#BookReview Once Upon A [Stolen] Time by Samreen Ahsan

Once Upon A [Stolen] Time
by Samreen Ahsan

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel, Historical
Publication: February 29th, 2016
Format: ARC, 411 pages
Source: Author
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

2015…

All her life, Myra Farrow has been obsessed with medieval castles—and the kings and princes who once inhabited them. Now, wealthy videogame designer Steve Bernard wants her to model for a princess character in his new game. Myra can’t resist his offer, especially when she learns that Steve plans to film inside the mysterious Hue Castle—a cursed, barren, colorless place forbidden to visitors for centuries. But unknown to Myra, her soul is bound to Hue Castle by blood and sorcery. When she enters its doors, she awakens dark powers that will reach through time—stealing her past, torturing her present, and rewriting her future.

1415…

Edward Hue, the last of the Hue royal bloodline, has never stood in the sunshine or held a living flower. Cursed from birth to live in darkness and bring death to all he touches, he is at the mercy of his cruel, tyrannical father, who will not rest until he shatters Edward’s soul and makes his son into a diabolical copy of himself. Edward’s one hope is the mysterious woman who haunts his dreams—who will either break his curse and bring him out of the darkness, or destroy him utterly.

I wasn't expecting that I was going to enjoy this book so much, especially if I were to judge the book by the first few chapters. But the story pulled me in. I was interested to know how Myra and Edward were going to meet since they both live in two different worlds and eras.

Myra, the heroine of the story had an obsession with castles. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of Myra at the beginning. She's an alright character, but I didn't see anything special about her. I was a bit thrown off with how Myra and Steve got together. But slowly, Myra grew on me and I started to like her. She can be romantic and brave. I love how she won't give up until she finds out the truth about Hue Castle. Edward Hue was a tormented soul. He was destined to rule the kingdom, but he absolutely didn't want to turn into someone like his father. His part of the story was much darker. I love his sister and niece and hope to see his niece again soon. And then, there was Steve, the video game designer who played an important role in the story. 

I enjoyed the author's writing. It was very easy to get into. I thought the pace of the story was great. I wasn't too keen with how it all began, but the story gets interesting once Myra and the others set their foot in Hue Castle. I love how the author described the castle. Hue Castle sounded mysterious and a bit scary. I love how the author combined medieval and time-traveling together in the book. It was brilliant. Once Upon a [Stolen] Time was full of intrigue, mystery and romance. I was frustrated when I reached the last page. I didn't want the story to end and I didn't realize that there will be another book after this. Now I really need the sequel.I want to find out what will happen to Myra, Edward, and Steve. This is a surprisingly great adult fantasy read! I'll definitely keep an eye on the author's work.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Echo by Lorena Glass

Echo
by Lorena Glass

Genre: Romance, Time Travelling, Fantasy
Publication: February 1st 2015 by MyInkBooks.com
Format: ebook, 511 pages
Source: ARC

Echo is the first book of a trilogy that is the epic love story of two cursed lovers that fate, time, and death are constantly conspiring to keep apart; while they are determined to defy all three to be together. Whenever one dies, the other time travels to the lost lover's next (or last) incarnation. The story spans over a millennium; to several different times, places, and lives of two extraordinary lovers whose devotion to each other defies all barriers and all odds---and an extraordinary love that will never, ever die.

Echo tells a story of  Karissa and Adregin and their accursed love. It seems that death would always follow them, and constantly keep them apart. So whenever one of them dies, the other will time travel to the other's incarnation.

I love time-travelling books, and naturally, I can't really say no when I was given the chance to read and review Echo. I think it's okay to say that Echo was divided into three parts. The first part of the book was good. It started out slowly, but, I did enjoy it, until something happened to Karissa and Adregin, which I thought were a bit too rushed. Then, there's the second part. I thought that the second part was a bit too dragging for my liking, and I don't really like the character, Iilassa. She sounded a bit too immature, and whiny. 

I thought that Echo was an okay read. It wasn't that bad. The idea and setting were quite good and the author did a great job describing the history and places. I just think that I didn't like the characters, the way the story kept dragging and the way the story ended. 

Echo is the first book of a trilogy, and I'm torn between wanting to read the next book, or not. I am curios to know what will happen to the characters and how will they achieve their happily-ever-after, but I am worried that the next book would continue to disappoint me. 

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review

Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us
by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Time Travel, Young Adult

Publication: January 2012

Format: Paperback, 356 pages

Source: Own

Connect with Jay Asher: Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Connect with Carolyn Mackler: Website

It's 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they'll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

I was very excited to read The Future of Us after reading the summary. I was intrigued by the idea of finding about your future through the internet. 

Emma just got a computer. When she and her best friend, Josh, logged on into the computer, she found out about Facebook and their life in 2011. I think it is interesting to see how a small action that Emma and Josh took could alter their future. It was fun reading this book in both Emma and Josh’s POV. But mostly, I enjoyed reading it in Emma’s POV. She wasn’t a likeable character, but I thought she sounded more… human. It was interesting to see how she was going to change her fate when she assume that she wasn’t going to be happy with her future husband. Then, starting from that, she continued to try and changing her future to be better, to be perfect. But in the end, nothing can really satisfy her. 

The Future of Us is a fun, quick read that you can finish in one sitting. I think anyone who was a 90’s kid with a computer back then would find this one nostalgic.