AND I DARKEN- BOOK REVIEW

             AND I DARKEN BY KIERSTEN WHITE

"SOULS AND THRONES ARE IRRECONCILABLE"- AND I DARKEN

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Princess do not always need a Prince to be saved. The character of Lada is admirable. She teaches us women need not always be fragile and helpless, The fierce character of her is what makes the book stand out among other books. The story has very good impact on me infact i never wanted this story to end. I thought the climax of the book will leave us on the edge so that we can eagerly wait or the next part but the story ended like a normal book. I wasn't sure if i should be happy or sad. I hated the idea of Mehmed having concubines but still i love the passion between him and Lada.I had some ideas of how it should have ended but some how i was happy with the book and i was sad for Radu through out the story. I am anticipating for next part. The writing was good enough to go with the flow and my favorite character is Lada for her outstanding personality.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE PHRASES:

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?” - Huma to Lada

“And so she cut out her heart and offered it as a sacrifice. She would pay whatever price her mother Wallachia demanded.
“Make me prince,” she said without feeling.” - Lada to Mehmed

“Well, are you ready, Lada Dragwlya, daughter of the dragon?" Fire burned in her heart, and her wounded soul spread out, casting a shadow like wings across her country. This was hers. Not because of her father. Not because of Mehmed. Because the land itself had claimed her as its own. "Not Dragwlya," she said. "Lada Dracul. I am no longer the daughter of the dragon." She lifted her chin, sights set on the horizon. "I am the dragon.” - Lada

She turned away " I was going to leave"

He pulled her close, burying his face  in her hair" I forbid it"

KIERSTEN WHITE

"You can forbid me nothing"-Lada to Mehmed

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIERSTEN WHITE is the New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy; the dark thrillers Mind Games and Perfect Lies; The Chaos of Stars; and Illusions of Fate. She also coauthored In the Shadows with Jim Di Bartolo. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, which, in spite of its perfection, spurs her to dream of faraway places and even further away times. Visit Kiersten online at http://www.kierstenwhite.com/ 

SOME OF HER WORKS:

• The chaos of stars
• Paranormalcy triology
• Mind games
• Illusion of fate

RAINBOW ROWELL - AUTHOR OF THE WEEK

AUTHOR OF THE WEEK

Rainbow Rowell is an American Author of young adult fiction. Rowell was a columnist and ad copywriter at the Omaha World-Herald from 1995 to 2012.

RAINBOW ROWELL

After leaving her position as a columnist, Rowell began working for an ad agency and writing what would become her first published novel.

Attachments, as a pastime. Rowell had a baby during this period and stopped working on the manuscript for two years. The novel, a contemporary romantic comedy about a company's IT guy who falls in love with a woman whose email he has been monitoring, was published in 2011.

 Kirkus Reviews listed it as one of the outstanding debuts that year.

In 2012, Rowell completed the first draft of her young adult novel Fangirl for National Novel Writing Month.

In 2013, Rowell published Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, another young adult novel. Both were named by The New York Times as among the best young adult fiction of the year.Eleanor & Park was also chosen by Amazon as one of the 10 best books of 2013, and as Goodreads' best young adult fiction of the year. DreamWorks and Carla Hacken are planning a movie based on the novel, for which Rowell has been asked to write the screenplay.Her YA novels Eleanor and Park, Fangirl recieved a great deal of recognistion.

ELEANOR AND PARK

“Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re 16.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
“I love you,” Park says.  “Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.

“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

FANGIRL

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath it's something more. Fandom is life. It's what got her and her sister, Wren, through losing their mom. It's what kept them close.

And now that she's starting college, introverted Cath isn't sure what's supposed to get her through. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

OTHER WORKS:

Carry On (2015)

Attachments (2011)

Landline (2014)

Check Out Her Website:http://www.rainbowrowell.com/

THE ODYSSEY - BOOK SUGGESTION

CLASSIC COMEBACK 

THE ODYSSEY BY HOMER

“Yea, and if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep,
even so I will endure…
For already have I suffered full much,
and much have I toiled in perils of waves and war.
Let this be added to the tale of those.” 

2003 EDITION COVER by
 PENGUIN CLASSICS

― Homer, The Odyssey

'The Odyssey' is one of the two epic Greek poems attributed to Homer. It is a sequel to 'Ilaid' .The poem is the second oldest work of western literature where 'Ilaid' is considered the first.
The scholars believe it was composed at the end of 8th century.Robert Fagles translated this and is considered as masterpiece by critics.

The epic tale of Odysseys and his ten years journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest and greatest works of literature.With wit and wile, the man of twists and turns meets the challenges of sea god Poseidon and ship wrecks, battles, monsters.Only to return after twenty years to home and besieged by his wife's suitors who competes for Penelope's hand in marriage .Then Athene goddess pays a visit to Telemachos, son of Odysseys and tells him to go search his father. and the story continues. The book is divided into many parts as such book 1 to book 24. The identity or even the existence of Homer itself is mystery. With no reliable biographical information being survived.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

HOMER

Homer's ancestry can be traced from Odyssey. He was the son of Epikaste and Telemachus. Born around 8th - 9th century B.C. he was said to be a court singer and a story teller. Even if these details about Homer are available, not much is know about him. In fact his existence is somewhat doubted. Some say he was born on the island of Chios while argue that he existed in Ionia. But the dialect and the description in the poems pointed that Homer lived in Ionia.

As Homer was non-literate how these poems were written are arguable. Perhaps, he dictated his poems to a scribe who wrote them. The Greek alphabet was also introduced around the 8th century so Homer must have been among the first rhapsodes who were literate.

Homer's famous epics:

• ILAID
• THE ODYSSEY

SHATTER ME - BOOK REVIEW

             SHATTER ME BY TEHEREH MAFI

GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION AND ROMANCE

Juliette, her touch is fatal. She things its a curse while the only person Warner who is obsessed with her since the start thinks that she is gifted. Juliette has not touched anyone since 264 days exactly as she was abandoned by her parents.She is locked up in Reestablishment, ruled by ruthless Father of Warner. 

Just when Juliette thought her life was a mere existence Adam comes into her life, who is one of the soldiers of Warner.

But the world was falling apart, Whispers of war are getting around. Warner's sole aim is to use Juliette as a weapon.

Will Juliette choose evil over goodness?

Will she be able to trust herself and become a warrior?

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

Shatter me- first thing to be noticed amazing cover art. 

There have been many critics against this book and the writings of the author but no book is perfect it's just that we get connect to the books where we can relate to the story and the characters.It only depends on our own perception.

While i was reading the book, I was in love with the story and strangely i love Warner who was supposed to be hated for as his character. I think Warner is just covered with darkness but not dark. The only thing which disappointed me  in this book is that it lacks a good start and a good end. The author failed to create a world where we can connect to it more. But i love this book because i love Warner. Turns out i always find something or the other to love in every book.

TEHEREH MAFI

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TEHEREH MAFI,She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California, where she drinks too much caffeine and finds the weather to be just a little too perfect for her taste. 
When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts.

SHATTER ME is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios 

Some of her works include UNRAVEL ME and IGNITE ME which follows SHATTER ME.

AVA DELLAIRA - AUTHOR OF THE WEEK

AVA DELLAIRA

GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION

AVA DELLAIRA

Ava Dellaira was born in Los Angeles. she is a YA Fiction author and become renowned in the writing field with her book ' Love Letters To The Dead'. She grew up in New Mexico with her sister.
She graduated from University Of Chicago. Then, she moved to Los Angeles to work as a screen writer and had a good fortune to work with STEPHEN CHBOSKY ( author of ' perks of being wallflower'). after seeing her works he advised her to write a novel. she started writing her first book 'LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD'. Her work was praised by many celebrities such as Emma Watson and gayle forman. Movie adaptation rights for this book were taken by FOX 2000.
Ava is really good at acknowledging her fans and most of her fans post their love letters to their dear persons who no longer exist in this world. take a look at  http://avadellaira.com/love-letters/  according to me its nice to have a peek at others courage to move on. i personally think that people should show their grieve and affection to move on so don't hold back if you have some one to remember.

LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.

SOME OF THE BEST QUOTES 

“I think a lot of people want to be someone, but we are scared that if we try, we won't be as good as everyone imagines we could be.”
― Ava Dellaira, Love Letters to the Dead

“And maybe what growing up really means is knowing that you don't have to be just a character, going whichever way the story says. It's knowing you could be the author instead.”
― Ava Dellaira, Love Letters to the Dead

“There are a lot of human experiences that challenge the limits of our language,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons that we have poetry.”
― Ava Dellaira, Love Letters to the Dead

“But we aren't transparent. If we want someone to know us, we have to tell them stuff.”
― Ava Dellaira, Love Letters to the Dead