2014: Book Reviews (18)

This is going to be the last of this series, which is kind of sad. I'm glad that I did this, even though I have different plans for 2015. I hope your year has been great, and I wish you well for 2015. And now - the books.

The Raven Boys & The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
You might be having déjà vu, I'm having déjà vu. Yes, I reread these books less then a month after reading them for the first time. I wasn't reading anything and wanted to get myself back into it and I just love these books. It's the kind of thing where it I'm completely biased now and you cannot change my opinion about it for anything.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan (3/5)
It was... good. It was cute at points or funny, but I guess since I knew about 85% of these myths, I was just kind of eh. Also - it felt like he was trying to hard, at points, to add in that zingy, silly PJ humor. Which I love, but the constant jokes about modern stuff made me want to hit my head against the wall.

The Clockwork Scarab (Stoker & Holmes #1) by Colleen Gleason (3/5)
This was a lot of fun - steampunk, but with some strange elements. I did enjoy it, but I also wasn't crazy about it. I know there are reasons for it, mostly because I was bored for the first part of it and then wasn't really invested for the stuff. The stakes never felt high, even though they were.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (5/5)
It is no surprise I loved this book - it was witty and fun and ridiculously good. I'm so glad I ended up reading it and am definitely going to trust everyone more about these funny female memoirs.

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco (5/5)
I loved the first chapter or so, just was like: yes, give me more, that was fucking awesome. But I wasn't really in a reading mood, so I didn't force it when I started to loose interests. and I'm really glad I didn't because it is a little slow at points. However - I don't think that's bad, it's just slower, and I really enjoyed this book.

The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #1) by Erika Johansen (4/5)
A fantastic adult.... fantasy/scifi thing. I'd suggest not looking too much into it, if you want to read it, because I didn't and it was kind of a delight to find things out. It's slow at points and some of the writing can drag - but overall I loved this book, the story, and I'm looking forward to book two now.

The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu (3/5)
Good. I liked it. It was dark and strange, but it also dragged a bit, at points, or I just had trouble getting into it. I'm not sure why, but some things just jarred me out of the story a bit. Still, I'm definitely going to be continuing with this series.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (5/5)
This book was fantastic - there's time travel, there's serial killers. There's random things brought up from history that are so obviously heavily researched and I loved that they were there - radium girls, for example, or underground abortion groups. It's very good and very dark. And I highly recommend it if you like, or don't mind, those kinds of things.

And that's it - that's the year. I'm not going to be reading anything else this year, a little surprisingly, but I am very pleased with what I have gotten done. Very pleased. I'll be posting all kinds of things the beginning of January - favorites, a yearly reading wrap-up, most anticipated for 2015. All kinds of things!

See you in the new year.

2014: Book Reviews (17)

Part seventeen, I can't believe how far this little series has gone (and this is definitely not going to be the last part). Before I get onto any tangents - onto the books!

Chew, Vol. 2 & 3 by John Layman (4/5)
Oh man. I keep liking these more and more, great series.

The Wicked and the Divine #2 & The Wicked and the Divine #3 by Kieron Gillen (5/5)
This comic series, I'm going to end up also buying the bind up. It's just gorgeous and I love the colors, and the story/characters.

Old Man's War (Old Man's War #1) by John Scalzi (5/5)
A very interesting book and was intense as hell, at points, but also really funny. I highly recommend Scalzi, and I can't wait to read more books in this series.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad (2/5)
I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but as it went on, I just... eh.

Half-Bad by Sally Green (2/5)
I enjoyed the flashbacks and such more then the actual story, and I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series. (Unless I forget how much I didn't like this one, which is possible).

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
I loved this book more then I expected to. It made me squeal, which hasn't happened in a long time, being so blindly in love with a book.

Click-Clack the Rattlebag by Neil Gaiman (5/5)
A small little audiobook that was free on Audible for Halloween times. It was cute and creepy.

Hawkeye, Vol 3 + Up to #19 by Matt Fraction (5/5)
I love this series - it's fantastic and gorgeous. And I like this Clint, Kate, and the bad guys.

The Dream Thieves (THe Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
I was surprised at how much I loved this one, considering my love for the first one. I never thought a hug would give me so many feels - I love these characters, all of them. So much. Now I want to reread these and read the third one. Gah. (Saying that, I wrote this before rereading them, and now that I've reread them - I still feel the same, I might love them more. So freaking good, but also probably not for everyone with the writing style).

White Cat, Red Gloves, Black Heart (#1-3) by Holly Black (5/5)
I read these book back to back, and I definitely think it made me love it more, but also I was just in the mood for exactly this kind of thing.

Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1) by Dianna Wynne Jones (5/5)
I can't believe how long it took me to read this book, and watch the movie. This is one of those rare moments where I think I liked the movie more? But it's hard to say because I loved both of them, and I think I just think that because I saw the movie first (and Howl's castle was so cool in the movie).

No Plot? No Problem: Revised and Expanded by Chris Baty (5/5)
This is by the lovely creator of NaNoWriMo and it's about writing a book in a month, and I tend to read it every year. And this year I splurged on the new edition, which is signed if you buy it from the NaNo store. Highly recommended.

The Siren (The Original Sinners #1) by Tiffany Reisz (5/5)
I was pleasantly surprised by this, someone recommended it on a post (or to me, I can't remember). And it has pretty high ratings on Goodreads. (Not for younger or squeamish audiences)

Wallbanger (Cocktail #1) by Alice Clayton (3/5)
I wasn't expecting what this was, but it ended up being really cute and funny. I'm not sure if I'll continue on with this series, because I just liked how this ended, but we'll see.

Girl in Love (Kylie Ryans #3) by Caisey Quinn (2/5)
I don't want to talk about the fact that I finished this series, when I was only ever eh about it. These are the things I read at 4am, when I can't focus on worldbuilding and have less energy to be furiously annoyed at the immature way the characters act. Still - it's fun, I guess, which is why I continued with it.

Rock Chick (Rock Chick #1) by Kristen Ashley
I skimmed a lot of this book, I just did not enjoy it. It was boring, at first, a little ridiculous. And then the main love interest made me want to sit the girl down and explain to her that she was a person. And that's all I'm going to say, since I basically DNFed it with the skimming.

The Unknown Unknown by Mark Forsyth (5/5)
This is an essay about bookshops and the importance of them. I really enjoyed it, but I also think some of it was one sided in thought. Because, yes, real bookshops always expose me to stuff I've never heard of, but so do people. Or the internet - people talking about stuff in blogs, forums, videos. I'd of never found quite a few of my recent favorites if it weren't for the internet.

Jackaby by Will Ritter (5/5)
This book was a ton of fun. At the beginning, I wasn't too sure about it, and then I was just sucked in. The atmosphere was interesting, the use of supernatural creatures now often used, or used right (I was sold by a certain banshee, I loved that heart-wrenching depiction, it felt very real and horrible).

2014: Book Reviews (13)

Part thirteen! I, obviously, read a lot of books this year and can't believe how far I fell behind with these. I just kept forgetting about them and kept reading. But I've read a ton of books.

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (4/5, 5/5, 4/5)
I really liked this series and did a full series review - and I'm not sure why I liked it so much. I just think I got drawn in and attached to the characters and that was the end of it (I'm a character person, and they were fun and great).

Zita the Spacegirl Series by Ben Hatke (4/5, 5/5, 5/5)
This was a fun middle grade graphic novel series that was a lot of fun and the characters were awesome and fun. And I really liked the illustrations and the covers. I'd highly suggest this if you like graphic novels and middle grade adventure - because this is both of those shoved together fantastically.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare (4/5)
This was a reread to me and I enjoyed it but it felt a little lacking in parts. Saying that - I read it in one sitting and almost cried, so there's that. I know some people just adore this series, have problems with it or the author - but I read the original three books in middle school, when they were first coming out, and so I might be a little too nostalgic to be objective. (Full series review)

Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant #2) by Derek Landy (5/5)
Second book in this series and I loved it probably just as much as the first one - the dialogue, setting, characters, plot. It was so much fun.

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare (4/5)
For some reason - I like this series better. This one definitely isn't my favorite of this series and it was a reread, but I enjoy the setting and characters. I adore these characters, just all of them. (particularly our three, of course). (series review)

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2) by Cassie Clare (5/5)
I loved this one more then I expected - I didn't expect to like this series as much, and this one was just really good, especially considering it was a second in a series. I'm also not sure I can be non-biased with this one, they're just fun (I'm pretty sure this year, all her books I read, I finished them all in one sitting). (series review)

Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices #3) by Cassie Clare (5/5)
This book. It hurt and I loved it - I think my favorite relationship in this whole series is the one between Will and Jem and it's so painful and kind of stupidly angsty and I kind of loved that? This one hurts. And it's so good. And you should definitely read this one before the end of The Mortal Intrusments. (series review)

City of Fallen Angels (TMI #4) by Cassie Clare (4/5)
Reread. And I honestly remembered almost less then I did of City of Glass, even though I obviously had read this one more recently. And sometimes these teenagers makes me want to shake them, but I also really enjoyed this book, especially having finished The Infernal Devices before this one. There was giggling, I have no regrets. (series review)

City of Lost Souls (TMI #5)  by Cassie Clare (5/5)
New stuff! I hadn't read before! I didn't expect this, I don't know why I just didn't. And I think the reason I loved this one so much was because of how busy I was flailing over ID stuff, like I said, no regrets. But I did enjoy what was going on with kind of everyone - they're all ridiculous and I apparently just gave in embraced this? (series review)

City of Heavenly Fire (TMI #6) by Cassie Clare (5/5)
I finished this book the morning we were getting on a plane to fly to Orlando for LeakyCon (I woke up early, and I have just enough time to finish it). And I'm obviously not going to spoil anything here - but I really, really enjoyed it. It was still ridiculous at points, but also fun (junk food, addictive). I really liked this series and I wasn't going to pick up the next one but if certain characters are going to be in it, I will pick it up for them. (series review)

2014: Book Reviews (12)

I haven't done one of these since September and am now hopelessly behind. Well, not hopelessly, I hope to get most of the remaining up before the end of the year (maybe just not the last one or two, depending on how much I'm reading in December, which I'm hoping will be a lot).

I left off, in part eleven, on This is What Happy Looks Like - which I read in June, so I was behind them. So let's get right into it, then.

Never Stop Shutting Up by Mike Falzone (5/5)
Mike Falzone is a musician and YouTuber (a comedic one), and he's hilarious and a lot of things he says make you go "wow, he has a point there." I had a lot of fun reading this book, it made my six+ hour flight back from LA significantly less painful.

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (3/5)
Cute, interesting, fun. A bit too much of the stereotypical drama and the writing was lacking a little - but it was still fun to read.

Girl with Guitar (Kylie Ryans #1) by Caisey Quinn (3/5)
I think I'm remembering correctly - this was one of those romance books that I read in one sitting when I couldn't sleep at 4/5am (I read a lot of romance books at this time, I don't know why, they're just so easy to read), and this one was short. And surprisingly fun, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you want something that's like 200 pages and doesn't really have too much depth (any depth, from what I remember).

Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack (3/5)
Okay, cute. But also a ton of second hand embarassement and why are you doing that. Also pretty sure I read this in the same situation - early morning, couldn't get back to sleep, this book is 200 pages. Eh.

Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Bosh (5/5)
This book is freaking fantastic. You just need to read it - it's amazing and so good.

In the Shadows by Kiersten White, and Jim Di Bartolo (5/5)
I was surprised by this book, I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this and I was very pleasantly surprised. And i really loved it, I've heard some mixed things, but I don't know if it was right book, right time - but I really enjoyed it, it was fun, the fantasy elements were fun and the illustrations were gorgeous.

I Think I am in Friend Love With You by Yumi Sakugawa
This was short and sweet and so freaking cute and good.

Boxers and Saints (Boxers and Saints #1 &#2) by Gene Luen Yang (5/5)
These are both fantastic and amazing. I've found I love this authors books, I love the magical realism elements. I'd definitely suggest giving this a try (and possibly crying, they're not happy, feel good books).

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (5/5)
I don't know why it took me so long to read this. I knew I was going to love it, I was just putting it off (I have an arc of this book, it's embarrassing). Anyway - I loved this book, so much. Highly recommended. And, also I will always think of it as Severed Heads, Broken Hearts.

Scepter of the Ancients (Skulduggery Pleasant #1) by Derek Landy (5/5)
I really, really enjoyed this book. It was fun and a little ridiculous and I loved it. That's it - go read it, there's a skeleton detective and a kick-ass girl.

And I think that's all I'm going to do for this one - have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? Do you want to read them / have them on your TBR?

2014: Book Reviews (11)

Part eleven - I'm still behind, I was almost caught up and then I didn't post 10 or write this and fell way, way behind again. Maybe I can catch up this month... (wishful thinking never actually hurt anyone, right?) Anyway - this is a series I do where I write a few sentences, or even less, about every book I've read this month (or, if I put up a full review, I link to that with a few words). I don't review everything I read, I only fully review a few things, so I wanted to start doing this somehow.

The Inventor's Secret (The Inventor's Secret #1) by Andrea Cremer (4/5)
I really enjoyed this book. I've tried about five times to write a full review of this one, but I can only ever write a few lines. This book is just a ton of fun - it's very light, I rolled my eyes a time or two, but I also just kind of really loved it,  even though it was slightly cheesy or whatever at points. I'm a sucker for the steampunk/alt history thing, I guess.

The Fear Trials (The Murder Complex #0.5) by Lindsey Cummings (3/5)
This is a prequel novella to The Murder Complex and - I guess I kind of expected more. And I don't know what I mean by more, but this novella felt like it was missing something and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. I still haven't read The Murder Complex - we'll see.

Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus by P.C. Martin (3/5)
This was a reward for a Kickstarter that I got in the mail years ago, it's been a while, but I finally got around to reading it. It was a lot of fun and very reminiscent of a classic Sherlock Holmes story without feeling like it was outright coping it. And it has illustrations, it's steampunk, Mycroft is a women - I mean it's a bit awesome.

Sea of Shadow (Age of Legends #1) by Kelly Armstrong (5/5)
I wrote up a full review here - but, to sum it up, I really enjoyed this book: the plot, the characters, the writing. I'm excited to be able to pick up more of Kelly's books, and for the rest of this series.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5/5)
This is the second time I've reread this book. Obviously I completely adore this book - all of the gaming stuff makes me happy and the '80's references are plentiful, awesome, and a tad ridiculous. The characters, the world, the plot - I mean, can I live in the OASIS? Check it out, if you haven't!

Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by Siobhan Vivan, Jenny Han (3/5)
I had - some problems with this book. I haven't reviewed it because most of my problems would be considered "spoiler," but theres one scene that I had a lot of problems with how one of the girls reacted - as in she kind of barely did? It was mostly just - light, fun, but the more I think about it, the more problems I find. I'm going to continue on to, at least, book two (because I got it for $2), and I guess we'll see from there.

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (5/5)
I have a full review here! Basically, though, this book is fantastic. It's light and fun but not just light and fun. And it focuses a lot on the two girls, who are best friends, and their friendship - maybe even slightly more then the love interest, though that is obviously a major thing as well. I just haven't read a lot of contemporary where the girls friendships are valued as so important, which annoys me because they are.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan (3/5)
It was - fun, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought as I've loved all of David's book, haven't read anything of Rachel's besides this. I guess I expected more and, while this was mostly entertaining, I skimmed some because I just didn't care - about the characters or what would happen next.

Rock On by Denise Vega (4/5)
This was - a little eye roll inducing, but mostly kind of just a lot of fun and cute. I'd recommend it to people who like contemporaries about bands, high school bands, and brothers. (Also - the whole rockstar syndrome thing made me laugh, mostly because of the how true it is).

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (4/5)
Okay - so this book was a little ridiculous, but it was so much fun that I didn't care. I'm a huge sucker for the normal person dating a famous person troupe (but I always want to see more that they don't show - though this one showed more then I expected). I'd recommend this, if one keeps in mind that it's a little ridiculous, but a ton of fun and perfect for summer.

And there we go - ten more books down. Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What's your favorite book you've read so far this week/month?

2014: Book Reviews (10)

Another part of this lovely adventure, it's been an insane reading year for me and I never expected this series to go as far as it seems to be going. To look at past ones, full reviews, or all the books I've read this year - 2014 reading challenge post.

Maus Vol 1 + 2 by Art Spiegelman (both - 5/5)
I loved these two graphic novels. They felt very real and very raw, and I really liked the way he used the animals thing. It wasn't overdone and it wasn't jarring at any point.

Locke and Key: Vols 1, 2, + 3 by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (all - 5/5)
These first three in the series were fantastic. I love the story and the characters, and the third is probably the one that's the darkest, but they're all pretty dark and intense. And I loved every minute and cannot wait to get my hands on more, highly recommended.

Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery #1) by Kim Harrison (4/5)
This was good, fun, and quick. And I have a full review here.

Elusive Memories (The Hunted #1) by Amanda Shofner (5/5)
Really liked this, it was interesting from the start and I really liked the characters. And am super looking forward to the next one!

What In God's Name by Simon Rich (5/5)
I don't know what I expected from this book, but it wasn't what I got. And what I got was amazing. It was ridiculous and amazing and I just really loved it to pieces. A fantastic, quick read that had me laughing out loud way too many times.

Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (4/5)
This took me longer to read then I expected - I slogged through it at points, it could get a little overly wordy, but that isn't to say I didn't enjoy - I really did. I guess my expectations were a little high after everything I'd heard, but it was still good.

Coffin Hill, Vol 1 by Caitlin Kitteredge (4/5)
Super interesting and weird and bloody and weird - I weirdly really enjoyed it. A lot. If you haven't looked into it, you should.

Fruits Basket Vol 1 - 23 by Natsuki Takaya (5/5)
Yes - I read all 23 volumes of Fruits Basket in a ridiculous, and probably unhealthy, short amount of time (reread, actually). (I finished the first one on the 2nd of June, and the last one on the 6th). Obviously I really, really love this series. It's just - so good. The anime and the manga, I first watched and read it years ago and just - so good. It's silly, hilarious, fun, ridiculous, makes fun of itself - check it out.

Fire and Flood (Fire and Flood #1) by Victoria Scott (4/5)
I have a full review up Basically - really enjoyed, fast paced.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (5/5)
I have a full review up. I adored this book, go and read it, it's gorgeous and breathtaking and just so freaking good.

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony (3/5)
It was a cool concept and interesting - but I think it should of been longer, or that there needed to be more then just a few snippets of IMs between them, I didn't really care about the characters, didn't feel connected to them, and it made no real sense why it was in pictures, to me at least.

2014: Book Review (9)

And, once again, I haven't done one of these in way too long, especially for the rate at which I've been reading. There have been, what feels like, almost a constant stream of read-a-thons, not that I think I'll ever have no books on my TBR, and I don't think I'd want to - then what would I read next?

Anyway, if you're not sure what this is, this is where I write up mini-reviews of all the books I've read this year in parts, this being part nine.

Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine #2) by Lilith Saintcrow (4/5 stars)
Liked this one as much as the first, Working for the Devil, it was interesting and fast paced. This whole series is very different, but it's good.

The Devil's Right Hand (Dante Valentine #3) by Lilith Saintcrow (3/5)
Didn't like this one as much as the first two - the beginning felt drawn out, but I did like how it ended, how everything was linked/tied together. I'd still recommend this series if it sounds like someone you'd like. These are books that I don't really have much to say about separately, really just this, but I'm planning on doing a series review when I'm done with all of them.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (5/5)
This book - I don't know what it was, I know a lot of people find it boring or repetitive, but I really enjoyed it. I loved her writing and the way the story moved, it wasn't a fast paced book by any means, but I really liked that about it.

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness (5/5)
Damn. This series is fantastic and heartbreaking and incredible. I haven't been able to bring myself to read the third and final book in it yet - I just know it's going to leave me broken, but this series is fantastic.

The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe (3/5)
Just a short story, and it wasn't the best but it was an interesting read all the same.

The Walking Dead: Book Two by Robert Kirkman (3/5)
I had to force myself through this book, I don't know what it was about it. Because its dramatic, full of gore - I should be loving this series, but I'm just not. People get killed and I barely blink, I guess I'm just not invested at all in the story - this might be the last of the comics I read.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (Theodosia Throckmorton #1) by R.L. LaFevers (3/5)
The beginning - I didn't really care, it was slow and wasn't capturing my attention, but by the end I was enjoying it a lot more. I guess I just expected more from this book, for whatever reason, and I just needed to lower my expectations. I think I'll continue on with the series, I just don't know when considering all the books I have to read.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (4/5)
This was - interesting and really good. It wasn't perfect, but I really liked it and would definitely recommend it.

All Our Yesterdays by Caitlin Terrill (3.5/5)
For most of this book, I just wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't connecting with the characters, I didn't really feel anything towards them besides annoyance and confusion. The only reason this rating is so high is because the ending - I loved the ending, it was what I wanted, no punches pulled. However, apparently there's going to be a sequel, so that lowers my love for the ending a bit because I thought it ended perfectly.

2014: Book Reviews (8)

And we have part eight of my mini-book reviews series of this year, I can't believe I've read this many books so far this year - and I wonder how many part I'll get to by the end of the year. And besides that mini-rant - the books.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness (5/5)
I can't believe no one forced me to read this book - why did no one do this? This book is fantastic and incredible and - just go forth and read it. And my full review can be found here (link will be live when review is).

Zom-B by Darren Shan (1/5)
I - don't want to talk about this, I'm trying to block this book from my mind. That probably sounds cruel and it probably is a little, but I've never reacted to a book the way I did this one.

Cold War by Adam Christopher
This is a prequel novella for his new novel, The Burning Dark, and it really peaked my interest. Saying that, I started the book and just wasn't in the mood (it was during a 24-hour read-a-thon, and SciFi can be too heavy for that), but I'm looking forward to getting into it more, but this was an interesting intro to the world.

God Save the Queen (Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke (5/5)
If you follow me anywhere - you probably know of my flailing for this entire series. And I have full reviews for all of them. Basically this series is: steampunk, vampires, mutation in DNA, romance, there are also werewolves, Queen Victoria does also. Full review for God Save the Queen.

The Queen is Dead (Immortal Empire #2) by Kate Locke (5/5)
This book was just as good as the first, and in my review I started spewing love about the LGBT representation in this series (mostly because of my favorite non-main character). Full review here.

The Walking Dead: Book One by Robert Kirkman
A reread so I could continue on with the series - it was good, but I've read it before and seen the first series, of course.

Long Live the Queen (Immortal Empire #3) by Kate Locke (5/5)
The final book in this fantastic series. Full review here.

The New World (Chaos Walking #0.5) by Patrick Ness (5/5)
A great little peak into Viola's life before the story starts and before she meets Todd, really enjoyed it, I listened to it in audiobook form - so well done.