Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die.

But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there — known as Raven Boys — can only mean trouble.

My grade: A+

What I liked about the book: Everything. No, really. This was a five star book for me, the kind of book I only wish I could write someday. But the best thing about the book has to be the characters, every single one of them. I don't even have a favorite, I just love all of them.

What I didn't like so much: Let me think about this. Hmm, the fact that I have to wait so long for the third book to come out? Yep, that's all I got.

Best scene/favorite moment: I loved the scene where Ronan rescues Adam from his father. And every scene with Blue's peculiar but charming family. 

Would I read the next book? The next book is in the mail, but it'll take three weeks to get here! What fresh hell is that? I can't even.

What about you, did you read the book? What did you think of it?

Friday Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

My grade: B+

What I liked about the book: I liked Evie even more in this book than in Paranormalcy. I liked her struggle to be happy with the normal life she'd always been craving, and I loved her relationship with the comatose Vivian.

What I didn't like so much: I'm not so sure about the mystery plot. I felt like the stakes weren't high enough, not like they were in Paranormalcy, and the villain reveal at the end wasn't as surprising as it could have been. I think it would have been better if the reveal had been earlier in the book and then have Evie deal with something else the villain does. I don't know. I just felt kind of let down by the ending.

Best scene/favorite moment: [Spoiler Alert] The scene where Evie and Jack torch the Queen's boat. I thought the description in that scene were amazing!

Would I read the next book? I think so. Not really on my immediate TBR, but I'll try to buy the next book soon.

What about you, did you read the book? What did you think of it?

Reading Cram Day 3: Top Ten Books of 2013

Today is Day 3 of the Read-a-thon I signed up for a little while ago. My goal is to read one book a day for the duration of the challenge. I'd love to read more, but I unfortunately can't spare the time (darn you, day job!) Here's my progress so far:

Day 1:
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Day 2:
Fateful by Claudia Gray
Day 3:
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Today's challenge is to list the top ten books I've read in 2013, so here we go (in no particular order):

What about you? What are your top ten books read in 2013?

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR

Thanks to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting this meme every week!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is super hard for me, because my TBR list is like a mile long. I went on a book binge recently and bought way too many books. Like way too many. (And my fingers are still itching to buy more. Darn you, online shopping!)

After much consideration, here are the top ten books I'm most excited to read:

1. Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor: This one is still in the mail, but I'm definitely reading it as soon as I get it. Also, how gorgeous is that cover?

2. Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan: This looks awesome! I read Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon, and though I didn't quite love it, I liked the author's style enough to wish she'd write something else. 

3. What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles, #1) by Kat Zhang: The concept sounds unique and interesting (two sibling souls sharing a single body), so I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

4. Hallowed (Unearthly, #2) by Cynthia Hand: I've had this one on my shelf for some time, and never quite got around to it, though I loved the first one a lot. I'm just bad at reading sequels, I guess.

5. Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater: I loved the Raven Cycle books so much I thought I'd give another of the author's books a try.



 

6. The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey, #2) by Julie Kagawa: Another sequel I've yet to read. But I'm determined to finish this series soon, so we'll see how it goes.

7. Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead: Just finished Vampire Academy, and loved it enough I got the next two books in the series.  From all the good reviews I read, I'm guessing I'm in for a fun ride!

8. Die for Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum: I admit I mostly bought this one because it's set in Paris. It's always fun to read a book in a setting I actually know ^^

9. Cold Days (The Dresden Files, #14) by Jim Butcher: I've been looking for a cheap copy of this one for age, and I finally got my hands on one (during my vacation, in a bookshop in Amsterdam of all places. Yes, I go to bookshops on my vacations. I know, I'm hopeless.)

10. Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1) by Josephine Angelini: Not so sure about this one. The cover is pretty, and the synopsis interesting enough, but I can't exactly remember why I bought it. Did anyone else read it? What did you think of it?

Friday Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

From Goodreads: 
Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

My grade: A-

What I liked about the book: I liked Cate, and how she threw everything she had into protecting her sisters. I especially loved Finn, and thought the romance was great. I actually fell in love with Finn the same moment Cate must have, in the scene where he talks about protecting his mother and sister, and once I saw how right Finn was for Cate, I couldn't root for Paul at all.

What I didn't like so much: I felt like the book kind of dragged for the first 50 pages. I was actually about to put it down (a death sentence for a book for me because I have a short attention span and I rarely pick up a book I put aside again), but I'm really glad I stuck with it or I would have missed an awesome book!

Best scene/favorite moment: The kiss scene! Yes, I know, not very original, but I thought it was hot and one of the best kissing scenes I'd read in a while. And the feathers bit was a nice touch, sweet and scary at the same time.

Would I read the next book? Yup, definitely. I've been looking for a cheap copy of the next book, Star Cursed, because I'm broke and the international shipping costs are killing my wallet.

What about you, did you read the book? What did you think of it?

WWW Wednesdays

Thanks for Mitz from Should be Reading for hosting this meme every week!

Here are my answers:

What are you currently reading? I'm right in the middle of Supernaturally by Kiersten White. Picked it up after reading Paranormalcy and it's just what I wanted: a fun, light supernatural adventure.

What did you recently finish reading? I just finished Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. I've been wanting to read this book for ages. It was a little slow-going at first, but then turned awesome and now I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.



What do you think you'll read next? I'll probably try to finish Wither by Lauren DeStefano, which I started then stopped reading. But I just got Fateful by Claudia Gray in the mail, so probably that one cause I have no self-control.




What about you, what are your WWW Wednesdays?

Top Ten 2014 Release I’m Dying To Read

Thanks to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting this meme every week!

This was a very difficult list to make, but after much consideration, here are the ten books of 2014 I can't wait to get my hands on (in no particular order):

1. Cress by Marissa Meyer: I cannot wait to get my hands on this book, I absolutely loved both Cinder and Scarlet!
2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor: I just finished Days of Blood and Starlight and cannot wait to see how it all ends.
3. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo: Still haven't read Siege and Storm, but I'm pretty sure I'll love it, if it's anything like the first.
4. Unhinged by A.G Howard: I liked Splintered, so I'll definitely give the sequel a go.
5. Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi: Can't wait for this one, I love this series!
6. The Raven Cycle #3 by Maggie Stiefvater: Oooh, another one I'm super, super excited about.
7. The King by J.R Ward: Love that J.R is revisiting Wrath and Beth's story, can't wait to see what she comes up with!
8. Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan: I've pretty much given up on Feehan's books, but I still want to know how Skyler and Dimitri's story goes. Hope I'm not disappointed.
9. Timestorm by Julie Cross: I liked Tempest, still hasn't read the second book but I'll get to it soon!
10. All our Yesterdays #2 by Cristin Terril: I am totally in love with Em, Marina, Finn and James, and I really hope the second book is as wonderful as the first!

There are so many other books I'm super excited about, so this was a tough list to make! What about you, what are your top ten 2014 books?