Thursday 31 March 2016

March's Crazy Book Haul Part One!

Hello everyone. It is the end of the month which means another book haul is here. And I kind of went crazy this month so this is going to just be part one of the book haul as I don't want this post to be too long.

Without further ado, let's get on with part one of my crazy book haul.

The first three books I bought from Thrift Books because I like getting cheaper books!



I bought Poison Study by Marie V. Snyder. This book has been recommended to me and most people have really enjoyed it. I have so many books on my TBR shelf so this might take a while to get to. 


Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...




I also bought Winterspell by Claire Legrand. This is a Nutcracker retelling which sounds so good. 


The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince…but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor’s ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother’s murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted—by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they’re to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets—and a need she can’t define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won’t leave Cane unscathed—if she leaves at all.




The last book I bought from Thrift Books was The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. This was a book I have only wanted to buy for a couple months. Ever since the TV show; The Shannara Chronicles came on, I've wanted to watch it but I usually read the book before I watch the movie so I am going to be doing that next month!  

Ancient Evil threatens the Elves: The ancient tree created by long-lost Elven magic, is dying. When Wil Ohmsford is summoned to guard the Amberle on a perilous quest to gather a new seed for a new tree, he is faced with the Reaper, the most fearsome of all Demons. And Wil is without power to control them...

Then I have seven books I got from a book sale at a high school near mine. 


The first book I got is The Voyage of the Jerie Shannara Antrax by Terry Brooks. This is another book by Terry Brooks and since it was $1.00, I just decided to buy it. I'm not sure when I'll read it though. 


The second book I got was Evermore by Alyson Noel. I was intrigued by the cover and it does sound like a book that I would enjoy. 
After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.


The third book I got was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. If you have not at least heard of this book, I will seriously question your existence. Most people have really enjoyed this book so I will be picking this one up in the future. 
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.


The fourth book I got was The Vampire Diaries The Awakening and the Struggle by L.J. Smith. Honestly, I don't know why I bought this. People have said that the books were really bad and that the show is much better but I wanted to see what it was about. 


The fifth book I bought was Defy by Sara B. Larson. This was the only book I bought that I have actually read. I enjoyed this book much to my shock as many others have not enjoyed it. I agree that it didn't live completely up to my expectations but I still really enjoyed it and wanted to own the series. 
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?


The sixth book I bought was The Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz. There was a Disney movie that was made based on this book and I really wanted to watch it so I bought the book. Yay!
Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.

But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?

Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.

Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.

Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.

Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.

Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.

Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad


The last book in this part of the book haul is The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. I've heard many good things about this book and naturally I wanted to pick it up. And it's a Middle Grade book which I love!
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

The next part will be coming soon so stay tuned and happy reading!

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Top 5 Wednesday | Least Favorite Book in your Favorite Series


  TOP FIVE WEDNESDAY


TOP 5 WEDNESDAY IS A WEEKLY MEME HOSTED BY LAINEY. YOU BASICALLY GET A NEW TOPIC EVERY WEDNESDAY, AND YOU LIST YOUR TOP 5 BOOKS RELATED TO THAT TOPIC. HEAD OVER TO THE GOODREADS GROUP, AND ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST OF WEDNESDAY-ERS IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING!

Today’s topic is “Least Favorite Book in Your Favorite Series and this is actually a hard topic to do as I don't like criticizing any of my favorite series. Just keep in mind that I love all of these series and these were just the books that were either lacking in action or made me super annoyed or sad. Plus these are in no particular order.

5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins-





I didn't hate this book but I could barely finish it. The first time I read the first three quarters of the book and skimmed the last part. And then last year when I finally decided to read the whole thing, I was in utter disbelief and tears. 


4. The Elite by Kiera Cass




I didn't hate this book. I just found it slower and some of the characters annoyed me at certain times. It just wasn't my favorite. 


3. Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling



I did not hate this book at all. I really liked it. I just HATED Umbridge. She basically ruined the book for me with her creepy torture pen. *shudders* Yeah, not exactly something little kids should see. 

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer



This one was just not as interesting as the others. Partly because Wolf and Scarlet are my least favorite couple out of all of them. 


1. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan



I didn't like this one because of some of the events that happened at the end. And they redeemed someone way too fast. 




Top Ten Tuesday || Nine of my Most Recent 5 Star Reads


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that other bloggers are welcome to join in, to create Top Ten lists on varying topics. This week it’s 10 Of Our Most Recent 5 Star Reads/Best Books





Winter

by Marissa Meyer
"Yeah, but broken isn't the same as unfixable." 

This series is basically my favorite series of all time; as of last year. The writing is beautiful and there are times when it almost makes you cry. I love Marissa Meyer's series and it was one of my five star reads over the past few months. 


A Court of Thorns and Roses

by Sarah J. Maas
"Don't feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy." 

I don't think this book could get away without a five crown rating from me. It was so beautiful, and horrifying at the same time. If you have not read it then go read it cause it is AMAZING! 


The Heart of Betrayal

by Mary E. Pearson
This series is freaking amazing! I loved the first book and I loved this book which is the second. The two love interests are both swoon-worthy and I really hope the series ends well as it has been amazing so far. 




Stars Above

by Marissa Meyer
These are the novellas from The Lunar Chronicles series which as I said before is one of my favorite series. It has everything I like in it and I recommend it to everyone. 


A Tale of Two Centuries

by Rachel Harris
This is one of the first contemporaries that I have really really enjoyed. I highly recommend it if you want something short and sweet. Perfect remedy after a sad book. 



A Reaper of Stone

by Mark Gelineau
This was a short novella (around ninety pages) and I really enjoyed it. The plot was good and the world was well-developed for a short book. 




City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare
I never thought that I would actually like this book. Correction: love this book! I put off reading this for years because I thought it looked dumb and I ignored my friend's opinions. And now that I have read it, I know that I was wrong. 



Shatter Me

by Taherei Mafi
This is a book I just finished so the review is not even written yet. But I loved this book. I thought the concept was pretty unique and the main character is tough as nails. I loved it a lot and I highly recommend it. 



Fallen

by Lauren Kate
This book was amazing. I loved it even though it creeped me out at certain times. There were so many bad reviews of this book on Goodreads that I was freaking out and beginning to second guess my choice to read this book but now that I have finished it, I knew I made the right decision to keep reading!.


Sorry this post is a day late. I've been busy with Spring Break. What? It's a thing.

Monday 28 March 2016

Music Monday #10

I got this idea from the blog Trust in the Words. 








NO by Meghan Trainor

I love this song. Unfortunately my sister doesn't. Well, we all have our own opinions. *cough @sprinklesandseams cough*

I feel like the lyrics also convey a message to us girls and it is positive. 

Happy reading everybody! <3

Sunday 27 March 2016

Fallen by Lauren Kate Review [Fallen #1]

This is a spoiler free review!





Fallen
Written by Lauren Kate
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: December 8, 2009
Pages: 452
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?


17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.


Get ready to fall . . .

Review:


This book was amazing but it took me almost one hundred pages to get really into the book. It really is a slow-burning book. I believe the author wanted to ease us into everything which I appreciate.


Let’s start with the cover!


The cover intrigued me but I didn’t feel like I really liked it if you know what I mean. It is a cover you would look at and say “Oh, I feel like this would be interesting” but it isn’t a book you’d pick up to look pretty on your bookshelf.


WORLD-BUILDING


There isn’t too much world-building until the last quarter of the book which then gave us a chunk of information which both made me happy and made me a little mad. I always want to know more about the world so I was pleased that I finally got that information but I’d prefer to get a little bit at a time.


Then there are the characters.


LUCE


We first meet Luce who is being forced to go to a new school (which is extremely creepy by the way). She is an interesting main character and I believe that in one of the next books she will turn into quite a good female protagonist. She can be witty and feisty but other times she is a complete damsel in distress which I didn’t like but I dealt with it.


DANIEL


One of the two main love interests. I hated him at first because of how he kept giving her the cold shoulder. But by the end I began to understand why Luce was so captivated by him.


CAM


He was the second of the two main love interests. I really liked him. Both the love interests were tall, dark and totally swoon-worthy though I liked Cam wayy more at the beginning. And I can’t really say that much without giving anything away. [But I will have a Gush review where I will have spoilers]


PENN


She was possibly my favorite character in this whole book. I loved her because she seemed pretty normal and was a great friend for Luce.

ROMANCE


The romance took awhile to develop which I didn’t mind all that much. Daniel and Luce were adorable and their romance was swoon-worthy. Then there was Cam and Luce which was kind of the opposite and I didn’t like it even though I kind of like Cam better.


WRITING


The writing wasn’t great but I still liked it as it was easy to read and understand.


Final Thoughts:


I know I have said some things in this review that might question why I chose to rate this book five stars but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Luce was a great protagonist even if she didn’t have as much strength as I wish she did. I am going to be reading the next one.

Quotes from the Book:


“Trust is a careless pursuit at best. At worst, it's a good way to get yourself killed.”


“The only way to survive eternity is to be able to appreciate each moment.”



My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns




Saturday 26 March 2016

A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King Review

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is also spoiler free!



A Reaper of Stone
Written by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Genre: Young Adult/High Fantasy/Fantasy
Publisher: Gelineau and King
Release Date: September 18, 2015
Pages: 90
Source: NetGalley
Recommended Age: 12 and up!

Summary:

A Lady is dead. Her noble line ended. And the King’s Reaper has come to reclaim her land and her home. In the marches of Aedaron, only one thing is for certain. All keeps of the old world must fall.

Elinor struggles to find her place in the new world. She once dreamed of great things. Of becoming a hero in the ways of the old world. But now she is a Reaper. And her duty is clear. Destroy the old. Herald the new.



Review:

I had heard a lot of good things about this novella and NetGalley had it so I decided to request it from them.

This book was really well written and I feel like a lot of work went into creating the world which was really well developed. And for a really short book, there was a lot of information that was given to us.

This book begins when Elinor and Conbert first meet. Their meeting is done perfectly. Elinor is determined to make her way in the world which is run by snobby royals. Conbert is a little older and he is a kind royal who learns to never underestimate her.

Elinor is a strong, likeable female character. She quickly became my favorite character because of her strength. She had a firm relationship with some of the other characters.

I wished that they had had more insight into the old beliefs and more about how they influenced some of the characters but since it was a Novella it was hard. Despite that, I was impressed with how the authors managed to create a vivid depiction of the world within the constraints of a short novella. I am so excited about this series but I wish they could have been full length novels. There’s not much to say about this novella as it was really short and I really enjoyed it.

There was no romance in this book which actually made me pretty happy. It’s good to get a break once in awhile and this book seriously gave me that short break that I really needed. I can’t wait for the next one!




My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Friday 25 March 2016

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare Book Review

This is a spoiler free review!


City of Bones
Written by Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Pages: 485
Source: Bought
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.


Review:

I loved this book as you will be able to tell from my rating! I put off reading this book for at least four years because I thought it would be stupid. And now I realize how wrong I was.

This is a mix of fantasy, paranormal and supernatural.

COVER

Well, I really dislike the first cover which is why I put the new version of the cover here because it is so much better.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world-building was done fantastically well. Except for the fact that at one point I felt like it was an information overload but besides that, the information was wonderful.

Then there are the characters.

CLARY

We first meet Clary Fray when she is going to the Pandemonium club with her best friend Simon. Clary wasn’t the best female protagonist but I loved her all the same. She was strong on the inside but took a while to get used to the shadowhunters world and life.

JACE

Jace is so rude and cold-hearted. He seems to have family issues and he takes it out on others like Clary who clearly don’t deserve it.  At the beginning I really disliked him but he starts to grow on you.  He’s sarcastic and apparently really attractive which is a plus.

ALEC
I’m really annoyed at the fact that he didn’t get a better role in this as apparently he gets a bigger role in the TV show. But I really liked him anyways.

SIMON

Okay. So Simon was clearly the best friend who was in love with his best friend but was obviously still in the friend-zone. Phew! That was a mouthful but it was so true and no it really isn’t a spoiler. Simon got a pretty large role in this book due to several things happening to him and Clary and Jace having to um ‘save’ him. He was often ignored and I felt bad for him a lot but he might get a better role in the next book so I’m happy.


ISABELLE

Isabelle was a wonderful character despite the fact that she was also not on as much as I liked. Despite being gorgeous, she has a much deeper personality and isn’t as rude as she seems.

MAGNUS

Seriously, this guy should have been in the book much more. He’s hilarious and has such a personality.

ROMANCE

The romance between the two main characters wasn’t insta-lovey but it also didn’t take up the whole plot of the story which made me really happy. That’s one of things that really irritates me. I don’t like romance that takes up the whole plot of a book or tv show or movie.

WRITING

The dialogue is hilarious and the whole book is just really funny which made me really like it. I loved some of Jace’s lines as he was super sarcastic and hilarious.



Final Thoughts:

This book was really good. I loved the action, dialogue and banter between characters. The romance was cute and didn’t take up the whole book which impressed me. The characters were also wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone.



Quotes from the Book:

“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

“Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.”

“The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me.”

“I figured all your classes were stuff like Slaughter 101 and Beheading for Beginners."
Jace flipped a page. "Very funny, Fray.” 



My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns