REVIEW: POISON'S CAGE BY BREEANA SHIELDS.

Title: Poison's Cage
Author: Breeana Shields
Series: Poison's Kiss #2
Edition: Paperback
Publication: January 16th 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Pages: 336
Category: Mythology, Romance, Fantasy

Synopsis:

A single kiss could kill. A single secret could save the kingdom.

Iyla and Marinda have killed many men together: Iyla as the seductress, Marinda as the final, poisonous kiss. Now they understand who the real enemy is—the Snake King—and together they can take him down. Both girls have felt as though they were living a lie in the past, so moving into the King's palace and pretending to serve him isn't as difficult as it sounds. But when you're a spy, even secrets between friends are dangerous. And each girl has something—or someone—to lose. Does every secret, every lie, bring them closer to the truth or . . . to a trap?

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:
ISBN13: 9781101937860

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SLIGHT SPOILERS HEHE

I just finished reading the last page of Poison's Cage and woooooooowsa, I am blown away. This is waaaay better than the first book and absolutely the perfect ending for a duology! I was kinda hoping there's a third book but I am absolutely satisfied with how things wrapped up! It was truly an amazing read!

Poison's Cage let me walk along side Iyla and Marinda in their quest to destroy the Nagaraja. The story is told from their alternating perspectives and it is so fascinating to be able to see everything from both sides. Iyla is such a tough cookie but her longing for Marinda's affection, her resentments towards what she lost and the emptiness of being an just option have all dawned in her and it's relatable in ways I can't even pinpoint. Her struggles of choose between her own life or Marinda's gave me such conflict as well but her loyalty and love for her friend outweigh any doubts. Shields gave Iyla's story redemption and hope that I thought it would end there, but she gave her love, true love in fact, that made me so happy! Iyla deserves so much more and indeed, it was even beyond what I expected. And I think I might have fallen in love with Fazel's lightness and sincere character. They balance each other well. One rejects kindness like a reflex and one gives kindness without reservation.

Marinda grew up so much in this installment. Her doubts and assumptions are all obvious throughout the story but it made her so real, so raw, that her pain pinches my heart. However, the good in her triumphs in situations she can easily kill. Despite the agony she just went through (OMG, THIS PART FELT LIKE I'VE BROKEN A BONE OR SOMETHING BECAUSE UGH EXCRUCIATING PAIN), she remained hopeful and unafraid to love the people around her.

The twists and turns of the story just floored me. Some parts can be easily predicted but Shields have so many things up on her sleeve apparently. The mythology has been nothing but richer and she owned this story, backed up by her research and love for the Hindu, Buddhist and Indian mythologies. I've never used this phrase in a while but believe me when I say this is mind-blowing!

There's no perfect ending for Poison's Kiss than Poison's Cage. Fast-paced, mythology-rich and exquisite character arcs, this book lands a spot in my Best Books of 2018, no doubt! It was beautifully written and I want more books like this in my life and in yours, too!

Thank you, Penguin Random House International, for the galley!

"But I learned a long time ago that tears are thieves of power."

"I need him to fall for me-at least enough to loosen his lips and dislodge his secrets. And I can't do that if I let myself be charmed by his easy laugh. By the way his skin feels like velvet against mine."

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER BY MARIE LU.

Happy New Year, everybody! Hope you had a blast lasy NY Day! I surely did! Today I will share my first review of the year! Thank you JM of The Bookfreak Revelations for hosting this tour and PRH International for sending in my review copy!

Title: Batman: Nightwalker
Author: Marie Lu
Series: DC Icons #2
Edition: Paperback
Publication: January 2nd 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Pages: 272
Category: Fantasy, Romance, Heroes, Retelling

Synopsis:
Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope.

In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:
ISBN13: 9780399549786

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository

It is fitting that Batman: Nightwalker is my first read of 2018. New Year, new stuff.. right? It is also my first 2018 Blog Tour review and my first ever Marie Lu book so HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ME, INDEED!

I was so happy to have been given an ARC of Nightwalker because I was really looking forward to getting this one. The first book in this series was by Leigh Bardugo and I have absolutely fell in love with her take in Wonderwoman's story. It did set the bar quite high, if I am being honest. But the authors of this series are no doubt going to blow my mind to bits, and I have never been right in my life in this level. My first Marie Lu book was absolutely phenomenal.

To be honest, I am not THAT of a DC fan. I am a Marvel kinda person but I am familiar with Bruce Wayne. Lu gave me a different side of Bruce and I am so relieved that this book is finally out in the wild! Lu wrote it in a very uplifting way and it is such an eye-opener. The politics in the story is honestly? THE TRUTH! It is happening right now in our government and Lu remarkably took this chance to dissect it like no one has done before.

What truly made me fall in love with this book is Lu's inclusion of diverse characters. I was sooooo happy and fascinated to have met a Filipina character - yes, a side character that felt so Hermione-ish to me - a character that resonated with me as a Filipina. Aside from that, Lu was able to explore each of the characters in a way that reflected not only their physical attributes but their intentions and hearts. I saw how Lu gave these characters their own timeline to shine. IT WAS JUST BASICALLY AN AMAZING BOOK THAT I LOVED SO DEARLY YOU REALLY NEED TO GET THIS.

Younger Bruce is still the Bruce I know todat. He's still the loving person I adored. It melted my heart how much he is willing to sacrifice for those that matter to him. In this book, we can definitely see his vulnerability but despite the fear, he still trusted his heart. Everything in his story is well-balanced and I really, deeply wish Lu would write a sequel. BECAUSE AN ENDING LIKE THAT REQUIRES A SEQUEL.

Also, my love for Alfred with never ever dwindle. EVER.
AND I SCREAMED WHEN DETECTIVE GORDON WAS INTRODUCED! LIKE, IT WAS THE BEST THING TO HAVE GRACED THESE PAGES EVER HAHA!
Lastly, what could Madeleine and Kady (Illuminae) do if given a chance to work together?

Batman: Nightwalker is such action-packed novel that I could not literally put down! Marie Lu has proven how amazing she writes and her take on Batman is one version that will stick with me for a long time! Highly recommended for those people who love stories with hackers/underground notorious groups/droids and BATMAN! REWARD YOURSELF AND GO PICK THIS ONE UP NOW!

Thank you PRH International for the galley!

"Just because one can doesn't mean one should."

REVIEW: FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS BY JULIE C. DAO.

Title: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
Author: Julie C. Dao
Series: Rise of the Empress #1
Edition: Paperback
Publication: October 10th 2017 by Philomel Books
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Pages: 384
Genre: High-Fantasy, Retellings

Synopsis:
An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:
ISBN13: 9781524738297

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository ▴ Penguin Random House

Based on my reading experience, it's been tricky for me to delve into retellings with so much anticipation because it could be such a hit or a miss kind of read. Going in practically blind, the first half of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns* didn't grasp me. It was a bit slow because this the part where the build-ups happened and I felt like there are plenty of descriptions or scenes unfolding that are all unnecessary. But I took my time and kept reading.

This book is going to hit shelves October this year and I have a lot of things to say about it. First off is that I. FREAKING. LOVED. IT!!! It was absolutely epic! The second half of the book was just entirely opposite of the first because this part was where all THE things happened. I started reading it around five in the afternoon and I literally wasn't able to put it down until I devoured it around midnight! The pacing shifted and there were a lot of pillow-punching and screaming happened. It kept me on the edge because of all the scheming and revelations! It was brutal, intriguing and mind-blowing.

I know it's a MULAN gif but it's the closest I could find hihih

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns gave us a totally amazing retelling of the Evil Queen. Xifeng was abused by her Guma all her life but trained her to go after her great destiny: to be the Empress of Feng Lu. She's beautiful and she knows it's her weapon. She also knows something evil is inside her, conniving and wanting to control her. But the urge to go after what she was destined to is strong so she left Guma and went with the love of her life, Wei, to the Imperial Castle. Nothing stopped her in getting what she wanted. Her character was just so broken and greedy her need to be powerful exceeds her need to be saved. But despite the darkness lurking inside her waiting to be released, I adored her focus and her determination to lift herself up and become not only the fairest but the most powerful. There's no way you would be able to say that something else made her the villain because from the start, it was all her. She embraced it without seconds thoughts. The moments she was at war with herself were all lost battles because deep inside her, she knew what she wanted. Even Guma's confessions didn't stop her. It was a very dark story of a beautiful girl wanting the world kneeling in front of her.

The world building set in East Asia was phenomenal. This was one aspect I was so excited to learn about and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was everything I hoped it would be. Rich, delicious and absolutely a masterpiece.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is one heck of a debut novel I will forever remember. Bloody, lyrical and luscious, this well-delivered Evil Queen back story is the one you have all been waiting for! I can promise you that it is glorious!

*Let me know if you did cry because of the title.

Thank you so much, Penguin Random House International Sales, for sending me the ARC months in advance!

"Isn’t’ it better to give up a fraction of your freedom to gain tenfold in happiness, even for a short time?"

MEETING THE AUTHOR: PIERCE BROWN IN MANILA 2017.

I met Pierce Brown last August (24th) and IT WAS SOOOOOO SURREAL!! (Here's my POST about it) I wasn't able to get my Red Rising signed that time because I didn't have the hardbound copy yet so I attended his public signing last August 27th for more of Pierce!

My blogger friends and other bookish friends lined up early (they were there around 6 or 7, I arrived around 8am) so I was able to register early. I also asked JM to buy me the hardbound copy of RR the day before (it was discounted and fresh out of the box) so yaaaay for completed trilogy! We then went out for breakfast and do some catch ups!

During the registration, we were given chapter samplers of Iron Gold and I may have howled loudly when I saw it. HAHA OMG I couldn't contain the excitement! SAMPLE CHAPTERS OF IRON GOLD OMG!!!!!!

(I would also like to commend National Bookstore for the pretty MIBF tickets for this year's event!)

Kate was here.

The picture above is the amazing crowd for Pierce's signing! I was shaking and fucking nervous the entire time! I know I met him up close but damn the build up of anxiety = noodle legs. The electricity in the air was absolutely hair-raising and my cheeks hurt so much from laughing/smiling! My throat also was a little bit sore from all the screaming! HAHA I LOVE BEING A FAN OMG

My lovely bookish/blogger friends

Pierce, just like my first impression, is such a cool guys. Very opinionated and he always always knows what he's saying. He's hilarious, so gwapo and generous. He answered all the questions in ways that not only fulfilling but with passion. What I really really appreciated is that he chose to stand up so that he could easily take pictures with his readers. It was the best thing I have seen. He's is soooo freaking down to earth!

I made these 3 posters for 4 hours the night before and I was so happy Pierce got them signed. He said that it's always wonderful to see his readers make art out of his books. He also asked me which one is my fave and I told him the quote from Golden Son.

LOVE YOU, LOVE!

I just love this author to bits and I hope that no matter how big he gets, he won't forget his fans who were there from the beginning! This signing is everything I have ever hoped for and I am sooooooooooo grateful that National Bookstore brought him here. I wish I could post the vid of me shrieking, flailing and crying when I was told he'd visit (I couldn't because it was embarrassing!). This series opened up so many doors for me and helped me love Sci-Fi even more! Thanks, Pierce!

Completed Series, all signed.

National Bookstore, Chad, JB and the rest of the gang: You know how much I am forever grateful to you and your generosity. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART THAT YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN AND I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET IT. SUPER THANK YOU!

Were you there at the signing? What was your favorite part?

MEET AND GREET: INTERVIEW WITH PIERCE BROWN.

After years of wishing, screaming, flailing, praying and dreaming, it finally came true. THE dream of meeting Pierce Brown finally happened. And as of this writing, my heart is so so full of joy and I am still on cloud 9 so I might be incoherent again. My knees are still shaking and there's this weird thing in my stomach that I couldn't get rid of. It was just the best day ever I was sooooo hungover by it that it took me 3 weeks to get this recap up!

Wouldn't it be awesome to have #PierceBrowninPH signing!? Oh, God. Someone make this happen! @Pierce_Brown <3

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 31, 2014

I was invited by National Bookstore for a 30-minute Meet and Greet with Pierce last August 27 in Raffles. Together with Kai of Amaterasu Reads and JM of The Book Freak Revelations, we went there with so much anticipation. Of course there would be so much anticipation, imagine waiting for this thing to happen since 2014. Pierce was actually at the lobby (I AM FUCKING SHAKING BY JUST REMEMBERING THE ENCOUNTER) and he came and greeted us AND WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, HE'S TALL, VERY GOOD LOOKING AND ABSOLUTELY DREAMY! He's wearing a simple white shirt, denim jeans, white sneakers and a leather jacket like he just came out of an action movie shoot. We then proceeded to one of the corners in the lobby and started the interview.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I introduced myself as the head of his Twitter Street Team, @PBRownPH (which I couldn't remember the password for, damn), and I said we're his PH Gang and I believe he remembered. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him because IS THIS EVEN REAL LIFE?? His eyes are the lightest shade of blue I have ever seen and it's actually bordering to light gray? I was just there, shocked, mezmerized, and wishing hard that that moment won't end.

It wasn't really a formal interview but more like we were there to talk to a friend. He made us feel so comfortable and he made us laugh so much, OMG HE IS HILARIOUS I TELL YA. We did ask questions and he did too so here are some of the bits and pieces from our 23-minute convo:

- He loves Adobo.
- He thought LA traiffic is the worst but I said, welcome to Manila!
- There will be no spoilers for Morning Star during our convo because Kai and I haven't finished reading it yet (thank you, Pierce) and that we have to finish it because Iron Gold is coming out soon.
- Pierce is a huge fan of Game of Thrones. He didn't have more to read after A Feast For Crows so he wrote books while waiting for A Dance with Dragons.
- He hopes he could top RR series with Iron Gold.
- There are 4 more characters he explored in Iron Gold and since we couldn't really get into it without spoiling MS, he only exclaimed: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
- His favorite character is definitely Sevro (yaaaay) but their only similarity is the swear words because he has way better hygiene haha
- Character deaths he kinda regret: Lorn, Nero, Fitchner, Tactus
- The characters he would bring to life are: Viktra so he could date her wahaha, Tactus because he loved his character and Lorn because it's fun to see how he would respond to Darrow
*talks about GoT S7 EP 06* (yep, we did)
- Golden Son's ending wasn't planned at all. He initially ended it with a happy wedding but then his editor said it doesn't feel right. So Pierce went the complete opposite direction and his editor said *in Pierce's deep voice*: WHAT. THE. FUCK.
- We told him how heartbreaking the ending was and he said: "I am delighted to be able to invoke any emotion in you whatsoever." that's verbatim I mind you.
- We asked him what was going on in his head because Morning Star's initial chapters were so brutal already and he said he was in a deprivation tank for 3 hours so he could get in to Darrow's head for those scenes. Aaaahhh creepy.
- The gravboots weren't inspired by Starwars but his vision of Nero landing in front of EO in Book 1
- If given a chance to change the endings, he wouldn't change anything but perhaps add a little bit more, like more of the Jackal and Darrow in Luna and he would explore the underworld of the said planet.
- He is also open to writing novellas - Lorn's and then Servo's POV on his Pluto Journey
- When asked how does it feel to be a published author at 24 (he was 24 when RR was published), he said he doesn't stop thinking about it, he's aggressive about it, that it's wonderful finishing MS, it's a big validation for sure and the best feeling is sharing the experience with readers who get to imagine the world he built.
- The movie is developing, he will share more in the coming months. It was bought by Universal and he wrote the scripts.
- Casting for Darrow - someone unknown, it's really about finding someone who can show the emotion and has to have the presence, should also be terrifying for the part
- He is also writing a fantasy series called LampLight (wooohoooo!)
- We taught him SALAMAT
- We showed him our Golden Son ARCs and he loved it!
- I told him it was a dream come true to meet him and he said we were very pretty persistent on Twitter (which confirms he noticed HAHAHA)

HE IS SO AMAZING, ISN'T HE??

After the short interview ( I SWEAR I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END), we asked if he could sign our books and take photos with him. You see, I wasn't really myself in the course of this interview because ughhhh I forgot to:
- ask for a short video for his message to fans and
- take a #KaiSelfie (Kaiiiiiii!!!)
I mean, I dunno man but I was just simply on cloud nine floating and unbelievably grateful for this wonderful chance~~~~~

I will never ever ever ever forget this day to be honest. I waited a long time for this to actually happen - wait no... I actually gave up! I wasn't expecting this anymore. So THANK YOU SO EVER MUCH PIERCE FOR COMING TO MANILA!!!! It truly means so so much to me, to all your fans here!!

Thank you @Pierce_Brown for today ❤️ I will never forget it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! ❤️ #PierceBrowninPH pic.twitter.com/PEewc8dsSJ

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 27, 2017

BEST! DAY!!!! EVEEEERRRRR!!

QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU ASK PIERCE BROWN IN PERSON?

THANK YOU NATIONAL BOOKSTOREEEEEEEEEE!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOUUUUUU!

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN COUNTDOWN READ-A-LONG.

Today I am so excited to share that I will be a part of the #TurtlesAlltheWayDownCountdown Read-A-Long hosted by my friends over at Penguin Random House Global. I have been wanting to read John Green's other works and I believe this is the perfect time to do so. I would also like to share the schedule of the Read-A-Long and giveaway links (woohooo!), if you wanna participate:

Book 1: Sept 4- 10: Looking for Alaska

Goodreads giveaway

Book 2: Sept 11 - 17: An Abundance of Katherines

Goodreads Giveaway

Book 3: Sept 18 - 24: Paper Towns

Goodreads giveaway

Book 4: Sept 25 - Oct 1: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Goodreads giveaway

Book 5: Oct 2 - 8: The Fault in Our Stars

Goodreads giveaway

Book 6: Oct 10 - 17: Turtles All the Way Down

Goodreads giveaway

Penguin Random House Global was so generous and kind to send the boxed set of John Green's books to us for the read-a-long. I cannot wait to buy my copy of Turtles All the Way Down and I truly hope that I would enjoy these books! Don't forget to use/checkout the hashtag #TurtlesAlltheWayCountDown!

Thank you so much, PRH Global for having me and for sending these lovely books! Early congrats to John Green too for his new book!

Have you read these books? Which one is your favorite?