Book Review: Ember by Bettie Sharpe

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Charm is a curse, love is a fire</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVh-cAHpuR5qp3-2uWiNKXgSY_NfVn79Dz6i65jqdMuuNnuemctx6lhxBfQ4RG2L89yjUXtjqxDHLZuR94Onzp6a1uY7z4GAa5tpOekEXk0jkCOnfsWBQxAnZ3y42H4wEamtqd6uOwYac/" alt="iSight-2013-09-1-18-55.png" width="512" height="512"></p><p style="text-align: center">Pardon the picture. It’s the best copy I could get.</p><p style="text-align: center">Disclaimer: I don’t own the picture. Credits goes to the owner.</p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><strong>ooOOOoo</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><strong>Summary</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 15pt;">Everyone loves Prince Charming. They have to—he’s cursed. Every man must respect him. Every woman must desire him. One look, and all is lost.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 15pt;">Ember would rather carve out a piece of her soul than be enslaved by passions not her own. She turns to the dark arts to save her heart and becomes the one woman in the kingdom able to resist the Prince’s Charm.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 15pt;">Poor girl. If Ember had spent less time studying magic and more time studying human nature, she might have guessed that a man who gets everything and everyone he wants will come to want the one woman he cannot have.</span></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><strong>ooOOOoo</strong></span></p><p>It isn’t the same old cliche anymore: Once upon a time, the prince saves the damsel in distress and poof! They lived happily ever after. This is one very twisted story I tell you. </p><p>I love how the author at first portrayed the prince as handsome, charismatic and perfect and later on, almost the complete opposite. I love how she brought out the flaws of the prince. Authors usually bring the flaws of the main characters in their attitude -- to make it more realistic they say. At the end of the day, the main characters still looks dashing or devilishly handsome despite the scar on his face. However in Bettie Sharpe’s case, she brought it out not only physically but in attitude as well. That and princes actually love to have sexual relations with whores. </p><p>It totally shatters your perspective of fairytales just like the original Brother’s Grimms which I tend to compare in terms of goriness. The twists brought out the reality we tried to ignore vividly. When you think about it, royalties back in the days really did took concubines and many wives. And yet, we all feed ourselves stories that no, a prince is regal and will do no such thing as copulate with tramps because he is waiting for that one girl who will catch his eye out of the sea of people and coincidentally, will be his true love. And then, they make royal babies.</p><p>If you are not a fan of gore, you will cringe. If you love perfect characters, then this book is not for you. It will bring you out of your comfort zone in terms of violence, sex and love. Oh, and if ever you are hoping that this book is like 50 Shades of Grey, then you are sadly mistaken. Sex is part of its theme but it’s not as descriptive as 50 Shades. Sorry to burst your bubbles.</p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>You can read it online <a href="http://www.bettiesharpe.com/ember/">HERE</a></strong></span></p>

Book review: Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The usual, either you survive or die. To kill or to be killed. Ultimatum and stuffs - you'll get it here. Adrenaline junkie? You'd love this book. Unlike me, who prefers the teen flowers and chocolates, I had a hard time trying to continue reading. I kept on pausing. Trying to steady myself.

It's a lot like Hunger Games (If you've read it and liked it, you would like this one too!).  In comparison to Hunger Games, this series is a lot better. Not speaking of the plot. The way it was written is a lot of steps higher than Hunger Games. If you knew me in real life, you'd get tired of how much I ranted about the way the Hunger Games were written especially the first book. Oh and if you were, left hanging by Peeta and Katniss' romance, you would love this. There's a lot of romance between Four (Tobias) and Tris (Beatrice) as well as the other characters.

The romance between Four and Tris plus the home of the Dauntless kept me incorporating it with 50 Shades of Grey. Four is kinda Christian Grey in a different environment. Less jealous, more caring.

What I  learned from this book? Your family. Friends. Acquaintances - You never really know them. When it calls to it, they'd probably abandon you. No matter what the reason, even when it's for a greater good, if it hurts them, they'll leave you. Most of all, you can't help but choose when the ultimatum comes. But oh well, there's a big gap between this world and theirs.

“People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.”