Favorite Books of 2014

December 31, 2014shortstack930 Favorite Books 1 Comment

I can’t believe another year has gone by! So much has happened this past year, and even with everything going on in my life I have managed to read 80 books this year! It is so hard to narrow them down to my favorites, but I did my best. Here are my favorite books from 2014:

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

This has to be one of my favorite series of all time. I loved the first three books and when I found out that Cassandra Clare had decided to write another three books I was so excited! This is the final book in The Mortal Instruments series and it was slightly daunting at a whopping 725 pages but the book is so good that you don’t even realize the length. I will miss this characters terribly but look forward to the spinoff series that Clare is writing!

Release date: May 27, 2014

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Another series finale, Mortal Heart started off a bit slow but picked up in the middle and turned out to be a fantastic final book in the His Fair Assassin series. I loved reading about Annith, a character who has intrigued me since book one, and her story had even more twists and turns than the previous two. Review to come soon!

Release date: November 4, 2014

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

This is another one of my absolute favorite series, and it seems like each book gets better and better. This is the third but not final book in the series, and will just leave you desperate for the next book to be released!

Release date: October 21, 2014

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I will probably read anything that Sarah J. Maas writes because her writing is so phenomenal. This is the third book in this series and I am still just as interested if not more interested than I was after the first book. Each of these books is amazing and I am so glad I waited hours on line to get an ARC of this one at BEA.

Release date: September 2, 2014

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

This book had amazing world building and an eerie plot about pregnancy and surrogacy. While the romance in the book was a bit of a flop, the book didn’t center around it but rather focused on the messed up world of the Jewel and it’s backstabbing royals. I’m anxious to read more about this world so I look forward to the next book.

Release date: September 2, 2014

The One by Kiera Cass

I loved the first two books in this trilogy and I couldn’t wait to see how it would end. I literally read this book in less than a day because I couldn’t wait to find out how everything would be wrapped up. I’m so excited that Cass decided to write another book, The Heir, due out next spring!

Release date: May 6, 2014

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

What I really loved about this book was the narration–it is told from three separate points of view, with a slight twist near the end that totally got me. Great start to a new series!

Release date: July 8, 2014

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Loved this book!! Beautiful world building and an incredible story. I couldn’t put this one down and after the ending I am anxiously awaiting the next book!

Release date: March 4, 2014

Cress by Marissa Meyer

This is another series that gets better with each book. This book introduced Cress, whose story is a retelling of Rapunzel. I loved her story and how it intertwined with Cinder’s and Scarlet’s stories.

Release date: February 4, 2014

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

I just actually read this entire trilogy this year and I can’t believe I waited so long before reading it. Mafi’s writing is gorgeous, and this book was SO GOOD!! I love the main character and how she became so strong from the first book to the final book. This is a series I could read over and over again!

Release date: February 4, 2014

What were some of your favorite books from this year? Anything you missed that you wished you had read this year?

Happy New Year everyone!!

The TBR Tag

October 15, 2014shortstack930 Memes Leave a comment

My good friend Lisa over at Read.Breathe.Relax tagged me for the TBR tag post! It’s time to take a serious look at the dreaded To Be Read pile.

The TBR Tag originated over at Dana Square and A Perfection Called Books.

So let’s examine my TBR pile!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I mainly use Goodreads. I have a wishlist over on Barnes & Noble but I rarely check it. Goodreads is great because I can tag different books under different categories and even put my TBR in reading list order. I also have two bookshelves in my house: one full of books already read and another full of books to be read! That makes it easier to just grab and go.

Is your TBR mostly print or ebooks?

Definitely ebooks. They’re just so much easier because I can have them all on one tablet so when making the choice between print or ebook I usually choose ebook.

How do you determine which book to read first?

I usually tell myself that I need to read the books that I already own before buying something new to read but that almost never happens. I’ll be on Goodreads and see that the sequel to something got released and then I’ll immediately download the ebook and read that instead of something I already own. Or I’ll request it at the library and then when it comes in I’ll end up reading that first because I have limited time to read it. I definitely pick what to read based on my mood also–sometimes I’ll be really sick of one genre and I’ll be craving a different genre. Lately I find myself reading a lot of contemporary but I’ve been craving a bit of sci fi.

A book that’s been on your TBR the longest?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. My mom is a HUGE fan of this series and has been trying to get me into it for years. I added this to my TBR back on July 15, 2011. I haven’t read it yet because it’s not YA but now that the TV show is on (which is awesome by the way) I definitely will be bumping this up on my reading list.

A book you’ve recently added to your TBR list?

The Heir by Kiera Cass. Just added this morning! So excited that there will be another book in The Selection series!!

A book on your TBR list strictly because of its beautiful cover?

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam. Such a pretty cover and the story sounds interesting!

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sorry, but it was hard enough getting through The Lord of the Rings books. Everyone says The Hobbit isn’t as hard to get through, but after seeing the movie (which I almost fell asleep during) I’m gonna pass on this one.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited about?

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski, sequel to The Winner’s Curse. The first book was excellent and ended on such a cliffhanger! It’s going to be hard to wait until March 2015 for this one!

A book that everyone’s read but you?

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Everyone seems to love this one but for some reason I haven’t read it yet. Must read soon!!

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. It seems like everyone loves this one and I keep telling myself I’m going to read it next but then a sequel to something else comes out and this one gets pushed back again.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. I had this pre-ordered forever and now it’s just sitting on my shelf. I’m dying to read it but it is HUGE!!! I know that it’ll take me awhile to read, especially now that the baby is here, so I’ve been avoiding it for awhile. However, I need to know how the series ends!!!

The number of books on your TBR shelf?

An overwhelming 518!! I need to get on that…

The One by Kiera Cass

June 20, 2014shortstack930 Book Reviews 1 Comment

“The best people all have some kind of scar.”

America Singer has to make a decision once and for all–will she choose Maxon and a life as a princess, or Aspen and a normal life? Both options have their pros and cons but what America begins to realize is that her decision affects more people than she could have imagined. In The One, America has to choose her future, knowing her life may never return to what it was.

I had been waiting to read this book for what seemed like forever and I literally downloaded it to my Nook at midnight on its release date. All three of The Selection books were super fast reads and I literally finished this one later that night. I couldn’t wait to find out who America would choose and how everything would play out and I was definitely not disappointed.

In this book America begins to realize that the other girls are more than just competition. She realizes that they each have qualities that would make them wonderful future queens, and finally instead of just trying to drag each other down, the girls begin to enjoy their time together because they know it is limited.

We also get to see more of what is going on politically throughout the country and how America and Maxon could help to change things. There is a good amount of action in this book that keeps the pace moving quickly. We learn a lot more about the country’s past and about the different types of rebels and what their actual agendas are. All loose ends are tied up pretty nicely, though I will say that towards the end things were a little bit more rushed than I would’ve liked.

Overall, The One was a great ending to the trilogy. I’m sad to leave these characters but I really loved the ending.

The One was released on May 6, 2014 and is the final book in The Selection trilogy.

Favorite Books of 2013

December 31, 2013shortstack930 Favorite Books 2 Comments

There were so many fantastic books released this year so it was really hard for me to narrow it down to just ten books like I really loved. Since it would have been even harder for me to distinguish the best of the ten, I have simply put my list this year in alphabetical order:

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I know there was a lot of controversy surrounding this book–some people gave it one star on Goodreads, others gave it five–but overall I really loved the way the series was concluded. There were so many people that hated the ending but I think that it made sense for it to end the way it did. I also liked that in this book we were able to get more into Tobias’s mind and I think it helped me to understand his character a lot better.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

I’ve been a huge fan of the Shadowhunter world since I first read City of Bones a few years ago, and I was so excited that Clare’s prequel trilogy was just as good if not better than The Mortal Instruments series. I admit that I was nervous about how this trilogy would end, but I am so glad that it ended the way it did. I honestly think that this is Clare’s best book yet, and I’m excited to read all of the new series she has in the works already.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I didn’t know if this book could be as good as Throne of Glass, but Maas did an excellent job with this one. It was even better than the first book, filled with so many twists and turns that I had to keep turning pages. The ending was not something I expected either, so I eagerly await the next book.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I will probably read anything that Katie McGarry writes because so far every book I’ve read by her has been great. Dare You To has been my favorite of her books so far. I loved Beth’s attitude and the way that Ryan was able to finally make her trust again. This was a great love story that I highly recommend!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

THIS BOOK! I absolutely loved The Raven Boys and the sequel was just as good. The writing in this book was beautiful and the story got even better. I love this series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

The Elite by Kiera Cass

This is another series that I absolutely love. While I will admit, some of America’s back and forth between Aspen and Maxon did annoy me a little, I still could not put this book down. I have no idea how it is all going to end but I can’t wait to find out!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This was such a cute story! It really brought me back to my own fangirl days of Harry Potter fanfiction. This was a really great story about family and adjusting to college life, and definitely a must read!

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

This book both fascinated me and scared me. It was super creepy at times but the scientist in me loved it. The ending almost made me scream until I realized that there is a sequel planned. Definitely not something I would recommend reading alone at night, but a must read for sure!

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

This was another book I was nervous about, because the ending of the previous book was definitely not expected. I wasn’t sure how Oliver would wrap this all up, but I think she did a good job. It wasn’t your typical ending but I liked how it was slightly open ended. Overall, a great conclusion to the series.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I love how each of these books is a retelling of a different fairy tale. This one is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, yet we still get glimpses of what is going on with Cinder. Scarlet is such a great character, and I loved the way her story intertwined with Cinder’s.

Obviously this was a fantastic year for YA! What were your favorite books from 2013? What are you excited to read in 2014?

The Elite by Kiera Cass

June 8, 2013shortstack930 Book Reviews 2 Comments

“You know that you’ve found something amazing, and you want to hold on to it forever, and every second after you have it, you fear the moment you might lose it.”

America Singer has made it into the Elite–the last six girls left competing to marry Prince Maxon. She is determined to compete for real now, yet her feelings are still torn between Maxon and her ex-boyfriend Aspen, the man she had always envisioned spending her life with. She constantly questions her decisions and the motives for her actions, but as the contest gets more serious, so does the situation with the rebels. The castle is repeatedly under attack and suddenly there is more for America to decide about her future than simply who she will marry.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to read this book!! The Selection was one of my favorite books of 2012 so I literally downloaded The Elite to my Nook at midnight the day it was released. The Selection was the type of book I absolutely could not put down, and The Elite was exactly the same. In this book, America has decided to take the competition more seriously now that she knows Maxon a little bit better and wants to give him a fair shot. Since they are down to the final six girls, the competition gets increasingly difficult for all of the girls, not only physically but emotionally as well. While America grows closer to some of the girls and honestly likes most of them, she is forced to realize that they are ultimately her competition and if she really wants to win The Selection, she will have to be better than them all.

The only problem I had with this book was the fact that America went back and forth a lot between Maxon and Aspen. I understand that she was emotionally torn between the two of them, but it bothered me a bit that she had to constantly lead both of them on. She kept telling herself that she needed to decide between them, yet going back and forth just made the situation worse for them all. What also annoyed me about her is that she kept getting jealous of Maxon taking the other girls on dates, yet she was secretly sneaking around with Aspen! Aside from this however, the book was fantastic.

I really liked that the political situation escalated in this book. We got a better understanding of the type of society America lives in and how it evolved to be that society. I think America herself also began to look at herself in relation to the rebellion going on in the country and how it affects not only her but people of all castes.

Overall, The Elite is an excellent sequel to The Selection. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was unable to put it down until I had finished it. While some of America’s choices annoyed me, I liked where she ended up by the end of the novel and I am excited to see where the third book will take her. Team Maxon all the way!!

The Elite was released on April 23, 2013 and is the second book in The Selection trilogy. The final book, The One, is set to be released on May 6, 2014.

April 2013 Preview

March 31, 2013shortstack930 Previews 1 Comment

Happy Easter everyone! April is definitely going to be a busy month because there are a ton of sequels being released. I am a bit overwhelmed because I have so much to read both for school and for my own enjoyment but here are a few books I am eagerly anticipating:

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster was such a rollercoaster of emotions and I absolutely loved it! Walking Disaster is the same story told from Travis’s point of view and will give the reader more insight into his character than we got in Beautiful Disaster. It definitely sounds interesting and I can’t wait to see what was going on in Travis’s head!

Release date: April 2, 2013

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy told the story of Ismae, a girl who joined a convent dedicated to serving Death. The sequel, Dark Triumph, is the story of Sybella, another girl who finds refuge at the convent and becomes a deadly assassin. Grave Mercy was a fascinating story so I’m very excited to read this one!

Release date: April 2, 2013

Light by Michael Grant

Light is the sixth book in the Gone series, a series about a town in California in which one day all of the adults disappear and the children are left alone. They are unable to escape because of a forcefield surrounding the entire town, and one by one some of the children begin to develop special powers. They have to try to care for the younger kids and find a way to survive once food begins to run out. Light is the final book in the series and I can’t wait to see how it ends!

Release date: April 2, 2013

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Selection was one of my favorite books of 2012, so I have been eagerly awaiting its sequel, The Elite. America is still in the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart but she is unsure if that is what she truly wants or if her heart still remains tied to Aspen. My vote personally goes to Maxon, but I really have no idea how this is going to turn out!

Release date: April 23, 2013

I definitely need to figure out how I’m going to have the time to read all of these books! What are you looking forward to reading in April?

Favorite Books of 2012

December 28, 2012shortstack930 Favorite Books 4 Comments

2012 was a fantastic year for YA, filled with a ton of debut novels and some really great sequels! It was so hard for me to pick favorites because I literally read over 100 books this year, but I did my best! Here are some of the best books I read this year:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I didn’t think the sequel would live up to the incredible book that was Divergent, but Insurgent was actually even better than the first book! I loved learning about the different factions and I liked that Tris and Four’s relationship wasn’t all sunshine and butterflies. I can’t wait until the final book is released!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This was the first John Green book I had ever read and it definitely turned me into a die hard fan. The story was so moving and the writing was phenomenal. I literally wept after reading this and would gladly do it again because this book was just that good.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This book really surprised me and I am so glad I gave it a chance. It had a cast of fantastically written characters and an exciting quest to find a lost king that brings them all together. I absolutely loved this and can’t wait for the sequel!

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I was so excited to return to the world of Graceling and I couldn’t wait to see how Bitterblue had grown to become queen. She is such a strong character and throughout the book grew into an even better queen. It was eerie to read about the destruction that still lingered after her father’s death and how the sick things that he did still affected people years after. I only wish this weren’t the final book because I would love to return to this world for just a bit longer!

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

I absolutely loved this retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I loved how it was a retelling of a classic but had sci-fi elements mixed in. Elliot is such a strong character that single handedly runs her father’s estate and is willing to give up everything, including the man she loves, to save the estate and the people working there.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet is a retelling of Robin Hood in which Robin Hood’s fellow thief Will Scarlet is actually a girl in disguise, hiding from her past. Scarlet is loyal to Robin Hood and fights as well as any man. I loved Scarlet’s stubbornness and strength and her interactions with the other thieves were hilarious. This was such a great story and I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel!

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

This sequel to Across the Universe was absolutely fantastic. Elder and Amy are left to deal with the aftermath of shutting down the Phydus and figuring out the truth behind their lives on the ship. Both characters grew so much in this book and their relationship evolved as they discovered more about both themselves and their role on Godspeed. The ending was a huge cliffhanger so I am very excited to read the sequel next month!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I am so glad that I finally was able to read this book! I loved Aria and Perry’s story and the whole idea behind the evolution of the senses was incredible. I can’t wait to see where Rossi takes this in Through the Ever Night!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

I was really apprehensive about this one because I figured it was another dumb romance featuring fallen angels but I was definitely wrong. Angelfall is in fact a post-apocalyptic story about angels that brought death and destruction to earth. I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I gave it a chance!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

This was such a fantastically written book. It was such an original story about reincarnation and a world where souls are reincarnated multiple times into different bodies. Ana is a Newsoul, living her first life, and she is shunned by everyone else because when she was born, another soul died and was never reincarnated. This was such an amazing story and I could not put this one down!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I really loved this sequel to Delirium. Lena became such a strong character in this book and decided to fight back instead of hide. The cliffhanger at the end was SO MEAN and I am super excited to see what happens next!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

This is another book that surprised me. I could not put this one down! It was very Hunger Games-esque because America has to be part of a televised competition to be the prince’s bride in order to earn money for her family, who are poor. She is forced to leave behind the boy she loves and instead is expected to try and win the prince’s favor. The ending of this book was great and I hope the sequel is just as good!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

I initially was skeptical about this once I heard it was about vampires, but this is so much different than any other vampire story. Kagawa reinvents vampires in The Immortal Rules and I really loved the completely different direction she went in. This book was a really pleasant surprise!

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

This book mixed fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi elements to create an incredible story. Rachel is another strong heroine, determined to find her father, and Logan is quite possibly one of my favorite characters ever! He’s extremely intelligent and has a logical way of thinking but is also an excellent fighter. This was a really great one!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I loved reading about Celaena, a female assassin that is able to take down nearly every man that crosses her path. She gets chosen to compete to be the king’s new assassin and has to defeat man after man all while trying to figure out who keeps brutally murdering the contestants in the middle of the night. This book had a little bit of everything and I definitely could not put it down!

So 2012 has definitely been a great year! What books were your favorites this year? What are you looking forward to reading in 2013?

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Tag Archives: kiera cass

Favorite Books of 2014

The TBR Tag

The One by Kiera Cass

Favorite Books of 2013

The Elite by Kiera Cass

April 2013 Preview

Favorite Books of 2012