The 2013 Read-along Challenge was hosted by O'Dell @ Book Twirps.

 

There were monthly read-alongs (although in February there were 2 books), and I actually participated every month, and read & reviewed all 13 books.

 

I loved participating in this challenge, because I finally picked up some of the books from my TBR pile, as well as read lots of new releases that I might have postponed reading otherwise, so thank you O'Dell for hosting this challenge & the read-alongs!

 

 

My Reading List:

1. January - Poison Princess by Kresley Cole - my review

2. February - Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - my review
3. February - Looking for Alaska by John Green - my review
4. March - The Archived by Victoria Schwab - my review
5. April - Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger - my review
6. May - Black City by Elizabeth Richards - my review
7. June - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - my review
8. July - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - my review
9. August - The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani - my review
10. September - If I Stay by Gayle Forman - my review
11. October - Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry - my review
12. November - The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis - my review
13. December - Vicious by V. E. Schwab - my review  

 

 

I don't know if he'll decide to host this challenge again, I think he might be too busy, but it was fun while it lasted ;)

 

The 2013 Jeaniene Frost Reading Challenge was hosted by Ella @ A World of Words.

 

I was going for level 4 Notorious Supernatural Expert a.k.a to read all of Jeaniene Frost books, but the only one I didn't get around to finish it (I thought the challenge ends on December 31st, so I was hoping I'll finish it, but apparently ends on December 28th) is the 2nd Night Prince book Twice Tempted, but still I feel that I was quite successful at this challenge :)

 

 

My Reading List:

1. Reckoning - a NH/W novella (re-read)

2. Halfway to the Grave - NH #1 (re-read)

3. Happily Never After - a NHW novella (re-read)

4. One Foot in the Grave - NH #2 (re-read)

5. At Grave's End - NH #3 (read)

6. Devil to Pay - a NHW novella (read)

7. Destined for an Early Grave - NH #4 (read)

8. One for the Money - a NH short story (read)

9. First Drop of Crimson - NHW #1 (read)

10. Eternal Kiss of Darkness - NHW #2 (read)

11. This Side of the Grave - NH #5 (read)

12. One Grave at a Time - NH #6 (read)

13. Home for the Holidays - a NH novella (read)

14. Once Burned - NP #1 (read)

15. Twice Tempted - NP #2 (started, didn't finish it in time)

 

The 2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge once again was hosted by Evie @ Bookish, and co-hosted by Rachel @ Fiktshun, as well as 4 other bloggers, and for the first time, I was quite successful at this challenge.

 

I signed up for the 5th level Married With Children - to read & review 41-50 books, and even though I read a lot more than 50 books from my TBR, I actually read & reviewed only 54.

 

The books I read & reviewed for this challenge in 2013 are:

 

 1. Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley - my review

 2. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton - my review

 3. Poison Princess by Kresley Cole - my review

 4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - my review
 5. All Those Things We Never Said by Marc Levy - my review
 6. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - my review
 7. The Blood by D. J. MacHale - my review
 8. Looking for Alaska by John Green - my review
 9. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - my review 10. So Close to You by Rachel Carter - my review 

11. Erebos by Ursula Poznanski - my review 

12. Mr. Real by Carolyn Crane - my review 

13. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - my review 

14. Black Heart by Holly Black - my review 

15. Hidden by Sophie Jordan - my review 

16. Timeless by Gail Carriger - my review 

17. Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George - my review 

18. A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton - my review 

19. In A Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz - my review 

20. MirrorMask by Neil Gaiman - my review 

21. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - my review 

22. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - my review 

23. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan - my rating 

24. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - my review 

25. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry - my review 

26. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones - my review 

27. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones - my review 

28. I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells - my review 

29. Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson - my review 

30. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells - my review 

31. I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells - my review 

32. Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams - my review 

33. Black City by Elizabeth Richards - my review 

34. Sparks by Laura Bickle - my review 

35. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - my review 

36. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles - my review 

37. Foretold by Jana Oliver - my review 

38. 'Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries - my review 

39. Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman - my review 

40. Inside by Maria V. Snyder - my review 

41. Charmfall by Chloe Neill - my review 

42. Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles - my review 

43. The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima - my review 

44. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima - my review 

45. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson - my review 

46. Underdogs by Markus Zusak - my review  

47. Fire by Kristin Cashore - my review 

48. Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter - my review 

49. At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost - my review 

50. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - my review 

51. Sealed with a Curse by Cecy Robson - my review 

52. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost - my review  

53. The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith - my review 

54. The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis - my review

 

I'd like to say THANK YOU to the host, as well as the co-hosts, and I can't wait for the 2014 challenge to start.

 

If you're interested about joining this challenge in 2014, visit the sign up post HERE!

Title: Vicious

 

Author: V. E. Schwab

 

 

My rating: 5 of 5

  

(Book read from December 5th to December 19th, 2013, for a read-along.)

 

Summary:

 

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates — brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find — aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge — but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

I've loved everything Victoria Schwab has written so far, and her latest novel isn't exception. Actually, Vicious is her best one, and I know I won't do it justice with this review, but I'll try.

I loved, loved the story. From the way it was told (going back & forth through the far past, the near past & the present), to the story itself & the idea behind it, I just adored everything about it, to the wonderful & complex characters (that you won't be able to stop yourself, but care for), and their different background stories, just everything was woven perfectly in one amazing & addicting tale, that will keep you glued to the pages to see how exactly it will play out, yet at the same time you wouldn't want for it to end. At least, that's what I felt while reading this book, and I really, really hope there will be a sequel, because I want more.

As I said, all the characters were so complex, there just aren't good or bad characters, heroes or villains, so you'll have to decide for yourself who you'll root for in this tale of betrayal, heartbreak & revenge. I was just so captivated by the characters & the story & the suspense of it. Victoria Schwab is one brilliant author that has written one unique & wonderful & brilliant novel, that I know I'll love reading again & again. The moment I finished it, I wanted to start it again. So, yeah, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, because her imagination & stories are so different & unique, and she's such an eclectic author with one of the most amazing writing styles, and she never stops to surprise me :)

I can't recommend this book enough. It's dark & twisted & fun & wonderful & heartbreaking & amazing & villainous & suspenseful & addicting & unforgettable, everything I would wish for in a book, so if there's one 2013 book you must read, that's Vicious.

 

Challenges:

2013 Read-along Challenge

 

This event is hosted by Rachel @ Fiktshun, Jaime @ Two Chicks on Books & Mindy @ Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

    

Today's theme is Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2014.

 

My Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2014:

#1 - Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

 

  

 

  #2 - Half-Off Ragnarok (InCryptid #3) by Seanan McGuire

  

#3 - The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. #2) by Jonathan Stroud

No cover available, but it's planned to be published in Fall 2014.

  

#4 - Up From the Grave (Night Huntress #7) by Jeaniene Frost

  

#5 - Red Blooded & Pure Blooded (Jessica McClain #4 & #5) by Amanda Carlson

No covers available, but Amanda Carlson said that both of these are planned to be published in 2014, so YAY!

#6 - Armada by Ernest Cline

     

#7 - The Queen of Zombie Hearts (The White Rabbit Chronicles #3) by Gena Showalter

No cover available, but it's planned to be published in Fall 2014.

#8 - A World Without Princes (The School for Good and Evil #2) by Soman Chainani

   

 

#9 - The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab

 

#10 - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

 

Of course, I have a lot more 2014 books that I'm looking forward to, but these are those I'm looking forward to the most, and as you've noticed, almost all of these are sequels, with the exception of Armada, the new Ernest Cline book, the author of my most fav book ever Ready Player One!