ISBN-13: 9780385738484
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: July 2010
224 pgs
Source: Library




In western folklore, it is believed that the Sandman will bring good dreams to people by sprinkling magical sand onto them while they sleep. In Sleepless, it tells a love story between the Sandman and a mortal girl.

Eron DeMarchelle is the Sandman; his mission is no doubt to seduce his charges to sleep. Like a spirit, the Sandmen could not be seen by the mortals but they have the ability to communicate with the mortals through their dreams, though they are encouraged not to do so as to prevent from getting too involved with them.

Julia has been put under Eron's charge ever since her birth. Eron had knew about the rules for not getting too close with his charges, but now that Julia has grown up to be an attractive young lady, he is afraid that he couldn't help but to succumb to the temptation of falling in love with her. After all, his role being a Sandman is going to expire soon once they have hit the hundred years.

Julia, on the other end, is feeling sad and lonely. Her boyfriend Griffin, had died in a car accident and she is not sure how she should feel towards his good friend, who had lately shown an interest in her. To add complexity to the story, Griffin would replace Eron's role once his expiry date is over but Eron is not sure about this arrangement since Griffin has a lot of angst in him. With trouble lurking around the corner, would Eron be able to protect Julia? And most of all, would they even have a happily ever after?

Told in an alternative narrative mode between Julia and Eron, Sleepless is simply a love story with a dose of mythical and suspense. What I liked about the book is the refreshing perspective of the Sandmen, in particularly to Eron as he is a charming yet intriguing figure. What most touches me is the feelings Eron has harboured for Julia for a long time, despite all their differences.

As much as I enjoyed the story, however I felt the characterisations are not fully developed. There are times that I wondered about the characters and wished I could understand them a little bit more (e.g. the relationship between Julia and Griffin as I could not feel there is much chemistry between them). All in all, it was an enjoyable read. It was good to read about the Sandman, Eron, from a new perspective, well at least in the eyes of this reader.

ISBN-13: 9781847386953
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: October 2009
391 pgs
Source: Personal Library




There have been a lot of hype surrounding this book when it was first released (or maybe way before it was released), and with a premise involving a fallen angel and forbidden love, I can see why Hush, Hush has generated so much interest from most readers. For me I have always been fascinated by angels so naturally I have to read this book.

The story begins when a Nephil took an oath with a mysterious boy way back in the 1560s in France. Fast forward to the present day in Maine, the focus shifted to Nora Grey as she took the role of the protagonist and we get to see things through her perspective. Though Nora is sensible and independent, there is a bout of uncertainty and insecurity in her but who can blame her when her father is murdered years ago and that her mother has to travel a lot to work to make ends meet.

Her peaceful life changes after she met a charismatic new student who later became her deskmate in her Biology class. Patch is mysterious and seems to have an aura of danger surrounding him, and on top of that she finds him unsettling for he seems to know a lot of things about her, and then there is something about him that is not quite right but still, she could not help being intrigued and fascinated by him.

Her doubts in him deepened when she encountered several terrifying incidents because she keeps seeing him everywhere, and at this stage she is more determined to find out about Patch and what his agenda is. To add complexity and excitement to this story, Nora and her good friend Vee will meet another two new male students transferred to their school. Nora will soon find out the truth about fallen angels and Nephilim and why she is being caught in the middle of an age-old feud.

So what is my verdict after reading this book? I liked the story, but I cannot say I loved it. The characterisations are great, and I enjoyed the exchanges between Nora and Patch but somewhat I felt something is lacking. Then again, I think it might be due from my initial expectations, for I did not anticipate the story to go towards another direction. I have to admit the mystery surrounding a masked person who wanted to kill Nora had me pondering, still I was a little disappointed as I expected it to pack with a bit more punch. Anyway, as I mentioned, it is not a flaw and is mainly due to my expectations, that is all. Also, I wanted to know more about Patch's past, but I understand it might be the author's intention to make him more mysterious so I am hoping I could get to learn more about him in the sequel.

Oh, another thing I want to mention is Nora's good friend, Vee. Her bubbly and her ever enthusiastic personality is absolutely contagious; I could just 'feel' her voice simply flipping through those pages. Overall, I find Hush, Hush an entertaining read and I definitely look forward to the sequel, Crescendo, come November.

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First sentence: I'd had more than my fair share of near-death experiences; it wasn't something you ever really got used to.

This is the final instalment of the Twilight Saga series. Like other readers and/or Twilight fans, I was excited to get hold of this book during the release but yet in a way I felt sorry that this series is finally coming to an end.

The first chapter began right after Eclipse had left, where Bella agrees to be Edward's bride and she is eagerly awaiting for the big day to arrive. Excitement aside, she is still feeling sorry and worried for Jacob, her werewolf best friend since she had not heard from him after he knew about her decision of marrying Edward. Besides this, she is also worried about her father, Charlie, and how the overall immortality transformation will affect everything since she is not allowed to discuss this issue with just anyone.

There are lots of emotions and stuff going on in this instalment. I have no idea how to share my thoughts without revealing a few spoilers so please stop reading further if you do not want the surprise to be ruined.

The first part of the book covers mostly on Bella and Edward's wedding and honeymoon, but it is her pregnancy condition that is the main focus and this is where it gets really interesting.

Here we see Edward being anxious for Bella because the fetus is growing tremendously inside her womb. Though worried for herself and the baby, Bella is however feeling fiercely protective of her baby. I also read with great interest about Rosalie being supportive and protective of Bella, after all it is not like they are the best of friends initially. And frankly speaking, I have no idea that Bella would get pregnant in this story. It is the least I expected and although I was a little taken aback, I was not completely unhappy about it. After all, it is a natural outcome since Bella and Edward consumated their marriage. I suppose it is due to their age that made some readers skeptical about this whole pregnancy issue.

I was glad Jacob decided to return and accepted the fact that Bella was meant to be together with Edward. I could feel his anguish when he learnt about Bella's difficult pregnancy and then, there is another issue about him imprinting on Bella's baby. In a way, I had expected this to come. He and Bella are best buddies, and naturally he loves Renesmee because she is part of Bella. Honestly, I do not know how to react to this because it seems there is no right or wrong with it. I was however perplexed and unconvinced over Bella's power after her transformation because it seems too easy for a newborn in her. I read about the instability of newborn vampires in Eclipse and I was anticipating that to happen to Bella after her transformation but unfortunately it did not happen. Bella acted as if nothing has changed in her, except she had greater power now.

The relationship between the vampires (at least where the Cullens family are concerned) and the werewolves clan have improved after Jacob and his pack decided that Renesmee posed no threat and that they are to unite together to prepare a battle with the Volturi. Alice's and Jasper's departure after knowing about this confrontation was a surprise to me because it was just not their style to turn back on the family and I have to applaud Stephenie Meyer for building this tension. The part where the Cullens family in search of other vampires as witnesses was an interesting read too. I had anticipated the climax to build when they finally met the Volturi but sadly, nothing major happened (here I am referring about the battling scenes). Like Bella's transformation, nothing much happened and everything seemed too easy in my opinion.

I did enjoy this instalment. It is darker as compared to the previous three instalments. And I think this story suits more to adult readers than the younger readers due to some scenes. I could not say I loved it or hated it. Stephenie Meyer is a great storyteller, but I felt it would be better if she would explain more in certain scenes. I wanted to read more conflicts instead of having some things easily laid out. That said, it did not take away my reading pleasure because it is an entertaining story. I am looking forward to reading Midnight Sun which this will be told from Edward's perspective on Twilight.

Catherine "Cat" Crawfield is considered a half vampire, a result from a human mother and a vampire father of an unwanted pregnancy. Feeling bitter about her "mixed" blood heritage, her mother has always warned her about his kind. Hoping to avenge for her mother, she is always on a hunt for her so-called father and his kind and kill them with her stake.

During a hunt for them, she stumbled upon Bones but she was no match for him. It turns out that Bones is a vampire bounty hunter. Bones captured her and made a pact with her. In exchange for finding her father, she will join him in battling evil vampires but first he has to train her to be a better fighter. Having not much choice, Cat reluctantly agrees. Slowly sparks fly between them and Cat began to wonder if there is such thing as a good vampire like him exists, and also if they will capture the cunning Hennessy as Bones has chased for years.

Halfway to the Grave is the first book of the Night Huntress series. I really enjoyed reading it partly because I like a strong, sexy heroine as the protagonist and who knows how to kick some butts. I also like the way how Jeaniene Frost portrayed Cat in an insecure position due to her heritage and how she overcomes it in the end. I too enjoyed reading how Cat and Bone's attractions for each other slowly develop and that their dialogues had me chuckling at times.

Told from a first person perspective, Halfway to the Grave is fast-paced and filled with action packed scenes. Readers who love paranormal genre with a little romance element will enjoy this first installment. I am already looking forward to its second book - One Foot in the Grave which is scheduled to release end April.

ISBN: 0373772335
Pub. Date: April 2007
Publisher: Harlequin
Series: Masters of Time Series, #1


Claire Camden is a strong and smart woman, and her life revolves around her beloved bookstore consisted of old books. Then one night, a woman by the name of Sibylla breaks into her store, and seeing Claire is around she demands for a page. She is later rescued by a strange man dressed like he belongs during the Middle Ages, and mistook him as an actor sent by her friend because she loves Scottish history and hopes to visit the place one day. But the man claimed he is Malcolm of Dunroch, and a member of the Masters of Time who is there to protect the Innocents and save them all from the evil Moray. Moray is known to kill his female victims through sucking the life out of them through sex pleasure. Malcolm knows Sibylla is sent by Moray himself to get the page, whom they believe they could gain healing power if anyone acquires it.

To ensure she is safe from Moray and Sibylla, Malcolm decides to send her back to his time. There, Claire finds out that the Masters of Time was formed by some great knights whose aim is to battle the demons. Slowly Claire begins to fall for Malcolm, and later both of them realize they must work together to bring down the evil.

Frankly speaking, I was drawn into the story initially because I find the plot is different from the others (paranormal meets time travel), and I love reading books with Highlanders warriors. But the reason I rated 3.5 stars is because there are some parts I find hard to follow, and although I understand the way Malcolm speaks, reading too much of his dialogues "didna ken", "Ye" or "Ye be", I felt them a little overwhelming. Although I still enjoyed reading this book (saved by the sexy Malcolm), I would still prefer to read Brenda Joyce's historicals.

Note: Julia and Alice, it was a pleasure reading with you two. Looking forward to more of our reading-together in future.