Music Monday (27): Divergent movie OST

Music Monday is a weekly meme created by yours truly. Let's talk about music..on Mondays!

Divergent, a dystopian sci-fi novel from the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth is also now a movie! Divergent is the first action-packed dystopian I've ever read. This book introduced me to the said genre which became one of my favorites. The movie adaptation starring Shailene Woodley (as Tris) and Theo James (as Four/Tobias) was released on March 21, 2014.

Album art. (Source)

I was supposedly going to watch it last Saturday, but due to my tight schedule and my movie buddies asked to, we decided to watch it this weekend or after our qualifying exams. For now, let's enjoy some of the songs off the soundtrack!

• Find You by Zedd

• Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding

• I Won't Let You Go by Snow Patrol

• Dead in the Water by Ellie Goulding

• Run Boy Run by Woodkid

• Fight For You by Pia Mia ft. Chance The Rapper

• I Need You by M83

Soundtrack also includes Hanging On" (I See MONSTAS remix) by Ellie Goulding, Backwards by Tame Impala featuring Kendrick Lamar, In Distress by A$AP Rocky featuring Gesaffelstein, Lost and Found (ODESZA remix) by Pretty Lights, Stranger by Skrillex and KillaGraham featuring Sam Dew, and Dream Machines by Big Deal.

But wait! There's more.

According to Wikipedia, Junkie XL composed the score for Divergent and Hans Zimmer (who executive produced the album). The both previously collaborated on number of films. Ellie Goulding is featured as a vocalist on the score. The album will be released in both physical and digital formats internationally on March 31, 2014.

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I hope I could squeeze re-reading Divergent in my time (I read it two years ago) so I could point out the lacking/changed scenes LOL.

So! Having Divergent feels these past few weeks? I feel you!

Let me know your favorite scene from the book/movie and/or your favorite song/s from the soundtrack!

Happy new week!

Check out my book reviews for Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant! (Click on the titles.)

ARC Review: Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Faking Normal

by Courtney C. Stevens

Genre: YA, contemporary, romance

Published February 25th 2014 by HarperCollins Children's Books

Source: Publisher

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository
Purchase locally: Fullybooked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

My Thoughts:

*This review is based on the advanced reading copy. There might be some changes with the finished copies.

Faking Normal is a story about two young people with an unfortunate past then fell in love with each other. Again. This would be the 5th book I read with the same theme this year. But this book was different from others.

Alexi had a secret. She never told it to anyone (of course; it's a secret) not even her family. Especially her family. Because it would change everything. Bodee's mom died and he's suffering not only from his mother's death, but also the complicated situation he's in. From the start, I feel from these two characters. Although this book was told in Alexi's perspective, I can also see and fully understand Bodeee. Yes, Bodee Lennox. *sigh* I think I've found my newest book boyfriend.

Bodee is the perfect love interest I've ever read. Since Faking Normal is also a romance novel, his role is a huge factor in the overall story. He is one of the major reasons why I loved this book. Sure, he's the awkward, quiet, and known as the "Kool-Aid Kid" in their school, but he is something a lot of gorgeous guys aren't. He's respectful and a perfect gentleman, and even if he's "quiet", he's deep and good at talk. I'm not sure if it's because he was broken, but I liked it. I liked him being a Words man. It's a major turn-on. Did I mention he's a gentleman? He respects and understand Alexi and her need for space. I mean, he's really, really nice and amazing I wish I could tell you all the bits I loved about him and what he did and said. I just love Bodee. If only he's real. I hope I could meet someone like him. XD

While Alexi and Bodee helped each other to cope with their broken pasts, they've created a bond they didn't expect. Bond that turned into friendship, and friendship that turned into romance. It was the other thing that I liked with Faking Normal--the progress of their relationship (or, the presence of 'progress'). It was not an insta-love, nor a physical love. It had planted a seed of trust, respect, and friendship. Alexi never gushed about how gorgeous, hot, or good-looking Bodee is but she made me feel like he is the way she talked and think about him. Bodee didn't told Alexi she's pretty but he made me feel like he thinks she's the most beautiful and important girl. Everything about these two is wonderful, adorable, and really sweet. I ship them(!!!).

The pre-ending seemed lacking and wasn't that much emphasized. I was expecting a more dramatic revelation but it never came. I hoped the author gave more spotlight about it just as how much the uncovering of secrets had. Nonetheless, this book was amazing.

Apart from the appealing romance, Faking Normal also has a tragic yet innocent attack to the readers. This book was simple but the wholesome and realistic story made the book incredible and for me to love it. Teens, adults, or children--this book is for everyone!

*Thank you so much Megan and HarperCollins International for the review copy!

Rating:

WWW Wednesdays (59) / Waiting on Wednesday (59): Winterspell

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?







Currently Reading:

The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson


Finished Reading:

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stephens
Oh, Bodee Lennox. *sigh*
Review on Saturday.


Read Next:

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen or Boys Don't Knit by T.S Easton
Again, depends on my schedule.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.

Winterspell
by Claire Legrand

Expected publication: September 30th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Blurb (Goodreads):

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince . . . but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted--by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets--and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed--if she leaves at all.

Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.

This sounds really awesome. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

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How was your week so far? Any good books? Share them below!

Blog Tour (Excerpt): Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

Welcome on my stop of another tour hosted by Pinoy Book Tours!
Read an excerpt from Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington here and check out another excerpt from The Library Mistress tomorrow, as part of a "running" excerpt. Make sure you've checked out the other excerpts from previous and upcoming hosts (schedule here) to complete reading the first two chapters of the book. Have fun!

Liv, Forever
by Amy Talkington

Published March 11th 2014 by Soho Teen

Blurb (Goodreads):

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want. 

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride. 

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

Purchase Liv, Forever now!

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Excerpt

Music Monday (26): Just Friends

Music Monday is a weekly meme created by yours truly. Let's talk about music..on Mondays!

Ever been friend-zoned? You know, when you like someone but all you have with him/her is friendship, nothing more. I know it's hard. Not that I've been to or I'm on now, but I know the feeling of liking someone yet that someone already have a special someone or not interested in you. #Burn

But that's life, pal. At least you have songs to scream sing on the shower. :3

• Just Friends by Jonas Brothers

• Friend of Mine by Odette Quesada

• To Be With You by Mr. Big

• Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift

• Shiver by Coldplay

• Cant' Fight This Feeling by Glee cast

• Whenever I Call You a Friend by Michael Johnson and Alison Krauss

• You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

• Realize by Colbie Caillat

• Just Friends by Jason Reeves

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You on a friend-zone? Or were you before?

Share your stories and/or your songs below!

ARC Review: Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Ask Again Later

by Liz Czukas

Genre: YA, contemporary, romance

Published March 11th 2014 by Harper Teen

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Blurb (Goodreads):

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

My Thoughts:

*This review is based on the electronic advanced reading copy (ARC)/uncorrected proof copy of this book. There might be some changes with the finished copy.

I saw Ask Again Later on the web before but it didn't caught my interest. Then one time I heard two people talking about it. One was like, "How was it?" and the other answered, "It was cute." *with an I'm-kind-of-impressed-because-I-didn't-expected-that expression* In case you didn't know, I go nuts (kind of) when it comes to cute stories. Like, I want to pinch your little chubby cheeks cute. So when I went online, I searched to request for it on Netgalley (no luck) and Edelweiss (gotcha!).

Prom stories are too common. Most of the YA books I read--contemporary or not--contains prom scene. I practically know the "Prom rules" or "What People Do In (and after) Prom" now. I mean, of course I do, I went to prom myself. What I meant was in the perspective of an American teenager. Prom scenes from books (and movies) are practically the same that there were times I can predict what'll happen. So what makes Ask Again Later stand out from the others, knowing the book was mostly told in the prom scene? I tell you one thing: Two prom dates. And no, not the kind where the female character goes to prom with two dates. She had each date on the same night separately. No sharing. No curfew. Confused now? Well, I was too.

Since Heart was asked by two guys, it's hard for her to choose one and abandon the other especially if you don't really wanna do that. So she flipped a coin to help her from this stress of choosing. What I didn't expected from after flipping the coin, was she literally lived two nights with two different guys. I liked how she lived like that and yet the story was still alike and still ended with [one] same ending. However, I didn't understand as the theme of the book wasn't clearly explained. Was it a fairytale? A super little fantasy? I also assumed it was a dream, but it's not. How can you live two different nights on a normal world? I really liked the idea and story of this book--I only hoped there was sort of an explanation in the end as well, so it'd be like a modern fairytale. It suits better.

While there are also things that are predictable, I have proven that Ask Again Later was really a cute novel. The characters are easy to read and hilarious. The pace was good and connection of the two stories were cleverly written. I really liked the story, especially the huge plot twist. I also thank the author for writing a scene (even if it's just one little time) wherein Heart wore a tiara. Because this book would end up having a cover without a relation to the story. I'm kind of conscious when it comes to those things. Thank you.

Ask Again Later was a fun read. Light and very cute and romantic. It is so far the best (as an entire book) and worst (based from the experiences of Heart) prom story that I've read. A good book to forget the stress of your day. Fans of Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella would also enjoy this. 

Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for the eARC of this book!

Rating:

WWW Wednesdays (58) / Waiting on Wednesday (58): Deliverance

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Hey'all! Last week, I'm gone and *kinda* disappeared in blogging and internet world as I prepared for our final examination that was held just last weekend. I will kinda disappear again later this month for another preparation--this time, for qualifying exams. Then on May again for the board exams. So I would really appreciate it if you would pop me in your prayers! Hehe :D

For now, I'm back in sharing you my bookish list and thoughts about them!

Currently Reading:

Honestly, Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens wasn't on my top want-to-read list but I became pretty excited after I read the author's Acknowledgements and dedication. ;)

Finished Reading:

I finished The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry (review here) two weeks ago and Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas last week. My rule for last week was to not go online or read any fiction book because I would never focus in studying or stop reading this once I started but then...rule broken and even finished this book sooner than I thought. I really liked it. ;) Review soon!

Read Next:

I'm still not decided whether I would read Boys Don't Knit by T.S Eaton, Just One Year by Gayle Forman, or The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson. It would depend on how soon will I finish Faking Normal or on my mood.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.

Deliverance
(Defiance #3)
by C.J Redwine

Expected publication: August 26th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Blurb (Goodreads):
Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One.

Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.

Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.


But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?

Cannot wait for this!! I loved the first book, Defiance (review here) and the second book Deception (review here) had a twist I did not saw coming. Loved it. Looking forward in reading the last installment of the trilogy!

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What book/s do you have this week?

Share them below!

Happy mid-week!