Mark This Book Monday: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han!!

For our second Mark This Book Monday entry this week I have a book that my dear Alyssa from The Eater of Books highly recommended, so much that she included it in the list of Alyssa Pushes books that she sent me! I'm quite tempted now to make a lil banner for using in the reviews of all the books included in the list she sent me (I might have to brainstorm something!).

I had missed reading this one for June since that's when I had it scheduled but since I had two fairly decent night shifts at work, I managed to finish the book in those two nights! And now I can have the review up before June is over!



To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is one of those books that sounded cute but that I'm sure I would have skipped if I hadn't seen some super positive reviews from some of my fellow bloggers and even more if my dear Alyssa from The Eater of Books hadn't added it to her "Alyssa Pushes" book list!

To All The Boys I've Loved Before is such a cute and adorable read! It managed to make me smile, giggle and sob quite a bit! I have read reviews where they said the voice of Lara Jean was too juvenile, but I absolutely loved her narration. I fell in love with her and her family almost from page one!

I feel like I could read about Lara Jean, her dad, Margot and Kitty for many more books, because I love how close knit that family is, how real all their quirks and little every day challenges seemed. Margot seemed a bit of a more distant character at first, since we see her through Lara Jean, and she thinks her sister is perfect and that she can never be as good as Margot is. Kitty is such a fierce and adorable character! I simply adored her and loved how she seemed more self-assured than Lara Jean, but sometimes the youngest in the family know how to make themselves noticed better than the middle ones.

This is a book about growing up and finding your own shoes to fill instead of trying to be like someone else, and also how to be brave and step out of your comfort zone and be ready to live your life and not just dream about what you'd like to do.

Things really start happening when Lara Jean's letters are sent, and she is confronted by Peter and Josh, two of the recipients. Since Josh has just been dumped by Margot and seems to be a bit confused himself, Lara Jean agrees with Peter to be fake boyfriend and girlfriend. That trope works so well with them, because you see before the characters themselves where things are heading, and trust me, you are cheering for things to go that way!

The romance, the family, Lara Jean's growth, Kitty... everything is adorable and very heartfelt. I really loved the little bits of Korean culture that we get here and there, it make the world feel more real and diversity is good! I connected quite well with all the feelings in this book, and even while I was reading at work, I ended up sobbing quietly a pair of times. Giggling out loud too.

You can't really say the book ends in a cliffhanger, but it has an incomplete ending that leaves you really looking forward to the next book and complaining about the April 2015 release date!

An adorable book that I can recommend for both contemporary lovers and those that aren't the biggest fans like myself. 4.5 stars to this one!



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Saturday Pages: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong!!

Well, as the second and last entry for this week's Saturday Pages, I have a book that was chosen by Alyssa from The Eater of Books! We decided to push a book on each other for every month of the year (inspired by Epic Recs) and for this month, I chose this one! And quite unsurprising... Alyssa triumphed once again! This girl has such a similar taste to mine that it's scary!



Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first book that I read after reaching an agreement with my fellow awesome blogger friend Alyssa from The Eater of Books, based on Epic Recs, we've decided to push one book on each other each month! She actually sent me a huge list, but I went for Sea of Shadows cause I already had it on my Kindle app!

I am so very happy that I chose this one! It was a great read and totally put me in the mood for reading more epic fantasy!

This is the story of two sisters, twins. Physically identical but quite different in attitude and ways to deal with their responsabilies. They're the Keeper and the Seeker of the Forest of the Dead and they live in the village of Edgewood, right at the start of the forest. Ashyn and Moria are facing the rituals to put the spirits of the dead at peace on their own for the first time and each in their own way are trying to deal with the nerves and stress of the situation in their own way.

As with most fantasty books the pacing is not fast but with the wonderful world building we have entangled with the plot progression, I was kept enganged, entertained and even mesmerized! The mythology in this series simply seems amazing. The world seems like a mix of Japanese and Middle Ages with a twist, and the depth of information we glipse at everytime we peel a small layer here and there it's amazing!

The story is told in dual POVs from Moira and Ashyn, and I always felt they were distinct enough to never feel confused or wonder who were following in each chapter. The first chapters are prefect to introduce us to the world and to show us enough of the sisters together, to show their bond and their interactions. Then some unexpected and quite dire events happen and the sisters are separated, and both end up on their separate ways with varied travelling companions. Both trying to get to civilization to get help for themselves and their village.

Each of the sisters go through their own inner and outer journey, each with a guy that they wouldn't have chosen to accompany them. You can expect some romance because of this, but nothing really prominent at all. For most of the book, if not all, we see these relationships develop, getting to know each other, how to work with each other, and they first start with a friendship that seems to be progressing to something more.

Before I continue babbling about this book more, I cannot miss mentioning both Tova, Ashyn's hound and Diago, Moira's wildcat! Both beasts were no mere pets, but bonded to the girls since they were chosen as Seeker and Keeper. They're loyal and protective of the girls, and they're as important companions as any of the other human characters!

This a great first step on a larger journey, with plenty of world building, establishing our characters and although the ending leaves more than enough opening for more to come, with an actual twist that was quite a shocker that I didn't see coming AT ALL! But we close a chapter and the journey comes to an end. No real cliffhanger per se, so that's a plus!

Very well deserved 4 to 4.5 stars for this one! Thanks Alyssa for pushing this one me! Cannot wait for book 2 now!



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