TTT = Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

1. I loved The Lightning Thief so I can't wait until I read this one.

2. Two things: vampires and Katie Maxwell. 'Nuff said.

3. I thought Claudia Gray's Spellcaster was just okay but I'm hoping Steadfast is better.

4. I thought My Fair Godmother was such a cute and funny read. So, naturally I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

5. You can't really go wrong with Gena Showalter's books so I'm looking forward to Unraveled.

6. I haven't read the first Dark Guardian book in a long time but I still want to read Full Moon.

7. Blue Bloods was just okay but I think it has potential to be a good series. That's why Masquerade's on  my list.

8. I'm a little curious to see what happens in Captivate because honestly I thought Need was a little odd. 

9. This one's about Helen of Troy. I really like Greek mythology and liked the first book so why not?

10. Oooh, I'm so excited for The Immortal Crown. Let's just say I'm a HUGE fan of Richelle Mead's books.

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Divergent #2
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books May 1, 2012
Pages: 525

Synopsis:

One choice can transform you, or destroy you.


Every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. 

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My thoughts:

Remember my review of Divergent? You know, the one where I couldn't form a coherent review? Yeah, well I think I might have the same problem with Insurgent. In that case, I'll keep this one brief. So, basically this is all you need to know about Insurgent:

It's a REALLY GOOD book. It's NOT boring. Tris and Four are awesome. (Notice how I say Four and not Tobias.)

Now here are my favorite quotes from Insurgent.

Favorite Quotes:

"Sometimes I feel like I am collecting the lessons each faction has to teach me, and storing them in my mind like a guidebook for moving through the world. There is always something to learn, always something that is important to understand."

--Tris

"By the time the fight dies down, my clothes are more paint-colored than black. I decide to keep the shirt to remind me why I chose Dauntless in the first place: not because they are perfect, but because they are alive. Because they are free."

--Tris

"I look at the mirror. It's not so difficult to pretend that I'm speaking to Jeanine when I speak to my own relfection. My hair is blond like hers; we are both pale and stern-looking. The thought is so disturbing to me that I lose my train of thought for a few seconds, and instead stand with my finger in the air in silence.
I am pale-skinned, pale-haired, and cold. I am curious about the pictures of my brain. I am like Jeanine. And I can either despise it, attack it, eradicate it...or I can use it."

--Tris

"What did you do?" I mumble. He is just a few feet away from me now, but not close enough to hear me. As he passes me he stretches out his hand. He wraps it around my palm and squeezes. Squeezes, then lets go. His eyes are bloodshot; he is pale.
"What did you do?" This time the question tears from my throat like a growl. I throw myself toward him, struggling against Peter's grip, though his hands chafe.
"What did you do?" I scream.
"You die, I die too." Tobias looks over his shoulder at me. "I asked you not to do this. You made your decision. These are the repercussions."

--Tris and Four

"I read somewhere, once, that crying defies scientific explanation. Tears are only meant to lubricate the eyes. There is no real reason for tear glands to overproduce tears at the behest of emotion.
I think we cry to release the animal parts of us without losing our humanity. Because inside me is a beast that snarls, and growls, and strains toward freedom, toward Tobias, and, above all, toward life. And as hard as I try, I cannot kill it.
So I sob into my hands instead."

--Tris

"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."

--Tris

Review: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Age of X #1
Reading Level: Adult
Publisher: Dutton Adult June 4, 2013
Pages: 448

Synopsis:

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.


Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

My thoughts:

First off, Gameboard of the Gods is very, very different from Richelle Mead's previous books. It's not like Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, Georgiana Kincaid, or her Dark Swan series. Don't get me wrong, I can see some similarities between her other series but overall the first Age of X novel walked a different tune.

That is not to say that this book was bad. It was actually pretty good (as I gave it a 4 star rating) but I had to warm up to it. I was fluctuating between giving it a 3 or 4 star but I ultimately chose a 4 star because I think it has potential.

Back to the warming up part. It was slow. At first, in the beginning I had to force myself to read it. I think it was slow due to these reasons:

1. The world, the build-up, basically the whole introduction of this new setting. To be honest, it was kind of confusing at first with all the gadget, politics, and religious talk. But, I understand it because, like most first books in series a lot of the stuff has to be explained in order to get the gist of the whole thing for later in the book and the next ones after that.

2. The characters. For some reason, I didn't really get invested in Justin, Mae, or Tessa for that matter. I think this was largely due in part to Mead's use of third person POV. It just felt really impersonal. Still, like I said before it got better in the last half of the book. I actually felt a little for Justin and Mae.

Despite the differences from her previous books and the slow start, Mead debuts a promising new series. I, for one, am going to read the second book in the Age of X series. Hopefully, it'll be good.


What are your thoughts on Gameboard of the Gods? Did you like it?

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends January 3, 2012
Pages: 387

Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My thoughts:

I picked up Cinder knowing nothing about it except that it’s very popular. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. So, when I read the synopsis I was surprised. I mean, Cinderella and cyborgs? Not really my cup of tea. But, I tried it anyway, with an open mind, at that. After reading, I thought it was okay. Just okay. Not horrible or really boring but also not really great or awesome. I thought that Meyer did a good job with the premise but I wasn’t really feeling it. I don’t really have any likes, so here are my dislikes:

Dislikes

I didn’t find Cinder or the other characters likable in the beginning. I also thought the story dragged on for the first half of the book. One of the biggest things that got me was the predictably of the story. I mean, I know that it’s based on Cinderella so there would be some predicable parts but I was annoyed with the fact that I knew what was going to happen and who Cinder was in the first 50 pages of the book. The last thing I didn’t like that much was the cyborg thing. This is all of me though. Like I said before, I don’t really like robot or cyborg stuff so I didn’t identify with that.

Overall, for me Cinder didn’t deliver. For others who are in to robots and stuff, this book might be for you. For this reason, I don’t know if I’m going to read the sequel, Scarlet. We’ll see.

What did you think of Cinder? Did you like the Cinderella concept? Do you like cyborgs?

WOW = Waiting On Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Waiting on Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Release Date: November 5, 2013

Synopsis:

While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…

Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.

It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.

Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end

Expected publication: November 5th 2013 by NAL Hardcove

*sigh* Another book series coming to an end. I'm excited to see what happens but sad to say goodbye to Claire, Shane, Eve, Michael, and of course Myrnin.

TTT = Top Ten Scariest Looking Book Covers

Top Ten Scariest Looking Book Covers

In no particular order,

1. What's up with the girl's really pale legs? Kinda creepy if you ask me.

2. Project 17's cover goes with the book. It's set in a old haunted mental asylum if I remember correctly. So, yeah.

3. I haven't read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown yet but I plan to. That cover, what with the creepy pale hand?

4. Really? A creepy hand again.

5. Okay, do I really need to say anything about Sleepless when you look at it? *shudder*

6. UnWholly is the sequel to our favorite creepy hand cover at #4, Unwind. I think this one is scarier.

7. Masquerade is not as scary but if you look at it long enough you start to think stop staring at me in that unnervingly, creepy way.

8. This one's a little scary but I kinda like it.

9. That's one ugly cover.

10. Why are there a ton of scary book covers with body parts that are really pale? 

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Series: Fallen #1

Reading Level: Young Adult

Publisher: Delacorte Press December 8, 2009

Pages: 452

Synopsis:

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, FALLEN is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

My thoughts:

I picked up Fallen expecting some sort of angel romance because, you know, the synopsis says it's "the ultimate love story." Wrong. There is no love story. What, you call an infatuation with a rude and standoffish guy a romance? I mean for heaven's sake, when Luce first meets Daniel, he flips her off. If some random dude I just met flipped me off for no apparent reason I would be like what the fuck is your problem? Instead, we have Luce wondering what she did wrong to have this gorgeous guy, (her thoughts, not mine) flip her off. What. The. Hell. Yeah, doesn't make sense.

Anyways, we get it later on why Daniel is so disrespectful and mean to Luce. So, he's trying to stay away from her because whenever they're together Luce ends up dying. So, then dude stay away from her! Simple. Well, there would be no book if they didn't end up getting together. You know, forbidden love and all that.

As for the plot, wait...what the heck was the plot anyways? Oh, right the romance. And let's not forget the angel bit. For the record, I thought that was incredibly lame. I mean you knew something was up right away but the whole ending with the big fight between Cam and the "bad" angels versus Daniel and the "good" angels was so anticlimactic. I was expecting more.

Even though I found Fallen to be nothing what I was hoping for, I'm still going to give the sequel, Torment, a try. I don't know, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Here's to hoping. And, hey if you're looking for a good angel series check out Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. You won't be disappointed (at least I wasn't).

One more thing: that cover is AMAZING. Too bad the book's not.