“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered. “If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” “No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
The Summary:
A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch … she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.
She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.
Our Thoughts:
FAVORITE READ OF 2015
“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”
Miedjel: My whole family has been raving about this book! At first, when Erika said the story was about a king who kills his brides every dawn, I didn’t want to read it cause it felt morbid. But I just had to see for myself what everyone is screaming their heads off about. Now, I am proud to say that I am also screaming my head off about this book!!!!!!
Erika: First off, even after days of reading this my emotions are still all over the place. This is my first book hangover after the longest time. I keep rereading my favorite parts over and over again. It’s crazy. This book is one of those hype books you’re so scared to start because you might get disappointed. But the first time I read the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued. A story of a man who kills a new bride every night until this one girl changes it all. I’M IN.
I remember when I tell the synopsis to people very excitedly, they just find me very brutal. *ahem Miedjel* They’re like why are you so happy in saying he kills his bride every night? It’s called excitement! So even before the hype, this book was already on my radar but I was more excited because of the stellar reviews. They were not wrong.
“One hundred lives for the one you took. One life to one dawn. Should you fail but a single mourn, I shall take from you your dreams. I shall take from you your city. And I shall take from you these lives, a thousandfold.”
*dramatic pause* Now, that’s a prologue. If that didn’t make you want to read it. I don’t know what would.
Miedjel: This book started great! Renee just went head first to the good stuff no boring intro and crap like that. Shazi, the main girl, volunteered to be the next bride and that’s pretty weird because who would volunteer to die right?!
Oh, be quiet Katniss! Anyway… as you read the book you realize the beautiful but scheming Shazi has a plan and that is to tell a story to the King. I know! That must be one hell of a story. Khalid though falls under her spell and lets her live for another day so she could finish her story but then days turn into weeks and so on. And Shazi is still alive!
“I think of how it felt to lose him, slow and painful and confusing, and how it felt to wonder if I’d ever really had him at all.“
The Summary:
Before:
Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice
My Thoughts:
Miedjel: When my sister told me about this book I was really interested in it because I like stories where the main character has a kid or something like that. This weird thing started when I read a book in Wattpad where the girl there had a son. The book is called Bitter Love if any of you guys want to take a look. So when she told me about it during a conversation we were having, I picked up the book and read it just like that.
"Why do I make you blush so much?”
Erika: I was pretty conflicted with letting Miedjel read this because of *whispers* steamy kissing scenes but it was kind of minor (maybe not) but I really loved it and just told her to close her eyes when those scenes come. Did you close them, Miedjel?
“Why do you think I came looking for you that night, Reena?… Why the hell would I ever have done that if I didn’t care whether or not it was true?”
How To Love is about Reena who’s hopelessly in love with a guy she’s known her whole life— Sawyer but she hides it. I don’t know why she’s so embarrased. Maybe because she thought it would be forever one sided? So because she’s so scared, Sawyer ends up dating her bestfriend, Allie (a traitor) well, not a super traitor since she kinda likes him too BUT Reena liked him super much first which isn’t fair!
“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.“
My Summary:
What once was the United States is now the Republic and the Colonies which are at war.
Fifteen-year-old June from the wealthiest district is the Republic’s Prodigy and fifteen-year-old Day from the slum sectors is the country’s most wanted criminal.
Two people who would never have thought that they would cross paths until Metias, June’s brothers death. With Day being accused of his murder, June is on the hunt for him.
With the truth uncovered, June finally knows where her loyalties should lie.
Our Thoughts:
Erika: Miedjel and my cousins’ have been telling me nonstop how great this book is and that I should read it. Since Marie Lu is having a book signing here, I thought now is the perfect time to read it. Now that I finally did what I can say is…. Why didn’t I read this sooner?!
“My mother thinks I’m dead.”
From page one more like from the first sentence, it’s already soooo exciting. We first meet June and she is badass and I love her. She’s just 15 but she’s so freaking smart (like the only one who got a perfect score on her Trial, which is a required test they take once they turn 13 smart) She’s pretty. She is what you want to be at 15 which I wasn’t. I’m 21 and I’m nothing like her. It’s getting embarrassing…
Miedjel: Erika, I’m sure your glad you listened to us. Am I right?! I absolutely love Legend! Because I’m all for feminism and when I found out that the female protagonist was badass, I instantly knew I had to read it. You know you have a good book when you’re just at the beginning and you never want to let it go. That’s a how I felt when I read this book.
At the beginning something happens but I don’t want to spoil so let’s just leave it at that but when that event happened I was like wow is it the climax already and I think I was just in Chapter one or two anyway you get my drift. I was legitly crying and I felt so stupid because I just started the book. But MY GOD I just really loved it. The book didn’t have a single sour note for me it was just all crescendo throughout the whole thing (Actually the series but let’s just focus on the first book first) I seriously can’t stop raving!
Let’s talk about Day now, Day is as equally bad ass as June which is AWESOME . I liked how in the book nobody knew Day cause that just made him more mysterious. I love how Day is family-oriented. Guys, I’m not sure if I should still say this, if it’s not obvious enough but I will just for the sake of saying it… DAY IS HANDSOME. There I said it.
“You’re brilliant,” he says. “But you’re a fool to stay with someone like me.” I close my eyes at the touch of his hand.“Then we are both fools.”
Erika:Now that it’s out there Miedjel, I’m sure we’ll have so many competition. Sooooo dibs! Day is a wanted criminal. He is freaking awesome that I can’t even comprehend how two such amazing people are in one book. He’s also just 15 and he’s done so many things that people who are already so old or even the same age haven’t done/would never do anything like it. He is that cool. The most shocking thing about it all was that he failed his Trial. He FAILED. How can the most wanted criminal fail that test? His done so many devious things and he never got caught. My initial thought: Impossible. He’s a freaking genius. It’s all a lie!!!!!
I cannot tell you enough how perfect June and Day are. It’s like they are exactly the same person but with different genders. They are a match made in heaven seriously. It makes me so sad that they were pinned against each other. June thinking Day is the enemy when in fact he’s not! He can’t be.
Miedjel:How Marie Lu wrote the characters was very well thought of usually if you put two very strong characters together there would be a battle of wills which is great cause it’s funny when the guys react when the girls are all “I am alpha female” but then this book, how she wrote them its like they are a puzzle perfectly placed together which I think is very heart warming.
This book is amazing cause come on guys both the male and female lead have super strong charisma, super smart, and every good thing you can think of! I’m so jealous of them their like the perfect couple! OH. MY. GOSH. I just thought of it now if they were real and were a little older they would kinda be like Brangelina! They both are super kick ass!
“She’s pretty in a way that distracts me just like she did in the Skiz ring. No, pretty’s not the right word. Beautiful.”
Erika:The first time they meet it was super duper intense and I could feel the tension between them. Ugh. I love them together. The way June calculates everything is so freaking cool. So many shocking things will be revealed with nonstop action. Definitely a book you would want to read!
What I love the most is that Marie wrote from both June and Day’s perspective. You will be able to understand both of them which is the best way to go. Aside from the fact that their POV’s are color-coded, her writing is so distinct there is no way you’ll mix up June and Day. Marie is amazing at what she does. I’m a fan.
Rarely do you read a book with 2 super strong leads—- no damsel in distresses. This is that book!!!!! Both super hardcore and awesome. The best thing ever. Now off to Prodigy. I can’t wait another second.
Miedjel: The plot of the story— I can’t honestly say anything bad about this whole book. It’s like a readers dream. Great amount of action, just enough romance, and a well thought of plot! *sigh* I just can’t. Just making sure if you didn’t get all that raving above that I really, really want you to read this book.
