Review Policy and Request

If you are a publisher or an author and would like me to review one of your books, please read the following.


REVIEW POLICY 

Please understand that not every request will be accepted.  If I wish to accept to review, you will receive a mail from me within a month.  And please understand that unless it's an ARC, I will read your novel only at my pace and time. 

If you are requesting for a review of a series, then please upload the first book alone.  Mention the information about the others books in the series in "Additional Information" column in the below form.

All ratings and reviews are my own honest opinion, and authors should not interfere in any of those reviews/ratings.  If the author do interfere, he/she will be blacklisted.

My review will be posted on this blog as well as on Goodreads. I can post on additional sites upon request (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, LibraryThing and Smashwords (if requested)).

Although I am not interested in doing certain reviews, I will be happy to host the authors with interviews, guest posts and giveaways, which may help their promotions.


ACCEPTED GENRES

I accept review copies only from the genres in the review request form below.  

I strictly do not read any books that fall under the category of non-fiction or poetry.


REVIEW COPIES

I accept both physical as well as e-copies (mobi/prc format).  Please upload your e-book in the below form.  And if you wish to review me your physical copy,  please know that I am in India and postal charges may be higher, unless you are delivering me by "Book Depository".

RATING SYSTEM

1 star  - I give up.  I cannot read this book any further that I hated this book so much or its not for me.
2 stars - I didn't like it much.  I didn't hate it either.  It is just so boring or had so many flaws.
3 stars - I enjoyed this book, but still something is lacking to make it memorable.
4 stars - I enjoyed this book a lot and also, will recommend it.
5 stars - Fantastic.  I absolutely loved the book. It blew me away and evoked a lot of thought, excitement and/or emotion. I will remember this book for a long time.

*Note:  If I was not able to finish a book - which is almost the only time it gets a 1-star - the review will not be posted on the blog. However it will be on Goodreads to state my reasons why I could not finish.


MORE INFORMATION

I am currently the auto-approved reviewer for the below publishers.

• Grand Central Publishing
• Harlequiin Teen
• Dundum

I am already in the reviewer list for the following publishers:
- Rhemalda Publishing
- Cedar Fort Publishing
- JKS Communications
- Centrinian Publishing
- Hydra Publications

Note: Uploading/sending the book does not guarantee a review.

Please fill the review request form below, if you are interested to be hosted in my blog.

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Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, #1)

Really!!! Richelle Mead knows how to make a person get glued to her book towards the end. I will rate her the top author in "Authors who gave best endings to their books". Even though I didn't like her Bloodlines much, still her ending made me want to come again for her next book in that series. This first book in this series, Georgina Kincaid, is Succubus Blues, and its even better.

Although I can predict some of the twists in the book, the remaining part really made me catch my breath. Seth, a famous writer in the book, is soooo cute in his way..can't wait to learn more about him in the next books of the series. And Georgina is a succubus - a creature from hell, who seduces men to retain her immortality by taking their life force out of them. I know, I know..I thought this particular thing is crazy at first. But as the story proceeded, it didn't matter much. There is no big lecture of good and evil / heaven and hell..for that - I am thankful.

Many of the characters are adorable and endearing. Carter is my fav..come on, you can't help liking an angel.

Guessing or knowing what comes next, doesn't stop me from enjoying this book.

Recommend it for fans of Richelle Mead. Others, who can digest this succubus/fantasy thing, its a good book..give it a chance.

Beastly

Nice modern-day retelling of "Beauty and the Beast".

Kyle a.k.a. Adrian has the misfortune to turn into a beast, due to the beastly (cruel, selfish, ..) ways, he behaves to others. The transformation does not take place in his body and face alone, but it also leads to his character transformation. Slowly, he learns to love and care, which leads him to his love to Lindy.

In some places, Adrian is pathetic. But, I think turning into a beast 'forever' can make anyone pathetic. Some quotes are beautiful..like..

Ending was awesome. And of course, it will be awesome, as its all about TRUE LOVE and HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

I was hoping for a light read and this book gave me that. Although I didn't expect much from this book, I had fun while reading this book. If you are into fairy-tale retellings or romance, this book is for you.

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1)

Meghan Chase has always felt like a stranger in her own house. Her mother is usually busy and her stepfather barely remembers who she is half the time. The only person she feels totally and utterly connected to is her little brother.

When her brother is kidnapped and replaced with a Changling, Meghan is forced to enter the magical world of the fey in order to save him. There, she finds out what has made her so different from everyone else around her. She learns she is the daughter of the Summer King and it is very dangerous for her to remain in Faery. There are those that would use her to get to her father, the king.

With the help of a Winter Prince and a strange cat named Grimalkin, Meghan navigates the depths of Faery in order to save her brother and stay alive while doing it. Together Meghan, the prince, and Grimalkin come into contact with a dangerous enemy, the Iron Fey, and must tread lightly through unknown territory.

The Iron King, first of the "The Iron Fey" series, has wonderful world and character building. This took the first half of the book and I think every first book in the series has this problem. So, the story gets fast-paced in the second half of the book and too adventurous. Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin are in the journey, where they learn friendship, loss, love, loyalty and bravery. (I imagined Puck to have the resemblance of Peter Pan (from the Disney animated movie) :))

Overall, nice entertaining start to a series.

The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1)

Orphans Sabrina (11 year old) and Daphne (7 year old) go to live with their grandmother (who they thought was dead) in the town of Ferryport Landing. After the disappearance of their parents, they go through numerous foster homes. They soon find out that their grandmother is a very strange person who says that the town is filled with fairy-tale beings. 

Daphne believes her, Sabrina does not, until their grandmother gets kidnapped by a Giant that is the cause for the destruction in the town. Sabrina and Daphne, alone in the woods, soon meet Puck (From A Midsummer's Night Dream). He agrees to help them save their grandmother since she was kind to him and fed him sometimes. Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck escape the house on a magic carpet and fly to the Ferryport Landing jail where they rescue Jack (From Jack and the Beanstalk) to kill the giant. 

So, what happens afterwards, is a mystery for the readers, and I don't want to spoil them the fun. But, during the mystery, they learn something about their parents too - who the girls thought had abandoned them. 

The book is narrated from Sabrina's point of view. Everyone, who reads this book, will love the character of Daphne - her willingness to believe, the cute kindness and the way she deals with people. I seriously want to read the book from Daphne's side. I think it will be more fun. 

The author must have given a lot of thought, before coming out with this book. He brings in a lot of characters - from Brother's Grimm, Alice In Wonderland and Shakespeare. The book's mystery has been brought on in a nice way. Good start of the series, considering it as a children's book. ;-)

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1)

Okay, tell me now, this very minute, who the hell is "A"?????

The story introduces an exclusive group of friends: Alison, the perfect yet manipulative queen bee; Aria, an independent girl who is considered to be the weirdo in Rosewood; Emily, a dedicated swimmer who is secretly in love with Alison; Hanna, who strives to be thin and popular like Alison; and Spencer, an ambitious girl who is constantly competing against and at odds with Alison. Alison mysteriously disappears during a sleepover with the girls the night their seventh grade school year ends.

Three years later, the girls are no longer friends. Aria returns to Rosewood from a two and a half year trip to Iceland with her family and is much more sophisticated than she was when she left. She starts up a relationship with a man who turns out to be her AP English teacher. Emily befriends the new girl in town, Maya, and soon develops romantic feelings for her. Hanna, Rosewood's new "it" girl, struggles with shoplifting and bulimia. Spencer continues to compete with Melissa, her perfect older sister. She falls for Melissa's new boyfriend, Wren Kim.

Throughout the story, the girls receive messages from a person known as "A", with random messages of their secrets, which only Alison knows.

Is Alison alive?
Are their secrets exposed?
Is "A", one among the 4 of them? Although the friends suspect it, are they going to ask or work united to find out?

Its a mystery series and I can see how Sara Shepard is going to make this work.

Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades #2)

Well, I loved this book. It was a far different experience and better book than the first book. Its pretty much an angsty book, with very less humorous moments.

This second book of the trilogy starts immediately, where the first book ends. Ana and Christian's breakdown, Christian's realization for "more" and his confessions to Ana are really extreme to take. I just felt like Ana - its too much to take in. Well, Christian is freaking hot and awesomely romantic (Well, I didn't want to write "freaking" there, but you get the meaning right? ;-)). Ana and Christian has come very far in their emotional life experiences in this book. 

The book, as usual, from the first book contains flirty and funny email exchanges between Ana and Christian, which is one of the few light elements of the book.

There is so many hot sex scenes in the book, but which do not ruin the plot of the book. There is a cliffhanger in this book too and hope it all ends well in the last of the series.


This is a series and must be read in order.  The first book of the series is Fifty Shades of Grey and you can read the review of that book here.

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)

Oh my god! I don't know what BDSM is, when the book referred to it. I actually understood it now..entirely. This book is so damn hot, that I can't manage to read it in one sitting. I have to give myself a break with some children's book in the middle (after 70% is completed), and then come back to it. Its intensity is soooooo high.

Christian and Ana are the lead characters and I loved them both. The passion and love between them is overwhelming. Ana is so sweet, young and innocent, while Christian is dark (you know what I mean), handsome and sexy. The charge between them...*sighs*..you should read the book to feel it. The e-mail exchanges between Christian and Ana is great..especially the subject line is awesome..I get excited when those e-mail exchanges occur.

Its sad in the end, but its an excellent cliffhanger, which made me start with the next book immediately.

I was, kind of, praying that it will work out between them. :-)

Recommended only for adults.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)

HILARIOUS!!!

I know its a child's book. And I picked it for I needed a break from all romantic or fantasy themed books. I never could have chosen a better book to solve the purpose. In spite of my crazy weekend, I found myself laughing out loud at various moments.

The book is about a kid (of course, you would have guessed it by now ;-) ), who starts his middle school and writes his day-to-day life in his diary - oops, sorry, journal. The kid tries to become popular, by doing various things, which eventually he didn't enjoy or gets backfired.

The comic strips in between almost every paragraph is absolutely hilarious. This read was an unexpected surprise for me, because I never thought I would laugh like this forgetting where I am.

Well, to put it all in one word, it was COOL!!!

Series:

The New York Times, which rates children's serials collectively on a "Series Books" bestseller list, has included the Wimpy Kid series for 64 weeks as of April 10, 2010.

USA Today, which ranks best sellers based on sales alone regardless of genre or intended audience, has listed Diary of a Wimpy Kid in its top 150, peaking at number 8, for 141 weeks as of April 4, 2010.

Series order:

1.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - Read review here
3.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw - Read review here
4.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - Read review here
5.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
6.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)

OH MY GODSTARS! This book is awesome.

First of all, I loved Laini Taylor's writing. Its so utterly captivating and its like fireworks. The title, the names of the characters and the chapter names - everything chosen so perfectly, I can't stop wondering about the author's talent.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is that rare book, where it starts with familiar scenes and makes it appealing, startling and new. Its the story of Korou, a mysterious art student, who lives in Prague. Karou has very few friends, and they are not all human. Karou has a past - a secret - even she can't understand (or remember???). She belonged to a family of chimaeras and she runs "errands" for them, when called for. Brimstone, the chimaera, who raised her, denies any knowledge of what or who she is.

When Akiva (I love his name - yup, its really musical), a beautiful, haunted angel (a seraphim), meets Karou, he finds out that he is drawn towards her - his enemy in the war between seraphims and chimaeras. Akiva follows Karou, and when he recognizes her true soul and what she is, Karou's life - past, present and future - changes.

The thrill and complication of the past knocked me out cold.

So what if this is another YA fantasy novel about angels and devils and star-crossed lovers? Laini Taylor's words and formation of the story - the complicated morality in the words will keep your head spinning and you will want to read out loud, just to feel the essence of the words.

To friends who are yet to read this book:
Okay, I will tell you something, although its a spoiler..when you read the title - Daughter of Smoke and Bone - and after reading, "Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love... It did not end well" from the reviews, do not think that this book is going to be a fantasy and the title mentions a daughter of angel and devil. Whatever you think, think it, imagine wild and get this book..this book will exceed your imagination..it did for me.

Overall, it’s stunning and shocking and terribly perfect and unfair and wonderful, all at once.

The Sweetest Thing (Lucky Harbor #2)

Excellent!

The Lucky Harbor's second book - "The Sweetest Thing" - is as sweet as its title. Its about Tara, the Steel Magnolia. Tara is very stubborn, bossy and caring at the same time. She keeps worrying about her sisters, her past and everything that's around her.

Tara's past mistakes never allows her to trust again. But everything changes when she meets Ford (**sighs**), the sexy and talented Lucky Harbor medal-winning sailor, who is the center of everything in her haunting past and for whom she is still attracted to. Their attraction is mutual. Ford, an easy-going (and yeah, sexy) guy, was always failing in the try to be away from Tara.

While they are working on their own issues, their past comes in flesh and bone, and calls them Mom and Dad. And Tara has one more thing in her list to work on and worry about..her relationship with her daughter, who seems to not like her, but adores Ford.

We see Maddie with Jax again. We also see the start of Chloe's story in this book.

Well, I think I gave something for you guys to think about, if you have not read this book yet.

There are no flaws, I see in this book. Tara and Ford are just AMAZING! "The Sweetest Thing" was funny, romantic and sexy as hell, with every ingredient needed for a romance book.

Series:

The first book of the series is Simply Irresistible.  Although the series follows a certain order, its not exactly continuous.  The series is about the three sisters, who come to Lucky Harbor, their mother's place, with various problems and at last, find sanctuary in Lucky Harbor.

The first book is about Maddie, second is for Tara and the third book, which recently got released is "Head Over Heels", which is about her third sister.

So, if you grab this book, you can simply start with this one, without missing anything.

Some quotes from the book, I liked:

"Never do anything that you don't want to have to explain to 9-1-1 personnel."

"Experience is what you get when you didn't know what you wanted."

"A conclusion is the place you get to when you're tired of thinking."

"It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions."

"If it's going to be two against one, make sure you aren't the one."

"Accept that some days you're the bug, and some days you're going to be the windshield."

SERIES ORDER

   

 

1.  Simply Irresistible
2.  The Sweetest Thing
3.  Head Over Heels - Read review here
4.  Lucky In Love - Read review here
5.  At Last - Read review here
6.  Forever and a Day - Read review here
6.5. Under the MistleToe - Read review here
7.  It Had To Be You - Expected publication: May 28th 2013