Dead Girl Walking by Mary Beth Lee (Book Review + A Mini Interview)

Dead Girl Walking
by Mary Beth Lee

Add to Goodreads 
Published by: Amazon Kindle on June 1st 2012
Genres:  Paranormal Fiction
Pages:  204
Source:  Author - eBook (in exchange for an honest review)
My Rating: 4/5


Teen scream movie queen Sharlene Gallagher was the biggest thing to happen to Primrose, Texas. Until she died. Now Sharlene's back as a guardian angel. Only her real objective is a bit more intense. Her charge: figure out the identity of her murderer before high school junior Addison Karchusky falls prey to the killer. Enlisting Addison's help without letting her know her life's in danger? No problem...she hopes. High school's never been easy. Now it just might be murder.
(c) Goodreads

This book is marvelous! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I would love it. If you would give thoughts about the plot, the story is quite ordinary. But with the characters, especially the ghost being a celebrity, it's really quite different. And the fact that this celebrity was brought to Addy not just to discover who murdered her but to also save Addy herself from being the next victim, WOW! And no, I'm not spoiling anything to you, it's based on the synopsis, remember?

This whole "ghosts" thing was quite different from the genre that I'm reading. Never really been a fan of ghosts, you know. So it was quite a cool experience, reading this book. I've said this in my last book review but I will say this again, I will regret not having to read this book. 

I have said a lot of times, I think, that I am not really a fan of books having romance in it all the time, but I was kinda disappointed that nothing much happens in this book. I was really a fan of the Andrew-Addy pair. Hahaha. But I was also glad that this book focused more on its main genre. Sooo yeah. I might just be confusing you guys, let's move on.

So why did I rate it 4/5?

Well, obviously, I love the book. But that does'nt mean that it doesn't have it's flaws. I would be glad to enumerate this teeny tiny things:

1. There was this one part in the book, which was like from the beginning that mentioned what will happen in the end. But it's not the ending-end , if you know what I mean. So I was kinda like, "I think I know what will happen already." which was disappointing because I wanted to be surprised by the end of the book.

2. I can't believe that the murderer's the murderer. I mean, it wasn't bad that it was surprising. But I think no one will expect that he/she's the killer. Normally, what happens in this kind of story is that they will look for clues, which leads to a person whom they all think has a motive. But this murderer, Addy's right. He was invisible in the entire story and then he suddenly pops out as the killer. Maybe I was just hoping that the author could've provided  information about the murderer. 

That's it. But I didn't really mind those, because the author's just starting. She can improve more. Keep writing Mary Beth!

Do I recommend this?

Yeah. Supeerrr.

And now for the much awaited interview .....

I've asked Mary Beth some questions related to this book and her personal life as well.

Book-related:

1. What inspired you to write this book, or generally to write books?

- I was a storyteller before I could read. I was a late reader, but I desperately wanted to be able to read. I loved them so much. Once I learned to read (THANK YOU Valley View Elementary in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and Mrs.Tagee), the library became my favorite place, wherever we happened to live. I was a military brat, so we lived a lot of places before settling in Burkburnett, Texas when I was nine. I made it a goal to read all the books in the Burk library. I think I got close. :) When I was in junior high I fell in love with the Sweet Valley books AND Silhouette started a teen line. My friends and I inhaled those books, but there weren't enough of them, so I started writing my own spin on the fairy tale love story. I wrote them as serialized novels in spiral notebooks with Eraser Mate pens. My friends pushed me to write faster because they'd get to the end of a spiral before I finished the next part of the story. My mom bought me a subscription to Writer's Digest my senior year in high school. I quit writing fiction in college until one of my last classes. The professor made us write a play. When he handed mine back, he told me I needed to be writing fiction. That man, Dr. Thomas Hoffman, became one of my many mentors. He encouraged me to continue writing. When I started teaching, I put fiction on the back burner for a short time, but Dr. Hoffman always asked what I was writing. I'm glad he pushed me to hold on to my dream. 

As far as Dead Girl Walking and The Guardian Series in general goes, I love the YA genre. I always have. From SE Hinton's Outsiders to Sarah Dessen's romances to Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls, I love it all. I advise student media at the high school level, and I think teenagers are amazing. So often people say "this generation will be the death of us," but I see a generation of kids who are smart and tech savvy and aware of the world around them. Writing a teen-centered book appealed to me. And then one day Sharlene Gallagher just showed up in my head. I put her down on paper and the rest is history.

2. What is it about the whole concept of the story that appeals to you?

-I love that both Addison and Sharlene learn something about themselves. I love that Sharlene thinks the mission is about saving Addison, but it's as much about saving herself...even though she's dead already. And I love that Sharlene doesn't realize yet that it's really about saving the world. Peter's good like that. He knows telling Sharlene that truth too early would make her "go to the light."

3. What should we watch out for in the next books coming up? Did you use the same characters? Are there new ones popping up and more mysteries to solve?

-The Guardian series is centered on Sharlene Gallagher and her quest to become a great Guardian Angel. Every mission involves a new charge and a new mystery and a new school. Every charge will die if Sharlene doesn't succeed, and if the charge dies, Sharlene loses her place in The Guardian. There's also a darker element in the background of the stories--a war to take over the world of The Guardian. Sharlene holds a special place in that world, but she doesn't know it yet. Several characters make repeat appearances in the series, but Sharlene is the star.

4. Will we see this book in paperback soon? And if so, mind sharing the cover here some time?

-An Angel Earns Her Wings, The Guardian Book 2 is out now. And Angel Eyes, The Guardian Book 3 comes out this summer. All the books are available in paperback as well as in ebook format.

Work/Personal-related Questions:

1. Can you consider yourself a very religious person? Since this book is sort of God-related too.

-The series is definitely a good vs. evil story. There are forces of evil trying to destroy Sharlene and The Guardian and there are forces of evil trying to kill her charges. I like to write stories where the good guy wins, but they should have to fight to get that ending. I've never looked at The Guardian series as religious, but in terms of good and evil, I guess it could be seen that way. I believe writers write and readers take what they will from the stories. Books and their messages are very personal. I always hated when my teachers asked "what was the author trying to say here?" because I don't know that I could ever answer that question definitively unless I actually spoke to the author. Now as an author, I don't think I can tell my readers what my books mean. They should mean a million different things to a million different readers, and that's what makes reading and books so amazing.

2. If you are not into writing, what do you think are you doing now?

-Reading or watching an entire series of television shows on Netlfix in two days.

3. Do you have any advice for those new authors who wants to write a book in this genre?

-Read a lot and write a lot. Repeat.

Thank you so much for trusting Bittersweet Blogs, I'd love to see more of your works!

~Message to Readers~

Twitter | Website

Read More

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

I made this book review a long time ago.... so the format is entirely different from how I write my reviews. 

The Longest Ride
by Nicholas Sparks

Add to Goodreads
Published by: Grand Central Publishing on September 17, 2013
Genres:  Adult Fiction, Contemporary-Romance
Pages:  398
Source:  National Book Store

My Rating: 4/5


Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.
(c) Goodreads









As you guys can tell from my to be read shelf, I am a sucker for any Nicholas Sparks books. To be honest, I only read three of his works including this book. I don't know why exactly, but he has been my favorite author for a while now. I actually started liking him because of the books that has been turned into a movie. The first film that I watched was The Last Song which stars my favorite popstar when I was younger, Miley Cyrus. And hell did I love it! I mean, of course the fact that Miley was there was already a big reason to love it, but the movie wouldn't have been that good if it weren't for Nicholas Sparks who wrote the book.


Now before I ramble more about The Last Song rather than this book, I should start.


TBH, the first time I read it, it took me quite a while to get into it. You would've seen my reading process if you have been following my account. I always updated my status with 'Took me quite a while to get into it," and "this gets better." It wasn't because I was not interested, but because I cannot really concentrate into reading the book. Why? Because I read his more realistic-romance novels, rather than this romance-drama-fiction type. Sooo... it took me a week to actually start liking it. I was stuck in the half of its 2nd chapter. What I did? I stopped reading it for days. Just to freshen up a bit. And it worked! As soon as I went back to reading it, I couldn't put the book down. (that's a little tip for you readers out there! haha!)

Chapter-wise

Sometimes, a chapter is full of a character's thoughts, which I really did not mind. But for some readers, this would probably be one of the boring chapters. There were also a lot of flashbacks in this novel. So if you hate them, I'm not going to say don't read it (because this book might acually give you second thoughts on that), this is not a book that you would be obsessed with.


Per chapter, the point-of-view skips from one character to another. And take note that there are actually two stories in this book. One is about Ira Levinson (the old man that gets into a car crash), and the other is about Sophia and Luke (two young misfits from North Carolina). So you might get a little, just a little, confused as it skips, given the fact that they came from far states and stuff. The chapters are long, so be reminded of what happens at the end of each character's perspective.

Character-wise

All of the characters in this novel is realistic, one of the many reasons why you should love Nicholas Sparks. I hate characters that acts so good neither the ones that acts so bad (though bad characters are more realistic cause they do exist. haha! just my opinion!). Well of course, except for Ruth. Because not all people believes in ghosts. Soo...it's up to you to judge her character.

Ira Levinson
Ira is a man of good character. He can be a bit vulnerable sometimes, but he loves so much! You can mostly see it on the flashbacks (so you better read'em. NO SKIPPING!). He embodies those men that are a real gentleman towards women.

Sophia Danko
Now this is a character that I love. She's the representation of all girls. Had been hurt once, but learned to get up on her feet. If you haven't experienced what she did, you're not a normal girl.

Luke Collins
The embodiment of one true man! Haha! Since he grew up in this state where horses and trucks are used instead of fancy cars, he had learned to value everything around him. He's your perfect cowboy! Innocent, gentleman and protective. I don't think you can ask more from him.

Content-wise

Marvelously made! Nicholas Sparks weaved the chapters into one good book. He drops off little clues that will form questions in your mind and prepare you for revelations. He also made most of the chapters believable except for the whole auction part that you will encounter on the last few pages. It didn't bother me though. You still have to put a little magical moment in your book for readers to love the ending. :)

XOXO, Risse

P.S.

Here are my links so we can talk all day err day!

Twitter - twitter.com/thesimplestme19

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9484630-ziara-zee-ya-ra

Follow me on bloglovin' - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12219065

Read More

Book Review- The Poison Diaries by Mary Rose Wood

The Poison Diaries

by Mary Rose Wood

Add to Goodreads | Purchase on Amazon
Published by: Balzer + Bray on July 20, 2010
Genres:  Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Pages:  278
Source:  National Book Store, bought
My Rating: 4/5 stars

This is a book that you can actually get hooked into immediately. It seems like the book itself is trying to persuade you intoreading it. Just like how Jessamine was drawn into the poisonous plants, I too was drawn in the book. In terms of novel writing though, the author simply had a great writing style and concept. It is the syle of writing that makes you want to continuereading the book. But in some reader's case, it is purely magic. The whole concept is different, very unique. In the best way of course.

Going on to th 'Character Development'. I believe that Weed's and Jessamine's character made an impact. Their characters was well developed as I flipped through the pages. Weed, on the first few chapters where he appeared, was this boy who doesn't know much about people but knows a lot about plants. He cares for them too much that he appears to be heartless on a person's perspective. But as you go on, you would see his transformatio from that boy to a loving man. He learned to entertain his feelings toward people. Jessamine, on the other hand, was this girl who knew nothing but to take care of her belladonna seeds, keep track of the weather and plants on her garden diary, and worry about her father. But when she met Weed, she became independent, mature even. Though their changes had some negative effects on others, especially to Jessamine's father, I believe that they compliment each other really well.

Content-wise, I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Like I said, the whole concept and idea of the poison garden was very different. I've never read a book similar to this one. And I love it. The only reason why I gave it 4 stars and not 5, is because, for me, it was a very dark read. The story was full of negative emotions that you'll probably encounter on the latter part. But I also liked it that way because it shows reality in it.

XOXO, RIsse.

Find out more about me on:

Twitter -  https://twitter.com/TheSimplestMe19

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9484630-ziara-zee-ya-ra

Read More