BLOG TOUR: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Review)

Title: The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Publication: February 28th 2017, Balzer + Bray

Format: e-ARC
Source: For blog tour purposes (Thank you JM of Book Freak Revelations) 

Order it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)



SYNOPSIS:

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. Soon to be a major motion picture from Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Review:

When my friend JM of Book Freak Revelations invited me to read The Hate U Give for a tour, I was not hesitant to say yes to it. It would mean going back to blogging again after some time but for this book, how could you not say yes?

I've been so detached from anything book related lately that it feels like I only get book news from my friends. When I heard of The Hate U Give however, my life, as if, was put into a standstill. Nothing mattered as much and I knew for a fact that I had to read it.

BLOG TOUR: The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon (Review + INTL GIVEAWAY)

Title: The Sun Is Also A Star

Author: Nicola Yoon

Publication: November 1st 2016, Delacorte Press

Format: ARC
Source: JM of Book Freak Revelations

Order it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)



SYNOPSIS:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

/

Review:

Chance meetings are in ways, hard to comprehend sometimes. In a way, you wouldn't really think that can actually happen in real life, the same way as you'd think that falling in love at first sight would be the same. And for a chance meeting between two completely different people, with different goals in life yet in a way share a common ground, makes for something that is truly remarkable though, yes, unimaginable in ways.

Mark Your Calendars: #ZhangAndPortesInPH + Updates on Signing Tips

What is National Book Store doing to my contemporary loving heart!??? This coming July, they are bringing New York Times Bestselling authors' Amy Zhang (Falling Into Place, This Is Where The World Ends) and Andrea Portes. (Anatomy of A Misfit, The Fall of Butterflies)

If you've been a huge fan of the blog or have at least tried to bear with me through the years of blogging, you might've encountered my review of Amy Zhang's heartbreaking novel, Falling Into Place. The book sent my soul someplace for a while...then I read All The Bright Places a month after and then both of them double murdered my existence in this planet.

So here are the details of the upcoming book signing:

Misfit Adventures: #JenniferNivenInPH Event Recap

Hello there misfit booknerds! Gosh! It's been a while and seriously, I feel both happy and awful about my time off the blog but I'm glad that I somehow found the schedule that would fit me this year. Also, I did not expect work to get in the way of me really getting into reading and going through my bookish resolutions this 2016. I think that's scrapped out for now. *cries in shame*

Anyway, if you guys remember, I blogged about my anticipation of seeing Jennifer Niven, author of All The Bright Places (my favorite contemporary novel for a while now) for her book signing here in the Philippines.

Jen and I are actually very good friends and have been in contact with each other for over a year and I have been supporting (more like stalking lol) her for a long time, and the plan was that we meet each other, say, for lunch or dinner when she gets here. But because of my job and her busy schedule when she got here, with interviews here and there, we couldn't really find the time. I've set my heart into meeting her in the public signing. I said to myself, 30 seconds with her is enough for me and would make my entire year. Just the shortest amount of time meant the world to me, I didn't care at all if it wasn't as how I dreamed it was going to be.

The Blog Crashers: Raffy of Eccentric Everything

The Blog Crashers is a blog event featuring book bloggers who crash into my blog for a day. They talk about themselves, their blog, books and more!

HELLO, EARTH. Today I shall be invading Writer for Misfits! Mwahahahahaha! LOL. Thank you for giving me the chance, dear Jayvee. I’m seriously honored. But yeah. Expect morbid responses and guttural sounds being made as I answer prepared questions! YES. THIS IS HOW I DO THINGS. The Raffy way! Let’s try to trend #RaffyInvadesJayvee , eh? Kidding. And with this, I present to you, my totally-ordinary-answers-to-jayvee’s-questions post! *Phineas and Ferb’s electric guitar cue* YAS! 

1.  Hi! Thank you for taking your time for the blog! Now, please introduce yourself.

• Hi! I’m Raffy Perez! I’m a 15 year-old 10th Grader from the Philippines. Yes, I’m currently enrolled at a Science HS, but reading’s one of my escapes from all of those stressful stuff. I’m also a campus journalist, poet, debater, speaker, and try-hard/die-hard wanderer.

2. Where are you blogging from?

• I’m currently based in Quezon City, Philippines.

3. What’s your blog’s name and what inspired your blog’s name?

• My blog’s name is Eccentric Everything, and the reason behind my choice is that I’m a pretty spontaneous person who’s strange and odd, and I love talking about anything under the sun. Hence, Eccentric Everything.

Style Misfit: Bookish Inspired Summer Looks

Hi there! It's been sooooo long, I know but I truly missed making this feature. I'm not sure though if I can make this a weekly feature anymore but rather, I'll try to post at least 1 or 2 of these a month. Sound good? Anyway, if you're from another country and reading this, I would like to let you know that in the Philippines, though it's nearing the rainy season, it's still hella hot and by hot I mean, "HELP US IT'S HELL OUT HERE WE'RE DYING" hot. But you get used to it. 

Summers in the Philippines are crazy hot, not all the time but when it's hot, it's HOT! And while some people (like myself) prefer to stay indoors, get that AC on high coz the heat is scorching, others like to run around with friends, get a tan or hit the beach and swim to beat the heat. So this particular Style Misfit will cover summer looks for both indoor and outdoor coz, why not?  Also, wouldn't this be perfect for the summer season at the other side of the world? YAY! Again, I'll be taking some inspiration from some 2016 book covers so let's do this!

Title: I Woke Up Dead At The Mall

Author: Judy Sheehan

Publication: March 22nd 2016, Delacorte Press

Order it on:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

I love the combination of blue and orange and I thought I can play with it with this look. It's perfect for this weather, if you're going out with friends, let's say a shopping trip. It's summery but also street chic. If you decide to experiment with this look, you can also add a kimono cardigan if you feel like covering yourself up a little bit but without it being too hot.

The Blog Crashers: Trisha of Trisha Jenn Reads (6 Novels with Kick-Ass Women)

The Blog Crashers is a blog event featuring book bloggers who crash into my blog for a day. They talk about themselves, their blog, books and more!

Oh hello there! I’m Trisha from trishajennreads. When Jayvee put the call out on Twitter about crashing her blog, I jumped at the chance. You see, I’ve been blogging for a long time but am just now starting to connect with the book blogging community. I love meeting new friends. And what better way to meet new friends than by spending time with friends of friends?! So, here I am. It’s lovely to meet you.

I blog mostly about reading and writing and every once in a while hit on other topics too. Jayvee gave me the option to write about anything I wanted. I started scrolling through my ever growing list of blog post ideas and we found one that we both liked the idea of 6 Historical Novels with Kick-Ass Women.

1.  A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion trilogy) by Francine Rivers

Hadassah is a Messianic Jewish girl who is taken captive to Rome after Jerusalem falls. She survives the brutal journey and becomes a slave in a Roman household. Hadassah’s strength of character and determination to show love to those around her makes her a force of hope and goodness. She continues to practice her faith despite threat of execution. She continues to live her faith despite living in a world where she could die for it.

The Blog Crashers: JM of Book Freak Revelations

The Blog Crashers is a blog event featuring book bloggers who crash into my blog for a day. They talk about themselves, their blog, books and more! 

I’m never good at formally introducing myself, but that won’t stop me from making this post a great one. In real life, I am actually a lot more spontaneous than I might sound through my answers. And I’m certainly a lot more interesting. Haha! So, anyway, hi everyone!

1.  Hi! Thank you for taking your time for the blog! Now, please introduce yourself.

•  Hi, all! My name is JM Cabral. A full-time Hotel and Restaurant Management student by day, a passionate book blogger by night.

2. Where are you blogging from?

• I live and blog from the lively city of Marikina, Philippines.

3. What’s your blog’s name and what inspired your blog’s name?

• My blog’s name is Book Freak Revelations. Before I decided to create a book blog, I joined a bookish group on Facebook named “Pinoy Book Freaks United”. It’s where I met most of my wonderful bookish friends, and we first met during Marie Lu’s book signing event last 2014. After a few more events, I finally decided on making a book blog, incorporating the name of the group I joined as well as my goal for the blog: to reveal my bookish thoughts which may or may not be similar to that of other readers.

4. How long have you been blogging and what do you enjoy most about it?

• I’ve been blogging for more than 8 years now, and what I enjoy most about it is the freedom I have over my own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I’ve always been the kind of person who loved sharing his thoughts about anything under the sun, and obviously, blogging is the best way to see it through.