Dec 30, 2011

Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2012!



The event Top 10 of 2011: A Week of Looking Back......and Looking Forward! is hosted by: Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jaime & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun


For more info about this event, visit the post HERE! To link up the Top 10 Books I'm Looking forwatd to in 2011 post, go HERE!

It's the last day of this amazing event & today's theme is Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2012! I already did a post for another event where I've listed 12 books I'm looking forward to in 2012 (if you'd like to check it out, click me), but they're all stand alone or 1st in a series & for this event I'm doing a post with Top 10 Sequels I'm Looking Forward to in 2012, because after all, I'm more eager about them ;)

 
So, My Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2011 are:


1. The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett (The Demon Cycle #3)
 
No cover or summary available, but it's planned for September 2012. I've been waiting for this one for over 2 years now, and I hope it won't get delayed again. One of my favorite epic fantasy series!

 
2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (Seven Kingdoms #3)
 
I've been waiting for this one for over 2 years ago, too, ever since I read Graceling & found out there will be a book about Bitterblue, too! Coming in May 2012! Can't wait!
 
Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.
Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.
 
 
 
3. The Blood by D.J.MacHale (Morpheus Road #3)
Yay, the final book coming in March 2012! Can't wait! Spoilers in the summary below if you haven't read at least the 1st book!

At last, all the questions are answered as readers finally witness the showdown between best friends Marshall and Cooper and the terrifying villain Damon, who’s more determined than ever to break down the walls between the worlds of the living and the dead.
 
Marshall is forced to make a brave and shocking choice when the battle is on the line, and he and Cooper are rewarded with help from someone quite unexpected!
 
Don’t miss the tumultuous conclusion of the Morpheus Road series as its chilling secrets are finally unraveled.



4. Black Heart by Holly Black (Curse Workers #3)
 
I was really surprised about the world Holly Black has created & she really got me wrapped up in it & Cassel's life, so I can't wait to read this one! Also, I have to mention that these covers are absolutely perfect for the series, so I absolutely love them!
Spoilers below if you haven't read book #1 & #2!
 
Cassel Sharpe knows he's been used as an assassin, but he's trying to put all that behind him. He's trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He's trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he's trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he's been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what's right and what's wrong becomes increasingly blurred. And when the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what's a con and what's truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet - this time on love.



5. Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts #4)
 
I loved the series & although I thought it's over, there'll be 3 more books & I'm looking forward to them!

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.


6. Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry (Benny  Imura #3)

Still no cover available, but I absolutely loved both Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay, so I can't wait for this one & from the summary sounds like another amazing book! 

Reeling from the tragic events of Dust & Decay, Benny Imura and his friends plunge deep into the zombie-infested wastelands of the great Rot & Ruin. Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong journey through a fierce wilderness that was once America, searching for the jet they saw in the skies months ago. If that jet exists then humanity itself must have survived…somewhere. Finding it is their best hope for having a future and a life worth living.

But the Ruin is far more dangerous than any of them can imagine. They are hunted by fierce animals escaped from zoos and circuses. They must raid zombie-infested towns for food and medical supplies. They discover the very real truth in the old saying: In the Rot & Ruin…everything wants to kill you.

And what is happening to the zombies? Swarms of them are coming from the east, devouring everything in their paths. These zoms are different. Faster, smarter, infinitely more dangerous. Has the zombie plague mutated, or is there something far more sinister behind this new invasion of the living dead?

In Flesh & Bone, Benny Imura, Nix Riley, Lou Chong and Lilah the Lost Girl are pitted against dangers greater than anything they've ever faced. To survive, each of them must rise to become the warriors Tom trained them to be.




7. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (the last companion novel of Anna & Lola)

Cover & summary still unavailable, but it will be with Isla (we met her in Anna and the French Kiss) & hopefully & probably with Josh! I loved Josh! He got himself a special place in my heart in Anna and the French Kiss, so I can't wait to read his story! Also, it will be set in Paris again, so that's one more reason why I can't wait!

8. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima (Seven Realms #4)

The cover & full summary still unavailable, and although I still haven't read book #3, I loved books #1 & #2, so I still can't wait for this one, because it's the last one in the series. This will be one of the series I plan to re-read (books #1 & #2) & read (books #3 & #4)one after the other!

In the fourth and final book in the Seven Realms series, the stakes grow ever higher as a series of murders raise tensions between the Wizard Council and Spirit Clans to a fever pitch. With treachery on every side, Han and Raisa struggle to fend off threats from ambitious neighbors while keeping the queendom from imploding from within.

 
9. Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman (Dark Eden #2)

I loved Dark Eden, the first book in the series & I absolutely can't wait for this one! Spoilers below if you haven't read Dark Eden!

Will Besting and the other teens who were “cured” at Fort Eden are still experiencing the strange signs of aging that were a part of their recovery. Now they are being called back to Fort Eden because Mrs. Goring is dying, and for some reason she wants to see the seven teens together again.
But once Will and the others arrive at Fort Eden, they find themselves ensnared in a dangerous plan to finally end the reign of Rainsford. Will must lead the group through a perilous underground trap masterminded by two devious souls. Can he outwit both Rainsford and Goring and find a new cure?   
Patrick Carman’s Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction is another terrifying journey into the depths of fear, love, revenge, and—ultimately—redemption.

 

10. Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts (Dark Inside #2) 

Dark Inside was one of my favorite reads in 2011, so I can't wait for this sequel! 

Aries, Clementine, Mason and Michael have survived the first wave of the apocalypse that wiped out most of the world's population, and turned many of the rest into murderous Baggers. Now, they're hiding out in an abandoned house in Vancouver with a ragtag group of surviving teens, and trying to figure out their next move.

Aries is trying to lead, but it's hard to be a leader when there are no easy answers, and every move feels wrong. Clementine is desperate to find her brother Heath, but it's impossible to know where he'd be, even if he is still alive. Michael is still haunted by the memories of his actions during his harrowing struggle to survive. And Mason is struggling with something far worse: the fear that he may be a danger to his friends.

As the Baggers begin to create a new world order, Aries, Clementine, Mason and Michael will have to trust and rely on each other in order to survive
.

    




Pick Your A Thon: Mini-Challenge #2: 12 Most Anticipated Books of 2012!





I'm participating in the Pick Your A Thon, hosted by Kate & Kristen @ The Book Monsters.

 For more info & to sign up for the Monster Pick Your A Thon visit the post HERE!

The 2nd mini-challenge is about listing 12 books that will be published in 2012 & that we can't wait to read. Link to the mini-challenge post HERE

I decided not to include any of the sequels I can't wait to read!

So, My Top 12 Most Anticipated Books of 2012 (in order of the planned publishing date) are:


Cinder by

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.

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.


ExtraNormal by Suze Reese

Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. Except that she knows how to harness electro-magnetic energy to communicate without words. And she's really, really far from home. Her assignment as an emissary to Earth sounds fairly simple: blend in, observe, and stay away from the planet’s primitive males. But after she finds one mysterious boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes the real reason she's supposed to keep her distance: mates from her world can die if separated. But a series of serious accidents make it clear that someone wants to force her return. Mira decides her only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment—before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home.


 
Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Kendra Hilferty, the witch who curses Kyle Kingsbury in Beastly, tells about her immortal existence-how she discovered she was a witch and the various ways she has used her powers to help people throughout the centuries. (Unfortunately her attempts have often backfired.) As it turns out, Kendra has actually had a hand in "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid"-but these are not the fairy tales you think you know! Kendra's reminiscences are wrapped around a real-time version of "Cinderella," except the "ugly" stepsister is the good guy. With dark twists, hilarious turns, and unexpected endings, Bewitching is a contemporary read for fairy-tale lovers, fantasy fans, and anyone looking for more Alex Flinn.



Partials by Dan Wells

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.


The Killables by Gemma Malley

THE KILLABLES is set in the year 2065 and follows Evie and Raffy who work for the government in a society where evil no longer exists. After a war on terror that almost destroyed the world, The City has been established, where brain surgery removes the potential for evil thought and citizens are labelled on The System according to how 'good' they are. Evie and Raffy are both System operators and discover a mistake when an academic has been labelled a K, the label given to dangerous criminals. But as they investigate further they discover that it wasn't a mistake; that The City has secrets and a dark side that the government will hide at all costs. They are horrified to discover that 'K' stands for 'Killable' - the state's mark of death. And then Evie gets another K report to change on the System. Only this time it's for Raffy...



The Industry by Rose Foster 

Kirra Hayward is an ordinary sixteen year old - smarter than most, but otherwise completely anonymous. When she solves an unusual decrypting puzzle on the internet to fill in a moment of boredom at school, she has no idea of what she's letting herself in for.

Kidnapped by a shadowy organisation of mercenaries known only as The Industry, Kirra soon discovers how valuable her code-breaking skills are. And when she stubbornly refuses to help them, they decide to break her ... by any means at their disposal.

Kirra knows that to protect herself, she must trust no one, not even her fellow prisoner, Milo. But as time goes by she wonders if he is the only person she can rely on. 


 
The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

 Imagine if one day, without warning, the entire human race turns against you.

Every single person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage, hell-bent on killing you – and only you.

Friends, family, even your mum and dad, will turn on you. They will murder you.

And when they have, they will go back to their lives as if nothing has happened.

The world has the Fury.

It will not rest until you are dead.
Cal, Brick and Daisy are three ordinary teenagers whose lives suddenly take a terrifying turn for the worst. They begin to trigger a reaction in everybody they meet, one that makes friends and strangers alike turn rabid whenever they are close. One that makes people want to tear them to pieces
Cal and the other victims of the Fury – the ones that survive – manage to locate each other. But just when they think they have found a safe place to hide from the world, some of them begin to change...
They must fight to uncover the truth about the Fury before it's too late. But it is a truth that will destroy everything they know about life and death.


Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.

Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.

A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter.


For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

 Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.
Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.
But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.
Inspired by Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.



Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…


Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper— The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.


Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

A new series featuring a teenage girl who loses her family in a crash, only to wake up to a world of zombies and zombie slaying, as well as a bad boy who could save or destroy her.
 


Dec 29, 2011

Top 10 Characters in 2011!



The event Top 10 of 2011: A Week of Looking Back......and Looking Forward! is hosted by: Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jaime & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun



For more info about this event, visit the post HERE! To link up the Top 10 Characters in 2011 post, go HERE!

For this theme, we could've make a list with whatever theme we liked, as long as it was about characters. Well, I decided to keep it simple & to make a Top 10 of My Favorite Characters in 2011!

My Top 10 Characters in 2011 are:

  1. Tom Imura (Dust & Decay / Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry) - From the moment I read Rot & Ruin last year, Tom became my #1 favorite character & this year when I read the sequel Dust & Decay, he only confirmed that position ;) He's such an amazing character, the perfect hero, a zombie hunter, great at that job & still he has remained so good, but he's also very dangerous (for the evil people), I mean the way he wield's that sword, WOW. It sounds like I have a crush on him, I don't, but he is amazing! Spoilers from book #2: Too bad he had to die, I'm really going to miss him, but I can always return to visit him in Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay.
  2. Cassel Sharpe (White Cat & Red Glove / Curse Workers series by Holly Black) - Cassel is one of the most amazing characters, too. Especially with everything he has to deal with in his life, that's really surprising. He's definitely a character that you can't help but love, and he's the best between all the evildoers in his world & also, probably one of the best conman there ;) The last sentence I copied from my review of Red Glove, but describes him perfectly ;)
  3. Cat (Halfway to the Grave / Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost) - Cat is one amazing heroine. I've read only the 1st book so far, but when I finished it, I was amazed. She's really strong, not only physically, but emotionally, too & I think the biggest reason I started to love her was the way she fought near the end of the book, she was so badass & the way she resolved the problems she encountered in the end, although she was heartbroken about it. now I know why everyone love Cat & Bones, definitely my favorite book couple! Can't wait to continue reading the series.
  4. Bones (Halfway to the Grave / Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost) - I didn't plan to add him on my list at first, because he was on my top 10 yesterday, but I decided that he deserves a spot as well. One of my favorite characters also, he's charming, funny, sexy, great at fighting, yet he's good & yeah, I have a crush on him, who wouldn't, he's such an amazing character & he's part of my favorite couple ;)
  5. Benny Imura (Dust & Decay / Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry) - Benny definitely changes from the way he was at the beginning of Rot & Ruin and the way he was at the end of the same book, and in Dust & Decay he  becomes even more great character, so he's one of my favorites also & I don't doubt that he'll become as amazing as Tom as the series continues. After all, he has a great role model. Writing about Tom & Benny made me eager again for the next book, oh why we have to wait :(
  6. Mason (Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts) - In this book there were 4 main characters, but my favorite & probably the only one of them I got to really love as a character was Mason (although I liked a lot almost all of them). I don't want to go into details (not to spoil the book), but he got himself a special place in my heart (not crush) & that makes me a little sad because I think I can see where his story is going next & I don't want to, because that will make me sad, yet I know that it will be right for the series...
  7. Todd (A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker) - Todd was probably one of the most surprising characters, especially because this is a ya contemporary book. When we meet him, the few things he did to Fiona (the other main character) shocked me a little & I remember thinking "OMG, what a jerk!", but as the story progressed, started to like him more & more & in the end I loved him as a character! He wasn't what he seemed like, he was really entertaining & funny & smart, just so much fun, and he was really good, too :) He wasn't a jerk, he just wanted a good prank ;) I loved the interactions between Todd & Fiona, so funny, and I loved the friendship that developed between them both. I definitely would love for him to be my friend, too!
  8. Chrysabelle (Blood Rights / House of Comarre series by Kristen Painter) - Ok, I've read only the 1st book, but I really liked her as a character. She was beautiful & brave & fights great, she's really dangerous, although she doesn't look like that, and that's what I absolutely loved. I actually read Blood Rights from galley, but still haven't bought the series, but I definitely will & I can't wait to devour it ;) Plus, you gotta love those amazing covers ;)
  9. Alex & Darla (Ashfall by Mike Mullin) - Ok, I decided to count Alex & Darla as one, after all, almost everything they went through, they did it together. They're really great characters, really brave & resourceful, & I don't think I could've survived even a 3rd of all that. So, they slowly got under my skin & they made me loved them, so I can't wait to read Ashfall again (although I read it less than a month ago) & I can't wait for the next book!
  10. Chess Putnam (City of Ghosts / Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane) - I definitely didn't think that I'd love Chess as a character as I do now. She's a witch, a debunker, a ghost hunter, and really good at her job, but she's also a drug addict. But slowly as I read the series, we really get to know her & she started to get under my skin & you can't help it, but you have to start to care for her in spite of everything she has to do & the choices she sometimes makes (you might even hate her for some of them a little, at least for a while) & in the end you'll start to love her. She's probably one of the best antiheroines & definitely my favorite antiheroine! Also, the same goes for Terrible - he's the best antihero! Can't wait for the next 3 books!      



Pick Your A Thon: Mini-Challenge #1: Goals, Goals, Goals!





I'm participating in the Pick Your A Thon, hosted by Kate & Kristen @ The Book Monsters.

 For more info & to sign up for the Monster Pick Your A Thon visit the post HERE!

The first mini-challenge is about listing our goals. Link to the mini-challenge post HERE

What book(s) are you starting with?
  • As I said in my sign-up post, I'm planning to continue reading books I've already started before this event started & the one I'm reading now is Gena Showalter's The Darkest Pleasure & I'll probably finish it first. 

I hope to read / review:
  • As I said in my sign up post, I'm planning to finish the 3 books below. As for reviews, I won't list the books I'm planning to review, because I'm really back on my reviews, but I hope to review at least 10 books! 
 


Books I hope to read / review or at least will try to get to:
  • The same answer as above, I'm not planning anything to read after that, whatever I'm in a mood for, 'cause I'm such a moody reader, although I'm waiting to receive Shattered Souls any day now & I can't wait to read it, so there's a good possibility I'll start reading it the minute I'll get it ;) As for reviews, if I can manage 5-10 more reviews than the planned 10, that would be awesome. I've been really lazy about reviewing lately. I just kept reading & reading this month, but not reviewing, so they piled up...