Category: Books

Serial Series: The Problem with series that just won’t quit.

Posted March 30, 2014 in Bookish Thoughts, Books, Discussions / 10 Comments

I recently moved last summer, and in the long process of unpacking and setting up my new living space I’ve acquired three lovely new bookshelves and a neat loft area to serve as my at-home library. In the process of unpacking, purging, and organizing all of my beloved books (which I generally find to be a soothing activity), I’ve noticed a rather growing (literally) trend on my bookshelves: series that turn into twelve book monstrosities that I lose interest in halfway through. This is really quite a shame, because I’ve invested money in and no doubt enjoyed the premise of […]

Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Review

Posted March 28, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

Cinder by Marissa Meyer My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (January 2012) Length: 387 pgs Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #1 Format: Hardcover, checked out from local library Goodreads 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 […]

World After by Susan Ee- Review

Posted March 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

World After by Susan Ee My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Skyescape (November 2013) Length: 438 pgs Series: Penryn and the End of Days #2 Format: Paperback, purchased from Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what’s left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn’s sister Paige, thinking she’s a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken. Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so […]

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson- Review

Posted March 13, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson My rating: 3.5/5 Stars Publisher: VIKING (A division of Penguin) Length: 391 pgs Format: Hardcover, checked out from local library Goodreads Synopsis: For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own […]

Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 10, 2014 in Books, Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is: Top Ten Favorite Books in X (your pick!) Genre. Since this is my first Top Ten Tuesday, I decided to stick with my preferred genre of YA, specifically YA fiction. Top Ten Favorite Books in YA Fiction: 1) Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout- This is probably my all time favorite YA paranormal series, and it doesn’t get the hype it deserves. It features aliens, a book blogger, one of my favorite fictional guys, and doesn’t […]

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Review

Posted March 9, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 4 of 5 stars Publisher: Henry Holt and Co Length: 432 pgs Series: The Grisha #2 Format: Hardcover, checked out from local library Goodreads Synopsis: Darkness never dies. Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a […]

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Review

Posted March 7, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 3 of 5 stars Publisher: Henry Holt and Co Length: 358 pgs Series: The Grisha #1 Format: Hardcover, checked out from local library Goodreads Synopsis The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free? The Darkling, a […]

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore Review

Posted February 22, 2014 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 2 Comments

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore My rating: 5 of 5 stars Publisher: Delacorte Press Length: 416 pgs Series: Goodnight Family #1 Format: Hardcover, borrowed from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn’t as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that “normal” doesn’t mix with magic, and she’s worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life. Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard […]

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor Review

Posted February 19, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars Publisher: Little Brown Length: 513 pgs Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2 Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war. This is not that world. Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: […]

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory Review

Posted February 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory My rating: 3 of 5 stars Publisher: Touchstone, 2006 Length: 390 pgs Series: The Tudor Court #1 Format: Paperback, borrowed from my Grandmother. Find it on Amazon here Goodreads Synopsis: “I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known…and I will be Queen of England.” Thus, bestselling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Known to history as the Queen who was pushed off her throne by Anne Boleyn, here is a Katherine the world has forgotten: the enchanting princess […]