Annabel

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published March 10th 2011 by Jonathan Cape

In 1968, into the beautiful, spare environment of remote coastal Labrador in the far north-east of Canada, a mysterious child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl, but both at once. Only three people share the secret - the baby's parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbor, Thomasina.

The tale of an intersex child growing up into adulthood, Annabel is not the type of book I usually read, and thus it figures as the fresh and original meat of my pile of reads. I think this book is wonderful in the way that it deals with an issue that a lot of people need to relate with; as for if it's actually effective or not, I'm not certain I can entirely argue for or against.

Annabel is written in a very rich, poetic language, and I think that's the biggest pro of the book. I was touched by many quotes and words coming from the characters, and it's definitively an easy read for anyone, making it thus accessible to a wider public.

I will say though that I wasn't particularly hooked by the story. I was very interested in Wayne's/ Annabel's journey, but I feel like it never really met enlightenment. The characters have, of course, greatly evolved; I was most touched by Wayne's father turn of thoughts and epiphany at the end of the book, and this sudden expressive fatherly love. Yet, when it comes to Wayne, a lot of what I was expecting to see didn't really happen; he does not clearly declare himself either male or female, yet keeps living on as a man. Instead he spiritually accepts himself as both gender, and although that is perfectly reasonable and fine and cannot be argued as a plot's flaw (and could even rather be seen as the most rational conclusion to such a existential dilemma), it did not touch me a whole much. Maybe it was the lack of drama that didn't quite make it up to me, the lack of tension and the fact the Wayne sort of... went on with the flow.

Annabel is not a bad book; it's arguably great and even won a prize. It personally didn't do it for me, and I even let go off it for a few weeks before picking it up again. I also feel that I would have liked the story more if it was about a female relating more to masculinity rather than a male relating more to femininity. Would I be wrong saying that male going female cases are more spoken of rather than female going male cases?

Originality: 9.5
Plot: 8
Characters: 8.5
Writing: 9.5
Cliffhangers: 6

Annabel by Kathleen Winter
Rating: 8,3/10

So Silver Bright

Hardcover, 354 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Feiwel & Friends

All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her own. And she’s close to reuniting her parents when her father disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a vengeful sea goddess and a mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family – and the Theatre Illuminata – from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate.

So Silver Bright was definitively better than its prequels. Even if Matchev has stuck to her random, desultory plot lining where events pile up without much structure and instead with fairy-tale-ish mannerism, the flow of the story is this time easier to catch.

Clearly, tremendous efforts were put in the writing style that came out quite literate, poetic and rich in imagery, even if it sometimes feels like over the top and a tad bit ridiculous with too much metaphors about cake and pie. I nevertheless appreciated this last installment for this very lightness and comedy that the author's writing style and plot brought to the book; I was in heavy need of a sweet, enjoyable read, and So Silver Bright was just my cup of tea.

Plot-wise, I think it concludes the series' well. There are sacrifices as well as lessons learned, and the final answers that we all craved for are given and spun in Mantchev's ever constant original telling. With the final mystery solved, I must admit these books' plotline is truthfully interesting and appealing with originality, and although I still think it could have been carried out better in many ways, I'll drop my reprimands and say everything is good enough in the end.

The main down of the book, and what I consider as a real shame, is that too much attention was given to Bertie. I feel as if Nate and Ariel were ever present only for the love triangle; I can barely recall them doing anything particular except fussing over Bertie or standing by her side. Bertie was always the one doing the confronting, and she ended up with a myriad of magical powers whilst Nate and Ariel never got their chance to be useful. Nate and Ariel never had time to settle their score or just become friends either, and I find that a lot more feelings could have been put in the other characters.

But well, that's all I've really got to say. I'm curious of seeing what other novels Mantchev will create, and I'm also very curious how a motion picture adaption of the series would look like...

Originality: 9
Plot: 8
Characters: 7.5
Writing: 8.5
Cliffhangers: 8

So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev
Rating: 8,2/10

-Beryl

Geist

Paperback, 304 pages

Published January 27th 2011 by ACE

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

I'm really disappointed I could not find a hardcover or simply bigger version of this book. I'm also surprised the two bookstores I went to only had one or two copies of Geist and Spectyr, because these books should definitively be found in a larger number.

It only took me three days to go through Geist, and I can't wait to purchase the follow up. This novel offers one of the most original and inspiring fantasy universe that I have seen in a long, long time. It's fresh, loaded with action and strong characters and because the book can be relatively considered as an 'Adult book', it's devoid of the sappy, mindless drama that you drown in while reading YA novels.

I loved every single one of the characters. Sorcha with her blunt, strong attitude, Merick with his intelligent but young naivety, Raed and his pirate-ish, cool-headed mannerism. I enjoyed the fact they all brought something to the story and that the plot's fate didn't rest on only one character's shoulders. I loved the fact they all have both weaknesses and strengths. The world Ballantine created is also fantastic and refreshing, and I can't wait to read more. It's been a while since I've looked forward to a sequel like this.

Ballantine is very good at creating a stable, suspenseful plot. Just like with any other fantasy story, there may be a lot of elements to take in, the magic system can seem complicated at first, but I admired the fact all this universe was layered out one bit at the time in a very precise manner, and without some kind of major dumping of information on the reader, or on the contrary, none at all.

Having read other reviews, I observed that a lot of readers stated that the first few chapters were really 'boring and hard to pull through'. I personally disagree. The first chapter of Geist is already hooking the reader to the core of the action, and albeit one or two introductory chapters about the characters themselves and the world, Geist is action-packed till the end. I may even say that that's something to beware of; too much constant rolling action can get very tiresome and ridiculous, but Geist treated everything perfectly. I hope though that in the following sequels there will be less fighting and more interactions, more passive drama and also more deepening of the character's pasts and future.

In any case, I recommend this book to all those fantasy readers out there. Great, great novel and I hope it keeps being great.

Originality: 9.5
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 10
Writing: 8
Cliffhangers: 8.5

Geist by Phillipa Ballantine
Rating: 8,9/10

-Beryl

And we're back on a roll.

It's really impossible for me to stay away from books for too long, and I'm glad to say I'll be posting up some new, fresh reviews soon. I don't know about Aithen, but I've been spending some of my money on some sweet deals lately, and I'm just dying to share my thoughts online. Look forward to reviews of

'Geist' by Phillipa Ballantine
'So Silver Bright' by Lisa Mantchev
'Annabel' by Kathleen Winter
'The way of Shadows' by Brent Weeks

and many more to come. :)

-Beryl

It has been a while now...

... since we've reviewed a book! And it may take some time before we update again.

See, it's not that we've fallen out of love for books, it's just that this summer Aithen and I have been concentrating a lot on simply writing! We've been writing our own stories, short and long, roleplaying and also getting ready for NaNoWriMo. We plan on participating this November, and thus we have to get mentally ready to write down 50 000 words in only one month. In September we're also entering College / 'Cegep' / 'Pre-Uni', which is a big change and will assure us a busy schedule.

This goes without saying that we haven't been reading much... It is really just a phase where we enjoy working with our fingers rather than with our eyes, but fear not! Pepper Ink is not dying and we're thankful for the attention we've been given till now! We'll continue on posting reviews whenever we finish a read.

We hope everyone had a great summer till now, and that the greatness continues till the end!

-Beryl

Before I Fall

472 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins
Genre: YA Fiction

"What if you had only one day to live?
What would you do?
Who would you kiss?
And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."

It has been over two months since the site's last review! Gasp! We're awfully sorry, but school has been nipping at our heels. Here's a book I just finished reading a few days ago, and hopefully this review can make up for the lack of any recent ones... and the sparse that are to come until the end of the school year.

Before I Fall! A not so bad read. Telling the story of how a girl lives the same day through an entire week and how she comes to change herself and the people around her, it is an interesting book that is both realistic and relatable to. Samantha Kingston, your vain, simple-minded and bitchy teenage girl who sees the amount of roses you get on Valentine's day as important, suddenly dies on said Valentine day, in a car accident after your generic teen party. The next morning, she wakes up in her bed, on the same exact day. Fun stuff!

In Before I Fall, Oliver makes her protagonist go through the same day seven times, causing her to evolve into a better, nicer person as she realizes that popularity, sex and social power aren't the only things that matter, and that there are better things to concentrate upon. For a novel of 472 pages, there's enough space to clearly witness Samantha's evolution and for the reader to end up liking her. The story itself is gripping and holds some jolting twists at the end. It was my personal pleasure to see the story and mystery behind Sam's death and quest unfold so well.

The same day, seven times? Might be a bit repetitive. It was, on day 3 or 4, but the events vary. Even if I did approach the ending of the book with certain relief and impatience, Before I Fall offers many versions of the same day, and doesn't drag on the details that were already presented earlier. Character-wise, I think the cast is very realistic. All of Samantha's friends are the type of girls that one can classify as 'classical school bitch', and are presented such as that; bitching, being mean and vile, horny and self-centered. Lauren Oliver does, though, show their better side, a deepness to them that the reader doesn't realize at first. The character development is drastic and entirely believable.

Before I Fall captures the narcissistic emotions and feelings of high school very well. I think a lot of people can relate to the book and it's characters, and even if sometimes the repetition threatened to be overwhelming, the book satisfied me. The writing is engaging and flowing. A book I recommend.

-Beryl

Originality: 9
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 9
Writing: 8
Cliffhangers: 7,5

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Rating: 8,4/10

PEPPER INK IS GOING ON SALE

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Joke's on you. :P

This was, actually, Beryl's final high school thesis. She wrote a YA literature guide for teens ad this is the result. XD And it is no where near worth 999 bucks.
But, admit it. You were already taking out your wallet. Yes, yes you were.

House Rules

532 pages
Genre; Fiction
Published March 2nd 2010 by Atria

When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.

But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

I found House Rules a very enlightening read. I often like to take a break from fantasy and science fiction in order to grab a book from which I can learn something new. House Rules explores the many facets of a kid with Asperger's, who has a kick on forensic science, and Picoult does a great job into weaving a fascinating story around him and his family. Picoult has a simple, clear writing style that made it simple to understand everything that was going on, and she made the plot even more interesting by offering different point of views (of the cop in charge of the case, the lawyer, Jacob's brother...). She made me curious about forensic science, too, and I'm probably going to recommend this book too all my friends and relatives who are in criminology.

Yet, sometimes I felt like I was reading Wikipedia. This was the case often; from when Emma, Jacob's mother explained how life with her son worked, to when all the various doctors and psychologies testified at the trial, I had the impression of reading a Wikipedia article. Yes, I did learn a lot, and I do give credit to Picoult for the extensive amount of research she did on Asperger's, but this is a novel, after all. It goes without saying that these walls of text became repetitive, to the point where I felt comfortable in skipping a few paragraphs of testimony (that blabbered about what the reader already knew about Jacob) just to get to the part where the plot advanced.

I also didn't get attached to the characters, except for Jacob. I consider the other characters as too representative of the generic family members struggling with a handicapped child; in this case a young adult with Asperger's syndrome (such as Emma, by example, who was your typical brave mom who loves her child no matter what or Theo, your typical normal brother who his annoyed by all the hardships that come with a 'defective' sibling, and who just wants a normal life). I didn't see them as characters that stood strongly by themselves. Of course, I consider House Rules more like a book that wants to bring a point across than a poetic tale that you enjoy reading over and over again.

It was definitively an interesting read. Slightly predictable too, but very bright and smart.

-Beryl

Originality: 9
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 7,5
Writing: 8
Cliffhangers: 7,5

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Rating: 8,1/10

The Paper Girl

376 pages
Published March 31st 2010 by XO Editions

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Originally written in French, translation in English not yet available

"Soaked to the bone and completely naked, she appeared on my lawn in the middle of a stormy night.
'Where do you come from?'
'I fell.'
'Fell from where?'
'I fell from your book. I fell from your story, geez!'"

Tom Boyd, a popular author undergoing a writer's block watches as the protagonist from his
novels arrives in his life. She is pretty, desperate, and she's going to die if he stops writing. Impossible? And yet..

Together, Tom and Billie will experience an extraordinary adventure where reality and fiction become intertwined in order to deliver a seductive but dangerous game.

Musso has a simple yet fluid writing style and offers us here a quick novel that is good when you're on a vacation or in the need of a break. Even if he doesn't stand out as an exceptional author, I must say I enjoyed this novel (the first I read by him) quite a lot. Actually, when thinking of this novel, one word pops out in my mind: Lovely.

This is a funny and romantic road story about an author who struggles with his loss of inspiration and heartbreak, about friends overcoming hardships together and of course, about all kinds of love. Musso weaved together a curious plot that kept me hooked till the very last page and surprised me with a twist I honestly hadn't expected.

His characters are all unique and interesting; Billie, the head strong but troubled woman, Tom the depressed but inspiring author, Milo the foolish yet caring friend and Carole, the sturdy cop that started with nothing but rose to the top. Each of the main characters play an important part of the story, from when they are trying to pull Tom out of his depression to dealing with their own troubles from the past. They reach the reader's heart with their many strengths and faults, and I was slightly reluctant in letting them go.

I found the whole book very touching. It's a wonderful story about how books can change people's lives, and not only those of Tom, Billie, etc. It's an easy quick read that takes you all around the world; from the USA to Mexico, France and Italy. It hasn't yet been translated in English, and I don't know when it will be, but I recommend this book for those who want a cute love story with a bit of mystery and true feelings.

I don't acknowledge Musso as a brilliant author and consider his writing style as bit too simplistic, but he sure knows how to plot.

-Beryl

Originality: 8
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 9,5
Writing: 7
Cliffhangers: 8

The Paper Girl by Guillaume Musso
Rating: 8,2/10

Sapphique

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are?

Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.

Catherine's Fisher Incarceron was very satisfying, and I think Sapphique followed the league better than most sequels do. The world of Incarcon is an amazing one; Fisher really knows how to create a world and how to trap the reader in it. Her writing is fluid and rich, and it all got better in Sapphique. I just think that a lot of the book's potential was ruined buy the odd ending.

Sapphique was Incarceron but more pumped. There was more action, more drama, more suspense and Fisher started to admiringly toy with cliffhangers. Already the first chapters have you standing on edge, and its hard to put the book down for the first parts of the book. Sapphique was also alternating between many point of views, giving us a good tour of each and every character and how they were struggling with the inner and outer problems.

I must say I loved the universe Fisher created. It was truly original and fresh, not something I see often in YA litterature. She crafted two wonderful books and I'm glad she didn't extend them into a trilogy, because when authors do that they often slip away from their original goal, and the story becomes a mess.

In Sapphique, I started caring for Jared and Keiro more, and also Incarceron itself. They are my two (three if you count the Prison as a being) favorite characters, simply because I like Jared's soft caring and Keiro's sharp attitude. Claudia, Finn and Attia, development-wise, stayed pretty much the same. I did not get to poke my head into the depths of their persona, and sadly didn't care that much for them. I did not learn much more about the Warden, either, and the unraveling of his true feelings for Claudia was nonexistent. We all knew that their father-daughter relationship was bittersweet, but it was nothing new. Some people were added to the cast, but they did not rise above their roll of supporting characters that are eventually forgotten.

The only drawback in the book is the ending; it felt rushed and was extremely odd. Many elements were left unexplained. The reader is not told the true nature of Incarceron, and why it has a voice, a mind and dreams. The whole concept of 'magicke' that Rix uses and that is the essence of the Glove is left for us to wander about. The dove and the eagle appear many times throughout the book, at various places, but no clear light is made on them either. It's easy to assume and guess the eagle represents the royal family, and the dove, Sapphique, but what was their connection? Another example is when Claudia enters Incarceron while having it in her pocket, it being the little cube on her father's pocket watch. How is this possible? There were many plotholes of this kind.

I an still unsure, and out-mostly confused on Sapphique's case. I liked the fact he was a legend, the hero of a myth whose real existence cannot be proven, and I would have been content on having him stay that. Yet, Fisher incorporated him back into the story in the most bizarre way imaginable, and without concrete explanations. The ending leaves the reader confused and asking for questions, and truthfully, it was just all so odd.

I cannot say the ending satisfied me, even if the rest of the book was amazing. It seems Fisher rushed the last hundred pages into a senseless mess, and its a bit of a shame, I dare say, for so many pages of good stuff to be ruined. The series still stands as a wonderful duo of books that will enchant many Young Adults. It has a brilliantly crafted plot, characters that are perhaps not memorable but fun to follow, but a rushed ending. Go read it still, and I rest my case.

-Beryl

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Rating: 9/10

Thirteen Reasons Why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

Thirteen Reasons Why is told by the recorded voice of Hannah Baker who, through the faces of seven cassettes, tells the story of how she came to be suicidal and eventually took her own life. Alternating with her tale is Clay Jensen, one of the thirteen people featured on her list. He spends an entire night listening to what she has to say and briefing the reader on his own vision of Hannah when she was still alive and on the few moments they spent together.

Minus the flaws I will speak of later on, this book can be considered as relatively good. I had spotted it long time ago on the shelves of Indigo and heard it was very appreciated throughout the main stream. It was indeed plastered with genuinely good critiques almost everywhere. I nevertheless differ from the main stream opinion, and think that whilst this book can be appreciated for many reasons, it lacks too many things to be considered as strong and true.

With Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher illustrates how the often cruel behaviour of teens leads to unconscious repercussions on others. In this book, it is Hannah who is the punching bag of the many nasty girls and boys that dwell in her school (the classical morons that you as well as I have probably already met once in our life) and who unable her from making friends that she can trust. With his debut novel, Asher tries to portrait how little cruelties piled up can do much harm.

While I agree that high school can be hell for a lot of people I somehow thought it forgot to show and describe how Hannah suffered, and instead we learned it through her narrative, which didn't give the same effect, but I'll get to it later. First of all, the characters.

My opinion on this book can be summarized with this simple statement: I loved what Hannah had to say. I wish I could have said the same about Clay.

Clay was a total gary stu. It is unbelievable how amazingly annoying he was, to the point I started skipping his narrative towards the end of the book. Long story short, he is the adorable, kind and shy but understanding guy that would have been Hanna's 'the one' if he hadn't stepped forward so late. When he receives the cassettes and listens to the first one, he panics, terrorized like a little rabbit and shedding tears every few minutes. Asher gave him a quite important role in the book: he offers the reader a view of Hannah seen by the eyes of an outsider who has no clue why he's on Hannah's list. It is needless to say that Clay fails delivering such a view. All he does is nourish dialogs with Hannah in his head, even though she is dead. Every once in a while the reader has something going around the line of "Why did you do this Hannah?" "Why did you go there? You knew it was dangerous!" "Oh Hannah, what did I do, tell me what I did to you!"

This pitiful whining is not needed to explain Clay's distraught mood, especially since he spends more time saying these lines over and over again instead of really focusing on how he remembers Hannah. Most of the time he simply repeats what she tells in her recordings, but by altering the information with his own words. It is incredibly frustrating and this is why I didn't appreciate the book as much as I could have.

Hannah's character and personality are pretty clear from the beginning: she's an outgoing, smart and mature girl who easily falls in love with poetry. She's slightly rebellious and imaginative, but eventually looses herself as the nagging from the kids all around her becomes constant, and as those she considers friends slowly backstab her. Hannah’s narrative is interesting, since she’s a dead girl getting her revenge. The idea of getting her due back by recording people’s actions on tape and making them listen to them is ingenious and quite chilling. It is truly a good way of shoving the truth into the faces of those who don’t realize how much they hurt people. That is why I was intrigued by what Hannah had to say, and why I could have easily skipped Clay’s narrative.

One of the only issues with this book is that it lacked emotions. Clay failed in giving us the picture of the gradually evolving Hannah, and Hannah's narrative concentrated on describing the events that led her to change, but not how she changed. Asher concentrated too much on making Clay feel sorry for himself and on Hannah describing everything. He forgot about the emotions that needed to come along, and as a reader, I didn’t see Hannah change. Never once in the book did I relate to her. Clay was also so over emotional it seems the author forgot who the suffering victim in his book was.

Lastly, during the reader, I felt disconnected to Hannah’s motives, and constantly felt like they were surrealistic. I know and do understand how few years of bad high school life can destroy and be painful, especially since teenagers are in their full growth and development. The list of misfortunes that Hannah has to endure is clear, and I do agree that most of it is nasty and all, but somehow I am not persuaded. To me Hannah seems like a very strong character, mentality speaking. She has the smarts to rise above the level of teen stupidity and ignore it, but somehow she always gets caught up with it, and chooses to be affected by it, too. Even when she meets Clay and discovers he can be her life-saving boat she chooses to kill herself. High school can be bad, but it doesn't last.

Thirteen Reasons Why will touch some readers. It is a reminder that even when we think we are alone, there is always someone out there that truly cares for us and who is just waiting to help out. I nevertheless met with too many flaws to appreciate this book. It's a good read for Young Adults, and entertaining enough when you ignore Clay's inner monologue. It brings its point across and is highly original, but somehow slipps when it comes to the feelings of the characters. I still encourage teenagers to read this, since it's good for the consciousness of some.

-Beryl

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Rating: 8/10

Pepper Ink's New Year's Resolutions

It is 2011, and we love the you that follows us in our reviews! We are always so thankful for your comments and for your opinions. You don't know how much it means to us to make a difference and help other book lovers in their reading choices. Yet, in order to provide even better services, we put a few question for you. Please answer honestly; the polls' results will help us improve our reviewing so we can satisfy our darling readers, in other words, YOU.

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