Here's a graph to show how good the books were this month. I couldn't list them all seperately, so I divided the books into groups of three.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Top 5 Books: April Edition
Of all the books I've read this month, these are my favorites:
Here's a graph to show how good the books were this month. I couldn't list them all seperately, so I divided the books into groups of three.
Here's a graph to show how good the books were this month. I couldn't list them all seperately, so I divided the books into groups of three.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 5 stars of pure awesomeness!
Summary: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.
Review: I want to live in this book so badly because I'm just completely in love with it. The Grisha an the world-building is absolutely amazing! Bardugo kept me on my toes with all her twists and suspense. Alina started off scared and pretty weak. She is content with being a mapmaker in the army, and doesn't believe she is anything special. Over the course of the story, Alina becomes stronger and more sure of herself and her abilities. She even gets these super cool fingerless gloves with mirrors that let her reflect her magic light so she can blind her opponents and distract cats. Yes. Yes yes yes! At the beginning, I thought that Mel was a jerk. He was off galavanting with random girls when Alina totally liked him and he was all angry with her because she was a super special Grisha. Duo to my low tolerance for annoying romantic interests, there would usually be no recovery from these grevious errors. Except for Mel. When it came time, he proved that he really was a good guy. After I finished this book, my first thought was: "When does the second book come out?" Guess when? I don't know because it isn't even on Goodreads yet!!!!
Not only that, but I'm reading an ARC (advanced reader's copy) of this book; it doesn't come out until June of 2012. So think about what that means for the publication date of the second book!!!! :(
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
Review: A dystopian book where the world has been dominated by vampires? Tell me more.
These are the real vampires. They are blood-thirsty monsters to be feared. Thank you, Julie Kagawa, for bringing us back. Vampires are one of he most overused YA subjects, and I couldn't think of anything more that could be written about them. And then The Immortal Rules came along. So much win!! One vampire, however, is a bit more human than the others. Allison has qualms about feeding off of humans, but if she doesn't at some point the Hunger will take over and she will kill someone. The opening scene in the gallows shows you what life is like for Allison, and just how powerful the vampires are. Not only are there vampires, but zombie-like creatures called rabids. Allison has lived in the Fringe and is completely capable of taking care of herself. But when she's Turned into a vampire and given training, she turns into a rabid-chopping, katana-wielding bad ass. The fight scenes were brutal and bloody, and people died. Lots of them. The Immortal Rules is definitely one of my new favorites for the year; I can't wait until the second one comes out!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Mass
Rating: 4 stars
Summary: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
Review: I have never encountered an assassin character quite like Celaena. While she is obviously skilled, there is only one real fight scene. She also seems accustomed to being pampered and at the beginning I was worried that Celaena would turn out to be some vain weak girl who was only called an assassin for the romanticism of it. Thankfully, she really is awesome. Even better, there is also magic and a competition to become the king's champion. Awesomeness all around!
Throne of Glass will be published in August of 2012.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Daughter of the Flames
Author: Zoe Marriott
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Summary: What if your deadliest enemy were the only one who could save you?
Inside an ancient temple in the mountains, fifteen-year-old Zira trains in the martial arts to become a warrior priestess who can defend the faith of the Ruan people. Bearing a scar on her face from the fire that killed her parents, the orphaned Zira is taught to distrust the occupying Sedornes. Terror strikes when the forces of the tyrannical Sedorne king destroy the only home she knows. To survive, Zira must unravel the secrets of her identity, decide her people’s fate — and accept her growing feelings for a man who should be her enemy.
Review: Ninja warrior girl who's been raised in seclusion and finds out that she's a princess but must save her kingdom from a tyrant? Count me in. Thankfully, the romance is a small part of the book and stems more from Zira's need to save her people. The book started off with some awesome fight scenes, then Zira stopped being able to defend herself and became a pawn in someone else's game. Just when I was about to lose hope of our dear heroine's story getting a good rating, the fighting started up again. Ninja warrior Zira had returned!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Tiger's Voyage
Author: Colleen Houck
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Summary: With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections--leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.
Review: This series has started to turn the focus toward romance and away from breaking the cures. but I realized this in the second book and have accepted it. The adventure is still there, though, and it's importance has not been majorly diminished. By the middle of this book I was all "meh" but then I read the end and I was all "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Guess when the fourth book comes out? September. I don't know if I can wait five months! Also, dragons. One word: yes. Kishan stills needs to get lost. I get Kelsey's decision, but I'm still all NO!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tiger's Quest
Author: Colleen Houck
Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest--this time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER'S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.
Review: I have been coming to terms with the fact that there is romance in pretty much every book, but I still don't like a lot of it. Except for this book, even though the whole first half is romance. I have become... brace yourselves... a Tiger Saga fangirl. The romance is balanced out with an equal amount of ancient-deity-curse-breaking adventure. Kelsey has realized that she is not a radish (thank goodness) but when I finished the book I was all "AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" A quirk of mine is not wanting to read a book series all in a row, but I seriously have to find out what happens next! Also, Kishan still needs to go away. Immediately. For cereral, y'all.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Author Interview: Megan Crewe
Me: Where did you get the idea for The Way We Fall?
Megan Crewe: I had a dream after reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which features zombies. Zombies are often created by a virus, and I realized that a was really scared of viruses so I decided to write a book about a virus.
Me: Did you want to be a writer growing up?
MC: Yes. It started as a hobby, and in junior high I realized that people really enjoyed the stories I was writing, so I turned it into a career.
Me: How long did it take you to write The Way We Fall?
MC: I planned for about a year, and then it took me five months to write the first few drafts.
Me: Did you plan before you started writing?
MC: Kind of. I figured out the beginning, some of the middle, and the end, then filled in the gaps.
Me: How did you develop the virus for the book?
MC: I did lots of research, then ,made a list of the scariest symptoms. I chose the ones that worked best with the story.
Me: If you were in the book, would you be helping people at the hospital, or stealing all the food and killing infected people?
MC: I would look after my family and close friends, making sure they were safe and had enough food, but that's it.
Me: Did you base any of the characters off of yourself?
MC: Kaelyn and I share some characteristics. As a teenager, I was a bit awkward and I loved animals, like Kaelyn.
Me: How much of an impact did your editor have on your book?
MC: My Editor changed some of the subplots and added the bit of romance.
Me: What will the third book in the Fallen Trilogy be about?
MC: There were originally only going to be two books, but I was writing the second one and realized that I still had more story to tell. The third book will mainly be a continuation of the second.
Author Interview: Inara Scott
Me: Where did you get the idea for The Candidates?
Inara Scott: I wanted to write a book where you couldn't tell who the good guys or the bad guys were.
Me: Did you want to be a writer growing up?
IS: Yes. but I didn't realize it was a profession so I thought about being a lawyer.
Me: How long did it take you to write The Candidates
IS: About 4 to 6 months for the first draft.
Me: Did you plan before you started writing?
IS: Yes! I had very detailed outlines and color-coordinated story boards. I used different colored post it notes to symbolize whether there it was an action scene, romance scene, etc.
Me: Why did you turn the focus of the book to romance?
IS: I wanted the book to be about choices, and one of the choices was whether Dancia would choose Jack or Cam.
Me: How much of an impact did your editor have on your book?
IS: There was a very big difference between my first draft and the published book. My editor had me change the school into a boarding school, and added the character Catherine. I originally had the book end a few scenes earlier then the finished version, but my editor had me add several things.
Me: If The Candidates was turned into a movie, who would you want to play Dancia?
IS: Emma Watson.
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