Tuesday 30 December 2014

Best Books of 2014

2014 was not a good year for me book-wise. I did not read a lot. I started a few new jobs this year that required a lot more time than my previous one, but I also experienced my greatest reading slumps this year. I did however pick up a few gems that I loved this year.

14. The One
The third and thought to be final book in the Selection series was really good in my opinion. We FINALLY get to see who America chooses. Is it Prince Maxon or her childhood boyfriend. I really enjoyed this series. It was cute and a really quick read.








13. Scratch
 Scratch was an emotional read that I really enjoyed. Casey had a tough childhood that left her with some serious scars. She didn't realize that her past was affecting her life until she met Daniel and he forced her to come to terms with what happened to her. I'll be honest I read this book in early September so I can't remember what her childhood trauma was, but I'd love to re-read this to find out. 





12. The Archived and The Unbound
These books were unlike anything else I had read before. The world in this series is so intriguing that I wish our world was like this...kinda. I know a lot of youtubers rave about Victoria Schwab's novel Vicious, but I preferred this series. The characters were adorable and the writing was impressive.




 
11. One The Fence
This was an adorable story about a girl that has always been just one of the  guys with her brother and the boy next door, but soon everything changes. This book was a cute look at first love and an incredible family.







10. Maybe Someday
I don't want to say much about this one in case you haven't read it yet. I loved the major twist. This story was emotional one, but this shouldn't surprise you if you've read any of Colleen Hoover's other books.
*cough* skip Ugly Love *cough*






9. Name of the Star and The Madness Underneath
When I heard that Maureen Johnson wrote a series that involved Jack the Ripper I was eager to read it immediately. I was so not disappointed. Rory moves from Louisiana to London, England and quickly finds herself in the center of another Jack the Ripper...or is it the same killer who viciously murdered women in 1888? I loved the paranormal aspects of the books as well as the quirky characters.



8. Clipped Wings and Inked Armor
These books are based on one of my favourite Twilight fan fictions. This fact alone has made them eligible for this list. :)









7. Rebel Belle
This book was crazy, but crazy good too. Southern bell, Harper Price is thrown into becoming something that she never imagined. She has new powers and is responsible for protecting the one kid in school that drives her crazy. This recipe for disaster was a really fun read and I cannot wait for the next one.






6. Stay With Me
This is the third book in the Wait For You series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This book stood on it's own two feet, but also incorporated the characters from Wait For You that I just loved. Hell even Cam and Avery's turtles made an appearance. Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing is really good and I fully intend to read more from her in 2015.





5. Isla and the Happily Ever After
If you didn't read (and love) this book than you probably haven't been introduced to Stephanie Perkins' amazing writing. Just go ahead and pick up Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After right now. Just go. You can come back to the blog later. ;)






The last 4 books are basically tied for first place because they are just so good, so just remember that.

4. Breakable
This is Easy told from Lucas' perspective. It gives a lot of insight into what he was thinking and feeling throughout the time he fell in love with Jacqueline as well as what his childhood was like. Incredible read. 







3. Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress 

These are an incredibly written recreations of some of your favourite childhood stories. Cinderella becomes Cinder, Little Red Riding Hood becomes Scarlet, and Rapunzel becomes Cress. The books are placed in the future and have really interesting sci-fi elements that are really interesting.

2. The Darkest Minds and Never Fade

Children are getting sick and developing powers that terrify the adults and this results in them getting sent to concentration camps. The powers are ranked by colours reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues. The Darkest Minds follows some of those children and their lives inside the concentration camps as well as their lives outside of them. These books remind you that society fear the unknown. Even if you do not think that these books will be your thing, check them out. I didn't think I'd like them either, but clearly I do. :)

1. Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire

I cannot thank Regan from Peruse Project enough for making a video about Throne of Glass. This series is just amazing. Celaena is a kickass assassin who just happens to be a gorgeous woman. She can kill a guy all while looking amazing, but also not caring if she doesn't look perfect. 
I am not doing this series justice, so just pick up a copy of the books and dig in.

Well there you go. These were my favourite 14 in 2014. What were yours? Are any of them the same as mind? Do tell!

Monday 29 December 2014

Stay with Me (Wait for You #3)

Goodreads Summary 

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.
 

My Thoughts
I read Wait For You and Trust In Me a few years ago and really enjoyed Avery and Cam's story. J. Lynn is really good at writing about heartbreaking people without making the story cheesy or overdone. I knew there was a book about Cam's sister Teresa and his best friend Jase, but I thought I knew everything I needed to know about those two and decided to read Stay With Me instead. I'm glad I did. Having said that though, I will be going back to read Teresa and Jase's story because I love J. Lynn's writing so much.

This book had me laughing out loud, crying, and wiggling in my seat. All three make this a good book.  The characters were just as good as in her other books. Calla had a terrible childhood that left her with scars that she cannot hide. Jax is the gorgeous bartender at her mother's bar. He also happens to be really interested in Calla and she is not used to the attention. They were endearing to read about. They had their problems and Calla had her insecurities (don't blame her one bit), but they were so adorable that I didn't mind the drama.

I think that if you already know that you like Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing style than you will love this book, but be sure to start with Wait for You.  

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Thursday 18 December 2014

Girl Online (Girl Online #1)

Goodreads Summary 
Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.


My Thoughts
I have to start by saying that I am so proud of Zoe for writing this book! If you watch her videos  or follow her blog than you probably know that she enjoys writing. She has mentioned a few times in vlogs that she used to write as a child and her blog (sure is filled with amazing photography as well) is really well written.  I think that it took guts for her her to put pen to paper (ok probably all done on her laptop) and write this novel. Great job Zoe!

Girl Online follows Penny, a small town blogger.  Penny's life mirrors Zoe's in a lot of ways. They both have adorable brothers, dads who are amazing cooks, and of course they both blog. I know that she has gotten some bad reviews because of the similarities, but I think that's unfair.  It's hard to not think about the fact that Penny is so much like Zoe. Yes their family dynamics are different and other than a few other minor differences they are remarkably similar, but of course they are! This is (unless you count the ones she wrote in her childhood bedroom) Zoe's first novel. Of course she is going to write about what she knows. I loved that she incorporated so much of her experiences in this.

I think that Girl Online is a perfect book for a teenage. This book talks about issues like bullying, insecurities that we all have growing up, first loves, the scary online world, and of course anxiety. I loved the blog posts that Penny writes. I found her to be an inspirational voice and one that could really help a lot of people.

I think that if you are a fan of Zoe's than you will really love this.

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