TGIF: First and Last of 2011

This Week’s Question:

First & Last: What was the first book you read in 2011 and the last you finished in 2011? How do you feel about these books? Would you recommend them to other readers?

Rie’s Answer:

I’m not really sure. I kinda suck at remembering to update my Goodreads with when I read something and such.

I think the first book I read this year was Some Girls Bite of the Chicagoland series. This series is a very hit and miss series for me. Some books I love and others anger me. Merit’s reaction to being around Ethan is likely what drives me the most nuts. She usually all kick ass and brave and INDEPENDENT. Ethan robs her of all of that. She acts like a complete head case around him. And it drives me nuts!

I’m in the middle of Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep. I’m loving it so far! I totally squeed when I found a copy in my mailbox. I wasn’t expecting a copy and was obsessively  entering every giveaway I could find of it and then it appeared and I was so happy!

This has been such a good year for me. I began book blogging on Christmas Eve of 2010 and now it’s gone a full circle. I adore blogging and the community I have found!

Rie

I'm a wife, student, and a dog-lover who reads when I should be folding laundry (bane of my existance), I write (rarely as academic papers consume my life), and love getting wrapped up in fiction.

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Top 10 Books I’m looking forward to in 2012

This year is going to amazing with all the debut authors that are simply fantastic and since I’ve done a Wicked Reads event full of these type of books I am going to go with some others that I have yet to mention. But I have not yet been disappointed in a 2012 book.

Why: OMG! I adore this cover so much! And the blurb sounds amazing! I am so in love with Dystopian and this sounds like an amazing one!

Why: I love the mythology of fairies. It makes me scared and yet happy. I’m not really into the cover for this one, but it still intrigues me.

Why: Bad boys are so sexy! I fall completely for the bad boy. And this one sounds like it’s gonna have a hottie! Plus it’s kinda the opposite of the angel books and most of the angel books of last year left me disappointed.

Why: This one is MG, but it seems like a fairytale that I could fall in love with. How gorgeous is this cover?

This is a stopping of Armageddon and I haven’t read a book like that in ages. I love stories with so much at stake. Plus the guy that brings her back to life seems pretty steamy.

Bipolar girl with secrets is haunted by a ghost and falls in love with a country boy. Umm, how is this not the best book ever? EPIC. I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

Mythology. Enough said.

This seems to be a post-apocalyptic and I have never read a book like that. So I’m intrigued.

Mythology, trained assassins, historical fiction. Heck yes!

A zombie book that actually looks good to me! Yay!

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Heroine Tourney: Alex vs. Katniss

Vote for Alex in the Heroine Tourney!

Alex from Half-Blood, the latest book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout is up against her most formidable opponent yet. Katniss. Yup, that's right. The girl on fire! Both sides are ready to duel it out in what should be an epic battle. 

For all the Alex fans (or maybe even those Hunger Games haters), I tell you not to give up just yet. We've got the #HalfBloodLegion behind us and some really quirky fans. Plus, there are amazing incentives for voting. 

250 votes: a teaser from Pure
500 votes: a teaser from Onyx
750 votes: a teaser from Pure and Onyx
1,000 votes: a POV from Daemon (Obsidian)


And that's not all!


1250 votes: a teaser from Seth's POV in Pure
1500 votes: a teaser from Shadows.
WINNING votes: a teaser from Pure, Shadows, Onyx, and Cursed
AND


And for every 1000 votes, JLA will give away an ARC of Pure, up to 6000 votes
- ARC will be given away on Twitter


Vote here. 

Momo, Alex's advocate, still has her giveaway for Daimon, Half-Blood, and Pure running until Friday, January 6th. 

So get your tweeting on. Get others involved! Grab a stranger's computer/phone/iPod and vote! Let's show some Alex-love. 

 

The elusive Linda-saurus:

Mover and shaker by day, book-ninja by night. Only native to Florida. Afraid of small children but has an affinity to the elderly. Beware of her sarcastic humor.

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Top 9 Friends in 2011: Best/Worst

Recently, I’ve been reading a ton of friendship books and I sorta like them more than romance. Romance (especially in YA) isn’t gonna last, but friends can stay with you for life. I’m gonna include books from other years that I read this year.

5 Best Friends:

Gale: This is sorta cheating, but still it’s so true. He endangers himself daily for this girl. And they trust each other completely. Loved this friendship. She needed his support and he gave it.

Vlad: I have a confession. Shh… don’t tell. I’m way more in love with Vlad than I am Bones. He is there when Cat needs to get away and is purely her friend not Bones. Almost all of her interaction is with his friends. This boy hates Bones and yet would do ANYTHING for Vlad. Plus he’s totally hot. And he’s Dracula. I mean SERIOUSLY!

Cecily: She is completely innocent, but when Rhine needs her she does something against what she believes in and helps her friend.

Magda and Dreska: The eccentrics that are the only people in the entire town that are completely scared of the unknown. They are great for advice and safety against the outside sources.

Derek and Lucas: I don’t really see these two as love interests. They are much more of very good friends. The girls drive me nuts. They are constantly bickering and making Kylie be the intermediary but the boys simply take care of what needs to be taken care of.

5 Worst Friends:

Mallory: This girl pisses me off from the beginning. Her best friend is undergoing a huge change that she had NO choice about and is struggling. Mallory falls in love, gets awesome power, and goes all bitch. Hate her.

Lissa: Seriously I would never be her friend. She’s completely stuck up. Consumed with herself and uses Rose all the time. She sorta redeems herself, but I still don’t like her.

Jason: If you read my review you know I completely love this boy, but seriously bad friend. He’s so self involved that he joins werewolf KKK and doesn’t see anything that’s going on around him. Let’s his best friend end up in the hospital and there’s this one scene… UGH SERIOUSLY READ IT!

Leena: Yes, she’s the main character. Yes, she’s a complete bitch. If this book had been any other POV I might have loved it, but sadly I hated the main character, which makes books hard to read for me. She’s a horrible friend to every person she’s supposed to be friends with.

Rie

I'm a wife, student, and a dog-lover who reads when I should be folding laundry (bane of my existance), I write (rarely as academic papers consume my life), and love getting wrapped up in fiction.

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Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

Tucker- I think everyone knows my complete love of this boy! He’s so yummy! Country boy with a heart!  How does it get any better?

Adrian- He is constantly able to be around Rose even when she’s off doing the next reckless thing. He simply walks into her dreams talks to her like an equal and helps out. He’s always willing to help even if it means not getting what he wants.

Raphael- Elena is damaged from some highly traumatic events in her childhood and Raphael is always there to comfort her. He’s slightly scary himself which gives him the bad boy edge.

Cole- Mysterious, friendly, and slightly creepy at first. Cole is a manifestation of the unknown and is kinda completely damaged. Love him!

Connor Macleod- Steamy werewolf. I was never into werewolves until I read Dani Harper’s series. Connor is the epitome of everything I want in a guy. He’s protective, slightly bossy (in the this what is best for you so are going to do it way), and he is so loving.

Cal- He is Sophie’s intended, he isn’t working for the other side, and he has the gigantic heart. Totally on Cal’s side here.

Logan- I cannot resist a knight in shining armor. He is constantly having to save Gwen and he does it with his bad boy charm. There are depths there that are completely hidden and I can’t wait to discover what they are.

Finn- Not only is he the protector, but he gets along perfectly with Aiden. A guy that can get along with the fam. Perfecto!

Kyle- Oh, how this boy PISSES me off! He waits years before even hinting at his feelings and when he does he has this huge secret that puts everyone in danger. But he’s so good with Mac. He loves her and helps her with all her dangerous plans.

Jack- I keep seeing Team Cole floating around, but I don’t really think this is a book that can be teamed. Cole is an addiction. He’s all of the bad influences in the world compiled into one boy. He stole her essence like addictive substances do and left her with all of the problems.
Jack on the other hand was devasted when Nikki left and yet when she comes back he is willing to do anything to save her.
There is no contest here. Jack is the only boy Nikki should be with.

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Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

I couldn’t put these into a countdown cause I love them all!

Divergent | Review

Wither | Review

The Near Witch | Review

Anna Dressed in Blood | Review

Abandon

The Pledge

Delirium | Review

Huntress | Review

Born at Midnight | Review

The Gathering | Review

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Countdown of Favorite Books this Year

In my first year of blogging I read some really great books. And 2012 is shaping up to be even better, so what are some of the amazing books I’ve read this year?

10.

Review | Character Interview

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

9.

Review | Author Interview

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams,  Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever.  Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.”  Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either.  Or does she?  They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason.  As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas.  Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past.  Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. 

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

8.

Review

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best- but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option—even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break

7.

Review | Author Interview

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.


If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.


And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

6.

Review

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has apurpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

5.

Review

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

4.

Review | Series Wrap-up

Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever...

3.

Review | Author Interview | Author Guest Post

He roams the moonlit wilderness, his every sense and instinct on high alert. Changeling wolf Connor Macleod and his Pack have never feared anything—until the night human Zoey Tyler barely escapes a rogue werewolf's vicious attack.

"I would love to read more of the Macleod clan!" —Fallen Angel Reviews

As the full moon approaches, Zoey has no idea of the changes that are coming, and only Connor can show her what she is, and help her master the wildness inside. With her initiation into the Pack just days away and a terrifying predator on the loose, the tentative bonds of trust and tenderness are their only weapons against a force red in tooth, claw. . .and ultimate evil.

2.

Short Review | Spoiler Review

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

And the number one book I read this year! I know many people are with me on this one as it’s pure genius.

Review

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I seriously freaking cannot wait for the movie on this one!









Tell Me: What are you’re favorite reads from 2011?

Rie

I'm a wife, student, and a dog-lover who reads when I should be folding laundry (bane of my existance), I write (rarely as academic papers consume my life), and love getting wrapped up in fiction.

Read More