January TBR

Considering I'm participating in 3 different reading challenges (more may come) my year is going to be pretty planned out for me.


For the Rock My TBR Challenge:

For my 2016 New Release Challenge:

annnddd for my A Series A Month Challenge: 

2016 Reading Challenges!

A New Year and a time for new resolutions. But I'm more inclined to keep my book resolutions, so let's see how this pans out
I just saw a shit load of challenges and I decided to hop aboard all of them! Why not?! Who does homework and gets good grades? *cries*
Anyway....

Starting off simple:

Rock my TBR hosted by Sarah K @ The YA Book Traveler

Challenge:

To read a minimum of 1 book per month you already own (published book). This challenge is totally what YOU make of it! You can do 5 books a month, 10, WHATEVER! Anything you accomplish is fantastic. This challenge is really what you make of it. #RockMyTBR

My Goals:

• Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• The Sword of Summer: Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
• The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski  (DONE)
• Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
• Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman 
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnson
• The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

2016 New Release Challenge hosted by Lexxie and Stormi

Challenge:

Read books released and reviewed in 2016. The minimum length requirement for a book to qualify is 100 pages.

My Goals:

• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
• The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
• Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen 
• Any more releases that come up and I want to read

Now for the REAL challenge:

A Series a Month hosted by Love at First Page

Challenge:

Read a series a month, two books in the series counts! Check it out for more details

#ASeriesAMonth

Series I want to start/finish:

• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
• Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
• Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
• The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• The Book of Ivy by Amy Angel
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

And Finally....

2016 GoodReads Challenge:

50 Books

Yeah I'm shooting kind of low but when I surpass it I'll feel better XD

Jk I'll just update it haha

Let me know what you'll be participating in and if there are any more challenges I should do!

END OF THE YEAR WRAP UP

As 2015 comes to a close, it's time to review all of the books I've gone through. From the ones I loved, to the ones I hated, here is my 2015 in books:

According to Goodreads I have currently read 26 books this year. This is because I did not know about the reading challenge until late this June. So I've actually read 31 books this summer. Before that, I can't even remember. 

Here are all of those books :

The Tiger Saga:

Tiger's Curse

Tiger's Quest

Tiger's Voyage

Tiger's Destiny

Throne of Glass series:

The Assassin's Blade

Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight

Heir of Fire

Queen of Shadows

Falling Kingdoms series:

Falling Kingdoms

Rebel Spring

Queen of the Tearling Trilogy:

Queen of the Tearling

Invasion of the Tearling

The Wrath and the Dawn

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Written in the Stars

Dead Heat

Red Queen

Half-Blood

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Cinder

The Snail's Castle

Shatter Me

Nimona

Boost

The Sleeper and the Spindle

The Pledge

The Girl at Midnight

Beautiful Disaster

The Winner's Curse

Wicked

Let me know if you've read any of these and if you liked them! I have reviews on most of these books

Wrap Up + November TBR!

Hey everyone!
Sorry that I've been so frickin' MIA, but I promise I will be bothering you all once again.
So without further ado here are all of the books that I read this month:

The last three books were not on my intended TBR list for October, and because I was not in the best reading mood, I did not finish the ones I actually wanted to unfortunately. But oh well. It happens

Currently Reading:

November TBR:

I go on Fall Break in a few days so I'll have a little over a week to do nothing but read myself into a coma.

Happy Reading! Let me know your TBR Down below!

HUGE BOOKHAUL!!

The Winner's Curse

Beautiful Disaster

Frigid

Ugly Love

Scarlet

Nimona

Six of Crows

The Sleeper and the Spindle

ARC Review: Boost by D.A. Paul

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

They call it a boost.

It’s the buzz you get from absorbing the spiritual energy of the dead, and it absolutely terrifies Lidia Powell. 

Shortly after meeting Ander at summer camp, Lidia is thrust into the world of psychic mediums and brought to a new school. At Mountain Heights Academy, even a casual pizza-date is accompanied by a ghost, and only a frightened uberdork would refuse the boost. To Lidia, the peer pressure to absorb phantom apparitions is horrifying, but to everyone else, it's the drug of choice. 

However, when one of the students delves into dark energy, Lidia suspects that a boost isn’t as innocent as it seems. Soon, the boost becomes an addiction and Lidia must act fast before the changes become irreversible.

I originally received this book in July by D.A. Paul in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to wait until October since it's a book involving ghosts and all things that go bump in the night.
Why is the cover sooo cool??

This book was awesome. In high school I mostly read paranormal stories instead of fantasy like I do now. And boy have I missed it.
Boost is an amazing book. I really love the concept behind it of being able to see ghosts. Yeah I have read other books with this aspect before, but they surely weren't trying to absorb any energy from them. That's what really drew me in to the book. I felt that it was such a fresh concept.

Since this book is apart of my October TBR, I just picked it up the other day, and now I'm done. I actually could not stop reading. I looked at the clock last night and saw it 4:05am and I still didn't want to sleep! I was too hooked on the story. Shoot, I was the addicted one.

Lidia is our main character in the book and she is pretty cool. She isn't some fearless warrior per se but she is not a coward either. If she does not think that something is right or just, she will speak on it and do what is right. And I really appreciate that about her. Being thrust into a world that was not her, and where she felt she did not belong, she handled it pretty well in my opinion and tried her hardest. As for Ander, I really liked him too. I thought he was pretty funny and a quick thinker. He is showing Lidia the ropes to a world she never even knew existed, since she is pretty late in the game.
I don't want to say too much and spoil and of the good details.

Because the worlds where boosts and ghosts exists is new for Lidia, of course she has to be shown the ropes and Ander does this. I would have liked it more if some of the thins were not explained to us as if they were in  a text book. Perhaps if it was in dialogue instead. Also I wish we would have introduced the ghost seeing aspect a little earlier. I feel like Lidia should have been randomly seeing them her whole life instead of suddenly at 16. Unless I was too eager to flip through the pages and missed something.

I recommend everyone to give this book a try and just see what I mean by it. There are ghosts, being being high, teenage language, a love triangle, and some people who end up doing some very bad things. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read this amazing book! So thank you to D.A.
And I would like to when the second book is coming out so I can get it immediately :)

Shatter Me Review

Rating: 4/5 stars

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Yes I know. The amount of old but great series that I am just starting is astounding. But its okay, cause better late than never is how I go about it.

Now on to the book.

Wow. Tahereh Mafi's writing blew me away. I fell in love with it almost immediately. It was so compelling and enticing from the very start. I was hooked before I could even blink. 

One thing that I absolutely loved was how she would have scratched out some of the words when Juliette would think something, and but say something else or rethink it. I loved it because it so realistic to how we actually think or choose not to say/think about something.

The story itself was such an interesting one. Juliette who had been mentally and emotionally abused for most, if not all, of her life. That would break most people. Drive them to hurt those who hurt them, or to just give up completely. But once Juliette sees her silver lining, she goes for it an it makes her all the stronger

I will admit the love interest did not make me swoon once I finally got to that part. And to be honest something I read is making me feel a little wary toward him, but perhaps I'm being dramatic. Every now and then it takes the second book in a series for me to love the guy and to see just how awesome he is and this could very well be that case

I cannot wait to read more about Juliette and see the development of her power in Unravel Me.

If you've read this series or any books in it, let me know below! Even link a review!

Feature and Follow Friday #3

This is hosted Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

This weeks question: Pick three book characters... Marry? Kiss? Kill?

(So this is pretty tough right now for the part of Marry)

I'd kill the...Commandant

Kiss....Rowan

and marry....Khalid

I had so many people I wanted to marry! I feel like I've betrayed Percy... but he's covered ;)

Let me know what you think and link yours below!

Why I've been MIA& Sept. Wrap-up + Oct. TBR!!

For first things first, I have been very MIA lately. Sorry about that. I've been put in charge of several projects recently and have all types of meetings to attend. So it's been hectic. But I think I'll be back for a nice long time :)

Now back to business

IT'S WRAP UP TIME!

During this month I participated in a TBR Read-a-thon challenge. And it was ultimately successful. There is only one book on that list I am still reading from that list.

For some reason I put Six of Crows on my TBR list for this month and considering it just came out a few days ago, that was not the smartest idea. But that's neither here nor there.

All the books I completed:

and now for the  October TBR!

Currently Reading:

Rest of the Month:

An ARC I received

A DoS&B continuation

A new series to start (thought it was stand alone)

An audio book I will be listening to

Let me know what you think of my TBR for October And even share yours with me! Happy reading!

Cinder Review

 Goodreads

Rating: 4.5/5

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.

Yes, this is another amazing book series that I am several years late getting to. I know I know. But better late than never right? And I am sooooo glad I did. This book was amazing!

This year I have come to find myself really enjoying the fairy tale retellings and this one does not disappoint. The concept is so intriguing  and that is what makes it special. It is its own story, while being loosely based on Cinderella. It is an old story in an awesome futuristic setting. And to be honest I'm not always one for books set in a futuristic kind of dystopian time.

Once I picked the book up, it was really smooth sailing from there. I would look down and see that I have read so many more pages than I thought, in short amounts of time. The book flowed so well that it was hard to not keep reading the little masterpiece.

And the plot line that Meyer came up with! Cinderella definitely wasn't on the run from people living on the moon. And the ENDING! I did not see that coming! And it was hinted at just enough in case you were able to find out 

This is a great read and I'd highly recommend it. Now I need Scarlet! I want to have all of them done before Winter!

Snail's Castle by Mark Gordon BOOK TOUR!!

This book tour is hosted by  Legit Lit Book Tours

 Goodreads   Purchase on Amazon             

Jake Milson wants one thing and one thing only--to win the coveted and prestigious Hollingshead Scholarship to do postgraduate work at Oxford. He intends to travel to England with his girlfriend, Rebecca. But a problem arises. Professor Gregory Percival keeps getting in his way. During Jake's struggle with Percival, the lives of Jake, Rebecca, Percival and Percival's wife, Margaret, intertwine. The novel, with its unexpected twists, draws you into the inner lives of its many captivating characters. It is a story of ambition, love, lust and revenge set against the backdrop of romantic Montreal in the early 1960's.         

Rating: 4/5 stars

When I was given the opportunity to participate in this blog tour I thought I'd give it a try. Considering my typical reads delve into the sub-genres of YA, I thought I would broaden my horizons. And I have to say, at first I was not too sure if I would end up liking it. After ending a great book (Queen of Shadows) that is fantasy, it's a little hard to transition the very next day. But I did enjoy this book after all.

There were times where I found myself not being able to stop reading the book and staying up until early in the morning. The characters that we are introduced to are enticing, interesting, and well written. They are unforgettable to say the least! Most of the dialogue can be described as hypnotic and will definitely leave you wanting more.

The plot line of this book is not something I usually find myself wanting read. But reading the synopsis I felt that it might be about something, and it was! It is also something you can relate to easily. Having a goal set in mind and feeling that everything gets in your way so you cannot accomplish what you need to. That is what originally drew me to this story.   

Gordon makes the words wrap around you, invite you in, and then they have you hooked. I am very glad that I ended up reading this great book!

About the Author:

Mark Gordon is a novelist and poet, born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His published novels are The Snail's Castle, The Kanner Aliyah and Head of the Harbour. He is presently living in Toronto, Ontario, and teaches English to newcomers to Canada. He updates his information regularly at www.markgordonauthor.com 

His poetry has been published in numerous literary journals in the United States and Canada, including Quiddity, Illuminations, Poet Lore, RiverSedge, The Fiddlehead, White Wall Review, Roanoke Review, and in the anthologies Arrivals: Canadian Poetry In The Eighties, The Northern Red Oak, and Bright Stars 5, an Organic Tanka Anthology. Online, his poetry has appeared in Linden Avenue Literary Journal and Versewrights.

                    

Queen of Shadows Review!!!

Rating 6/5 stars (yes I gave it a 6)

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

I finished this book during a TBR read-a-thon hosted by Wishful Endings

This book was so friggin amazing. There is no other way to say it but that. Phenomenal, superb, fantastic, just wow. Now let me tell you why

This book had m booked from the first page. I only put it down when I absolutely had to, like when teachers were staring at me for reading in class or it was 4 in the morning and I had three hours to sleep.

For one I would like to say I have never encountered a main character that goes through a name change in a book or series. But I felt it to be necessary due to Celaena finally accepting who she is and what she had to do. In this book, Celaena is bad ass as hell! You really get to see how cunning, ruthless, cut throat, and intelligent she is. Though we have seen all of these aspects from her in the previous books, it has only been in snippets. At this point, she is done playing games and she is out for blood. Also, it seems no matter what corner she is pushed into, she is always three steps ahead and all you can do is marvel at how well she is at predicting how things turn out and making them go in her favor.

This book was action packed from the beginning. Many parts had my heart racing and had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out the fate of Celaena and the friends we have come to know. And new friends we were introduced to as well. I just want to get off my chest, I HATE CHAOL IN THIS BOOK. There I said it. He pisses he off soooo much. I never thought I'd be able to say that. I have been on Team Chaol since ToG! He really started pissing me off in HoF but I hadn't pushed him away just yet. A few chapters in to this book I'm like fuck you Chaol! I stopped hating him toward the end of the book because he was not being a prick anymore, thank the gods (a very QoS like term). 

So we come to Manon Blackbeack. I love her so much. Is she a bloodthirsty witch that will kill a human without second thought because she can? Yeah. So? Though she is Wing Leader, based on her interactions in the last book, especially with Abraxos, we all know shes NOT her grandmother. So that's good. But happens when a crippled little human walks into her life? Well... you'll have to see for yourself.

The plot line to this book is so thick I could slice it with a knife. Sarah J. Maas is just a amazing as she weaves her story and captures us in it. But we willingly go. I won't say there are necessarily any huge plot twists in this book, but there is some really good information that he find out. This information puts us closer and closer to finding out how things are going to play out for our Assassin Queen and her court. 

If you haven't read the book, read it. If you haven't started the series, start it, like now. If you read this too and feel the same way, let me know below!

TBR Read-a-thon and a Very Mini (and red) Book Haul!!

So I felt like popping into Barnes and Noble yesterday to see what would catch my eye (besides everything). And this is what I got:

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

and

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Now.......

TBR Challenge Time!

9/14/2015-9/27/2015 I will be participating in the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon hosted by Wishful Endings

For this read-a-thon I'm going to try to be very realistic. so I plan on only reading up to 4 books. So no homework for me! Just kidding I want a job in the future.

 Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas               

This is my current read at the moment. I will take Monday September 14- Thursday September 17th to finish this.

Snail's Castle by Mark Gordon                                                               

This is an ARC I received for an upcoming book tour I am to participate in (more details to come). I will be reading this from Friday September 18th- Monday September 21st.

 Cinder by Marissa Meyer                                                             

I plan on reading this book from Tuesday September 22nd- Thursday September 24th. I will be doing this as a buddy read with my best friend :)

 Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi                                                        This is what I plan to be my reach book, in case I run over on some of the other books that I have. I want to read this book from Friday September 25th- Sunday September 27th. If that does not work out I want to be done with it by Wednesday September 30th.

Feature and Follow #2

This is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

This week's question: Undiscovered talent- tell us about a book you loved but no one seems to have heard of it. It can be new or old, any genre. Suggested by Becky's Barmy Book Blog

I immediately had a series come into my mind. The Cold Fury trilogy by T.M. Goeglein 

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure 

Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob). 

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives. 

Living in Chicago my whole life and loving my city proudly, I picked it up without a second thought after seeing the setting. Goeglein came up with such an interesting concept that I found refreshing. And let's be honest, a girl learning how to work her way through a mob is pretty awesome.

Let me know what you think and leave your links below!