End of Year Book Survey, 2013

I'm back! How was everyone's holidays?  It's been a crazy week, things didn't turn out exactly like I planned or wanted, but when does it ever? So, it was okay, and I've actually missed blogging, and it was only a week. The years almost over, and I'm up for the challenges that 2014 bring. Since it's the last day until then, I thought I'd do the End of Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie over at Perpetual Page Turner.

 

 1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

 Of course I have to cheat, what kind of question is that? Too many books this year, waaaay too many.

 

Contemporary YA –I've broadened my horizons this year, and read a few, but I can't just pick one, so I'm going to pick two. I'm not cheating that much. So, shh.

 

The Fault in Our Stars  by John Green

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

 

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic – Going on a first in a series, and not a sequel, The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave, #1) by Rick Yancey        

 

Historical Fiction – Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

 

Paranormal — Hands down The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

 

Science Fiction — Uninvited  by Sophie Jordan (Though I will be reading These Broken Stars soon, so that might change.)

 

            Fantasy- Splintered, and Unhinged by A.G. Howard          

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

 

There's two for me that I was really looking forward to reading because they sounded like it had everything I love in a book...

 

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia   (Hello, Supernatural)

This Wicked Game by Michelle Zink (Voodoo & New Orleans)

 

They fell flat.
 

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

Fake ID by Lamar Giles and Prep-School Confidential by Kara Taylor

 

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

No doubt, All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

 

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Confessions series by James Patterson and  Maxine Paetro
 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I can't just stick to one here, it's impossible.

 

John Green

   A.G. Howard    

 

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I purposely stay away from books out of my comfort zone, but as I said above, Contemporary was a new one for me this year, I mean it's not like I hadn't read any before, but only a handful, but I've read more this year.

 

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard  
 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Top 5, because I can't pick one, I've tried.

In order of (even if I knew it would rip my heart out and stamp on it.)

 

The Fault in Our Stars  by John Green

Antigoddess (Goddess War, #1) by Kendare Blake  

Unhinged  by  A.G. Howard    

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (That ending was just plain mean)
 

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

All of #8. 

 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

This is just mean. I absolutely adore  Splintered, and Unhinged cover's, but I'm going to have to go with...

 

 

 

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

Can I cry now? I'm not even going to apologize for cheating this time. 
 

 

Hazel Grace Lancaster & Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars 

Ignifex in Cruel Beauty 

Jebediah "Jeb" Holt and  Morpheus in Splintered

Finn in All Our Yesterdays 

Yes, I know, but I ship these books hard, okay?
 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

 

Okay, okay, uhm I'm going to go with feelings on this one.

 

The Fault in Our Stars  by John Green

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

If it can make me cry, it's a winner. Life was not the same after reading it.

 

The Fault in Our Stars 
 

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

Yay, finally, an easy one.

Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter         

 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013? 

 

 

 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

 

Longest- White Space (Dark Passages, #1 by Ilsa J. Bick 560 pages (seemed a lot longer, and this was an accomplishment since I wanted to stab the damn thing.) 

 

Shortest-Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; in search for The Great Perhaps by Charlotte Eriksson  120 pages.

 

 17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It?

 

Unhinged: Chapter 23, Sting. Page 349 in arc (345 in hardback)

You know, just a little squee! moment before that.

 

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013?

 

Nyx and Ignifex in Cruel Beauty . I can't even. It's just...kind of reminds me of Rose and Dimitri in VA, the whole intense/sarcastic/attraction/just clicks type.

 

And of course,

Allison  and Zeke  from Julie Kagawa's (Blood of Eden) series. 

 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Antigoddess (Goddess War, #1) by Kendare Blake  

 

I loved the Anna series, and I love mythology, and the interactions between the characters were just perfect, and that ending killed me.

 

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else

 

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1) by Aimee Carter

 

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Mythology/Fantasy

 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?  

Instead of the usual suspects I'll go with...

 

Sebastian in the Gods & Monsters series.

  

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Since, I'm using one for the next question I'm going with...

 

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

 

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Easy.

 Splintered by A.G. Howard       
     

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

No surprise here.

 

The Fault in Our Stars 

 

Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Darkness Becomes Her  (Gods & Monsters) series by Kelly Keaton

 

 

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in
2014?

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

 

Okay, way too many but I'm going for...

 

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa

 

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I have only one answer for this (shocker), I'm sure if I looked through my list there would be more, but the one that's flashing in my head right now is...

 

 Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

 

 4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

  

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa

 

  

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

1. Try reading some books I wouldn't usually pick for myself.

2. Re-read the Vampire Academy series before the movie. (Yeah, like that's going to happen, so at least the first.)

 3. Read and review 150 books. (We'll see).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Red

Red
Author: Alison Cherry

Publication Date: First published October 8th 2013 (Also being published January 2nd 2014)  

~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

Which cover do you prefer?

 

 

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Felicity St. John has it all—loyal best friends, a hot guy, and artistic talent. And she’s right on track to win the Miss Scarlet pageant. Her perfect life is possible because of just one thing: her long, wavy, coppery red hair.

Having red hair is all that matters in Scarletville. Redheads hold all the power—and everybody knows it. That’s why Felicity is scared down to her roots when she receives an anonymous note:

I know your secret.

Because Felicity is a big fake. Her hair color comes straight out of a bottle. And if anyone discovered the truth, she’d be a social outcast faster than she could say "strawberry blond." Her mother would disown her, her friends would shun her, and her boyfriend would dump her. And forget about winning that pageant crown and the prize money that comes with it—money that would allow her to fulfill her dream of going to art school.

Felicity isn’t about to let someone blackmail her life away. But just how far is she willing to go to protect her red cred?

 

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Disclosure: I have nothing against red-heads, I clearly dye my hair it.

If like I did, you go to read Red with an open mind- knowing that's it is indeed a comedy, and not entirely taking it seriously, then it can change your mood. However, though I did finish it, and I did sort of enjoy it, it's not one that sticks out to me, even if it annoyed me in a lot of places.

Merry Christmas! & Week Hiatus.

 We'll be back up and running on the 30th. Merry Christmas, and have a great one! :)

Stacking the Shelves (#24): I Can't Even Edition & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

The last StS before Christmas. How's everybody's week been? This week has been on of the best weeks for awhile, I'm turning 21 on Monday, am I officially an adult now? :( And I have received some amazing reads for over the holidays. The two I received in the mail last week are now finished and went onto a new home.

 

 For review:

• And We Stay
• We Were Liars (!!!!!!) I may have freaked out a little. Lie. I freaked out. A lot.
• Entice

(Thanks to Random House, Delacorte Press, Patchwork Press, and Netgalley)

• Unhinged (ARC) (!!!!) It's so preeeeety. Also, my hardback pre-orders in the mail, eek.
• Gretel and The Dark (ARC) (The lollipop is freaking huge, and it's cookies and cream. :D)

(Thanks to Abrams & Chronicle/Amulet and  Penguin.)
 

 

Bought:

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Pawn (Bought two weeks back)
• These Broken Stars (Bought last week)

 

Best. Birthday.Week. Ever. What did you get this week? :)

 

  



 A recap of posts this week

 

• Monday I reviewed  Fake ID by Lamar Giles
• Teaser Tuesday from Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
• Waiting on Wednesday: The Followers by Anna Davies
• Thursday I reviewed The Forgotten by Saruuh Kelsey   
• Friday I reviewed Pawn by Aimee Carter

This week I have read:

 
• This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
• Perfect Lies (Mind Games, #2) by Kiersten White
• The Forgotten (The Lux Guardians, #1) by Saruuh Kelsey    
  

   

   
  

   

  
  

Review: Pawn

Pawn
Author: Aimee Carter

Publication Date: November 26th 2013        

~A copy was provided by Harlequin Teen via Netgalley.~

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YOU CAN BE A VII IF YOU GIVE EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked - surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed, and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.
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This is my second Aimee Carter book, I've only read The Goddess Test, and haven't finished the rest of the series yet. As soon as I heard about it though, I knew I had to read it, and It awesome.

The atmosphere is palpable, the bad characters are deliciously twisted and evil,  the good are strong, and likeable.  You hate the characters you're supposed to. You're suspicious of characters you're supposed to be suspicious of. Even the ones you may like.

Review: The Forgotten

The Forgotten
Author: Saruuh Kelsey

Publication Date: July 30th 2013 (first published June 20th 2013)    

~A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.~



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Good and goodness will prevail.

Honour and Horatia Frie are twins living in a world of wreck and ruin.

Forgotten London is a dismal place of containment, rationing, and a four-family-per-house regulation. Twenty five years ago the world was set ablaze when solar flares obliterated three quarters of the Earth’s population and wiped out whole continents in one blow. The flares brought with them The Sixteen Strains: agonizing and fatal diseases that plague each of the forty one zones of Forgotten London and the rest of the world. The only places that escaped fatal damage were two countries now known as The Cities – States and Bharat. The rest of the world – The Forgotten Lands – is contained within borders for the people’s protection against even deadlier Strains outside the barrier. But fifteen year old Honour thinks differently. He thinks that they’re kept inside the fence for other, more menacing reasons. He thinks that States are planning to kill them.

Branwell and Bennet Ravel are twins living in a world of danger and secrecy.

In Victorian London, years before the solar flares hit, the Ravels’ world has just been turned upside down. Their father, poisoned by something even genius Branwell can’t determine, has passed away. His dying words were unnerving orders to keep each other safe no matter the cost, and to hide everything he has ever invented. When one of his creations goes missing – a device named The Lux that can generate unlimited energy – the twins are shocked to discover that their very own government has stolen it and, according to their father’s journals, are planning to use it to create unfathomable explosions to destroy their world.

The Ravel twins will have to find and reclaim The Lux if they are to stop their world’s planned destruction, but when they’re transported to an unfamiliar, derelict world, the search for the device will become harder than ever. Honour and Horatia, against all odds, will have to find a way to stop States before the remainder of Earth is eradicated and their world is lost for good, or somehow get every single citizen of Forgotten London outside of the fence.
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The Forgotten was one I was really looking forward to reading because it has such an interesting concept. You'd think it has the basic YA dystopian setup, the same that every other one has when it comes to a drastically changed world, how things work, how things are abysmal and gritty, but  that's where the likeliness stops. It has way more than that. There was a lot of build-up to the end and which way it would go, and it was a little touch and go, which made me scared of a possible, one of my favourite character's kill off, but, the relief!

Waiting on Wednesday (#24)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

 

Followers by Anna Davies

Expected publication: June 24th 2014 by Point

 

 

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To tweet or not to tweet . . . what a deadly question.

When Briana loses out on a starring role in the school's production of Hamlet, she reluctantly agrees to be the drama department's "social media director" and starts tweeting half-hearted updates. She barely has any followers, so when someone hacks her twitter account, Briana can't muster the energy to stop it. After all, tweets like "Something's rotten in the state of Denmark . . . and a body's rotting in the theatre" are obviously a joke.

But then a body IS discovered in the theatre: Briana's rival. Suddenly, what seemed like a prank turns deadly serious. To everyone's horror, the grisly tweets continue . . . and the body count starts to rise.There's no other explanation; someone is live-tweeting murders on campus.

With the school in chaos and the police unable to find the culprit, it's up to Briana to unmask the psycho-tweeter before the carnage reaches Shakespearian proportions . . . or she becomes the next victim...
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It told me to do it.

 

What're you waiting on? :)

Teaser Tuesday (22)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

 

 

Title: Perfect Lies

Author: Kiersten White

Release date: February 18th 2014               

Publisher:  HarperTeen
Page: 1

 

 

 

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

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 "If I were Annie, I'd know whether this was a real future. All I Know it it's the only one I want, the thing that keeps me going. I will make that future happen."

 

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Since I'm in the process of starting a new one, I thought I'd use one of the last ones I read, so hello Perfect Lies.
What're you reading?

 

EARC Review: Fake ID

Fake ID
Author: Lamar Giles

Publication Date: January 21st 2014          

~A huge thank you to Harper Collins, and Edelweiss, who provided a copy in exchange for an honest review.~



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Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn't really Nick Pearson. He shouldn't tell you his real name, his real hometown, or why his family just moved to Stepton, Virginia. And he definitely shouldn't tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy Eli was uncovering when he died. About how Nick had to choose between solving Eli's murder with his hot sister, Reya, and "staying low-key" like the Program said to do.

But he's going to tell you—unless he gets caught first.

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I didn't expect to like Fake ID as much as I did, it's not the type I see that often in YA, being about murder and the Witness Protection workings, I was sold.

The way it was written was realistic, and addictive. It kept you on the edge little by little while secrets were uncovered and revealed. It's fast paced, with shrouded with mystery. 

Stacking the Shelves (#23) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Ahh, I've had quite a good week, apart from being ill. I had some nice surprises in the mail, and a pre-order came in, but they're unfortunately going to be left until next week because I currently have this awesome thing called food poisoning. Yeah joy. Anyway... readings been a little slow.

 

 For review:

 

 

 

 

 

( The Lost Boys, Anything to Have You,Camelot Burning and Always Emily

 

Thanks to Random House, Harlequin Teen, Flux and Chronicle Books.

I'm really looking forward to Camelot Burning.
What did you get this week? :)

 

 

  



 A recap of posts this week

 

• Monday I reviewed  Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton 
• Teaser Tuesday from Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
• Waiting on Wednesday: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
• Friday I reviewed No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
•  Feature & Follow (#9)  

This week I have read:

 
• The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine    (kind of)
• Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Feature & Follow (9)

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly bloghop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

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This weeks Question:

Q: Bookselling Time: Go to your biggest bookcases. Go to the second shelf from the top and pick out the sixth book from the left. Handsell that book to us - even if you haven’t read it or if you hated it. (if you don’t have bookcases, done have six books on one shelf, etc, pick a book at random)

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Is it cheating if I put the book I wanted to handsell there last week? Yeah, I think it is, but oh well.
So...mine is Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne.

Why?

Simply because it's a challenging book, it's not an easy read, it's quite an emotional one actually, and about the lengths someone would go to for payback, and getting tied up in something that wasn't her fault. I wasn't expecting it to be anything like it was. I wasn't expecting to like Emily as much as I did, either, but I did, and I understood her. So, if you like a challenge, a mature YA main character, or even watch Revenge. This books yours.

EARC Review: No One Else Can Have You.

No One Else Can Have You
Author: Kathleen Hale

Publication Date: January 7th 2014             

~A huge thank you to HarperTeen, and Edelweiss, who provided a copy in exchange for an honest review.~

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Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.
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Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

The first thing you need to know about No One Else Can Have You is that it's weird, and kind of like Humpty, you're immediately sucked in, you start on a creepy ladder climbing high, and then it starts to fall, and it never really gets put back together. 

The town Friendship, population 689 is a small closed knit town where everybody knows one another, everybody is too friendly and nice and sickly like cough syrup. They talk to one another with first and last names. Polite. Happy. Nothing-bad-happens-here-no-sirry-don'tcha know. Did I mention they're friendly? sociopathic. They don't like bad things, they sweep things under the rug and take a happy pill.

Waiting on Wednesday (#23)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

 

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Expected publication: April 15th 2014 (which, is mean.) by Poppy

 

 

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Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

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I really liked The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and I've almost finished This is What Happy Looks Like and loving it. Pretty much an auto-buy author now.

 

What're you waiting on? :)