February 2015 New Releases

These are the new releases that I'm most looking forward to in February!

Title: Red Queen  
Author: Victoria Aveyard 
Publication Date: Feb 10th, 2015    
Publisher: Harper Teen 
About: This is about a society of Red and Silver blooded individuals, the Reds are inferior to the ruling Silvers. Our main character is Mare, a Red who has magical abilities. She is then in the Silver court and bethrothed to a prince. I'm really excited about this new fantasy series. This is a debut novel too.
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon

 Title: The Shadow Cabinet (Shades of London, #3)   
Author: Maureen Johnson  
Publication Date: Feb 10th, 2015     
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile  
About: Since this is the final of a trilogy, I do not want to spoil any of the books with the synopsis for this one, but basically ghosts, London, and Jack the Ripper. Personally I absolutely love Maureen's writing style and cannot wait for this to come out. I have it preordered at a local bookstore so I will be picking it up right away. 
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon

Title: The Glass Arrow 
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publication Date: Feb 10th, 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen   
About: I do not know much about this one, but the cover is gorgeous. What I can surmise about this book is that in society women are hunted by men and we follow a group of girls on the run. This seems like an interesting premise and I really enjoy Kristen Simmons writing.   
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon

Title: A Wicked Thing 
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Publication Date: Feb 24th, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen   
About: This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling where Aurora wakes up after 100 years asleep to a world she does not know and to a true love who is a stranger. This sounds like it is going to be a spin on the whole happily ever after thing in fairytales. This is also another debut author.  
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic 
Author: V. E. Schwab
Publication Date: Feb 24th, 2015
Publisher: Tor Books  
About: Basically parallel Londons. Ever since I read A Thousand Pieces of You, I really am intrigued by parallel universes. I'm not sure what else to say about this one. I have not read a single V. E. Schwab book even though they are all on my TBR. I have heard nothing but great things about this book. 
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon



Did I forget any books that you are looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

One Happy Family, or not...

"So Aaron, how are you these days? God, now that was one question he did not relish. He would rather continue his journey on the roof of the intercity than given an honest answer."

Title: Bonita Avenue
Author: Peter Buwalda
Publication Date: Jan 13th, 2015 (US)
Publisher: Hograth
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon







This book is typical for Scandinavian writing as I have come to find since my Scandinavian Crime Literature class. Even though Bonita Avenue is not a crime novel rather a story about the struggles of a family and the secrets everyone hides. I personally really enjoy this writing style. There is just something about it that fascinates me.

This is the story of the Sigerius family. To the casual observer they seem like the perfect little family. Husband, Wife, and their two daughters. However everything is not as it seems.

My one major complaint with this book is the timeline. We jump from the past with the Sigerius family to the present with Aaron following up with what happened to them. On top of that we have a first person narrative of Joni in the present. At times this was incredibly confusing. And I really didn’t like the shift from third person to first person. It was bothersome to be, but that is just a personal preference.

This book was an interesting foray into a family destruction. I really enjoyed seeing both the present and the past unravel. And I was not able to predict how it was all going to unfold. Plus it has a gorgeous cover depicting the firework factory explosion that is an important part of the story. It is just so bright and colorful which contrasts the story. 

*I received this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review*


♛ ♛ ♛

Top 5 Wednesday- Antiheroes

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey on Youtube. This week's topic is antiheroes. This list was hard for me to come up with since there are so many characters that you could call an antihero, but I wanted to really find the best ones.

Going from bottom to top:

5. Adelina from The Young Elites by Marie Lu. She has a lot of demons and history she is going to  have to work through in the next books.









4. Nick from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I was not going to use him in this list, but I decided that he is so complex and intriguing as a character that I had to.

3. Celaena from The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. If you know me at all you knew she would be on this list. She is the perfect example of characters who have a lot going on under the surface and as we learn more about her and her past (especially in The Assassin's Blade) you learn just how conflicted she is. 

2. Draco from The Harry Potter Series. He is the epitome of the antihero. Draco is conflicted by both school ties, family ties, and his own personal desire for power and prestige. Many people do not realize how complex and layered Draco is and that is a shame.

1. Morpheus from The Splintered Trilogy. Again this should have been obvious because he is by far my favorite literary character. I have not even read the entire trilogy yet and I can say that. Morpheus is one of those characters that makes you think about what he true goal is and he definitely lies in the gray area of good and evil. He is a fascinating character, like the others on this list, that is layered and complex.



Let me know who your favorite antiheroes are in the comments!
 

Save by Roy: Patrick Roy and the Return of the Colorado Avalanche

As an avid hockey fan, this book was a great in-depth recap of the Colorado Avalanche’s 2013-2014 season. This book is completely different from my typical read, but as a hockey fan it was engrossing. I just want to preface this review by saying, I am not at all an Avs fan, they are a divisional rival to my beloved Hawks. However, I really enjoyed learning more about the franchise and how they came to be the team I know today and the team I remember last season.

As a fan, I remember being mystified by how the Avs went from literally the bottom of the standings to the top in a single season. This book was an insider’s perspective of that drastic change and rise in the standings.

The book consisted of three parts, the introduction which showcased how bad the Avs were, the Regular Season, and the Playoffs. These parts were filled with stories and chapters pertaining to players and each game. I really liked how each game was broken up into a section with a brief summary of the game and explanation of anything else that was going on.

The best part of this book for me however was the sections about the various players on the team. As a fan of the sport, I really liked the tidbits about their lives and their connections to the Avs growing up. The writing style of this book was also perfect, it was informative, but also had a witty side that kept me entertained. I really enjoyed the sections from Terry and Adrian's Notebook. These were great insights into the events.

Overall, this was a really informative, in-depth book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I believe this book would only interest hockey fans, or more broadly sports fans. This book is a very focused look at a single season of hockey under the coaching of Patrick Roy and I’m not sure that would interest readers who are not a fan of the sport.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review*


♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Ever Darkening by Janeal Falor

“The evil feeling surrounding the Malryx always felt like this entire forest does. Could it be- Could it possibly be that without people to be evil, nature is turning evil?”

This book comes out Jan 28th and is a fantasy novel about Kaylyn. Before I talk about the book itself, I just want to say how gorgeous this cover is. It is stunning and it is definitely a book I would pick up if I saw it on a shelf.

Kaylyn has trained her whole life to defeat the forces of evil in her world called Malryx. The beginning of this book finds Kaylyn in the final battle against the leader of the Malryx. Kaylyn successfully defeats them and the celebrations begin. However, it is not long before an unfamiliar force threatens another village and Kaylyn and her friends must learn to overcome this new “evil”.

Even though the cover is gorgeous, I had some issues with this book. This was an incredibly short book, it is under 200 pages in paperback. That was one of my main issues with this book. Since it was so short many aspects of a good fantasy were left out. There was little to no world building and that frustrated me. We are thrown into this world with Kaylyn and it is never explained who the Malryx are or even what Kaylyn’s group of Zophas are. There were many new terms in this book where the reader was left on their own to figure out what they meant. I would have really liked the book to be longer with more expanding and explaining of the world.  Just another 30 pages with world building and explanations would have made this book more complete.

Even though I really struggled with understanding the world that Falor has created at first, the pacing of this book was good. The plot was constantly moving forward. I also really appreciated the use of the first person. Many other books do not use this POV and it is refreshing to have something different. I also really appreciated the questions this book raised about the balance of good and evil in the world. It was interesting to think about a world where there was no evil, where Kaylyn had destroyed every ounce of evil. I also really loved the descriptions of the forest and the setting once they were on their quest. Some of that stuff was really creepy.

Overall, this was a quick read that has a lot of potential. For me personally, it fell short of my expectations. I really wanted more about the world Kaylyn lived in.

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


♛ ♛ ♛

#RYBSAT Round 4 Wrap-Up

With classes starting, plus traveling back to campus, I did not have as much time to read as I would have liked. This basically meant I did not start reading for #RYBSAT until Monday. However, I was able to get through 4 books and start a 5th.

I read H2O by Virginia Bergin, The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney, The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers, and Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes (which comes out Feb. 3rd).

I also started Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn, but put it down to read Paper or Plastic. I just wasn't in the mood the type of book Another Little Piece is. I wanted something light and easy to read.

This section of my shelf was specifically chosen since it contained books that I have had for awhile and books that go with some of the challenges for my 2015 Reading Challenge.

The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers

“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it opens with a pretty gruesome suicide, the rest of the book takes you on a journey to solve Evan’s last question. Evan’s death leaves our main character, Max, to figure out the clues Evan left him to expose the coverup. This is a story of cover-ups, conspiracy theories, and hacking.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book. Max, Penny, and Risse were on the run trying to fit the pieces together. The three of them working together were able to solve the puzzle and expose the corruption. This book had a lot of technical computer jargon, but Myers did a really good job of explaining what it meant. I’m no expert on computers or hacking, but it all seemed accurate (and believable) to me.

I flew through this book, part of that was because I read it during #RYBSAT, but it was mostly because of how much I enjoyed this book. I didn’t want to put it down, I wanted to figure out all the clues and answer the question Evan poses in the first chapter.

I think this is one of those books you should go into without knowing much about. Honestly, simply watching the book trailer (here) should suffice to grab your attention and convince you to pick up this book.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney

“And everyday since then, Bedlam City and the people in it have managed to break her heart all over again. She’s learned this world is a beast, a bully that keeps on kicking you long after you’re down. In Bedlam, you either learn to take a beating, or you find a way to fight back.”

This is one of those books that confuses me when it comes to the ratings on Goodreads. This book is rated extremely low (3.37), with many 1 star ratings. I went into this book apprehensive and expecting the worst. I was presently surprised to find a reimagined Batman-esque book. This book was not amazing, nor was it as horrible as others have said. Yes, this book was extremely similar to Batman and Gotham City, but it was unique with a female protagonist. The book had very little world building but this did not bother me much since it so closely resembled Gotham. I can see why others have been bothered by the lack of world building, Kahaney was attempting to make a crime ridden city in Bedlam and used many aspects of Gotham and Batman to achieve this. This lessened the originality of her story.

Anthem was annoying yes, but she is your stereotypical rich kid who gains “powers” and becomes a vigilante. Along with the superpowers, Anthem was also a ballerina initially. I found her annoying at times and hated the way she treated her friends and family throughout the book. Anthem is surrounded by other characters such as her parents, her ex-boyfriend, Will, her best friend, Zahra, and her new boyfriend, Gavin. There was quite a bit of insta-love between Gavin and Anthem, but they aren’t with each other long enough before he is kidnapped for it to really bother me.

As for the believability aspect of this book, I think the superhero vibe this book gave off helped me connect with the story and believe that it was possible for Anthem to have this new heart that saved her and also gave her new powers.

The best part of this book was definitely the prologue, I honestly loved it. I even used the end of it as the quote at the beginning of the review. It was very superhero-esque and reminded me of the intros to shows such as Arrow and The Flash, where the character is explaining who they are and what they do.

I struggled with what rating to give this book and decided on a 3.5. This was mostly because this book was enjoyable, but not amazing. I enjoyed the ease of reading it and how fast I was able to get through it. And as I’ve said, I enjoyed the superhero aspect of this book, even if our protagonist left much to be desired. I will probably read the sequel at some point but I'm not dying to.

♛♛♛½

Top 5 Wednesday- Authors You Would Like To Meet

I've been lucky enough to meet a bunch of authors in my life including John Green, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and many others.

As for those that I have not met, I have to go with these 5:

1. Sarah J. Maas. She is at the top of the list because she is my favorite author. The Throne of Glass series is perfect and the characters are amazing. Also, I'm so excited for the new trilogy with fairies and Beauty and the Beast. A Court of Thorns and Roses comes out May 5th and I have had it preordered for over a month!
2. Pierce Brown. The Red Rising Trilogy is so action packed with so many twists and turns and I never know where it is going to go. Pierce Brown is hilarious from what I've heard and just a genuinely awesome person.
3. J. K. Rowling. She is obviously going to be on this list because of how much the HP series means to me. Those books were coming out at the perfect time in my life where they had the greatest impact on me. On top of the HP books, the Cormoran Strike series is great. I love JKR's ability to write mystery.
4. Andrew Smith. He is another new favorite. I don't typically read contemporary books, but Andrew Smith's writing is awesome and I love the wit and humor throughout the books. Winger will always be my favorite contemporary and I cannot wait for Stand-Off. 
5. Scot Westerfeld. Picking a fifth author was hard because there were so many choices. I decided to go with Scott Westerfeld because I've read and enjoyed so many of his series. The Uglies series is a series I loved and one of the first dystopians I read. Plus his Midnighters series. I have yet to read Leviathan or Afterworlds but I will get to them eventually.

H2O by Virginia Bergin

I’m going to be completely honest and just say that the only reason I bought this book was the cover. It is gorgeous and the little cut outs with words and the raindrop shaped words under the dust jacket are awesome. It is a simplistic but beautiful cover.

As for the actual book, it was not at all what I was thinking when I picked it up. I knew it was about killer rain and that it clearly would be a story of survival, but I did not know much else. This book is told in an extremely informal first person viewpoint in a diary style. This choice makes sense later in the book, but it was completely different from other books that I have read recently. And that is not to say it was bad, it was just different.

The plot of this book focuses on Ruby attempting to survival the rain and the destruction of society. Once her family is gone, she embarks on an adventure to find her dad. While that plot may seem straight forward, it really was not that way for the majority of this book. There were many times where I did not know where this book was going.

As a character Ruby was incredibly annoying, she reminded me of those stereotypical “popular” girls that everyone dislikes. She was constantly worried about her appearance rather than the fact that everyone was dying. I found it very unrealistic that she was able to survive throughout this book when it seemed that almost no one else did.

Finally, I’m not sure at all about that ending. I have no idea if there are plans for a second book or not (I would assume so based on the non-ending), but who knows. However, this book came full circle to the point that you could argue Ruby accomplished absolutely nothing throughout this book. This was a disappointing read for me. I was so excited when I saw it at the store and the premise was promising, but overall, it lacked aspects that could have made it an enjoyable book.

*A note, this book is also known as Rain in the UK*

♛ ♛

#RYBSAT Round 4 TBR

So starting tomorrow (the 16th) is the Read-Your-Bookshelf-A-Thon which I will be participating in. The readathon goes from the 16th-23rd. I don't know how successful I'm going to be since this weekend is when I go back to school and then I have school starting but I'm going to try.

Basically for this readathon, you pick a place on your shelf and just read along that shelf (or in my case down the shelf). Here is where I have decided to start.

I'm starting with H2O by Virgina Bergin and then working my way down. I'm hoping to at least start Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn, but we shall see. 

I would love to be able to get more done, I'm just not sure I will be able to with classes starting. Plus I'm still currently in the middle of two books.  

Mini Book Haul and #0by16

I have come to realize how large my TBR is and have decided that I both want and need to participate in #0by16 like many other bloggers and YouTubers. Since I have made this decision, I decided to also completely stop buying books too. I currently have preordered 5 books but other than that, my goal is to not buy a single other book. Not counting the books I have unread at school (there are probably around 10), I have 66 unread books, which is absolutely crazy.

So I hope to keep you posted on by #0by16 progress with updates in my wrap-ups. As for the books I just got. Three of them are new releases and the fourth is a book I have been eying for awhile and decided to get it before the book buying ban went into place. 

• Jackaby by William Ritter (It is supposed to be Sherlock and Doctor Who so how could that be bad?)
• Looking For Alaska by John Green (the 10th anniversary collectors edition, I love this book so I wanted a nice hardcover version)
• Ensnared by A. G. Howard (I now have all three books so I can read the last two)
• The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (1. it is fairies, 2. it is Holly Black and 3. it was $9).

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson

“To them, as to Magnus, time was like rain, glittering as it fell, changing the world, but something that could also be taken for granted. Until you loved a mortal. Then time became gold in a miser's hands, every bright year counted out carefully, infinitely precious, and each one slipping through your fingers.” 

This book was really great. I loves all the little snapshots into Magnus Bane's life. You could definitely tell this was written by people other than Cassandra, but I really enjoy both Sarah and Maureen's writing so I was not too bothered by it.  My review is mostly going to be a bit about each story with a separate rating (that part is going to be spoilery). Overall this was a 4 star book. And that is largely due to how much I like Magnus as a character.



What Really Happened in Peru: ♛♛♛♛

• This was witty, crazy Magnus as I have come to expect it. Basically a bunch of crazy things that happened in Peru.

The Runaway Queen: ♛♛

• Interesting story about the French Revolution and Magnus's role with the royalty and with Parisian Vampires, this one was pretty meh for me. But we got to see how much Magnus cares and does help people. 

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale: ♛♛♛½

• This was a nice insight into the planning of the Accords and also seeing Will's father and mother briefly.

The Midnight Heir: ♛♛♛♛♛

• This one was  perfect with Tessa, Will, and Jem. I also loved the glimpse of James we got. I feel like this shows a little bit of what to expect in The Last Hours. Definitely my favorite story of the 11.

The Rise of Hotel Dumort: ♛♛♛

• This seemed like filler but did give background on the Hotel Dumont. I enjoyed the bits about Magnus running a speakeasy. 

Saving Raphael Santiago: ♛♛♛

• Nice backstory to Magnus and Raphael's relationship and interaction in City of Heavenly Fire. Plus we get to see Magnus helping someone yet again. 

The Fall of Hotel Dumort: ♛♛½

•  I'm not a big fan of these vampire stories I guess. This one was extremely meh for me. But we did see the lengths Magnus will go to to protect and help the Downworlders.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything: ♛♛♛♛♛

• This story was adorable and quirky. I absolutely loved it.  Magnus fussing about what to get Alec, when all Alec wanted was to spend time with him.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute: ♛♛♛♛

• Tessa, Clary, and Jocelyn background in this one. This story was a nice sidestory to the Uprising and Valentine's first War with the Shadowhunters. Again we see Magnus helping out Clary (even if he is reluctant at first).

The Course of True Love: ♛♛♛♛♛

• That first date was epic. I thought it was perfect for the two characters. And seeing the insecurity of both Alec and Magnus was great. 

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane: ♛♛♛♛½

• Cute, quirky, and hilarious. I loved everyone's voicemails telling, or somethings threatening, Magnus to get back together with Alec. I would have liked to see Magnus's reaction to all of these, but I guess the tidbit at the end gives us a clue as to how he reacted. 

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

“Death isn't empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom, Darrow. Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, of death. I say we break those chains. Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society.”

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. It was just beyond compelling. It was such a unique setting for a dystopian. You have the main setting of Mars in the future where humans have colonized various planets. Plus you have this caste like system based on colors with Gold being the top and Reds at the bottom. Darrow, of course, is at the bottom, a Red, who drills for helium to help society. Beyond this caste system, you have the fact that Darrow and the other Reds have been lied to about the progress made colonizing the planets and moons.

Not only was the setting and premise of the book great, the writing was astounding. Even with all the jargon and world building, Pierce Brown wrote in an enthralling way that had me continuously turning the page to see what would happen to Darrow and those around him. Within the first 50 pages, Brown shocks us and ups the ante of Darrow’s fight. I just really enjoyed the writing style and never wanted to put this book down (even when I had to go to work).

Once Darrow is on the surface of Mars, he meets a cast of characters who we have been groomed by Darrow’s experiences to despise, but I couldn’t help but love them and their personalities. Each one was different and had their own woes and struggles even if they were Golds and at the top of society.

Now that I have finished Red Rising, I want to start Golden Son right away. This trilogy has the potential to be amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens to Darrow and his companions in the final two books in this trilogy. This book was a great start to a trilogy that I assume will only get better as we move forward.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”

Short review since this is the sixth in a series, but if you haven't read this series you really should. As a whole, I prefer the Infernal Devices Trilogy, but this series is all really well done.

This was a great conclusion to the series. Cassandra Clare did a great job tying up all the loose ends and also setting the stage for the next series with Emma and Julian. I loved the introduction to all the new characters in this book. Emma seems like such an amazing character, I cannot wait to learn more about her and her friends in LA.

The only problem I have with this conclusion is just how it seemed too perfect. That isn’t a bad thing really, but I think I can come to expect it from this world.

So this book was a wonderful conclusion to Clary and Jace's story and now I really need Lady Midnight. Also I really need to stop waiting so long to finish conclusions to Cassandra Clare's series.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

"I was having dinner with Zombie Carl the other night. You know, steak, rare, and a bottle of vintage type A. He told me all his secrets, but too bad for you I promised him I wouldn't tell. In exchange I asked him to gather his best undead buddies and stalk me through my friend's yard."

I have heard a lot of people talk about this trilogy both good and bad things. I got all three books for Christmas, so i plan on reading them as soon as possible. They all have gorgeous covers and this one has a green theme under the dust jacket.

This book is not a fairy-tale retelling, and it has very little to do with Alice in Wonderland (save the title and Ali’s name). I think it is important that people realize this before reading the book and being disappointed. This was an easy enjoyable read that when I had time to read, I flew through. The cast of characters in this book is great. Between Cole and Justin, Kat and Frosty, Nana and Pops, and the rest of the zombie slayer gang, there are so many different personalities that we get to experience.

This book answered a lot of questions about the zombies and slayers but also raised a lot of questions about the hazmats are up to and what Ali is actually capable of. I’m looking forward to seeing where Gena Showalter goes with the rest of this trilogy.

As for the zombies, I really liked Gena’s spin on them and how they worked. These were more ghost like than your typical zombie and that made for some interesting choices in terms of how one defeats them. The romance in this book was also well done. It was a good progression and it is clear there are going to be problems in Cole and Ali’s future.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ stars    

Book Haul #8- Boxing Day BookOutlet and 2 other Random Books

So I went a little crazy with BookOutlet's Boxing Day Sale and got 12 books. I really excited about a lot of these and there is only one that has more damage than I would like, but that is okay because it was such a good deal.

The Books:

1. The Liberator and The Warrior (Books 2 and 3 in the Dante Walker Trilogy) by Victoria Scott
2. Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3. Lulaby and Tidal (Books 2 and 3 in the Watersong Quartet) by Amanda Hocking
4. Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
5. Infinity, Invincible, Infamous, Inferno, and Illusion (Books 1-5 of the Chronicles of Nick) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
6. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

I also got Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown

The Top 14 Books Read in 2014

So these are my favorite books from 2014. A lot of these came out this year, others have been out for years. But of the 109 books I read this year (that was 42,633 pages!!!), these are my favorites! Some should come as no surprise. I have linked to the reviews if they exist.

1. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
2. Winger by Andrew Smith
3. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
5. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
6. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
7. 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith
8. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
9. The One by Kiera Cass
10. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
11. The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
12. Splintered by A. G. Howard
13. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
14. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith

“So things do not happen by coincidence, and everything that is, is really a collision of paths. And so luck, which I also do not believe in in the way that most people do, is merely a chain of certain reckless collisions.”

Andrew Smith is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw this book at the used bookstore, I had to have it. This book is a YA western, coming-of-age story about Troy and his friends living in a rural setting near ranches and farms. This setting was fairly foreign to me, but I still enjoyed the laid back aspect of the characters lives.

The book focuses on Troy, Tommy, and Gabe and their battles with town bad-boy Chase. They boys basically band together against Chase. The rivalry heats up pretty quickly when shots are fired. This all leads to one final battle where lives will be lost. While the rivalry is the main part of this book, Troy is also dealing with the death of his mother and his new relationship with Luz.

This book did not have the humor and wittiness that I am accustomed to with Andrew Smith’s other novels, mainly 100 Sideways Miles and Winger, but it still had that same style that I adore. The plot of this book was extremely slow to start and it took a good third or more to get into the book. But once the action picked up, I flew through the last 150 pages of this book.

While this book was not what I was expecting, it was still enjoyable. Since it is Andrew Smith’s fist novel, you can really see how far his writing has come in his more recent works.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 stars  

December 2014 Wrap-Up/January 2015 TBR

I had an extremely good month of December. Part of that is because I had winter break from school and my lack of finals this semester. I read a grand total of 22 books.

1. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
2. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
3. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
4. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins (full trilogy review)
5. Atlantia by Ally Condie
6. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
7. 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith
8. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
9. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
10. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
11. Switched by Amanda Hocking
12. They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire
13. Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography
14. Torn by Amanda Hocking
15. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Mass
16. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
17. Ascend by Amanda Hocking
18. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
19. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
20. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon 
21. Just Babies by Paul Bloom 
22. Blankets by Craig Thompson

I'm currently in the middle of Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith. As for my January TBR, it is pretty open, but I would like to re-read the Inkworld Trilogy while I'm home from school. Three books I must read however, are City of Heavenly Fire, Insurgent, and Allegiant.