Winter

Title: Winter

Author: Marissa Meyer

First Published: November 10th, 2015

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 827

My Copy: Ebook

My Rating: 9/10

Goodreads Summary:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

Cress

Title: Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

First Published: February 4th, 2015

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 550

My Copy: Ebook

My Rating: 9/10

Goodreads Summary:

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Harry Potter Spells Book Tag!

Hi everyone! I saw this tag on Tasya's blog, The Literary Huntress, and I thought it would be very fun! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed making it! :) Feel free to join in!

An upcoming release you wish you could get your hands on right now

One? Now that's difficult! After long contemplation, I think I would choose Half Lost, the third and final book in the Half Bad trilogy. I really hope Nathan ends up with Gabriel and not Annalise. Her actions are unforgivable! I really don't like her.

Favourite series starter

I thought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was a great start to the series! Creepy, unforgettable - it had all the elements a good book should have. How can you forget any of the characters? 

A book that gave you all the warm and fuzzies

Yep, this was definitely Just One Day by Gayle Forman. I loved the plot, especially the relationship between Willem and Allyson. I haven't got round to reading Just One Year (told in Willem's perspective) but I will.

A book that made you cry ugly

How many books have brought me to tears? Way too many. But one that comes to mind is All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. The ending tore me apart. :(

A bookish hero or heroine you want around to protect you in real life

I need a Thorne. He's awesome. I love his character. I think he is real good at anything, and he won't ever get boring! He's hilarious.

A book you intentionally spoiled for yourself

I intentionally spoiled The Heir for myself, reading everyone's reviews before actually getting my hands on a copy. Oops ;)

A book you wish you could make everyone read because you love it so

I absolutely love Colleen Houck's Tiger Saga! Starting with Tiger's Curse, I fell in love with all the characters. To this day, I still don't know if I ship Kelsey with Ren or Kishan. It's so difficult! 

A book series you wish never ended

There aren't many series I wish never ended, because if it would've dragged on, losing all its former glory. (Pretty Little Liars, I'm looking at you!)

A book with an uplifting message

I think I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson was a great book. It was kinda warm and cute, written poetically (only in Noah's POV though)

A book you wish you could forget you've ever read

I wouldn't say I hated this book, but Girl Online wasn't the best. Thinking back now, there were some things that irked me about this book, and I think the worst was Penny, the main character. She was way too dependent on others.

An author books whose books always get you out of a reading slump

Anthony Horowitz's books always help my reader's block. All I do is grab an Alex Rider book and read it. The Alex Rider series is a really good read, my favourite one is Russian Roulette.

A swoon worthy hero or heroine

Two words, one name. Will Herondale.

A book that caused you to stop doing all other things until you finished it

The Young Elites by Marie Lu was incredible. I loved the plot, the conflict between characters, all of it. Adelina was a strong but dark character, and I wonder what her future will be like.

A book that was painful to read (for whatever reason) or broke you

Clockwork Princess was a really sad book, especially when we got to the epilogue. I cried :(

A book that had you laughing out loud

Rick Riordan's books are the best! I love it especially when it's narrated by Percy. He's a great narrator. So, I think Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods was the best. I love Percy's take on the gods - I couldn't stop laughing :)

A book that made you want to send it (or your e-reader) flying

In Throne of Glass, when Calaena seemed to exhibit attraction more towards Prince Dorian over Chaol. My ship was sinking rapidly. 

A bookish world you wish you could visit

I would love to visit the Londons from A Darker Shade of Magic. Grey London, Red London, White London and Black London. Although I probably won't make it back alive from White London... 

A book with a shocking twist or ending

There Will Be Lies, where Shelby's life was never what it seemed. In easier words, she was living a lie.

A character death that destroyed you

I was upset when Rue died. She was such a sweet girl - she didn't deserve to be in the Hunger Games. Then again, nobody deserves that. 

Best series conclusion

This will have to be Library of Souls. The plot built up to this very book, without making anything too confusing. Jacob chose his path. I panicked during the last chapter. All was well in the end, thank goodness.

A Darker Shade of Magic

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Schwab

First Published: February 24th, 2015

Series: A Darker Shade of Magic #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 398

My Copy: Ebook

My Rating: 9/10

Goodreads Summary:

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

I Was Here

Title: I Was Here

Author: Gayle Forman

First Published: January 27th, 2015

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 270

My Copy: Physical, paperback

My Rating: 8/10

Goodreads Summary:

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod. 
Until . . . they weren’t anymore. 

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

Ungodly

Title: Ungodly

Author: Kendare Blake

First Published: September 22nd, 2015

Series: The Goddess War #3

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

My Rating: 8/10

Goodreads Summary:

As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in the final Goddess War novel by the acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood.

For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what Ares said.

So she was wrong about some things. So the assault on Olympus left them beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

But Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the Fates arrive to eat their faces.

And Cassandra is up there somewhere too. On a quest for death. With the god of death.

Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference.

What can I say? It was a very strong ending to the Goddess War trilogy. I would even say that it was better than the previous two books.

There's been much character development for Cassandra. She started off innocent and naive. Then in Mortal Gods, she became cold-blooded and angry at the world, then in Ungodly, she was sad and wanted everything to be over. I don't know if Kendare Blake was trying to make Cassandra the likeable protagonist of the book or not, but for me, she certainly was not the best person. She still hasn't completely gotten over Aidan/Apollo's death, so she's still rude and just plain horrible to everyone. She still hates most gods (especially Athena, for no valid reason), but has gotten over her bloodthirsty need to kill them all. She's more reasonable and rational than previously, but she's still not the nicest person on the planet.

*Spoiler Alert* When Cassandra was confronted by Alecto, she lost control of herself and killed Calypso. We can see that she feels tremendously guilty for accidentally killing one of her friends. This happens really early on in the book. I was waiting for Cassandra to own up, but she never did - until the last couple of pages! She finally admitted it by yelling it across the room when she was fighting the Fates. I thought it wasn't the best time to admit it, because we can see how it affects Cassandra and Athena for one second. Both were two busy trying not to die. So, it wasn't the best time to come clean.

*Spoiler over*

With the gods dying, we can finally see that they are no longer the prideful, powerful beings they once were. They are scared. All gods in this book showed more human-like feelings and behaviour. Athena and Hermes were always like two peas in a pod since book one, and there was a new addition of Ares to the gang. I like Hermes although we don't get to see him a lot. It sucks, really. I thought he was a cool character. And so was Thanatos. He was awesome.

So, I'd say this was a good ending for the book. It wasn't the best series I've read, but it was a nice twist of Greek myths. My favourite part was how the gods died. Athena was dying from feathers. Hermes was falling sick. Persephone was rotting to pieces. All very ironic, no?

My Chosen Quote:

"The past never left."

Mortal Gods

Title: Mortal Gods

Author: Kendare Blake

First Published: October 14th 2014

Series: The Goddess War #2

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

My Rating: 7.5/10

Goodreads Summary:

Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.

I just realized I forgot to write a review on this book. Oops :)

In the span of this book, I decided that I don't really like Cassandra anymore. Following Aidan's death, she's a whirlwind of anger and hatred for everyone. She's hellbent on getting revenge on Aphrodite. She hates all gods. She doesn't want to be the nice girl anymore. Honestly? She isn't dealing with her grief in a healthy way. Pushing everyone away and refusing to let anyone in. She has decided to kill a gods in the end, including Athena and Hermes.

There is also a tiny bump in Athena and Odysseus' relationship. One name: Calypso. I think that Odysseus has feelings for the beautiful girl and isn't exactly sure what he is doing. On the plus side, Athena isn't acting like a clingy and needy girl. Well, she is a goddess. She's got other things to worry about.

Tensions rise between Ares and Athena when they meet and Cassandra just can't seem to control herself. The sad thing is, Athena stil sees Cassandra as her friend, even after everything. But Cassandra hates Athena and wants her to die. It's sad to read about that and I can't help but hope that Cassandra will have enough restraint to stop killing people.

This book took way too long for me to read. It was slow paced and I thought there were too many irrelevant scenes to drag the story on. I hope the third book will be better. But all in all, this book helped develop Cassandra's character even more, so I can't even tell how she's going to be in the third book. Maybe she won't kill her friends? Maybe she'll win the war? I can't tell anymore.

My Chosen Quote:

“If you find a way, I'll be there. Right to the end of the earth and over it.”