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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Inevitable Edited

I owe you guys this for like a really long time, but i was just too lazy to do this. So my editor, Liana Chau, also known as my book buddy, lol, had a  fun time editing this. And she did like a lot. So yah. Have fun reading the new version~

"Wait! Don't leave yet!" he shouts.

How did he know I was going to leave? I turn on my heel to face the boy I've seen so much in the past two months. I gulped, hard. I knew I had to leave him behind, so why did I feel so reluctant?

"Why won't you take me with you?" he blurts. He's serious. I see it in his expression. He reddens, his tan skin turning a shade of scarlet, which looks quite cute on him, and I realize I've been staring for a second too long.  "I know I'll be helpful!" he continues recklessly, obviously not giving up. " We, uh.." he hesitates. "we can start a life together." he says quietly.

It's now or never, I thought. If I don't leave soon, I fear I won't be able to leave later. Am I really supposed to put my love life before my family? "I'm sorry, Bran." I whispered through the curtain of hair that hung in front of my face, not caring if he heard or not. Then, I ran.


"Elle!"

I heard my name being screamed. Oh, no! I widened my eyes. It has to be Rae. I turned my head to look for my little sister, but the next thing I knew, I was facing the dirt road, having carelessly crashed into a tree.

"Are you alright?" the sweet, little, innocent voice that I'm so familiar with asks, concern full in the tone, reminding me of all the time I spent with her in our small little village, Feyton.

Tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill. 

"Are you seriously crying like a little girl, Elle? Even I don't do that anymore! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Oh, Arabelle." Rae says, shaking her head with a sigh, her brown hair floating about in the wind.

Rae's acting brings a sad smile to my lips, but reality's harshness instantly goes through my mind again, and the smile disappears.

"Listen, Rae." I look her in the eyes.  "Tell Mom I'm going somewhere and it's going to be a while before I come back home."

"Where are you going? I want to go too!" she whined. She was rarely like this. She hardly ever whined, much less threw tantrums. 

A solemn smile flashes on my face. "Rae, just do what I sayokay? And tell mom I'll send letters explaining."

"But-" she starts to protest. I silence her with my next statement.

"It's getting dark, Reina. Go home before mom worries." 

Before Rae could say anything, I stood, leaving my sister on the road. I sprinted toward the gate that leads to the main road. I have minutes before the gate closes for the night, and I won't get another chance for a whole twenty-four hours if I miss this one.

Quickly, I rummaged in my pockets for all the belongings I planned to take. The stack of cash?

Yep. It will last at least a month in the city, enough time for me to find a job.

Dad's watch?


Yep. Mom's going to hate me for it, but I need a reminder of home
, and especially ,Dad.

And lastly, my heart. I knew I couldn't focus with my heart still half at home. With a firm nod to myself, I sprinted past the gate and melted into the darkness of the road that would be the first step to my new life.

Liana's feedback: omg why is it highlighted yellow. Ignore the yellow-ness of my feedback. Anyway, I think that's it's a good beginning and it totally captures readers. Inevitable is the perf name for it. (x yeah. I seriously think it's a bit short for a chapter but it's all good. Try to make your chapters longer later because having 100 chapters isn't cute. Also, divide your story into three or two sections to achieve the desired length of your story. Oh yeah. And when you're writing, you have to use present tense or past tense throughout the whole story, like,  "he shouts," right, so then the next line goes like. "turned around." And it doesn't make sense. You have to do present tense the whole time! Ahhh. It's hard I know. kajfklsdj Oh yes, and here's a tip: LET HER GET ROBBED, AND THEN SOME GUY COMES RESCUE HER. That one guy.. Kendell. Yeah. Don't make the romance too awkward if you know what I mean. :D

Incend stuff: I'm still not done revising Chapter 3, man! Guhh. Well, less work for you. Anyway, yeah. kk!


The yellow part is Liana's editing. And feedback. lool. And it looks like i need to help her edit Incend more. lol

 

Monday, August 20, 2012

Cindy's Book Review: The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax by Trinity Faegen

Such a long title! Omg.
The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen.
Book Summary: Only a Daughter of Eve is pure enough of spirit to love a Son of Hell.
Only a Son of Hell could be this hot.
Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger -- Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx's biggest threat.
A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant--God's promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he's finally found the girl he's been searching for: Sasha.
With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?
A sizzling romance that is ideal for fans of Lauren Kate's Fallen.

Cindy's Summary: Sasha and Jax's love isn't forbidden, but it has a lot of twist and turns. But the only way for a Son of Hell to go to heaven and go on holy land is to love an innocent, full of brightness Anabo. Anabos are the daughters of Aurora, which is a daughter of Eve, born before Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Jax is trying to get Sasha to love him, to free him, but making someone love you is not as easy as you think. Sasha feels like Jax is someone she is forbidden to love, especially with all the twist and turns, but going through that hard path would bring them happiness, if Sasha loves Jax.

Rate: (1-10): 8.5

This book is actually a pretty well-written romance story. It's slow at all, like some of the reviews on Goodreads said. Liana's rule: Don't listen to other's comments and opinions about books. Even though comments and opinions do help, some of them may turn you off a book. I almost thought this book was horrible but when I read it, I realized it actually wasn't so bad.

Quote Reactions!
"At last she checked, she wasn't a moron."

Then why are they staring at you?

"Great. A whole family of Hell boys."
This just somehow made me crack up.

"Thanks for saving me, Jax. But I've gotta run."
COME ON
Really, someone just saved you and that's how you thank them.

"....from taking over Hell."
Last time I checked, Hell was ruled by Hades. LOL.

"Wow. Hypocritical much?"
Right?

For real though, I usually don't much quotes in the middle cuz I get too into it to care. So that probably explains the not so much quotes thing, every single time I do a book review.

 






Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Inevitable Characters


I don't have my personal artist like Liana but since it's a chapter book or an young adult book, I doubt it will have pictures. But I have already planned like a lot of characters so I'll just tell you the character names. I won't spoil some character surprises. I'll tell you about the main character though. Only about Arabelle since she appeared already. And maybe her sister Reina, but not anybody else that appears including Chapter Two because they are surprises, even for Arabelle. Liana might have an idea of what I was talking about, but probably not in Chapter Two.....so anyways here are the characters.

Arabelle Sterling
 - main character
 - AKA Elle

Reina Sterling
 - Arabelle's sister.
 - AKA Rae

Kendell Rickwood ;)

Josh Vontaine

Robert (for various reasons, I won't tell his last name.)

Mariette (again, for various reasons, I won't tell her last name.)

Lindsey Hollister

Erin (I'll keep their last names a secret too.)

Larissa  ^

So that's all I planned. There will probably be some more added characters. And to learn the secrets behind the characters, stay in tune!!! Although that might be a while.....

~ Cindy ;)

Inevitable - Chapter One

"Wait! Don't leave yet!" he says.

How did he know I was going to leave? I turned around to face the boy I've seen so much the past two months. I gulped, hard. I know I have to leave him behind.


"Why won't you take me with you? I know I'll be helpful! We can start a life together!"


It's now or never, my brain thought. Am I really supposed to put my love life before my family? "I'm sorry, Bran." I whispered through my hair. Then I turned and ran.



"Elle!"


I heard my name being screamed into the air. Oh, no! I widened my eyes. It has to be Rae. I turned my head to look for Rae, but the next thing I knew, I was facing the dirt road.


"Are you alright?" the sweet, little innocent voice of my younger sister asks, reminding me of all the times I spent with her in our small little village, Feyton.


Tears whelmed into my eyes.


"Are you seriously crying like a little girl, Elle? Even I don't do that anymore! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Oh, Arabelle." Rae says, shaking her head with a sigh.


Rae's acting brings smiles to my lips, but reality instantly goes through my mind again.


"Listen, Rae. Tell mom I'm going somewhere and it's going to be a while before I go back home."


"Where are you going? I want to go too!"


A solemn smile flashes across my lips. "Rae, just do what I say okay? And tell mom I'll send letters explaining."


"But-"


"It's getting dark, Reina. Go home before mom worries."


Before Rae could say anything, I stood up, leaving my sister on the road and sprinted towards the gate that leads to the main road. I've got minutes before the gate closes for the night.


Quickly, I checked my pockets for all the belongings I'm bringing along. The stack of cash?


Yep. It will last at least a month in the city, enough time for me to find a job. That is, if I don't get robbed along the road.


Dad's watch?


Yep. Mom's going to hate me for it, but I need a reminder of home and especially Dad.


And lastly, my heart. I knew I couldn't focus with my heart still half at home With a firm nod, I sprinted to the gate and slipped out towards the dark road of my new life.



~ So that's it for now!

~ Cindy ;)

August 14th, 2012. (Inevitable)

So here it comes, I written the draft of Inevitable, the book I'm writing. This is straight from the notebook, I haven't really corrected the mistakes that are pretty hard to correct and involves thinking yet. This is just Chapter One because I'm still working on Chapter Two. I need this small part, so yep. I'll post up Chapter Two for later. Also, my book buddy, Liana thought up the title for me. Do you like it? The sad part is that I could barely pronounce my own title. LOL.

And well, I finally posted. I will post up  Chapter One of Inevitable here, but obviously it will also be in the "Inevitable" by Cindy Mai page on the top if you ever want to reread it or look at it for future reference.


~Cindy

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Cindy's Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon.


EntwinedEntwined by Heather Dixon.
Book Summary: Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

Cindy's Summary: This book is based on The Twelfth Dancing Princesses. The oldest princess is called Azalea and she promised her mother to take care of her eleven younger sisters, whose names are in alphabetical order in the names of flowers.When her mother dies, the king doesn't allow the princesses to dance so they found this enchanted place where they can dance in. This enchanted place have this mysterious Keeper who steals stuff. For a while, Azalea actually likes him, but later on, found out that he stole stuff from the princesses. Either way, Azalea loses her trust in him and tries not to go back, but Keeper actually makes her go to the enchanted place to dance the Entwined.

Rate: (1-10): 7.6

Cindy's Opinion's: I really don't have that much opinion about this book. Just that Keeper is a disgusting pervert and Lord Bradford sounds really old. I thought he was an old man. I think that's it.

Now, to the short quotes.. I don't have very much.
" 'Your mother is dead.....she died last night.' "
What kind of person tells you one day after your mother died as in nothing was wrong the night you danced...

"....sisters had been named alphabetically, as the King liked everything very much in order."
For real, alphabetically. Are you kidding me, who gets this crazy.;/

"....umpteenth time."
I don't know why I found this interesting but no one uses the word umpteenth anymore.

" 'Who the devil are you?' "
This sounded like a very interesting phrase to say.

"You know I know where you go, and I know you know I know of it."
So confusing.....

"What a fire poker!"
 I actually like this phrase.

Okay, that's it (Liana's exact words.)

~ Cindy ;) 







Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Cindy's Book Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Last SongThe Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.
Book Summary:Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

Cindy's Opinions/Summary: Liana's gonna hate me for spoiling the ending, but I'm not really spoiling it. I knew about this before I even read the book. So Liana told me that all Nicholas Sparks' s books end with a death. And I was like there has to be death in this book for real. They'll separate but how could there be any deaths? And of course, in the end.........I won't tell you, but I'll tell you this. I cried for like the last hundred pages.....it's so sad, but it's a good book with a good ending.

For some reason, I thought Nicholas Sparks was like an old man or something, but then I saw his author photo and turns out he's quite buff. LOL.
And I have to say, for those who judged the book because movie/movie characters, you should really just read the book first......it's so good. And plus Liam Hemsworth is not that bad. At least he's hotter than Josh Hutcherson. But anyways, I read this like post about judging the book three stars because Miley Cyrus was in the movie and I was like, WHAT!!!! The book deserves five stars!!! For real!!! 

Rate: (1-10): 10

When I started rating books, I have to say, I rarely give tens, but now, I feel like I gave out a lot of tens.

Quote reactions! (Stealing Liana's words LOL.)

Since Liana's quote post-its were still there, I tried hard not to use her quotes.See....she took like all the good quotes...I only took one or  maybe two of hers because it was too good to leave behind.

''....wondered again what she'd be like in bed."

Ewww...he's totally a pervert. Ugh. (This is one of Liana's quotes.)

"Marcus definitely creeps her out."

Marcus creeps me out....

" 'Cause the two of you are acting like they died.' "

LOL. I really like the dad. And no, this is not the death part of the ending either. It's unexpected and sad.

" 'Just stay away from me!' "

Right, Marcus stay away from her! You creep!

" 'Do you ever listen to anything I say?' "

Um...nope.

" 'Shouldn't you be with your friends, staring at yourselves in the mirror.' 

....'Oh, because we're so good-looking, right?' "
LOL. Ronnie's so funny sometimes, despite that she's cross in everything.
And yes, you're good looking. Now what?

" 'And now I'm stuck babysitting turtle eggs while a volleyball player/grease monkey/aquarium volunteer tries to hit on me.' "

LOL. Grease monkey. Isn't he supposed to be hot? And she said it plain as day. Oh. I feel sad for Will. But it's so funny. 

" 'Can I ask you a question?'

'I'm not sure if I can stop you.' "
Good comeback, normally I say this to one of my teachers, Mrs.Philipps.
"I have a question."  And she'd say,
"I have an answer."
Now, I'm so using the 'I'm not sure if I can stop you' quote. LOL. Just hope that person don't think I"m criticizing them.

"One second he was standing three feet away from her, and in the next he had a hand on her hop and was pulling her close."

It's romantic. Continue on....LOL. Thank goodness that wasn't Marcus.(The second one of Liana's quotes.)

" '...you were definitely making out,' Jonah said with conviction."

Her brother is funny... LOL> You were definitely making out.

"His embrace somehow made everything better and worse at the same time."

No comment. Continued reading, looking forward to the ending. The sad, but romantic ending.
Comment: How do you do that?

So, I found some like fun facts on Goodreads...I've posted the most interesting ones, which is most of them. LOL.


Did You Know?---

Miley Cyrus chose the name Ronnie for the main character?
I really did not know that. Interesting....

Nicholas wrote the screenplay before he wrote the novel?

No, but everything makes sense now. It makes sense how the movie came out in 2009 and the book came out in 2010. It confused the heck out of me. I thought there was a typo or something.

The Last Song is the longest novel that Nicholas has written?

So basically, he writes really short books?

That's it, I actually find the first one the most interesting.


~ Cindy ;D

Cindy's Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent#2)

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent#2).
Book Summary: One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.


"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.


Cindy's Opinions/Summary: So Insurgent is not as good as Divergent but it's still pretty good. Always, in a series or trilogy, the first book is always the best. Like in The Hunger Games, Graceling, Delirium, not sure about Legend since the second book isn't even out yet. I realized  I always like talk about those books when I do a book review LOL. 
Luckily, in Insurgent, Tobias and Tris is more romantic even though they get mad at each other, TWO times, I think. So yep. Anyways, what else is there to say. Um, Erudite is evil. Really, so that means Liana is evil. Liana took the faction quiz and she got Erudite. I got Dauntless from the computer page http://www.facebook.com/DivergentSeries/app_203946119628644. This link is the original quiz from Facebook probably created by either Veronica Roth or  someone who works for the book. When I took the quiz from the book, I got Candor. 
Ummm....I had so much to say and now I have nothing to say....really. *sighs.
Either way, the word Insurgent reminds me of Surgent _________. Those mean retired veterans for some reason.
Officially I have no more to say when I'm supposed to have a lot to say. Oh. Well. I'll add it in if I remember and don't feel too lazy too.

Rate: (1-10): 9

I did tell you guys to look forward to Insurgent from the Divergent book review huh? Too bad it's only this.
OH. And I'm kind of too lazy to do summaries, it's more like my opinions instead so now it's Cindy's Opinions. LOL.

~ Cindy ;)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Excerpt!!!!!

GUESS WHAT, GUYS!!!! Who read Cinder!!! Well, guess what, again. Scarlet is the second book out the series, The Lunar Chronicles. Here's the teaser for Scarlet. I couldn't find the original one from Marissa Meyer's blog. But anyways, here's the link,

 http://shelftalkersanon.tumblr.com/post/20822670001/scarlet-teaser-from-marissa-meyer.

The link is from like a random person's blog I found so yep. Marissa Meyer actually described and told us about the teaser and stuff. But when I read it, we didn't have our blog yet. Here's the teaser in case you don't want to use the link. :)


Scarlet Teaser by Marissa Meyer



He should have been sleeping, but after countless hours of staring at the shadows above his bed, he’d finally given up and decided to come here and attempt to do something productive. He was dying for a distraction. Any distraction.
Anything to chase away the thoughts that kept rotating around in his brain.
So much for those good intentions.
Taking in a measured breath, Kai glanced up at the empty office. It was supposed to be his father’s office, but the room struck Kai as far too extravagant to be a place for work. Three ornate tasseled lanterns were lined up on a red-and-gold ceiling, hand-painted with elegant dragons. A holographic fireplace was set into the wall to his left. A sitting area with carved cypress furniture surrounded a miniature bar in the far corner. Silent videos of Kai’s mother shimmered from picture frames by the door, sometimes paired with flashes of Kai growing up, and sometimes all three of them together.
Nothing had changed since his father’s death, except the room’s owner.
And perhaps the smell. Kai seemed to recall the aroma of his father’s aftershave, but now there was the distinct stench of bleach and chemicals—remnants of the cleaning crew scrubbing the room raw after his father first had contracted letumosis, the plague that had killed hundreds of thousands of people all over Earth in the past decade.
Kai’s attention fell from the pictures and snagged on the small metal foot that sat on the corner of his desk, its joints caked with grease. Like a revolving wheel, his thoughts came full-circle yet again.
Linh Cinder.

And guess what!!! I found Chapter One on Marissa Meyer's own blog!!! Here's the link: http://www.marissameyer.com/book/book-two/. Anyways, yep. I didn't post Chapter One here so you can explore Marissa Meyer's blog and such. ;)

And I also found an excerpt of Chapter Two!!! From a newspaper book website, LOL. Anyways, here's the link,http://books.usatoday.com/bookbuzz/post/2012-07-05/cover-reveal-excerpt-and-interview-scarlet-by-marissa-meyer/797057/1. Here's Chapter Two, in case you didn't exactly want to find it on the website. 
Read an excerpt from chapter 2 of Scarlet, Book Two in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer:
Scarlet spotted Gilles behind the hot top, ladling béchamel sauce on top of a ham sandwich. She walked around to the other side, yelling to get his attention, and was met with annoyance.
"I'm done," she said, returning the scowl. "Come sign off on the delivery."
Gilles shoveled a stack of frites beside the sandwich and slid the plate across the steel counter to her. "Run that out to the first booth and I'll have it ready when you get back."
Scarlet bristled. "I don't work for you, Gilles."
"Just be grateful I'm not sending you out to the alley with a scrub brush." He turned his back on her, his white shirt yellowed from years of sweat.
Scarlet's fingers twitched with the fantasy of chucking the sandwich at the back of his head and seeing how it compared to the tomatoes, but her grandma's stern face just as quickly infiltrated the dream, scolding her. How disappointed she would be to come back home only to find that Scarlet had lost one of their most loyal clients in a fit of temper.
Grabbing the plate, Scarlet stormed out of the kitchen and was nearly bowled over by a waiter as soon as the kitchen door swung shut behind her. The Rieux Tavern was not a nice place—the tile floors were sticky, the furniture was a mismatch of cheap tables and chairs, and the air was saturated with grease. But in a town where drinking and gossiping were the favorite pastimes, it was always busy, especially on Sundays when the local farmhands ignored their crops for a full twenty-four hours.
While she waited for a path to clear through the crowd, her attention landed on the netscreens behind the bar. All three were broadcasting the same news footage that had filled up the net since the night before. Everyone was talking about the Eastern Commonwealth's annual ball, where the Lunar queen was a guest of honor and where a cyborg girl had infiltrated the party, blown up some chandeliers, and tried to assassinate the visiting queen . . . or maybe she'd been trying to assassinate the newly coronated emperor. Everyone seemed to have a different theory. The freeze-frame on the screens showed a close-up of the girl with dirt smudges on her face and strands of damp hair pulled from a messy ponytail. It was a mystery how she'd ever been admitted into a royal ball in the first place.
"They should have put her out of her misery when she fell on those stairs," said Roland, a tavern regular who looked like he'd been bellied to the bar since noon. He extended a finger toward the screen and mimed shooting a gun. "I'd have put a bullet right through her head. And good riddance."
When a rustle of agreement passed through the nearest patrons, Scarlet rolled her eyes in disgust and shoved toward the first booth.
She recognized Emilie's handsome street fighter immediately, partly due to an array of scars and bruises on his olive skin, but more because he was the only stranger in the tavern. He was more disheveled than she'd expected from from Émilie's swooning, with hair that stuck out every direction in messy clumps and a fresh bruise swelling around one eye. Beneath the table, both of his legs were jogging like a windup toy.
Three plates were already set out before him, empty but for splatters of grease, bits of egg salad, and untouched slices of tomato and lettuce.
She didn't realize she'd been staring at him until his gaze shifted and collided with hers. His eyes were unnaturally green, like sour grapes still on the vine. Scarlet's grip tightened on the plate and she suddenly understood Émilie's swooning. He has these eyes . . .
Pushing through the crowd, she deposited the sandwich on the table. "You had le croque monsieur?"
"Thank you," he said. His voice startled her, not by being loud or gruff as she'd expected, but rather low and hesitant.
Maybe Émilie was right. Maybe he was shy.
"Are you sure you don't want us to just bring you the whole pig?" she said, stacking three empty plates. "It would save the servers the trouble of running back and forth from the kitchen."
His eyes widened and for a moment Scarlet expected him to ask if that were an option, but then his attention dipped down to the sandwich. "You have good food here."
She withheld a scoff. "Good food" and "Rieux Tavern" were two phrases she didn't normally associate with each another. "Fighting must work up quite an appetite."
He didn't respond. His fingers fidgeted with the straw in his drink and Scarlet could see the table beginning to shake from his bouncing legs.
"Well. Enjoy," she said, picking up the dishes. But then she paused and tipped the plates toward him. "Sure you don't want the tomatoes? They're the best part, and they were grown in my own garden. The lettuce too, actually, but it wasn't wilted like this when I harvested it. Never mind, you don't want the lettuce. But the tomatoes?"
Some of the intensity drained from the fighter's face. "I've never tried them."
Scarlet arched an eyebrow. "Never?"
After a hesitant moment, he released his drinking glass and picked up the two slabs of tomato and shoved them into his mouth.
His expression froze mid-chew. He seemed to ponder for a moment, eyes unfixed, before swallowing. "Not what I expected," he said, looking up at her again. "But actually not horrible. I'll order some more of those, if I could?"
Scarlet adjusted the dishes in her grip, keeping a butter knife from slipping off. "You know, I don't actually work—"
"Here it comes!" said someone near the bar, spurring an excited murmur that rippled through the tavern. Scarlet glanced up at the netscreens. They showed a lush garden, flourishing with bamboo and lilies and sparkling from a recent downpour. The red warmth of the ball spilled down a grand staircase. The security camera was above the door, angled toward the long shadows that stretched out into the path. It was beautiful. Tranquil.
"I have ten univs that say a girl's about to lose her foot on those stairs!" someone shouted, followed by a round of laughter from the bar. "Anyone want to bet me? Come on, what are the odds, really?"
A moment later, the cyborg girl appeared on the screen. She bolted from the doorway and down the stairs, shattering the garden's serenity with her billowing silver gown. Scarlet held her breath, knowing what happened next, but she still flinched when the girl stumbled and fell. She crashed down the steps and landed awkwardly at their base, sprawled across the rocky path. Though there was no sound, Scarlet imagined the girl panting as she rolled onto her back and gawked up at the doorway. Shadows cut across the stairs and a series of unrecognizable figures appeared above her.
Having heard the story a dozen times, Scarlet sought out the missing foot still on the stairs, the light from the ballroom glinting off the metal. The girl's cyborg foot.
"They say the one on the left is the queen," said Émilie. Scarlet jumped, not having heard the waitress approach.
The prince—no, the emperor now—crept down the steps and stooped to pick up the foot. The girl reached for the hem of her skirt, tugging it down over her calves, but she couldn't hide the dead tentacle wires dangling from their metal stump.
Scarlet knew what the rumors were saying. Not only had the girl been confirmed as a Lunar—an illegal fugitive and a danger to Earthen society—but she'd even managed to brainwash Emperor Kai. Some thought she'd been after power, others riches. Some even believed she'd been trying to start the war that had so long been threatened. But no matter what the girl's intentions were, Scarlet couldn't help a twinge of pity. After all, she was only a teenager, younger than Scarlet, even, and she looked wholly pathetic lying at the base of those stairs.
"What was that about putting her out of the misery?" said one of the guys at the bar.
Roland jutted his finger toward the screen. "Exactly. I've never seen anything so disgusting in my life."
Someone near the end leaned forward so he could look around the other patrons at Roland. "I'm not sure I agree. I think she's kind of cute, pretending to be all helpless and innocent like that. Maybe instead of sending her back to the moon, they should let her come stay with me?"
He was met with robust laughter. Roland thumped his palm on the bar, rattling a mustard dish. "No doubt that metal leg of hers would make for a real cozy bedmate!"
"Swine," Scarlet muttered, but her comment was lost in the guffaws.
"I wouldn't mind the chance to warm her up!" someone new added, and the tables rattled with cheers and amusement.
Anger clawed its way back up Scarlet's throat and she half slammed, half dropped the stack of plates back onto the booth's table. She ignored the startled expressions at the next table and shoved through the crowd, circling to the back of the bar.
The bewildered bartender watched on as Scarlet pushed some liquor bottles out of the way and climbed up onto the counter that stretched the length of the wall. Reaching up, she opened a wall panel beneath a shelf of cognac glasses and plucked out the netlink cable. All three screens went black, the palace garden and cyborg girl vanishing.
A roar of protest bellowed up around her.
Scarlet spun to face them, accidentally kicking a bottle of wine off the bar. The glass shattered on the floor below, but Scarlet barely heard it as she waved the cable at the incensed crowd. "You all should have some respect. That's girl's going to be executed!"
"That girl's a Lunar!" someone yelled. "She should be executed!"
The sentiment was enforced with nods and someone lobbing a crust of bread at Scarlet's shoulder. She planted both hands on her hips. "She's only sixteen."

Yep. that's it. Sorry my font's like that. See, Liana's fandom takes me so far.......

- Cindy.



Saturday, August 4, 2012

Cindy's Book Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. (Sounds similar to Veronica Roth. ;)
Book Summary: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland --- known as The Death Shop --- are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets and Outsider named Perry. He's wild --- a savage --- and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile --- everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too: she alone holds the ke to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Cindy's Opinions: This book is surprisingly similar to Julia Goldings's awesome books, Dragonfly and The Glass Swallow. The only problem is that this book doesn't have the same feel: the same romance, the same sadness, and the same background. So, I'm not going to say so much, because, well, the beginning was so boring I wanted to quit reading. At least the middle got interesting, but the romance is somewhat, choppy. Julia Golding's books is a smooth hill that keeps going up or at least like stairs. This book's romance is like a speed bump. Like they find each other annoying and suddenly they get in bed or something. Either way, I find Julia Golding's books more entertained......I really like Dragonfly and The Glass Swallow. I like Dragonfly more though. You should really read it, Liana.

Rate: (1-10) 6.9
Okay, don't think wrong, but I like decimal numbers during ratings because they confuse me.

Quote Time:
"Peregrine."
Really, books come up with the weirdest names. Peregrine sounds like a girl name. At least his nickname is Perry. I like the name Perry for some reason. Probably because in other books, guys named Perry are actually pretty hot. Either way, weird name like these are actually pretty pretty. Like Taoshira, Day, June, ya know.

" 'How long is this journey?' "
Sounds like she's going to Mars. Really, how long and journey makes the destination sound like Mars. I'm so biased. To her, though, I'm pretty the destination is Mars......or a desert.

"...........worst death in the Death Shop, she decided, was rotting alone."
This sounds every way, horrible.....'worst death', 'Death Shop', 'rotting alone'

"were Marked."
Seems similar to Divergents in Divergent, and Day and June from Legend.

".....crafted Aria's DNA"
So this book obviously takes place in the future....that reminds me of the movie GATTACA I had to watch in science class.

" 'How old do you think I am, Dweller?'
'.....fifty to sixty thousand years.' "
Dang....for real? He's eighteen.

" '.....it's your first blood.' "
Ewww.....that's what they call it when you have your first period and the guy had to tell the girl that.What the heck....?

Whoop. That's it.

- Cindy.....


Cindy's Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Book Summary: In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Cindy's Summary: I'm like totally speechless. As you know, I kinda got lazy doing this book review even though the book is so good. I like already posted stuff about it, so really, I think I drained out all my excitement. Not that it's bad, I did say I was speechless.....it's really fantastic. Veronica Roth is a an awesome writer...I'm trying not to use 'good' too much and plus 'good' is not specific. These kind of books are the reason why I love romance and dystopian books so much. But seriously, I hate going down Goodreads and see being saying mean things to it. The bad advantage of being a writer. So anyways, I probably won't end up saying the summary as much because Liana mostly explained everything, so I'm probably just saying mostly opinionated stuff. 
Let's get started and see how much I could say about the summary. So first off, there is five factions: Candor, the honesty; Abnegation, the selfless; Erudite, the intelligent; Dauntless, the brave; and Amity, the peaceful. What happens if you don't get into either of these things or you get kicked out? Well, you're factionless. But what if your aptitude test shows that you qualify for two or more factions? You are a Divergent. Divergents are rare, but powerful. They can manipulate and control situations, but they are also dangerous and their future holds death....not peaceful, old-age death either. So Beatrice aka Tris finds out she's a Divergent and she qualifies for Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. Beatrice immediately crosses out Erudite, and she goes to Dauntless. She changed her name to Tris and the important part for me is that she meets Four, the number one Dauntless there is.  Divergent doesn't really show that much about society being broken apart and bad, that's more Insurgent. I think the summary for the book qualifies for the whole trilogy. Anyways, the important part is they fall in love!!!!

Rate: (1-10): 10!

So yep.......this book is kind of similar to Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Matched by Ally Condie, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and Legend by Marie Lu. The characters are all special and the setting takes place in the future and there are either Invalids, Factionless, Aborgation or something, and  Criminals and such. So yep.

Since I read this as an ebook, I can't really use post its and I use the computer outside in my living room to read it, so I don't have access of the book so, I won't do quotes.

I will do the book review for Insurgent (Divergent#2), but it probably won't be today. Maybe I can do it tomorrow at Liana's house. Or Tuesday. 

So it's reminds me, Liana and I are meeting up tomorrow!!! Whoop!

Happy Reading, 
Cindy Mai.