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An interesting composition of a novel, that is four parts told from 4 perspectives that still provides background of each main characters but is onward moving, nonetheless. The character I sympathise with most is The Critic who is most possible the most unlikeable, most frustrating character of all but that is why I could totally be in his court. Thankfully, he developed most wonderfully by the end.

Oomph! What an ending!A little bit dark for my liking but fantastic for its genre.

In my adolescent years, growing up in Asia, manga was very popular. I devoured many series though my most favourite would have been Sailor Moon. I remember the wait for the publication of the first book then the next and so on and so forth. One other type I would voraciously hunt down are any ballet related manga. I probably would have read all the Mari-Chan’s series and fell in love more and more with ballet. The lines of drawing ballerina gracefully in mid-flight, each character’s love of ballet and determination to succeed –what can’t you love about these series?!I just love love love this cover of Dance of Shadows –beautiful colours which gave an impression of movement. The blurb falls along the line of a ballet manga and I couldn’t resist. It was a pretty easy read despite struggling with ballet jargons (I know some but not all) and whilst I know the theory, sometimes, it’s just hard to imagine the movement they’re supposed to do. Knowing ballet and ballet terms would definitely help in understanding the characters’ struggles in their ballet class and goals.Whilst Vanessa was likeable enough, Blaine was the character which made this book for me. He’s Caucasian-Japanese in descent, bread in Texas and bat for the other team. He might be a bit flamboyant and at time, stereotypical, but you can only be stereotypical up to a point with a Texan-Japanese boy. Most of all, he made me laugh! I always fall for guys who make me laugh…[Blaine] “Or I could settle for a Russian dance. They’re so severe. I love it. I wouldn’t even care if he spoke no English whatsoever. As long as he made sweet, sweet love to me while feeding me caviar, and then helped me play with my set of Matryoshka dolls.” He paused. “Not that I have any Matryoshka dools.”Vanessa and the girls continued staring at him. “The how would you communicate?” Elly asked quizzically.“Darling,” Blaine said, leaning forward and batting his eyelashes. “The language of love requires no words. Haven’t you seen The Little Mermaid?”The story was a little slow for me until maybe the last 100 pages when the pace picked up and things progressed in a tremendous whirl. It began with Vanessa’s arrival at a most prestigious ballet academy though it was foreshadowed by her missing elder sister. The story was slow as we follow Vanessa in fitting into school-life and discovering a mystery surrounding the school. The foreshadowing is there, bits of darkness lurked around but after pushing through 2/3 of the book, I found the resolution quite a bit exciting. All the time I was reading, I could so see it in my head in something like This story is not in any way light-hearted though much darkness (and slowness) was pierced by chuckle-worthy humour [see Blaine above]. Whilst the ending isn’t a cliff-hanger per se, it is well set up for the next book which I look forward to!Thank you Bloomsbury and The Reading Room for the privilege to read and review this book

I had such a fun time reading the first book that I really couldn’t resist when I saw book #2 was on Netgalley.I still love Zoey’s fun, bold & quirky fashion. She loves to dress to her taste and yet, there were times where she was also self-conscious and that’s really something all women can relate to. Her compassion and empathy was fully played in the first book but now, we get to see her strength and courage as she fought for what she believes.This book continues on a few months after the first book. Things apparently haven’t been that good with Riley and bad luck has come to town. All over the town, there are “funny” sort of accidents and Zoey has to cope more than her share of it because she not only had to stand against the Leprechaun Mafia but she’s also being tested by the Board of the Hidden.A fun and easy-going read if you’re after something fluffy to de-stress. It’s sort of like cozy mystery in Monster Haven ;) There were kisses but other than that, a clean (and *sighs* sweet) romance.Thank you Carina Press & Netgalley for the privilege to read & review galley.

‘Simply Jesus’ – a slight volume (a mere 60 pages) that packed a punch. It reads simply and clearly but it’s made its point and met its purpose. If you feel something is missing in your Christian walk or even if you wonder if this is it (of being a Christian), you’re probably missing something. Joseph M. Stowell shared that there is more to it – that experiencing Jesus in this life “makes the brightest treasures of life look dull by comparison”. You will be so taken by Jesus that there will be no looking back because you only want more of Jesus.Asides from some examples and life-stories of how possible it is for ordinary people to have this kind of Jesus experience, this book also included some guidance of how we can have that ultimate experience. These tips may help but only if you’re willing.Thank you WaterBrook Multnomah via Edelweiss for the privilege to read & review ebook

A cryptic and sinister prologue set the tone and atmosphere of this novel. The world is a bleak place and yet, there is still some sort of hope… Well, it might be hope or it might be something else…The scene opens in a cold and dark snow stormy world. The event, however, is actually a beautiful earthy and hopeful one. A birth of a child. A birth surrounded by many signs pointing of the boy’s destiny. Gordon Black, through whom, the story will be revealed to the world.In a different sort of world, a young girl was running –fleeing from something that terrifies her. A consultation with The Keeper brought to light that she has been marked for something great. The path to greatness will be hard and Megan Maurice must find the strength to face it for the world may depend upon her realising her destiny.I do so like the premise of this book. This dark apocalyptic world (pre and post) of the earth, after taking so much abusive use, fighting to restore its wellbeing. Whilst this does not bode well for the people, yet there is a glimpse of hope. The Crowman, though no one knew who he is exactly, who could be good but also evil. It is a mystery but one that is important for the survival of humans. D’Lacey has woven a dark broken world with little rays of hope.By the ending of the book, though, I still felt that I’ve gone nowhere further than the beginning. That’s my only complaint, it’s too slow. It feels like I’ve only read the beginning of the tale. I know it’s only book 1 but I would prefer a chunky book with a solid conclusion (even if it’s a cliffhanger) rather than an average book which leaves me nowhere at all.Thank you, Angry Robot and NetGalley for the privilege to read & review eGalley

Honestly, this book wasn’t what I expected at all. From the blurb, I sort of thought it might be an action sort of book or something along the life of Vatta’s War series by [a:Elizabeth Moon|10518|Elizabeth Moon|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1199059504p2/10518.jpg]. This book, however, focused outside of the action – there are many social commentaries and philosophical discussions on “humanity”, communities and relationships.The story is primarily told from the perspective of Grace Delarua whose job is to ensure a smooth running communities (smooth integration of others into the Cygnus Beta society and assisting in their survival etc). One of the most recent tragedy was the annihilation of Sadiri which wiped out its inhabitants and is, therefore, in inhabitable conditions. The Sadirians who were off-planet are now without a home and are seeking to found a new home with similar living conditions to ensure the survival, not only of their race, but also of their culture. Grace is filled compassion for the Sadirians and are the appointed government officer to assist in their search for a new home. She found herself drawn to the Sadirians and their appointed Councillor, Dllenahkh.Most of the book is of the search of a new home for the Sadirians – a trip around Cygnus Beta collecting genetic and cultural information on the taSadiri, organising exchanges, and of course, getting into trouble here and there. Not only was Grace facing challenged professionally but also personally. She needs to learn of who she really is and to face her challenges head on.I thought this world was really quite fascinating and whilst I appreciate the commentaries, at about 3/5 of the way, I was wondering whether there is a point of this story at all. Unfortunately, I am one of those who needed a point to a story –there has to be a purpose to make it all worthwhile. Did I find one in this book? Not particularly or at least, not to my satisfaction. I’m actually finding it hard to compartmentalise this novel… sci-fi, yes, but the ending is more romance than anything else… romance, errr not really, since you can barely feel any tension (romantic rather than sexual) throughout the book. Oh, did I mention that the Sadiri is very non-emotional? Hhhmm… that will make it hard for a romance novel…The world building was the most enjoyable for me though it wasn’t quite as developed as I wanted it to be. The travelling around the planet where many settlements with variety of cultures sort of made it hard as while there are many attributes to explore, you’ll be moving on in the next chapter. That was made what I found slightly frustrating –there were too many settlements to explore in the 300 pages that what we see (read) is just “in passing”. Of course, the main focus is supposed to be the Sadiri but there were too many other distracting things…If you are looking to pick up this book because it’s tagged ‘romance’ in a sci-fi setting… let me warn you that this is not the typical romance. As I mentioned above, you can’t feel any romantic / sexual tensions at all for most of the book (that’s a good 90% of it) even though you know something’s supposed to be happening… Overall, this was a pretty average and too boring book to explore.Thanks To Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for the privilege to read & review galley

I absolutely love this book. A memoir dedicated to Marley, a hyperactive Labrador retriever, for his companionship & lessons in life as received by the author. I found myself laughing out loud in intervals at the antics of Marley. I also found myself really teary nearing the end of the book. I think it’s pretty obvious that this book touches me so much. And right at this moment, my heart is overflowing with love for my lovely pug (who is currently snoring, yet again, at my feet).

An intriguing beginning with a quick intro of main characters was one of the things I really enjoyed with this book. It was a fairly quick and easy read with lots of actions and hidden romantic tensions.A great combination of the paranormal of magic & supernatural creatures with thrilling mysteries of secret societies and ceremonies plus a dash of romance which I read in a day. It just wasn’t possible to put the book down. I really liked both Elle and Hugh –she was independent, brave, and resilient whilst he was strong, patient, and absolutely charming.The romantic tension was deliciously throughout the book however I would warn you not to expect more than that. Besides a kiss or two, there isn’t much else so this is a very clean book in this respect.I like the plot development right up to the end where whilst I liked the ‘decision’ but not the action consequent to that decision*. I thought that was kind of stupid considering what they’ve been through and what’s waiting in the horizon but then again, that’s what my brain in telling me. We are probably being set up for the next book.*It’s vague but there isn’t another way to describe it without spoilers.Thank you, Del Rey and Edelweiss for the privilege to read & review a copy of this book

Tots cover-slut (me, I mean) - check out this gorgeous cover!Absolutey could not resist!

It’s Thanksgiving and Meg Murry O’Keefe is back in the folds of her family for a celebration dinner when the president called with news of impending nuclear war. Mrs O’Keefe, Meg’s mother-in-law, was present (surprising them all with her acceptance of dinner invitation) and laid a charge on Charles Wallace to stop the end of the world. Therein, we follow Meg and Charles Wallace as they travel through what was and tweak events to change the Might-Have-Been.It’s been awhile since I read book #2 but I was surprised that Meg is now a pregnant married lady and Charles Wallace, a teen! Charles Wallace, though grown, seems much the same with his fathomless depth and yet, still white innocence despite his age and all that he’s learnt so far. It’s this unknown part of Charles Wallace which makes me doubt whether I’d ever like him. He just feels to far from my grasp. Meg, though, is different. She may hold this connection with Charles Wallace and have the ability to ‘kythe’ –but I tend to empathise with her better as she seems to me, more like a ‘normal’ person.I enjoyed the travelling through the past and all the different interconnecting interacting stories. I would love to read more of each individual story as each time I began to like a character, the plot moved on. There were something to learn from each story, of anger (its good and bad), hatred, violence, and of course, the best thing of all, love.

I am notorious when it comes to picking up books to fit a challenge and not paying too much attention (if any at all) to the blurb. I enjoyed the prologue and the first chapter then after a few more chapters, I started questioning my choice… And then (and only then!) did I flip to the back to read the blurb! Oh dear… 2 girls 1 boy – a recipe for disaster (I absolutely abhor love triangles! Especially when I just know that one will be hurt terribly / left behind).The book is told in alternate perspectives between Scarlett and Rosie March. Scarlett faced down an attack to protect her sister and since then, all she lives for is The Hunt. She has seen the light now and will do her duty to protect all innocents. Rosie is also trained as a hunter but she hasn’t Scarlett’s passion for the hunt. However, she loves her sister and owes Scarlett her life, she belongs with her sister. When Silas Reynolds returned after a year’s absence, there were numerous attacks, unexplained presence of strangers, and things between the three of them just weren’t the same anymore…I was debating whether I should read something else concurrently so I don’t get to upset with this book or rush through it to get it over and done with. I was still debating this point when I kept reading and couldn’t put it down because I really really like Scarlett and kept wanting to get to her POVs. Scarlett is strong. She is a warrior. She is passionate. And for her, I may just read the next book in this series!I am also happy to say that there wasn’t really a love triangle though near the end, the lovey-dovey-ness was starting to make me sick. I am a romantic but I have my limits or maybe I’m just channelling Scarlett here…

Nellie Bennet went straight from school into the workforce. At first, it was meant to be a summer job but a few years later, she’s deep within the grind: wake up, rush to work, be on feet all day, go home and crash. Hhhmm… that somehow sounds familiar… And then one day, *WHAM* all she could think & see around her is Spain and flamenco. She took a chance, enrolled in a flamenco class, and it is a life-changing experience for her.What an amazing courage to let go all that is secure and familiar to go for your heart’s desire! It wasn’t just at the beginning when Nellie started flamenco class but numerous time and even right at the end when it was just a heart-breaking decision (that even I don’t understand but it’s not my heart / life, it’s hers and she would know best). Nevertheless, I love this book as it has given me an adventure – vicariously but an adventure nonetheless.Nellie Bennet has definitely got her love for flamenco across. I love to dance (am not very good but I’d like to anyway) and reading this book makes me want to dance flamenco! I would also love to go to Spain and eat all those wondrous foods she’s mentioned. It was a little bit disappointing when she first got to Spain as I didn’t think we’d experience the exotic food since she’s a vegan. But… Only in Spain…I am envious of all the ojos (beautiful Spanish men) she’s come across though not so envious of her gypsy encounter. It was totally hilarious, in retrospect, but I wouldn’t like to be in her shoes while she was going through it. There are always some weirdos around, no matter where you are, so girls, be wary!It was a delightful read about a young woman in search of her heart’s desire and risking it all to find whatever it is to make the best of her life.Thank you, Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for providing copy for me to read & review

The beginning of the book, Chapter Zero, was set in a fascinating long ago time of Persia. The encounter between man and Djinn brought about of The Thousand and One Days into the world of men. From ancient Persia, the setting shifts to current days where Alif, a young man of Arab-Indian descent, is making his living from covering his clients’ sites from the authorities.At first, I really wasn’t sure whether I like Alif –not the usual hero type, I thought. There were quite a number of frustrating times that I felt like screaming, c’mon, get your act together. However, in the end, he is definitely the type of hero needed in this book once you get to know what you’re fighting against. James Bond cannot win all kinds of battles.The techie talks just went over my head and it doesn’t affect my understanding of plot much, most times, I ignore it. One part I really enjoyed though was the stories from the secret book. It kinda felt like reading The Thousand and One Nights somewhat with its morals etc. I also really liked Dina – a devout Moslem girl-next-door to Alif. She was unexpectedly strong and courageous. I loved the fast pace of the story and I could barely put it down as something’s bound to happen on the next page.I reckon if you like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code or any of his books, you may enjoy this similar work of interlacing modern technology with myths and the supernatural world.Thank you Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for providing copy to read & review

The front cover of the book quoted Markus Zusak, “Perfectly strange, and absolutely comical and heartfelt… Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the most original writers we have.” And I completely totally 100% in agreement with Zusak right there.It is one of the strangest books I’ve read but in a good appealing way that somehow makes sense. I also found myself chuckling right from the very beginning and found some passages to be so touching that I found myself teary. A delicious read that led me on to sleeping late which resulted in a malfunctioned brain later on in the day.‘She’s keen on you, Elliot,’ his mother told him. ‘I saw it clear as you like the other day when they were over.’Elliot was quiet now, watching his friends disappear around the corner.‘Don’t go starting something, will you? You’ll just go and break her heart. You’re perfect, see,’ his mother explained, ‘and that can be a flaw of its own.’Elliot laughed. ‘Ah, perfect is like to a runaway palm tree with a head cold, or a dandelion uprooted in some other bizarre, unrelated thing. I’ll ge you the muffin from the truck.’We follow 2 characters from 2 separate worlds with crack, just big enough for letters, between them. Elliot lives in the Kingdom of Cello where colours are to be feared –enemies that can affect your emotions, kidnapped you, killed you… A boy much-loved yet one who is suffering from the loss of a father. He would risk all to find and save his father.Madeleine, on the other hand, lives in our world. Or at least, I think she’s supposed to be living in our world though the world from Madeleine’s perspective is so very strange. Being homeschooled with 2 other teens frees you up a lot but then again, Madeleine’s not short in imagination. I found her a bit hard to grasp to begin with but not until all was revealed near the end that I started to really liked her. Madeleine, Jack and Belle lived in a wonderful world of their own.‘Do you actually believe in reincarnation?’‘Of course I do. Have you not listened to a single word I’ve said? All of us are reincarnated. We all come back under the twelve different signs of the zodiac so we get to draw on the twelve different elements of our character, and I happened to be a Scorpio when I was hanging with Byron.’‘I thought you were a guinea hen.’‘Not a scorpion, a Scorpio. A Scorpio guinea hen, and there’s nothing hilarious about that, a guinea hen is a noble creature and I held my head high when I was one. It’s true that I don’t have exact memories of my former lives, but I’ve got glimpses and sensations and so on, and if you would ever, sort of like, listen to your heart, you might get glimpses of your own past lives too. You might even meet yourself from a former life, so, you know, be ready to be polite.’‘OK, that part makes no sense.’‘Sure it does,’ said Jack. ‘You never listen when I talk, do you? Time is crumpled, see. I’ve told you that before. It’s sort of folded on itself – there’s really only one time and it’s now, and Rhani’s goldfish there could easily be you from a former, or even future, life.’Elliot and Madeleine started to correspond accidentally. This concept kind of remind me of The Lake House (an adult movie starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves) and especially, one moment in the book with the ‘instant’ correspondences. I had to watch the movie again right after I finished reading, of course, I loved the movie and I adore this book… can’t wait for the next instalment!Thank you Pan Macmillan Australia and The Reading Room for providing a copy for me to read (what a pleasure!) and review

My interest in this book is due to my husband’s background. Whilst his ancestry is pure Chinese, his mother is Vietnamese Chinese and he himself was born in a refugee camp in Thailand prior to arriving in Australia when he was merely 3 months old. As far as I know my in-laws do not speak of their past to their children (hubby seems to mostly be ignorant of it, in any case) but due to language barrier, I can’t ask anyway. However, if they’d like the past to be buried, I’d have to respect their wishes. That doesn’t stop me checking out others’ experiences though.Looking at the chronology, at the beginning of the book, it seems my in-laws must have been in Vietnam at around the same time and escaped maybe a year or two later than the author. My mother in-law is 12 years older than the author but her experience must be similar especially since they are from the same town, Dalat. What a small world this is!This is a memoir of a childhood in Vietnam in times of war and of communist regime. From a readers’ viewpoint, we could probably see how frightening it was for the adults even from the little hints we were given from the author’s child’s perspective. They still tried to give as much to their children, to equip them as well as they could for adulthood. I first thought that it doesn’t seem that the author was too scared of what’s going on around her but at the end, I think I was wrong. She may not seem to be too scared. She was scared and she was also brave but as a child, you can easily pretend for things to be otherwise and ignore some of the more subtle hints of hardships.It didn’t mean that she didn’t suffer hardship at all. She went through a lot and especially, noting her ‘bourgeois’ background, she was more often than not oppressed. She was unable to be herself, to truly express herself but instead it must all comply with the strict & unforgiving regime.I was thrust into the next moment. I had no choice but to let go of my past life. To escape from my country! It seemed such an extraordinary decision that my parents had made for me. I suppose I could have questioned it; I might have hesitated. But I simply accepted it as though it were the most natural course of action in the world. It seemed as if, somewhere deep inside me, there was a powerful invisible force, something that defined me at the core of my being and protected my soul. The force now had hold of me and was pushing me towards where it wanted to take me, telling me what to do without my even being aware of it. ‘You are suffocating,’ it told me. ‘Here you have to gasp for air. You need to breathe freely. You have to go.’I am caught my surprise at the expressive & fluency of the English language in this book. Sure some direct translation sounds funny but that’s always a given when it comes to such flowery language like Vietnamese or Chinese etc. It definitely helps with the reading though I still found who’s who in the book confusing. Maybe it will benefit from a family tree or a glossary. If you enjoy [b:Mao s Last Dancer], you will more than likely enjoy this book. I was a little disappointed though at where it ends, it’s left too many questions unanswered. I would love to know where these people are today. Maybe there’s a follow up…?Thank you Odyssey Books and NetGalley for the privilege to read & review galley