Friday 10 August 2012

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons


The Bronze Horseman (Tatiana and Alexander, #1)

The Bronze Horseman

Synopsis 

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.


Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana--and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects--a secret as devastating as the war itself--as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.


Review

OH.MY.FREAKING.GOD

WOW. This book was... STUPENDOUSLY FREAKING AMAZING!!!

BOY. Did I have emotions all over the place? HELL YEAH! 
When I hated someone (character) it is mean of me to say but I was really, REALLY hoping they died because when innocent children, brave soldiers and women died because of the hazards of war; had died and those nasty selfish bunch of people lived it broke my heart. I really wanted Dasha to die or open her effing eyes like SERIOUSLY how much blind can you be but than there is Dimitri... Oh my god don't get me started on DIMITRI, he gets the highest place in my hate list. He freaking wins first prize. I wanted him to die the most. My mind was screaming for justice. It wasn't fair that true love would be killed in this senseless battle where there is no free will.

When love is being sacrificed for Dasha who only thinks about herself.
Where falling in love is dangerous, painful but beautiful. 
Where Alexander and Tatiana meet and after being lost for so long and FINALLY finding their home, the other half of there soul. 
Where heart sings for for each other. 


“Tania, you are my miracle, you know that, don’t you? You are the one God sent me to give me faith.” He paused. “He sent you to redeem me, to comfort me, and to heal me—and that’s just so far,”

Paullina Simons (2010-11-30T23:00:00+00:00). The Bronze Horseman (Kindle Locations 9353-9354). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 


The Bronze Horseman left me...

BROKEN. ELATED. BEAT. CONSUMED. HURT. LOVED. SAD. WANTING. A MESS. OVERWROUGHT. TEAR FILLED EYES. 

And HATRED FOR THOSE WHO STAND IN THE WAY OF MY ALEXANDER AND TATIANA!!! 

I honestly feel like my hate list of villains pales against my hatred of Dimitri in this book. I at first hated Dasha but as I read further and further into the book Dimitri takes first place. I will be honest since the first time I met Dimitri I hated him on sight because I thought he might come between them but would have been is harmless. HARMLESS MY FOOT! I honestly wanted to whack my head against the wall because I thought and believed that he would be the annoying person buzzing around however all he wanted to use people for his own gain. He didn't care about anything but himself and having power over people. 

One of my favorite questions is when Tatiana asks herself: 

What do you hope for?
What do you believe in?
But most important, what do you love?

This is something we should all ask ourselves perhaps it might help you understand what you want and need more than anything else in the world. 

I love this one ;) 

“A bus came. The soldier turned away from her and walked toward it. Tatiana watched him. Even his walk was from another world; the step was too sure, the stride too long, yet somehow it all seemed right, looked right, felt right. It was like stumbling on a book you thought you had lost. Ah, yes, there it is.”

This song just reminds me of Alexander and Tatiana fits them perfectly: 

Another one:


If I find any more it will be updated on here :)

You can buy Bronze Horseman here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Bronze-Horseman-Paullina-Simons/dp/0061031127

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bronze-horseman-paullina-simons/1100243502?ean=9780061854149


Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover



Slammed (Slammed, #1)

Slammed 

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. 

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.  





Point of Retreat (Slammed #2)







Point of Retreat

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart. 

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’




Slammed 

WOW! This book just blew my mind away. I love this book. One of my all time favorites. This book I can read so many times and learn so much. I love Julia and her advice are just fantastic, something we all can learn from. Lake and Will are just amazing. Will is such a great guy not many would face all responsibilities like he did and took care of his brother. When he said his brother is a BIG DEAL, I swear if it were possible he keeps rising in my eyes. I respect him for what he did. Makes him the amazing guy he is. Lake has her pot of troubles that she needed to overcome and she does with the help of her family and friends. Kel is such a fabulous brother, even for a nine year old he is so perceptive that it just boggles my mind. The poetry is so amazing. Eddie is such a great friend. I love her character and how she tells it the way she sees it. I always wanted a friend like her. 

This book brought me to tears. Left me a blubbering mess. 

Kept me off from books for days.
I had to keep re-read Slammed over and over again.  

All in all this book is so fantabulous. That I have no words to describe just how stupendous it is.

My Verdict? 5+ Stars. (If it were possible I would give it more stars that's how much I love it, Colleen Hoover is an amazing author!)



Point of Retreat

Colleen Hoover DID it again, ensnared me into the book that I couldn't stop til i finished, I literally left everything down and finished it until I couldn't stop chanting OHMYGOODNESSOHMYGODNESS over and over again. (It annoyed my sister so much hehe) I had this hugest smile on my face when I finished the book. I just couldn't get enough of it so went back to my favorite parts to and read it over again. I was a delight to read from Will's point of view, to know how he feels, since we know how Lake does. I love them both so much, I can't believe that its the end of our journey with them. After I wrote a review for Slammed I was like what will I say that I haven't before to I took a break and decided that I will come back and write something without repeating myself.

I love Will so much he is just AMAZING, he certainly is the one of a kind guys that are hard to find. I love Lake as well, she is an amazing young women who has a lot in her to do in her life and has a lot of potential. Lake and Will are just  perfect for each other. Kel and Caulder are lucky to have them as both parent figures and as siblings. I loved the whole vase idea with stars filled it advice, I so much wanted something like that they are always times when I have absolutely no idea what to do, or just want some advice and having such insightful advice from Lake's mother is just amazing. It's like her mother is still there she is immortal by her advice and love that she put into it.


I actually have no words to say how amazing it is, if I take a look in the thesaurus to find words that can express how FAB this book is and list them all done it really can't make up to the standard. 


It's just BUTTERFLYING BEMAZING. 


My verdict? 5+ billion gazillion butterflies in the world. 


You rock Colleen Hoover can't wait for your upcoming releases.


So for my Blog :) (Yes I have more to say) 


The two reviews above are from on my goodreads account I keep editing it along the way. 

Let me first just say first how much I love these books. AND COLLEEN! For such amazing books. She is just butterflying bemazing. Check her out on her blog: www.colleenhoover.com 


These two book were so amazing! When I finished Slammed and started right away on Point of Retreat and than after how I was feeling were along the lines like this: 



Handful of Insights

Pierced into my heart

tore me apart 
left overwrought 
messy case of
emotional dose 

I cried a ocean 

              Lake

Made me realize

That I have been
carving 
           and carving 
                             pumpkins all my life 

That I never 

          Ever. 

Put emphasis 

              on life
all I ever did was 
carry on 
about all the obstacles in life
Dragging my feet 
                          along 

Made me stop and think 

What have I been doing 
ALL 
       MY 
              Life 

Question EVERYTHING 

I always did 
But I admonished myself thinking 
I don't have answers 
Why should I keep 
circling
the issue when all I will get 
is a huge painful 
KILLER headache

When ever I needed advice 

I looked up 
             down 
left 
     right 
Didn't see anyone standing 
Hanging around 
To say 
I am here 
             For you 


I didn't realize 

that God was telling me 
Wait 
Be patient 
I am sending some advice 
In the form 
of 
Slammed 
and 
Point of Retreat 



I felt so bad when I saw Slammed and added to my read list. It looked promising and the rating were high but I regret to say I downloaded it and just left it sitting there. BOY, did I regret not reading it right than and there. Unfortunately I saw how amazing it was and got SIDETRACKED by other books. Very stupid of me I AGREE. But luckly enough my friend started reading it and than she was half way through and was like TRISHA, you BETTER stop what you reading now and read SLAMMED because its PHENOMENAL. She was so right. So that's what I did (I actually had assignments to do that were pending but once I started I couldn't stop.) Let me just say that Slammed ruined all books for me because for one I have higher standards of books and second they are hard to come by. With high expectations its just difficult to find books that STUPENDOUS.

So I keep re-reading it until Colleen Hoover will release another of her amazing releases. I just can't wait for Will's POV Slammed.


What I really loved about Slammed and POR was one the poetry is amazing. Julia's advice to Lake were amazing. Especially what she gave them both as a couple. 


A couple I loved where:


There are three questions every woman should be able to answer yes to before they commit to a man:


1. Does he treat you with respect at all times?

2. If he is the exact same person twenty years from now that he is today, would you still want to marry him?
3. Does he inspire you to want to be a better person?


Question everything. Great advice actually because questioning everything will help you NOT regret anything. 

When I saw this I was like WOW,  it's only three questions but it so meaningful I say, every girl needs to use this advice and maybe this way you will find your Will. Maybe it will help from having such failing relationships


And if you said no to any of them, than just like Julia said RUN LIKE HELL! 

The poetry don't get me started on that. I kept re-reading the poems because they were FANTASTIC. 

The poems had their own messages in them that pulled me in and taught me a few things. Things that I had forgotten like bad things happen but life moves on. Loved ones dies  because death is inevitable but those who are left need to live. If you have a warning of someone dying than don't spend the time complaining and crying but create more memories and when they leave cherish them. 

Than they are stories in the poem that touched my heart and soul. My eyes teared up at the Blue sweater poem and Eddie's poem of Pink Balloon. 

Well, you would realize… 
Like I eventually realized… 
That all the good things about her? 
All the beautiful
It's not real.
It's fake
So you keep your ocean, 
I'll take the Lake.

This poem I love. The Lake poem. 

I myself am a poet. I love poetry and have written a lot myself. When I read Colleen's I fell in love with them because they are beautiful.  

In my goodreads reviews I have said that these books deserve more than 5 Stars and they do. I would give billion gazillion stars in the sky if I could. Like whenever I see my friends and we start talking about books I keep telling them to read Slammed and they are like they will in the summer. I always implore them to read it as soon as possible because its amazing and they are missing out on something spectacular. 

I can go on and on about Slammed Series but probably wouldn't be enough. So guys who haven't read it you better start cracking or else you will miss out on Will's and Lake's story. 

You can buy both books here:


Slammed:

Point of Retreat:

http://www.amazon.com/Point-of-Retreat-ebook/dp/B008TRU9HU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344460842&sr=1-1&keywords=point+of+retreat


This is the new and updated review, the old one is the first review of Devouring Words :) 




I shared this with Colleen on Facebook and this is what she said in return which meant so much to me that I had to add it here so I can see it when ever I feel down and smile. 

Colleen Hoover Trisha Rai...wow. I'm at a loss for words. That was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Seriously. Thank you soooo much for that. ♥ ♥ ♥

Yay! I am sooooooooo glad she enjoyed it :) <3 <3 <3

Slammed and Point of Retreat Published e-book version's ARE OUT!

Colleen Hoover's Published ebooks are out!! Atria has efficiently taken over and here are the new links! 

Check them out, get them! You won't know what a gem these books are until you read them (yes those who haven't get cracking :P) 

Slammed: ♥