Dec 29, 2013

2013 Read-along Challenge: Wrap Up!

 
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 ;)

2013 Jeaniene Frost Reading Challenge: Wrap Up!

JF
 
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)
 

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge: Wrap Up!


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!

Dec 28, 2013

"Vicious" by V. E. Schwab


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:


Dec 27, 2013

Top 10 of 2013: Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2014!

 
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!