Location: Singapore
Member Since:
Jan. 15, 2012
Michelle Chew
Biography
A book lover, book blogger & reviewer, fanfic writer and aspiring author.
Where to find Michelle Chew online
Smashwords book reviews by Michelle Chew
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Five
on Feb. 28, 2012
**I got this book though Read it & reap it at Goodreads.** This book is enjoyable but a little difficult to get into the story. I'm not sure if it's because the author gave background information on the characters during the first part of the book. Rayla Tate lives with her Aunt Grace. She defies her aunt and sneaks off to her own choice of college with her best friend Cassie. Along the way, she was frightened by something unknown that's following behind their car but she was immediately drawn to this dark stranger. She later finds out that she's an Elementalist and found herself surrounded by men who turned out to be fae lords who wanted to claim her power. There's just so many guys pinning for Rayla. I'm a little jealous of her though. But really, she needs to choose one! One thing that do cross my mind about Rayla is that she falls in love too fast. Another is that for best friends, Rayla and Cassie do fight a lot, ignore each other etc. Nevertheless, the author did a great job of introducing fae (I have no idea what it was before reading) and overall it is a pleasant read. Have to get to the next book to see the end! 3.5 Stars for Five.
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Wander Dust
on March 27, 2012
Wander Dust left me breathless. The story is beautiful, well written and full of mysteries. I love the concept of a team of 3--Wanderer, Seer and Protector and what they were learning in their special school just for them. Seraphina (or Sera for short) was just a normal girl celebrating her 16th birthday with her father, Ray, and his girlfriend, Maddi. Or so she thought until she saw the flames of her birthday candles flickering back to life in water and then some lady in black traumatizing her by just gazing at her. The experience left her unconscious. She thought she was hallucinating when that was not her only encounter with the lady in black. If you think that was weird, what do you think of Sera whisking into some other places by just wearing her late mom's bracelet (the birthday present from Ray)? Not to mention everybody she saw there was wearing stuffs that were over 20 years ago. Definitely weird huh? A letter arrived for Sera when she came back from her little journey. There was only a torn photograph of a boy inside it and nothing else. She's captivated by what she saw and the sense of calmness she had whenever she gazed at the picture. Sera was sent to her Aunt Mona's place after getting into some troubles in school. On her journey there alone, she was attacked by the "he grungy gang" and that was when she first met the boy in the photo. She continued to see him stalking her outside her school while she was having classes. She mustered her courage after a few days to face the guy and talked to him and was thus introduced to the term "Wandering" and there she met her team mates--a Seer and a Protector after she had transferred school. (Can't tell you who!) Then, she learnt that she can wander back in time to see her mother and to save her! Hence, she had a mission... Michelle Warren did a great job in introducing the concept of Wandering to us, together with the world that she has created. There was never a moment that I felt the story dull or the pacing slow when I read the book. Definitely worth a read. Here's a little teaser for you: "I wish you wouldn't have given the sundial bracelet to Terease" "Why?" I question and press my head onto his chest, pushing my arms back into his open jacket and around his back. "If I had it to lead me to my deepest desire, I know it would always be a direct path to you." What are you waiting for? Grab a copy if you haven't done so! Join Sera as she learn what Wandering is all about and follow her on her mission to go back in time to save her mother. Will she be successful? Read to find out! And I'm very excited for the second book. 4/5 Stars for Wander Dust.
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A Marked Past
on April 10, 2012
**I got this book though Read it & reap it at Goodreads.** Everything started when Lyla Mercer's dad was involved in an accident and died. Together with her mother, the two of them moved to an old family home in Salem left by her father. She had to leave her friends and boyfriend behind in Chicago and she wasn't very happy with it. She met her uncle, Nathan, in Salem. Found out that she had a cousin, Hana, on her first day in school and another cousin, Sage, after school. She didn't know she had any other family until then. What a shock! What's more intriguing was that Nathan found a mark behind Lyla's neck, a mark of their family, a mark of magic and a proof that she was a witch. Nathan also explained to her their tragic family history which ended up with many deaths and that a certain pastor was still after their lives and hinted that her father been murdered and it was no accident. Together with Hana, Lyla sought to uncover the mysteries and dangers behind their family and to use their new found powers to protect who they loved. And of course, Lyla just had to take a liking to the accursed pastor's son, Caleb... which made things more complicated... A Marked Past is an enjoyable book, packed with action (towards the end) and of course, romance. Furthermore, it's about witches! Who could resist it? Certainly not me. Totally unpredictable, the suspense in this book makes you want to know more and left you hanging at the end of the book. The downsides of this book was that the pace of the story at the beginning of the book was very fast. There was little introduction before her dad ends out dead and then they had to move to Salem. Well, I'm fine with that since it was explained later why they had to move. The next thing was about some of the characters... What happened between Lyla and her boyfriend in Chicago? There wasn't much after she moved and then she was suddenly interested in Caleb. Hmm... OK... I'm fine with that also since Caleb was not bad. And one thing, I felt that I don't really knew Andrew, who was together with Hana in the book. Just these three things which had a potential for improvement. Overall, A Marked Past is still an interesting and enjoyable book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book for some closures. Read all about Lyla, why she moved to Salem, how she befriended her own cousin and how they experimented with their powers and to fight off the evil in A Marked Past.