteristics. The author created a world where time can be manipulated and reality isn't really reality. Or is it? Time threads are spread in  golden bands of light that a Spinster can weave and create a different reality or capture a precise moment and manipulate it. Amazing, huh?

The society they live in isn't so good, though. They live in a world named Arras. Everything in Arras is about control. They tell them it's because this system provides safety, but in truth it's about control of all the people that live within it. Men are in power and women are put at their mercy. They are divided in two groups - one that is being a wife and take care of the husband and children - and the others are Spinsters. They are not allowed to marry. They are responsible for Arras's world to function properly. 

Adelice. Such an amazing and lovable character! She is completely awesome. Her sarcasm is beyond hilarious and after all the tragedy she is put trough, she still keeps fighting. She still has hope and strength to go on. She grows a lot in this book and it was fairly easy to connect with her. 

The story was so compelling that I couldn't put the book down. Crewel is a roller coaster of emotions, filled with action, romance, loss, tragedy, hope and so much more. So, if you're searching for a book that has all these characteristics, Crewel is the perfect book for you! It will change your view of the world forever ;) 

In the dark, I can't hide the only thing I can finally see. I didn't want to see the treason in their action. I ignored the implications of their words and heard what I needed to hear to feel safe, not what they were actually telling me. And now I've lost my chance to know my parents. All I can do is fit together the pieces they left behind in my memory.

A thousand tiny pieces of shattered hope tug together in my chest.

I erase and rebuild the world in my sleep, and in the morning I try to remember how to rebuild myself. Every day I wonder how I can go back to the loom. Can I keep weaving now that I know?