Wishlist Wednesday

This week, my wishlist book is one I will probably buy ASAP. I can't believe I haven't gotten it already. I'm seriously going through withdrawals.

With All My Soul (Soul Screamers 7) by Rachel Vincent

What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...

After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has....

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

If I'm recommending to someone I don't know very well, I tend to stick to more broader range of books, than just Paranormal. So here's my go to General List!

1. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. 

I mean, really, who hasn't read those books and didn't fall in love with them?

3. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice.

4. A Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy by Libba Bray. 

Mystical and romantic, it's an amazing story!

5. Into The Wild by  Jon Krakauer.

6. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. 

Okay, so maybe not a completely truthful memoir (and maybe Oprah does have it out for the guy), but still a touching story.

7. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

Zombies. Need I say more?

9. The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

10. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

Okay, I couldn't resist. One major Paranormal Romance. At least.

"The Indigo Spell" by Richelle Mead

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Bloodlines #3
Format: Hardcover, 401 pages
Publication: February 12, 2013 by Razorbill
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

I loved, LOVED, this book!!! Sydney has turned into this amazing kick-butt heroine, completely worthy of her own series! This third installment to the Bloodlines series has everything a reader could ask for- action, secret cults, witches, vampires, romance, plot twists, adventure, and of course- ADRIAN! Honestly, I couldn't put it down!

What I really enjoyed about this book was how Richelle Mead just takes characters and molds them into these amazingly "real" people. When I first met Sydney, I didn't honestly care for her. I mean, who would- she was basically trashing our heroine Rose in Vampire Academy. But thankfully, we have watched Sydney actually grow into this fiercely loyal, not to mention powerful, person. It's been an amazing transformation, and it's been real. But it's not just Sydney, Adrian has also undergone some major changes as well, giving us a look into why he and Sydney connect so epically. Which brings me to another reason why I devoured this awesome book- the romance!

When I first heard that there was going to be a romance involving the two of these, my initial reaction was like "What....seriously?" And now Mrs. Mead has to be sitting there laughing at all of us who doubted and are begging for more. I don't know how she pulled it off (well, I do, she IS Richelle Mead after all), but Sydney and Adrian are absolutely perfect together. They somehow fit and balance each other, and you can't help but root for these two despite their odds of making it out alive.

I highly recommend this series! If you loved Vampire Academy, you will love Bloodlines!

My Rating: 

"The Golden Lily" by Richelle Mead

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Bloodlines #2
Format: Hardback; 418 pages
Publication: June 12, 2012 by Razorbill
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

 So, I'll admit it. I wasn't a HUGE fan of the first Bloodlines novel. I mean, I LOVE Adrain. I've always been his #1 fangirl. While everyone else was screaming for Dimitri in Vampire Academy, I was rooting for Adrian. But for some reason, I just wasn't overly crazy about Bloodlines. I mean, I liked it ok, but it was no V.A. However, The Golden Lily completely won me over! Sydney is starting to come into herself and develop stronger bonds between the other characters, making this series really come together. Not to mention, the secretive world of The Alchemists, holds more secrets then even Sydney thought, making the series one of my top favorite. If you love Richelle Mead's writing, then you definitely do not want to miss out on this series!

My Rating:

"Point of Retreat" by Colleen Hoover

Genre: New Adult
Series: Slammed #2
Format: Kindle
Publication: February 25, 2012
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart.
Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’

Told from Will's POV, "Point of Retreat" takes place almost a year later from the first novel, "Slammed". After facing monumental heartache in the last book, you would think Will and Layken would finally catch a break, but unfortunately for them, life always seems to get harder before it gets better.

Okay, so if I'm reading a New Adult book, it's usually because I wanna have "The Feels" (aka- being an extreme girl and overly emotional), and "Point of Retreat" has that and MORE. If you plan on reading these books, have a box of tissues ready. Seriously. I cried, I laughed, I sobbed. I also screamed at my Kindle and threatened it, but that may just be me.

What I really loved about this book was how amazing the characters are, the old and the new, and while there were times I thought Will was a tad bit overly emotional, I still fell in love with him as well. This is simply, just a beautiful love story about two young adults who are trying to thrive in life, despite the fact that life is almost making it impossible.

My Rating:

"Doctor Who: The Stone Rose" by Jacqueline Rayner

Genre: TV-To-Book/ SC-Fi
Series: New Series Adventures #7
Publication: April 10, 2012
Format: Audio read by David Tennant
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

Mickey is startled to find a statue of Rose in a museum—a statue that is 2,000 years old. The Doctor realizes that this means the TARDIS will shortly take them to Ancient Rome, but when it does, he and Rose soon have more on their minds than sculpture. While the Doctor searches for a missing boy, Rose befriends a girl who claims to know the future—a girl whose predictions are surprisingly accurate. But then the Doctor stumbles on the hideous truth behind the statue of Rose—and Rose herself learns that you have to be very careful what you wish for.

I'll be honest here, I bought this audio book simply because I seen it was read by David Tennant and it was Doctor Who. I mean, it's pretty impossible not to like anything that involves those two, am I right? I've read TV-to-Book's before when I was younger, so I had an idea of what I was getting into. If you're expecting extensive character development, don't look here.

BUT, if you're like me, and looking for something entertaining to listen to on your way to work, then go for it! David's voices of Rose and Mickey were spot on. It was like "watching" a Doctor Who episode right in my car. The plot was interesting and kept up with the usual plots of the TV series, which I really loved.  And you don't have to read the other books in the series before this one. I just happened to stumble across it and bought it, without having read any previous ones. The only thing is, if you haven't watched Doctor Who before, don't bother with this audio book. You'll be completely lost!

My Rating:

It has POEtential!

"Slammed" by Colleen Hoover

Genre: New Adult
Series: Slammed #1
Publication: January 5, 2012
Format: Kindle
Cover Rating: 3/5 Stars

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

 With everything going on in my life right now, it's really been a challenge for me to find time for reading, but somehow, I ended up reading this book in one sitting. I feel like there's something magical that happens when you find one of THOSE books- you know, the really amazing kind that you just have to tell somebody about. I am convinced a time portal opens up just for those books so you can finish them in no time. "Slammed" just happens to be one of those.

I laughed, I cried, and then I sobbed. Colleen Hoover does an AMAZING job by giving her readers "the feels" and sucking them into Lake and Will's world. The characters, the plot, the poetry, the chemistry... all of it was just... wow. It left me speechless.

Not to mention, THE AVETT BROTHERS!!!! Seriously. If you have never listened to these guys, go. Go right now and check them out. Because their the inspiration for this novel. I love how their  music is incorporated and weaved throughout the story. It makes it that much better.

So what are you waiting for?! Go grab you a box of tissues and curl up in bed with Will Slammed!

My Rating:

It was great! Worth buying!

Feature & Follow Friday

Q: What is a book you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

Ohhh this is a had one! I think the book I liked LEAST that all my friends raved about was maybe "Fire Study" by Maria V. Snyder. I didn't hate it, but it was def my least favorite out of the series.

As far as books that I loved that are not very popular... maybe "Evernight" by Claudia Gray?

What about you?

*REMEMBER: Let me know the way(s) in which you follow me and a LINK back to your blog so I can follow you back in the same way(s)!

"Requiem" by Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Dystopian
Series: Delirium #3
Publication: March 5, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 391 pages; 1st Edition
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.
But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.
Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.
Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.
Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge

 I'm not even sure where to begin. I think I'm still in shock that it's actually over. I don't know how to feel! I'm lost, confused, and yes, slightly upset? Maybe? I'm not sure.

I was absolutely DYING when I finished Delirium and Pandemonium because the cliff hangers were just too much for me (but in a good way). But with Requiem I find myself still flipping the pages for more.

Okay, let's get one thing straight before I go into this: I freaking LOVE Lauren Oliver. I do. Her writing is breathtaking and beautiful and will suck anyone into the story. And I LIKED Requiem. Really, I did. The only thing was though... I didn't fall in love with it. Oh, I tried. I really did. But by the time I flipped the last page I felt myself saying "No, please. Don't let it end like this. There has to be MORE."

So here's my brief (and NON SPOILERY) problems with it:

1. It's told from Lena AND Hana's POV. Honestly, I think the story would have been better for me had I just had Lena's story. Sometimes switching up POV is a good thing by the third novel. But with Requiem I just found myself saying "Okay, okay. Hana. Shut-up. I want to get back to Lena now." Not that Hana's story wasn't interesting... but I think it would have been better as a short story.

2. There's no closure. When I read what is presumably the last and final book of a trilogy, I want some freaking closure! However, it's really rare that I actually get this. I loved the last page of this novel- it was insightful, beautiful, and personal. But I still felt like there were questions, very important questions, that were left up in the air.

3. It felt rushed. There is a lot going on in Requiem, and I felt like some of that was lost on me because the story didn't go as in depth as the previous books. Especially since we we're getting two different, but coinciding, stories.

Is that to say you will totally be disappointed in Requiem? No way! Despite my issues, I thought it was a great story! I loved the action and I loved how the war between the cureds and invalids has been amped up. And, like I said, Lauren Oliver is an amazing writer. She really makes you feel like you are part of the story. It is definitely an amazing trilogy and I will be recommending it to anyone I come across!

My Rating:

It was great! Worth buying!

"Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Series: Casters #1
Publication: December 1, 2009 by Little Brown
Format: Paperback; 563 pages
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

With all the hype from the movie coming out, I finally decided to pick up my dusty copy of Beautiful Creatures and read it. At first, I was disappointed. It just wasn't keeping my attention, and honestly, it took me FOREVER to read it. However, I eventually found myself being sucked into the story.

Some of my problems with BC:

• It was too long. I know, I know. Books can never be too long! Well, sometimes they just get too in depth and it takes away from the story's potential. I felt like Beautiful Creatures could have been amazing had they cut out some of the unimportant parts.
• It was cliche. To the point where I wanted to punch someone. I live in a small town in the south. And when I say small, I mean it takes me 25 minutes just to reach a small grocery store- and 40 to reach a Wal-Mart. So, needless to say, I know that small southern towns have a rep for being... narrow minded. But Gatlin (the setting for Beautiful Creatures) was just over the top ridiculous! I get what the authors were trying to put out, but I felt like they went too far. 
• It was ALMOST so original! I think what really aggravated me the most was the POTENTIAL of the story. The idea behind it was just fantastic. However, there was a certain scene/ chapter that was completely un-original. I was so disappointed when I read this particular part- all I kept thinking was "Haven't we seen this OVER and OVER again since like 1970?" 

BUT I have to say, when it was all said and done with, I actually ended up loving the story itself. In fact, I went straight to Amazon when I finished it and bought the rest of the series. Why? Well because like I said, it   had all this potential. I think that as the series goes on, these issues that I have will be fixed (or at least, I hope so). 

My Rating: