Reading Right Now! (96)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Lies I Told (Lies I Told #1) by Michelle Zink-- I have been reading very slowly this week. I think the holiday season really had an effect on my reading. It's not even that I've been super busy, it's just that I've been in a mood where I'll do something else rather than pick up a book.

This book is pretty interesting. It's about this family of grifters. Basically, they go to new places, scout out the wealthy, get close to them, and steal their money. They are con artists, liars, and they are always putting on an act to trick their marks. Our main character, Grace, was adopted into this family. She grew up in foster care, with some not so nice foster families, so she is very grateful to her adopted parents, so grateful that she is willing to participate in the crimes. She has an adopted brother too. This con is in the ultra rich community of Playa Hermosa. Her job is to get close to a boy named Logan, his father is the rich, rich mark.

I'm just kind of interested in this. The parents are just so wrong, because I'm pretty sure they only adopted these kids for use in their cons. Sometimes teenagers are more easily accepted than adults. 

As I said before, I've had kind of a weird reading week, so I've been reading this one kind of slow. I'm on page 120ish. I think if I wasn't in a weird mood, this would be a book I'd fly right through. It has very short chapters, and I do have a soft spot for books that involve criminals and criminal enterprises. It kind of reminds me a little teeny bit of Revenge (the TV show) and another TV show that I can't remember the name of. It's a show that has former con people that now help save people. It's driving me crazy that I can't remember what it's called, Oh well.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Review: Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged (Splintered #2)

Author: A.G. Howard

Published by: Amulet Books

Released: 2014

Source: Library

Summary: Alyssa chose the Human Realm over Wonderland after her escapades there the past year. She's embraced her human life, cherishes the time she has with her parents, and eagerly awaits her boyfriend Jeb coming home from London. 

Then, an electric blue moth comes to visit. Morpheus says Alyssa must come back to Wonderland because it is in chaos. Queen Red has escaped her cemetery prison, and is out to get revenge against Alyssa. Does Alyssa let Wonderland heal itself, or should she save it? She'll have to decide who she wants to be and where she belongs.

My Thoughts: Now, I must admit that I wasn't in love with Splintered, the first book, when I read it. I really struggled with the whole Wonderland world and the sensory overload of weirdness that it was. I'm sad to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Unhinged either. I kind of felt like this book was pointless in relation to furthering the series. Nothing really happened overall. All it was was Alyssa struggling between Wonderland and the Human Realm, and never really deciding until the very end. I mean, I didn't hate the book, I just really questioned the point of it. Sure Alyssa found out some secrets about her family, but not enough secrets to fill a 380+ page book.

I also got really tired of Alyssa's jealousy in this book. The love triangle really irritated me too. In Splintered, I shipped Alyssa with Jeb. In Unhinged, I really didn't care if Alyssa ended up with either, just because she annoyed me so much. I mean, I'll always choose Jeb over Morpheus, just because I do not like that moth boy.

I do not get the appeal of Morpheus. It always seems like he's the cause of Alyssa's problems. He's manipulative, using people to get what he wants, no matter the consequences. He also doesn't do a good job of telling the truth. I don't think I can ever ship him with Alyssa, just because of how much I despise him.

The ending was also a little irritating, in that it wasn't one. Just a big old, What The Heck! cliffhanger that drove me mad!

I know this is pretty much a negative review, but it's just what I honestly thought of the book. I don't think this will ever be my favorite series, but because of the way I know I am, I know I have to read all the books in the series. I don't think the writing is bad, I'm just not a fan of the crazy Wonderland and some of the characters. I really did feel like this was just an unneeded book. Nothing overall really happened. We'll see what happens in the third book.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

A Whole Bunch of Nothing.

My Thoughts: Falling Skies Seasons 1-5 (SPOILERS)

So in 2016, I binged a lot of shows thanks to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and by checking out DVDs from my local library. I'm a bit of a TV junkie and am not ashamed. One show that I was interested in seeing was Falling Skies. I thought it had a really intriguing premise. Aliens invade, and they are not friendly! They are determined to wipe out the human race, or use them as mindless slaves, and it's up to the remaining survivors to fight and save the Earth. Sounds super good right?

So What Did I Think Of It???

I Will Elaborate...

Season 1: Season 1 was all right. I was interested in the alien aspect. The enslaved children aspect was pretty tragic. I didn't like the whole military aspect to it, the Second Massachusetts. I don't understand why people struggling to survive, who really have no military experience, would be organized and motivated enough to join up with these militias. All the military jargon just got on my nerves. It felt unneeded and just so annoyingly extra in this world. Unfortunately, the military aspect continues on through the whole series, which is just stupid.

I enjoyed the family aspect of Tom and his boys. Anne was all right. I think the actress that plays her would make a perfect, live-action Pocahontas.

The ending of Season 1 was pretty dumb though. Tom just walking on to this alien ship for a pretty weak reason. He wasn't abducted, he went on it willingly.

Season 1 was all right, it let me with enough curiousity to watch on to the next season. 

Season 2: Season 2 was all right. I really enjoyed the whole rebellion aspect of rebel Skitters fighting with the Second Mass. That Red Face Painted Skitter was one cool alien. I again liked that family aspect of the Masons. I liked how Ben was a bigger part of the show.

I think this Season was where I started to get annoyed with Tom Mason, a little. I thought it was dumb how he just wondered back into camp and claimed he was abducted. I'm having a hard time remembering all the stuff that happened in Season 2.

I think I remember just finding some of the ending action laughable. Like I felt more sorrow for the death of a rebel alien then I did for a human character. His name was Dai, and he had like maybe 7 or 8 lines in the whole two seasons that he was in. So when he died, it didn't tear me apart, not because he was an awful character, just because he was a flat character that they could have made into someone special, but didn't.

It did have an exciting/intriguing ending with the appearance of another alien race. Again, enough to interest me in watching the next season.

Season 3: Season 3, I enjoyed, at least until the last 3 episodes. Season 3 starts off with a great big helping of action and explosions, which made it exciting. They 2nd Mass has arrived at a kind of safe space. Anne and Tom welcome the birth of their baby girl. The baby starts acting oddly, which was interesting.

Things I didn't understand, Hal's paralysis. Why?

Things that were pretty interesting and scary, the little alien bugs that killed Lourdes' boyfriend, those were terrifying.

Season 4: Season 4 opened much the same way that Season 3 did, which I thought lacked originality. I think this Season I was just more annoyed with Falling Skies than anything else. I had given it the benefit of the doubt, I wanted it to be good, and this Season I realized that it was never going to be good. 

Things that were just stupid in this Season. The stupid love triangle between Hal, Ben, and Maggie. Why? Just Why? Lexi growing up into a blonde, blue-eyed, alien-hybrid. Again, Why? Just Why? The whole let's go to the moon and blow up the power source. Why? Just Why? Killing Lexi by ramming her into the moon. They could have done something cool with Lexi, but it's like they didn't even try. The weird camp that Matt was trapped in... weird. The prison camp that Hal, Tom, and Colonel Weaver were trapped in... weird. And even worse, the fact that Tom could escape his little prison pad and roam the streets, but he hid it from Colonel Weaver. Tom is the worst.

Season 5: I wasn't expecting anything much from Season 5, but I was determined to see it through and finish the series, since I'd already watched everything else. And Season 5 was just bleh. The longer I watched the show, the more annoyed I got at Tom. He's not a good leader. He has an awful yelling voice. Overall, I just wasn't impressed by him. The ending was also just bleh. All that build up for a lackluster ending. So disappointing. And I didn't like what they did with Pope. What was that?

Overall thoughts: Bleh, Bleh, Bleh. This series had such promise and ended up as such a disappointment. In my opinion, it suffered from lazy writing and an inflated sense of ego. They talked about this show like it was the best thing ever, like it's nothing that's ever been on TV before. In reality, this is just a bad, bad copy of The Walking Dead. They tried to capture that Walking Dead popularity with aliens, but they failed miserably.

These are just my own opinions. If you want to watch the show, then do it. I just didn't like it and would not recommend. All images were from google image searches.

Review: Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

Various Authors

Edited by: April Genevieve Tucholke

Published by: Dial Books

Released: 2015

Source: Library

Summary: Once upon a dark and stormy night, 14 authors came together with the purpose to scare you silly. The creepy, the crawly, and the messed-up reside within these pages. The nightmares will be real once you encounter the monsters within. Let the screams for mercy begin.

My Thoughts: WINNING! This was an awesome anthology of scary stories. Sometimes stories promise to be scary, but end up only as disappointments. All the stories collected in this volume have deliciously creepy and sinister vibes to them. I really thought this was great. I didn't hate any of the stories, and I loved how dark they all were. My favorites of the bunch were: In The Forest Dark and Deep by Carrie Ryan, which  involves the most messed-up tea party, Hide-And-Seek by Megan Shepherd, a game played like her life depended on it, and On the I-5 by Kendare Blake, in which a deadly cycle is brought to life.

Another cool thing about all these stories is that they are all inspired by books or movies. It was fun to try and guess what inspired them. And the end of each story revealed the inspiration.

Really, really enjoyed this anthology. It succeeded on the creepy scary, which can be a tough thing to do. I definitely recommend it to horror loves and it's perfect for Halloween.

All The Stories in the Anthology and What I Rated Them

The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Rem Suma - 3.5/5

In the Forest Dark and Deep by Carrie Ryan - 4.5/5 - FAVORITE!

Emmeline by Cat Winters 3.5/5 - creepy

Verse Chrous Verse by Leigh Bardugo - 3/5

Hide-And-Seek by Megan Shepherd - 4/5 - FAVORITE!

The Dark Scary Parts And All by Danielle Page - 3/5

The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke - 3.5/5

Fat Girl With A Knife by Jonathan Maberry - 3.5/5 - always love my zombies

Sleepless by Jay Kristoff - 3.5/5

M by Stefan Bachmann - 3.3/5

The Girl Without A Face by Marie Lu - 3/5 - This was the most disappointing story in the collection. So predictable.

A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow by McCormick Templeman - 3.5/5 - One of the most intriguing stories.

Stitches by A.G. Howard - 3.5/5

On the I-5 by Kendare Blake - 4/5 - FAVORITE!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

BOO!

Reading Right Now! (95)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch-- This story is soooo cute, fast-paced, and really transports you to Italy. I'm really enjoying it. I kind of find myself just getting so caught up in the writing, that I read like 20 to 30 pages in no time flat. I think Jenna Evans Welch might be an author that I have to follow.

This story is all about this girl named Lina who's mother dies from an illness. She's sent to Italy to live with a father that she's never met. Her mother also sent a journal for Lina to read that takes her on a journey throughout Italy. She's following in her mother's footsteps, and learning secrets of her mother's life. And of course she also meets a boy.

This book is kind of addicting. It makes me want to go to Italy and eat gelato, and just see the beauty of it, which is saying something because I'm pretty much a boring homebody. Yes, yes, yes, I'm liking this one. I'll finish this off with weekend reading time to spare.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Review: The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman

Title: The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1)

Author: Alison Goodman

Published by: Viking

Released: 2016

Source: Library

Summary: Lady Helen Wrexhall lives in 1812 England. Her main concerns in life are attending parties, visiting friends, living the genteel life, and procuring herself a good marriage. She is a lady of her time. Helen then starts realizing she's not a normal girl, and her hearing has gotten sharper. With the miniature her mother left her, she can see the life forces surrounding people.

She discovers that her mother was part of the Dark Days Club, a group dedicated to ridding the world of evil, demon-like creatures called Deceivers. Helen has inherited her mother's abilities, which is extremely rare. Helen must now decide where her destiny lies, does she become a Reclaimer, even if it means giving up her good name? It's hard to be a genteel lady and a demon hunter all at the same time.

My Thoughts: I was super excited to see this book on my library shelf, and I had to snatch it up. I'd heard the buzz about it on booktube, and it sounded like something I'd really enjoy. In the end, my feelings about The Dark Days Club are kind of mixed.

I feel like I got drawn in by the book media hype and was a little let down. It wasn't exactly as epic and awesome as I thought it was going to be. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it like I thought I was going to. 

My real main issue with the book was that it was soooo slow and drawn out. At first, I was okay with the slow pace, because I thought it was just build up and introduction to the main story. I was sure as soon as the demon aspect got introduced, it would turn into an action-packed adventure. Unfortunately, that never happened, the story just stayed slow. I also felt that it was too long. Too many pages with not enough going on.

What this book really is, is just an overlong introduction to a new series. It just sort of touches on the action that I hope is to come in the next book.
Probably my favorite part of the book was the historical, Regency England feel. The author did a lot of research, and you can definitely tell. I've always been a fan of Regency Romances, so I enjoyed getting that time period in this book. It did make me realize though how boring a lady's life in that time was. They didn't really have a lot to do. Their time was mainly filled with going to parties, visiting with acceptable people, and dressing up in the fashions of the time. Women didn't have a lot of freedom and weren't really allowed to be themselves.

I had a lot of questions about The Reclaimers and The Dark Days Club that never really got answered. What caused Helen's abilities to appear when they did? When was she going to get the training? Why in this whole book were there only two fights with demons? Also, I really wanted to know what happened to Lord Carlston's missing wife Elise. With the number of times she was mentioned, I wanted some sort of answer.

I also thought that the Regency and the demons never really came together. They never meshed well, and felt like two separate entities. I thought it was cool what the author was trying to do, but it just never came together and felt like a success.

I also didn't get the out-of-nowhere love interests. It seemed after pages and pages of Helen being uninterested, suddenly she was smitten. It just felt weird.

In the end, I just thought The Dark Days Club was an okay read. It didn't turn out to be exactly what I was hoping for. I liked it enough to check out the sequel when it comes out. It really just felt like a long, slow introduction to a new series. I wish I had loved it more.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.3/5

A little too long and slow

Review: Eve (#1) by Anna Carey

Title: Eve (Eve #1)

Author: Anna Carey

Published by: Harper

Released: 2011

Source: Library

Summary: Eve lost her mother to a virus that wiped out 98% of the population. Eve was then taken to an all girls school where girls are trained in the arts and languages in order to become valued members and workers in the City of Sand. Eve is at the top of her class, and on the eve of her graduation ceremony. She can't wait to go to the building across the river where she will receive her four years of intensive training related to her field. 

One night, Eve peers into a window of that building across the river and discovers a dark and disturbing truth to what the future holds for her and the other girls. Eve escapes the Academy, and runs into the wilds of New America. In the wilds she fights to survive, learns the reality of this harsh world, and discovers what love really is. A thrilling start to a new dystopian/post-apocalyptic series by the talented Anna Carey.

My Thoughts: What a Great, Great Book! This book is one of the forgotten gems of the YA dystopian genre. It's a great book, full of action, adventure, and the thrill of first love placed in a very interesting and disturbing setting of New America. I just really enjoyed the whole journey this book took me on.

I really enjoyed the characters of this book. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like Eve. She seemed like a teachers pet, good two-shoes type of character, but as the novel went on, and she escaped from the Academy, I really started to like her and fear for her more and more. I also liked the friendship journey between her and Arden.

I loved Caleb! He kind of became one of my YA Fiction crushes. He was such a good guy, so honorable, gentlemanly, and just a great guy for Eve to be with. The ending of this book just about killed me in the way things happened. Eve and Caleb are a great pair, they deserve to have the happiest ending this New America can provide for them.

I also really enjoyed the thought that went in to the teachings of this New America. Just the amount of brain washing and lies the Academy taught these girls. The whole class dedicated to not trusting and fearing men was fascinating. And watching Eve discover the truth was so good.

The emotion, the feels in this book were top notch. There were some scenes where I shed a tear, others where I was yelling at Eve to run or stop being an idiot, and still more scenes where I couldn't help saying AWWW. I just really loved the journey this book took me on and can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy so I can find out what happens to Eve, Arden, and Caleb.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

A Dystopian Gem!

Reading Right Now! (94)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook-- The main reason I picked this up was because I read With Malice by Eileen Cook earlier this year, and really liked it, so I decided to see what else she'd written. Turns out, she's written a lot of contemporary books with issues, which I'm game for. Issue books might not be the main thing that calls to me on the shelf, but I like to think of myself as a reader who will read almost anything (unless you force me to read something, then I won't want to read it). So this book deals with adoption and suicide. Our main character Avery has grown apart from her friend Nora. The thing that brought them together was the fact that they were both adopted. Avery is shocked when Nora takes her own life and it kind of sends her on a journey she hadn't contemplated before.

I think the adoption angle will be really interesting to read about. I would imagine that there is always that big question of where did I come from and why did they give me up. The suicide angle is more sad. Suicide is just such a tragic and difficult thing to wrap your head around. So I'm interested to see how the book tackles all that stuff.

I'm about 50+ pages in so far, and I'm enjoying it. I think I'll check out more of Eileen Cook's stuff.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Review: London Eye (Toxic City #1) by Tim Lebbon

Title: London Eye (Toxic City #1)

Author: Tim Lebbon

Published by: PYR

Released: 2012

Source: Library

Summary: In the year 2017, London was hit by a terrorist attack. An agent was released on the populace, and no one was allowed to go in or out of the city. Two years later, London is still sealed off, and nobody knows what happened to the people who were in the city that day. There are rumors of massive casualties and victims turning into inhuman mutants.

Jack, Sparky, Jenny, and Lucy-Anne were all impacted by that fateful day. Sparky, Lucy-Anne, and Jack all had family in London that day, that they've never heard from since. 

This group of friends is determined to enter the Toxic City, but they might not like everything they find there.

My Thoughts: Quite an enjoyable and intriguing book. I really loved the atmosphere of Toxic City London. Buildings being taken over by nature and the general emptiness of it all. I also really enjoyed the concept of these survivors of the Doomsday Attack changing and developing mutant powers from this drug called Evolve.

My only problem with this book is that it really didn't have enough backstory or character development. I didn't feel that I really knew the characters at first, they were sort of distant from me. I also really didn't like Lucy-Anne. She just annoyed me. When you go into a dangerous city, the smart thing to do is keep your head down and assess the situation, not flip out, and go running and screaming around the city like an idiot. I also hated how she just left her "friends" in the dust. Just how quickly she threw them away.

As for the backstory, I just wanted a better understanding of what led up to this new London. There were really interesting blurbs at the beginnings of each chapter, containing news stories on the day of the attack, I would have loved those little blurbs, and more, to be combined into a prologue or something. I also would have really liked to have seen the friendship development.

I really did enjoy this story. It had a great, cinematic feel to it that would be perfect for a television show or movie. And the ending was very intriguing. I now have to read on to find out what happens next.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Awesome Cinematic Feel. Make this into a show pronto!

Review: Flesh and Bone (Rot and Ruin #3) by Jonathan Maberry

Title: Flesh & Bone (Rot & Ruin #3)

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Published by: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Released: 2012

Source: Library

Summary: Another zombieriffic adventure for Nix, Benny, Lilah, and Chong. With the tragic ending that occurred in Dust & Decay, the gang are struggling to survive in the Rot & Ruin, and find the mysterious jet they saw in the sky. When Benny saves a little girl from zombies, the gang ends up getting split apart, and having to deal with the fanatical Night Church, run by Mother Rose and the scary Saint John. Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong have to evade the crazies, watch out for the zombies, and maybe find the rumored Sanctuary.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The action started on the first page and never slowed down or took a break. Flesh & Bone is another terrific edition to the Rot & Ruin series.

I really love all the characters. Benny and Nix make a good pair, although Nix does have her problems. Lilah is awesome and her fighting skills are magnificent to view. Chong is the much needed sidekick and comic relief. If he dies, I would be so sad.

The introduction of the Night Church with Mother Rose and Saint John was creepy and terrifying. Their motivation and belief system were just so messed up and genuinely scary. Saint John is definitely a villain that should not be taken lightly.

That ending was tragic! I need the next book very soon, just so I can see what happens and see if my favorites survive.

The only thing that annoys me in this series is the thought process towards zombies. In my mind, zombies are not people. The greatest mercy that can be given to a zombie is by ending it. They have no feelings, no hopes, no dreams. They don't deserve the kindness Benny gives to them. I just think that a majority of the problems could have been solved if more zombies were taken out and not allowed to wander the Wasteland. Zombies are a threat, and will continue to be a threat until they are eliminated. So Benny, be a doll and just kill them, and refrain from saying sorry when you do. Some people might think me a monster for this opinion, but the way I see it, all the zombie is, is a shambling corpse, they are not your loved one anymore.

A great zombie series! I can't wait to find out what happens next, and I just ask Jonathan Maberry not to break my heart, and keep my little gang alive and well.

This book also fits into the Diverse Reads Category, if you are interested in that.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Zombies and Sweet Katana Skills!

Reading Right Now! (93)

This week I have a plan! A plan to hopefully get my library addiction back to being almost under control. This weekend, I'm going to try to read a bunch of the comics and mangas that I have checked out from the library. We'll see how this goes.
What I plan on Reading Right Now! is...

 

 

--Death Note, Volume 7: Zero by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

--iZombie, Volume 2: uVampire by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred

--Arata The Legend, Volume 3 by Yuu Watase

--Nailbiter, Volume 2: Bloody Hands by Williamson, Henderson, Guzowski, and Hill

So that is my Reading Right Now! plans. What are you reading?

Review: Mr. Monster (John Cleaver #2) by Dan Wells

Title: Mr. Monster (John Cleaver #2)

Author: Dan Wells

Published by: TOR (A Tom Doherty Associates Book)

Released: 2010

Source: Library

Summary: John Wayne Cleaver stopped a serial killer, but in the process, he let his own Monster out of the cage. John and Mr. Monster are fighting for dominance, and the public at large will only be safe if John wins. 

Just when John thought his town was safe, another killer makes himself known, leaving women's tortured bodies throughout the town. 

John must once again save his town from a killer, and figure out how a diagnosed sociopath can lead a normal, teenage life.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was super excited to pick up Mr. Monster, and it did not disappoint! This story was deliciously creepy. I was excited to be with John Wayne Cleaver again, and really did feel for him as he fought with his darker side. I'm really rooting for John to do the right thing, or the most right thing he can manage, and continue to be the hero I know he can be.

Dan Wells offers such a creepy and compelling character through John. The reader just feels like they are in the messed up head of John, and while we are totally appalled by his fantasies and thoughts, we are cheering him on in the quest to overcome them.

This was just another great book to the series and I'm excited to read more of John Cleaver's story. Also, the villain of this book was terrifying! I don't know how Dan Wells does it. Great book for readers who enjoy the darker, more dangerous side of reading life.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Creepy and Fantastic! Can't wait for the next book.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Books I Want To Finally Read in 2017

There are so many books that sit, and sit, and sit on my shelves without being read. I keep saying that I'm going to get to them, then new shiny books distract me, so I read them instead. I hope that 2017 will be the year that I finally cross some old books off my list. This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is perfect for that. So here's the Top 5 Books I Want To Finally Read in 2017.

  

5. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I need to finally get around to reading this, and 2017 is a good goal to shoot for. I never got on The Hunger Games train when the books came out, but I did get on the train for the movies. I thought the movies were awesome and I finally need to get around to reading the books.

  

4. The Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis: I've just been getting the urge to finally read this series. I love space book and remembered hearing good things about this series, except for the uproar of that cover change. So I would like to read and finish this series in 2017.

  

3. The Starbound Trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: Another series that I would like to finally finish in 2017. I hope to re-read These Broken Stars and then maybe marathon the rest of the series. I remember loving the first book and these covers are just beautiful.

  

2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin: Yet another series that I would love to finally finish in 2017. I remember all the buzz that surrounded this series, and I guess I just want to be a part of it. I read the first book a couple of years ago, so I hope to re-read the first one and then marathon the rest of the series. We'll see how it goes.

1. The City of Bones/The Mortal Instruments Series/The Infernal Devices Series/All the Cassandra Clare books I can: I've had this whole series and other books by Cassandra Clare sitting on my shelves for far too long. I need to finally get around to reading them. It's getting pretty sad that I continue to buy each new installment without having immersed myself in any of the books. I really hope this happens in 2017. I hope, I hope.

AND SUPER #1: My ultimate goals for 2017 are to read more books on my shelves, to get my library addiction semi under control (that one might be pretty difficult), catch up with review books and e-galleys, and finally finish series that I have started years ago.

So those are some of my goals for 2017. I got a little off the Top 5 Wednesday topic, but it was a jumping off point for what I really hope for in 2017. So that was my Top 5 Books I Want To Finally Read in 2017. What are yours? Let me know. And if you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should! Each Wednesday is a new, fun topic to contemplate and consider. Check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers Here!

Review: Fear (Gone #5) by Michael Grant

Title: Fear (Gone #5)

Author: Michael Grant

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Released: 2012

Source: Library

Summary: There's been four months of relative peace in the Dome. Sam has set up a lakeside community. Cain and Albert have been managing the kids in Perdido Beach. The Darkness has been taking a little bit of a break. But peace and safety never last very long in the FAYZ. The Dome is changing. An ugly stain is spreading across its surface. A Blackness so complete, that it threatens to block out the light. The kids of the FAYZ have survived Hunger, Plague, and Lies, but how will they survive absolute darkness and the gaiaphage's next move? Get ready for another thrilling and chilling book in the Gone Series!

My Thoughts: I know I say this with every book in the Gone Series, but it's the truth, so here I go with it again, I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SERIES! It's such riveting, tense, thrilling, dramatic, gasp-inducing reading. I just can't get enough of this series. Fear is another great addition to the series, where more things start to go wrong for the kids in the FAYZ. 

One awesome thing about this series is that it doesn't have a dull or bad book in the bunch. It is all around great reading!

I'm so excited, yet anxious, to read the last book Light. I can't wait to find out how this whole thing ends, but at the same time, I don't want it to end.

I loved Fear. I can't believe that ending. I also really enjoyed getting viewpoints from outside the Dome. Poor Mary and Francis. I can't wait to see what happens next and recommend everyone to START THIS SERIES PRONTO!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 5/5

Fear is Fantastic!

Review: The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom (#1) by Christopher Healy

Title: The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom (Heroes Guide #1)

Author: Christopher Healy

Illustrations by: Todd Harris

Published by: Walden Pond Press

Released: 2012

Source: Library

Summary: Saving a princess and having it immortalized in song by bards should ensure that the public remembers your name, but for Princes Gustav, Duncan, Frederic, and Liam, the girls got all the glory, while they became stuck with the name Prince Charming. Although they all go by Charming, the princes are completely different people. Prince Frederic is scared by almost anything. Gustav goes out of his way to prove his strength and toughness. Liam works hard to be a hero each and every day. Duncan is just oddly lucky. When the kingdoms are threatened, these four Prince Charmings come together to save their kingdoms, and hopefully gain fame with their real names. Full of witches, dragons, giants, trolls, dwarves, sword fights, beets, and the occasional flute, this is one rollicking, medieval good time.

My Thoughts: I really loved reading this book! It is such a great middle grade adventure story, with tons of humor, action, and great characters. This story had so much humor in it, with so many funny and slightly ridiculous scenes and lines. I had such a good time reading this book, and seeing the four characters come together as princes, and eventually friends.

My favorite part was watching Gustav and Frederic become friends. So sweet. Duncan was always a good time, so odd and yet so enjoyable.

I also loved the illustrations by Todd Harris. Each illustration was so well done and matched with the story. While Healy's story was good, the added illustrations made it great!

I LOVED reading this adventure of four unlikely hero princes and their ultimate journey towards friendship. This story was full of humor and fun and adventure and awesome! A great story for readers of any age who fancy a good laugh. I'm excited to see what other adventures lie in story for these princes in the sequel.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5

Go Read Now!

November 2016 Wrap-Up

I decided to do a November Wrap-Up this month, for no real reason other than I wanted to do it, and it would count as more content on the blog. An added plus is, I guess it could be cool to look back and see all the things I read in the month.
In November, I had an average reading month. A couple novels and an equal amount of comic books. I have bypassed my GoodReads 2016 Challenge Reading Goal, Yayy Me!, so any other books I read for the year are just added bonuses.
Here's what I read in November 2016:

      

--The Hunt (The Cage #2) by Megan Shepherd-- Megan Shepherd is one of my favorite authors to read. I love her Madman's Daughter Trilogy. This series is about aliens, and it's been a little weird, but I still enjoy it. A lot of interesting developments happened in this volume. Some stuff that I didn't expect and shocked me. Can't wait to see where it goes in the 3rd book, which I believe will be the last in the series.

--The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories Edited by Martin Harry Greenberg, Richard Matheson, and Charles G. Waugh-- This was probably my favorite of the month. It was a bunch of Original Twilight Stories that became episodes. Each story had the date that it aired and the actors that starred in the episode. It was just really cool. I've been watching The Twilight Zone on Netflix and have been enjoying it. I've been impressed with what they managed to do with the screen technology that they had. I really liked the book because it read like a book written to be enjoyed. The main goal was in telling the stories, not trying to blow people away by super intellectual literary writing (which I don't tend to enjoy that much. Probably a big reason I don't like reading classics) I thought this was fun and will probably check out more Twilight Zone stories in the future.

--Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey-- This one grew on me the more I read it. At first, I wasn't sure if the main character was spunky and cute, or just extremely annoying. I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about her, but she did grow on me the further I read in the book. Buzz Kill is just a cute, almost cozy, mystery about the high school coach being murdered and trying to find the killer. It was good.

--Chew, Volume 5: Major League (Chew #21-25) by John Layman and Rob Guillory-- I always love a Chew Comic, and this one was no exception. These are just fun. They also remind me a lot of Lost. Of Miles and Sawyer teaming up as detective partners dealing with weird stuff.

--Y: The Last Man, Volume 7: Paper Dolls (Issues #37-42) by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, and Jose Marzan, Jr.-- Another comic series that I enjoy. I'm also getting near the end of it, which is exciting and a little scary. It's about the last man on Earth after all the other men die from a mysterious sudden thing. Yorick (the last man) teams up with a doctor and an agent to find the cure and save the world.

--Gotham Academy, Volume 2: Calamity (Gotham Academy #7-12) by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kersch-- This was probably the most disappointing read for me the whole month just because I liked the first Volume so much and this one left me wanting. It started off weird, which threw me off, but by the end it got more on track with the story, so I enjoyed it more.

--Locke & Key, Volume 5: Clockworks by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez-- This is an interesting comic series. It's definitely fun to read. I've only got one more Volume to read and I can see how everything ends. This Volume was full of backstory, which was interesting to read.

Favorite Read of the Month

Shouldn't be that surprising. I liked it because it was fun.

Started But Didn't Finish

Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard

About halfway through. This series and I are not friends, will never be friends. I want to read the whole thing just so I can see how it all ends. I'm probably going to pick up the novella book too. I have a problem with quitting things. If I started it, I have to read them all, just to see if it gets better. Current thoughts: I don't like Morpheus at all and Alyssa's getting on my nerves too.

So that's how my November 2016 of reading went. How did yours go?

Review: Her Sky Cowboy (The Glorious Victorious Darcys #1) by Beth Ciotta

Title: Her Sky Cowboy (The Glorious Victorious Darcys #1)

Author: Beth Ciotta

Published by: Signet Eclipse

Released: November 6, 2012

Source: Library

Summary: When Amelia Darcy's beloved father dies in an explosion, she is heart broken. Her life continues to unravel as it is revealed that her father died penniless and left nothing for his family. When Amelia sees an advertisement in the paper, offering a huge monetary prize for an artifact of historical scientific significance, Amelia jumps at the chance of adventure and money to ease her family's woes.

Amelia sets off to find the artifact her father had once told her about. Along the way, she crashes into Tucker Gentry, the famous Sky Cowboy. They feel instant attraction for each other and team up to find the prize, while dodging enemies who want it too.

My Thoughts: I was hoping for a fun steampunk read, and while I did get that, I also got a massive amount of sexytime, which I wasn't really craving. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because the title did kind of hint that it could be one of those books. I really ended up enjoying the adventure and the story.

My favorite part had to be the world building. The aspects of time travel, Vics, Mods, and the Freaks were really cool concepts to consider and was probably one of the best parts of the book. The downside was that there was just too much thought, attention, and detail put into sex.

Tucker Gentry always had SEX on the brain, and it got a tad annoying at times.

So, definitely an adult read with lots of sexy time, but for anyone who loves good, steampunk world building, you should definitely give this one a shot.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Really cool world full of skyships, time travel, Vics, Mods, and Freaks!

Reading Right Now! (92)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard-- This is the third and final book in the Splintered Trilogy (except for an extra book that has novellas in it and maybe like an epilogue thing) and I can't wait to be finished with it. I'm not the biggest fan of this series. And I know, what's the point of reading the books if you don't like them? Well, I have this weird thing, almost like a compulsion, where if I start something, I have to finish it eventually. I also like to give all the books a chance. The first book could suck, but say the third book is perfection! I don't want to miss potential awesomeness, and I don't want to give up without giving the read every opportunity to impress me. It's the same reasoning as to why I don't DNF books. I just don't like it, it gives me a weird feeling inside. Because of this compulsion, I have read some books and series that I was not a fan of at all. So far, this has been one of those series. My main problem with it has been the world is just waaaay too weird. I can't get down with it. I also hate Morpheus. And lately, Alyssa has been getting on my nerves as well.

I'm about 80 pages into this third volume, and I'm just feeling a great big pile of MEH so far. Things are happening and I just don't care. I don't feel any of the urgency or anxiety over what can/will/might happen to the characters. 

Once I finish this, I do plan on reading the extra novella book, just so I can say I read them all and close the Splintered chapter in my life.

What I Hope To Read Next...

--Lies I Told (#1) by Michelle Zink-- Randomly picked this up off the library shelf and I thought it looked good. After checking to make sure it was either the first in a series or standalone, (cause don't you hate when that happens!? You think you're just getting a book to read and it turns out to be the 2nd, 4th, or 15th book in a series! That just messes with me. I have to read them in order.) I checked it out. It sounds like something I would like. I've been a big fan of books that involve main characters who are involved in criminal enterprises. Like heists, cons, crime families, that sort of thing. I don't necessarily like that they are involved in crime, but just that they are usually characters who are okay with breaking the rules and being morally ambiguous. Anyway, I hope to get to this book, because I am out of renewals and the due date quickly approaches.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading? If you live in America, I hope you're having a fantastic holiday weekend, and if you live somewhere where it isn't a holiday, I hope you have a great weekend too!

Review: Undone (Outcast Season #1) by Rachel Caine

Title: Undone (Outcast Season #1)

Author: Rachel Caine

Published by: ROC

Released: 2009

Source: Library

Summary: Cassiel has spent centuries as a Djinn, a powerful being who watched the world's events from afar. Cassiel has no interest in humans, or humanity, and regards them mostly with apathy. When Cassiel rejects a command from her master Ashan, he throws her out of the Djinn, strips her of her powers, and traps her in a human body. Cassiel is now stuck as the one thing she hates, and to stay alive, she must draw power from a Warden.

Cassiel is partnered with Manny Rocha, and begins a journey into what being human really is.

My Thoughts: I'm going to do my best to keep my thoughts short and sweet as I make this mini review. This is the first Rachel Caine book I've ever read, and I'm kicking myself for waiting this long. I very much enjoyed this book. Granted, I was a little confused because this is a spin-off series to Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series, and I definitely should have started there first.

This book was awesome. It played out like a movie with all the twists, turns, and action. Really enjoyable reading. I also found the character of Cassiel to be pretty fascinating. She started off so foreign, so Djinn, but throughout the novel, she just grew more and more human.

And Ahhh that ending! It can't even be called an ending if it ends with a TO BE CONTINUED... 

I must pick up the next book ASAP!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

I sense more books by Rachel Caine in my future!

Reading Right Now! (91)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...
I'm actually between books at the moment. I just finished one, and now I have to decide what I'm going to read next. I could get through all of these this weekend, or at least make dents in them. Here are my options.

   

--Chew, Volume 5: Major League by John Layman and Rob Guillory--

--Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard--

--Y: The Last Man, Volume 7: Paper Dolls by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, and Jose Marzan, Jr.--

--Gotham Academy, Volume 2: Calamity by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl--

Those are my options for the week. Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? And most importantly, What Are You Reading Right Now!?

P.S. Have a good weekend!

All book cover images come from www.goodreads.com