Seven books to start off July with! We will see if that's enough for this month or if I'll end up doing another Mid-Month Haul like I did in June! THE ELITE (THE SELECTION #2) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen? America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away. After reading The Selection I was super excited to read the rest of the series, and I set a reservation for The Elite at my library right away, but I still don't have it. I got the Dutch version instead, so I'll read that if I don't get the English one on time. I really like this series so far so I'm excited! THE ONE (THE SELECTION #3) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: The time has come for one winner to be crowned. When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants. I have just copied and pasted the synopsis for this one from Goodreads without reading it, because I haven't read the second book yet and I don't want any spoilers! THE SELECTION STORIES (THE SELECTION #0,5 & #2,5) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition. Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls—and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know. Going to read this after I finish the first part of The Selection series! I will probably get the other two books in the series for August, or in my Mid-Month Haul if it gets to that this month! :) DID I MENTION I LOVE YOU? (DIMILY TRILOGY #1) - ESTELLE MASKAME SYNOPSIS: When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers. The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't – her step-brother. Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler? Another must-read in the Bookstagram community, so I'll give it a try! THE LOST FILES (LORIEN LEGACIES: THE LOST FILES #1 #2 #3) - PITTACUS LORE SYNOPSIS: A book combined with Six's, Nine's and The Fallen's Legacies all in on paperback. Three little novellas from one of my favourite book series. CROWN OF MIDNIGHT (THRONE OF GLASS #2) - SARAH J. MAAS SYNOPSIS: From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for. I LOVED Throne of Glass, so I'm super excited to read the sequel! I've heard that this one is even better than the first book in the series! ZENN DIAGRAM - WENDY BRANT SYNOPSIS: Eva Walker has literally one friend—if you don’t count her quadruplet three-year-old-siblings—and it’s not even because she’s a math nerd. No, Eva is a loner out of necessity, because everyone and everything around her is an emotional minefield. All she has to do is touch someone, or their shirt, or their cell phone, and she can read all their secrets, their insecurities, their fears. Sure, Eva’s “gift” comes in handy when she’s tutoring math and she can learn where people are struggling just by touching their calculators. For the most part, though, it’s safer to keep her hands to herself. Until she meets six-foot-three, cute-without-trying Zenn Bennett, who makes that nearly impossible. Zenn’s jacket gives Eva such a dark and violent vision that you’d think not touching him would be easy. But sometimes you have to take a risk… My love for maths made me interested in this book, but the reviews I've read for it so far have not been promising. I'll still read it though, so I can form my own opinion. That's it for this Start-Of-July Book Haul! Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them!
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Nine books this month! A pretty decent count, if I do say so myself, considering I had my end-of-year exams and all. Going Rogue (Also Known As #2) - Robin BenwaySYNOPSIS: Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing coins from the Collective and they are forced to flee the country. Rating: 4/5 An enjoyable read, as expected. This series is a nice lowkey relaxation. Anna & the French Kiss - Stephanie PerkinsSYNOPSIS: Anna's father decides it is a good idea for her to spend her last year of High School at a boarding school in Paris. Here she meets St. Clair and his group of friends. Rating: 4/5 I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Full review here. Lola & the Boy Next Door - Stephanie PerkinsSYNOPSIS: Lola's old crush moves back into the house next to hers, so she has to figure out whether she still has feelings for him or if she's truly in love with her current boyfriend Max. Rating: 5/5 Excellent! I loved this book and everything about it! Full review here. United As One (Lorien Legacies #7) - Pittacus LoreSYNOPSIS: The final battle against the Mogadorians commences. Rating: 5/5 An epic ending to an epic series. I will truly miss reading this series. Full review here. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonSYNOPSIS: How a pair of twins who used to be so close grew apart. Rating: 5/5 This story truly had it all! I loved the characters and the plot and the mysteries. Full review here. The Selection (The Selection #1) - Kiera CassSYNOPSIS: America is chosen to be one of the 35 potential brides for the future King. Rating: 4/5 This is a simple and lovely read and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Full review here. Silence Is Goldfish - Annabel PitcherSYNOPSIS: Tess discovers her father is not her biological father, and she refuses to speak from then on in retaliation. Rating: 4/5 I read this because I liked Under The Ketchup Clouds, from the same author, a lot. I liked this book even more! Full review here. Throne Of Glass (Throne Of Glass #1) - Sarah J. MaasSYNOPSIS: Assassin Caelena is taken out of her forced labour camp to compete in the King's competition to find his Champion, who will do his bidding for him and become the court Assassin. Rating: 5/5 An incredibly compelling book that made everything else in life seem a lot less important when I was reading it. Full review here. The Black Sun (Team Mortis #4) - Bjorn van den Eynde SYNOPSIS: A teen actress is found dead and her case is connected to mass suicides among a cult of teenagers. Team Mortis investigates. Rating: 3/5 I swear, if the plots weren't so good I would never touch one of these books. Every girl is skinny and hit on, boys always know better, and girls can't properly do anything on their own. A good reading month overall! Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them! Eleanor and Park is easily one of my favourite books. I love daydreaming about the characters, and thus about what they would look like. It's taken me a while to find someone to fit Eleanor, but I think I've finally found who I'm looking for! Eleanor - Emma Kenney Emma Kenney is not a natural redhead, but nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of hairdye, as she does it for Shameless US too! I think she would be perfect because she's about the right age, and she has the right body type. I think if an Eleanor & Park movie was made, the worst thing they could do was cast one of those super skinny actresses Hollywood is so full of to play Eleanor. Ariel Winter has a body type closer to most girls' so I think she'd be great for the role! Park - Yeo Jin-Goo Yeo Jin-Goo is a Korean guy of the right age, who looks like a sweetheart. And when I think of Park, I definitely think of someone who looks sweet. It's very important to me that the actor who plays Park is either half-Korean like Park himself or fully Korean, as he is described as looking mostly like his Korean mum in the book. He is also described as having green eyes though, but hey, Harry Potter was supposed to have blue eyes too. Can't have everything. Let me know what you think of my fancast! Could you see these two playing Eleanor and Park? SYNOPSIS: The Mogadorians have invaded Earth. Their warships loom over our most populated cities, and no country will risk taking them head on. The Garde are all that stand in the way, but they’ll need an army of their own to win this fight. They’ve teamed up with the US military, but it might not be enough. The Garde need reinforcements, and they’ve found them in the most unexpected place. Teenagers from across the globe, like John Smith’s best friend, Sam, have developed abilities. So John and the others must get to them before the Mogs, because if they don’t their enemies will use these gifted teens for their own sinister plan. But after all the Mogadorians have taken from John—his home, his family, his friends, and the person he loves most—he might not want to put any more lives in danger. He’s got nothing left to lose, and he’s just discovered he has been given an incredible new Legacy. Now he can turn himself into the ultimate weapon. So will he risk his life to save the world, or will he realize that power in numbers will save us all?. Rating: 5/5
[ WARNING! CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES. NOT FOR UNITED AS ONE ] I gave United As One 5 stars mostly because Lorien Legacies is one of my favourite series and this was a good ending. I would feel like I'm doing a dishonour upon this series if I didn't rate the final book 5 stars. With every book this became more of a cult series. Readers were lost along the way and with this last book the hardcore fans were left and the book was a complete unintelligible mess to anyone who didn't read all the other books. I like that cult aspect though, so this is definitely not a complaint! I liked this book a lot and thought it was a good ending to the series. I did find that I cared less and less for John with each book, and in this one I just really could not be bothered to be interested in him anymore. The other characters like Six, Marina (she deserved so much more, my poor girl), Sam and Adam were just so much more interesting! Six and Sam's relationship is one of my favourites in all of YA and I never cared much for John and Sarah's. The action in this book was fantastic and although the start was a little slow, the book quickly picked up pace around the middle and it has some amazing action scenes. Overall, I think this is a good ending to a good series, and it leaves room for a possible Epilogue mini-book which I would personally love. I would definitely recommend this series to all my YA Scifi lovers out there. I do recommend you read the books quickly one after the other, because I spaced them out quite a lot so I forgot a bunch of events from previous books and got confused when they were brought up in later books. Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/27161189-united-as-one Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/United-as-One-Lorien-Legacies/dp/0062387650 I am very easily annoyed with characters, so this will be a short list. If a character gives me a reason to dislike them I will grab it. While compiling this list I thought of plenty of unlikeable characters so I think I might actually do a post on that at some point in the future and that one will be much longer than this one! JAMES ADAMSCHERUB series - Robert Muchamore This is a hard one for me to admit, seeing as CHERUB is my favourite series, but James Adams is a horrible kid. He is everything I would look down upon and more: violent, always getting in trouble, obsessed with girls and sex, etc. But for some reason I still like him. I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because I know his reasoning for the way he behaves so it's easier to excuse it. Maybe it's his love for his sister and his friends. I just don't know. ZOEUnder the Ketchup Clouds - Annabel Pitcher I've read plenty of complaints about Zoe because she dates two boys at the same time and she only talks about herself in her letters, but I really liked her. I could imagine doing the things she did, because she wasn't stringing two boys on on purpose, but she genuinely was just lost. Also, with her secret, how could you expect her to be able to think about anything else but that? I just wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay and give her a hug throughout the whole book. A very short post today, because, as I said, there's more unlikeable characters that I disliked than that I liked. Look forward to my post about all the characters I dislike! ;) Let me know what you think about popular unlikeable characters!
SYNOPSIS: An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family. Rating: 4/5
I really liked this book! It reminded me of On the Spectrum by Jennifer Gold (review here) in the way that it dealt with mental illness. The two deal with very different disorders, On the Spectrum being an eating disorder and Finding Audrey an anxiety disorder, but the way in which society views and handles mental disorders is very much the same for both: it doesn't know what to do. In Finding Audrey Sophie Kinsella wrote beautiful descriptions of everyone in her vicinity treated her mental illness differently. Her brother was quite casual about it, her mother was very worried, and Linus didn't understand it and got annoyed, but did ultimately try his best to help her. Audrey really wanted to get better. For herself. Linus and her therapist just helped her achieve that goal and it was great to read about her progressing and getting better. Around the mental illness plot there was the 'crazy' family plot, which was also very enjoyable. It was humorous and took the pressure off a bit in the way that it was not just about Audrey overcoming her anxiety disorder. There was also the love plot, of course, which fit just right without making it seem like Audrey was magically becoming better because she found love. I would recommend this book to everyone, really! It's not just a book about mental illness, but it's also a funny and heart-warming story about family and first loves! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23305614-finding-audrey?ac=1&from_search=true#other_reviews Amazon: www.amazon.com/Finding-Audrey-Sophie-Kinsella/dp/0553536532 SYNOPSIS: Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. Rating: 5/5
So remember my review of Anna and the French Kiss a few days ago? (link here!) I said I liked it a lot but it just didn't have that one factor that would make me Love it. Lola and the Boy Next Door did! I loved this book a lot and it is well-deserving of my rare 5/5 rating. Where do I even start with this story? First of all, I loved how well all the characters were developed. Just as in Anna and the French Kiss, all characters have their own stories and do not just live to further the main character's plot. I love that Calliope got some depth instead of just being the mean antagonistic bully, and I love that Lindsey had her thing for Charlie. Cricket is definitely one of my favourite love interests from books ever, because he's just such a big sweetheart and he is genuinely interested in Lola's hobbies. He's also a big nerd, which is adorable. Lola's boyfriend Max was a nice addition to the book. Their relationship sets a good example for young girls who think it's a good idea to get a relationship with a way older boy. I saw it a lot when I was younger; my 16 year old friends dating 20 year old boys. It's just wrong and gross. I'm so happy Lola and the Box Next Door showed how a relationship like that really is and why it just doesn't work! Also, LGBT representation! I thought I'd read it wrong when I first saw Lola's dads mentioned, but I didn't! Lola really has two fathers! And on top of that, her relationship with and the character development of her mother Norah are also a great read. Another thing I was surprised about: Anna and St. Clair!! They were in this book! I was so happy to read about them and I'm so happy that they are doing well. Anna and the French Kiss reads like a standalone so I was delighted to get a little insight into their lives after their book! And lastly, Lola herself. She is such a unique character, yet still so relatable. She is super into alternative clothing, and although I am not interested in that myself, I enjoyed reading about her progress on her ball gown and her passion for clothing. She makes some bad decisions, but they're decisions we could've all made. She tries her best and tries not to hurt anyone or do anything wrong, but it just doesn't turn out the way she hoped. She deals with the consequences like an adult though! I really loved this book, and I would recommend it to everyone! If you don't know what to read next, give Lola and the Boy Next Door a try, or maybe read Anna and the French Kiss first so you can share in my delight when reading about them in Lola and the Boy Next Door! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/22247695-lola-and-the-boy-next-door Amazon: www.amazon.com/Lola-Next-Door-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0142422010 Five library books and a book from the store (that I've already read, but loved so much that I want to own it too). Going to get started on some of the series that are very hyped on Bookstagram, so a bit of scifi/fantasy this Book Haul! THE SELECTION (THE SELECTION #1) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. This series is on my List of Books That Everyone In the YA Community Loves, so I've got to read it. Got just the first book in the series for now, but will get more if I like it! THRONE OF GLASS (THRONE OF GLASS #1) - SARAH J. MAAS SYNOPSIS: Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness. In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted? This one is also on the list of series that the YA community loves, so I'm going to give this one a shot too! SILENCE IS GOLDFISH - ANNABEL PITCHER SYNOPSIS: My name is Tess Turner - at least, that's what I've always been told. I have a voice but it isn't mine. It used to say things so I'd fit in, to please my parents, to please my teachers. It used to tell the universe I was something I wasn't. It lied. It never occurred to me that everyone else was lying too. But the words that really hurt weren't the lies: it was six hundred and seventeen words of truth that turned my world upside down. Words scare me, the lies and the truth, so I decided to stop using them. I am Pluto. Silent. Inaccessible. Billions of miles away from everything I thought I knew. Tessie-T has never really felt she fitted in and after what she read that night on her father's blog she knows for certain that she never will. How she deals with her discovery makes an entirely riveting, heart-breaking story told through Tess's eyes as she tries to find her place in the world. This book is written by the same author as Under the Ketchup Clouds, which I really liked. Neither of those books are very hyped in the community, but I think Under the Ketchup Clouds is worthy of more praise than it gets and I hope Silence Is Goldfish lives up to my expectations as well! GONE (GONE #1) - MICHAEL GRANT SYNOPSIS: In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your 15th birthday, you disappear just like everyone else... I've already read the entire Gone series (link to my review here!) but I don't own them. I got all the books from the library when I read them, but I love this series a lot and the books were all on sale for 7 euros a piece. I only bought one of them because I don't know if it's worth buying an entire series that I've already read just for aesthetical reasons ;) That's it for this random middle-of-June haul! I finished my June Haul books much earlier than expected, so more books were needed! Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them!
Welcome to my new Wednesday series! The topics will come from the Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads group, but my posts won't always be top 5's. I'm very interested to hear your opinions on these topics, so please don't hesitate to let me know! This Wednesday's topic is favourite side ships; so relationships that do not involve the main character. SAM x SIXLorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore I love Sam and Six together, because Six is a badass and does not take crap from anyone, and Sam is a little softer. In their relationship they kind of meet in the middle and I think it's adorable. ELLIOT x ALEXGirl Online series - Zoe Sugg I am a sucker for LGBT representation, so when I see a healthy and good LGBT relationship I jump on it. Elliot and Alex are sweet together and I was rooting for them just as much as I was for Penny and Noah. WILL x CHRISTINADivergent series - Veronica Roth An honest and energetic Candor transfer and a grounding Erudite transfer. It was meant to be. These two fit together perfectly. RADAR x ANGELAPaper Towns - John Green Honestly, I prefer Radar and Angela over Q and Margot. They fit each other much better and had an equal and healthy relationship. More so in the movie than in the book, but still. EDILIO x ROGERGone series - Michael Grant Not much information is given about Edilio and Roger's relationship, but I wish there was more. This is another good example of a lovely LGBT relationship, despite the messed up world it takes place in. I'm rooting for them. An honourable mention goes out to Anna and St. Clair in Lola and the Boy Next Door, as I felt like I'd be cheating if I listed them as a favourite side ship ;) Let me know what your favourite side ship is!
SYNOPSIS: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Rating: 4/5
A 4/5 rating for me pretty much means "an amazing book but didn't quite blow me away". That's how I feel about Anna and the French Kiss. This book was fantastic and I loved it, but it just didn't have that wow-factor. Unfortunately I am not sure what the wow-factor is, I just know if it's there or not. For me it wasn't there in Anna and the French Kiss, even though I loved it. Let's start with the plot: I loved it! A cutesy love story that held my attention the whole time because I was just rooting for Anna and St. Clair so much, even though I started out rooting for Anna and Toph. It's a story that takes place over a long period of time without getting boring, because of the subplots. St. Clair's subplot was just what this book needed to make sure that no one lost interest. The characters were also used in a good way to hold the readers' attention. Not just Anna and St. Clair, but also Rashmi, Meredith and Josh. Everyone had their own personality and things going on in their lives, so I felt like I was really getting to know everyone in this group of friends rather than just our main characters. Anna had some great, prominent character development, and so did St. Clair, but the other friends did too! They were all paid proper attention to instead of just being there to fill up the empty space in the background. This book made me fall in love with Paris through its subtle descriptions of the things Anna sees and her unique perspective on the city because she is mostly seeking out cinemas. That's another good thing about this book. Anna and St. Clair were not just busy falling in love, they had a life and other interests outside of their love lives as well and I loved reading about those things. Overall, this was a lovely read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary YA! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/6936382-anna-and-the-french-kiss?ac=1&from_search=true Amazon: www.amazon.com/Anna-French-Kiss-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0142419400 |
AuthorHi! I'm Marcella. As you might have guessed, I quite like YA books.. Archives
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