Little Literary Lass: January 2016

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book Review: Bloodlines

Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2011, Penguin Group
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Bloodlines is a companion series to Vampire Academy. This series focuses on Sydney Sage, an Alchemist who appears in the Vampire Academy series. Alchemists are responsible for protecting the human world from the vampire world, and Sydney is pulled from her bed one night and given an important mission: she is going to be sent to Palm Springs, California to protect an important Moroi (vampire) girl. Sydney must attend Amberwood Prep, a private high school, as part of the mission. Not only must she repeat her senior year of high school and deal with the ensuing drama, but she also has to live with vampires, whom she has been taught to regard as disgusting monsters. No pressure.

This book was a lot of fun. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the Vampire Academy books, but it was still good. It's hard to tell at this point, though; I'll make a final decision about that once I finish all six books. I did find it difficult to get into, however, since I read the VA series when I was in high school.

Oh, well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The story was fairly slow-moving. There was a lot of set up in the beginning, a lot of descriptions of past events and some Alchemist info-dumping. While this was not the most interesting stuff to read, it did help me re-immerse myself into the world. Once Sydney gets to Palm Springs, though, things get more exciting. There are a bunch of familiar characters from Vampire Academy, and I got a little nostalgic seeing them pop up.

I'm currently on the fourth book in this series, The Fiery Heart, so I'm trying to avoid writing any spoilers. Bloodlines is an entertaining book, but it is a lot of set up for the rest of the series. Each book has its own subplot, but there is an overarching plot that spans all six books.

I really, really, love the characters, though. I wasn't sure about Sydney at first, but she grew on me. All the characters are so distinct and important to the story; no one is wasted. If you liked the Vampire Academy series, I suggest you pick up Bloodlines. You do need to read all the VA books first, however. I would also recommend this series if you like a good slow-burn romance, because this one is fantastic.

Top Five Wednesday: Disappointing Eye Candy

Top Five Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey. If you are interested in participating, here is the Goodreads page.This is quite the fun topic. Let's be honest, a lot of us pick up books based on the covers. But sometimes the inside doesn't match the outside. Here is some disappointing eye candy!

1. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
This book was just horrible. I tried really hard to like it. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, so I had high hopes. Its cover didn't redeem it.

2. The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
This cover is beautiful. And the story revolves around Egyptian mythology, which I am all about. I'm just glad that this book was short and didn't take up too much of my life. Ugh.

3. Entwined by Heather Dixon
This is a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses. The cover is gorgeous in person; the silvery parts are shiny. I was just confused a lot during this book, and I found myself wanting it to be over.

4. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
This book wasn't entirely disappointing. I did have high hopes for it, though. It was a little weird, but I liked it more toward the end. I'm definitely going to read the sequel.

5. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
This book had a lot of hype around it, and I have had good experiences with other Rainbow Rowell books, so I was looking forward to Landline. Unfortunately, I really disliked it. The story was odd, the characters were unlikable, and it was just a frustrating book.

Bonus! Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
I think I'd stick the entire series into the 'disappointing eye candy' category, but especially the first one. The other two are okay. This was another super-hyped series, but it let me down hard. I just couldn't buy any of the story; nothing made sense. And Kenji was the only decent character.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Top Five Wednesday: Buzzwords

This is my first Top Five Wednesday post, and it's something that I would love to do regularly. I always watch my favorite BookTubers' videos each week. Top Five Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey. If you are interested in participating, here is the Goodreads page.

So this week's topic is your favorite bookish buzzwords that make you want to pick up book.These could be words found in the synopsis of a book or words that someone might use to describe a story. Here are mine!

1. Pirates
Anything with pirates. I'm all about it. Space pirates, regular pirates, whatever.

2. Retelling

I also love retellings. These can be fairy tale retellings, classic novel retellings, or retellings of myths. They're all great.

3. Assassins

Bonus points if there are assassins and pirates.

4. Anti-hero

I really enjoy a good anti-hero story, and I try to read them when I find them because they're pretty rare.

5. Slow-burn romance

I can't stand insta-love in YA books, and it's much more common than it should be. I greatly appreciate a book or series that does a realistic, slow-burn romance. It just makes the most sense.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Recently Added to My TBR

It was difficult to narrow this list down to ten, but I did it. These are all books that are already published; I plan on doing a post about my most anticipated releases for 2016 pretty soon. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
This has been getting so many great reviews lately. It's a sci-fi story told through unconventional formats such as emails, interviews, and other documents, which sounds like it will be interesting to read. Plus, I already love Amie Kaufman's other books, so I'll hopefully enjoy this one as well.

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
This novel is set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy, but it follows different characters. The only thing I know is that it's a heist story, which is all I really need to know, honestly.

3. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
I'm counting this as one book, but I really want to read the entire series. I'm tired of not being a part of this fandom!

4. Reawakened by Colleen Houck
This cover. Wow. It's incredible in person. Possibly one of my new favorite book covers of all time. Aside from its beauty, it does sound like an interesting story: a girl discovers that a mummified Egyptian prince with magical powers has been reawakened.

5. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
This is a Star Wars expanded universe book set before the events of The Force Awakens. I've read a lot of Claudia Gray's other books, so I have high hopes for this one. This will be the first Star Wars EU book I ever read!

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Not sure why I haven't read this yet. It's a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I'm a sucker for. I'll need some kind of Sarah J. Maas book to hold me over until the fifth Throne of Glass comes out. Sigh.

7. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
This is another fantasy book that I've heard amazing things about. I love those high fantasy books, so I'm excited for this one.

8. Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
This is the third book in the Starbound trilogy. I loved the other two, and this is probably what I'll read after RYBSAT is over.

9. Soundless by Richelle Mead
I've heard a lot of mixed things about this book. I like Richelle Mead's other books, so I want to see for myself what I think of this one. It's pretty short, so if it's terrible, I won't be spending too much time on it!

10. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
This was a book that I had never heard of before, but I picked it up because the synopsis sounded so cool. It's an alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II. There's a motorcycle race every year, and the winner gets to meet Hitler, but the main character intends to win so that she can kill him.

RYBSAT Round 7 TBR

Round 7 of the Read-Your-Bookshelf-a-Thon has begun! It's running from January 19-25. The idea is to pick a point on your bookshelf and then read from that book onward throughout the week. I actually participated in the TBR Takedown 3.0 read-a-thon earlier this month, and I did much better than I expected. I'm hoping for more success during this marathon, but today is my first day back in class, so who knows. Here are the Twitter and Goodreads pages for RYBSAT 7.

One of my informal bookish resolutions was to participate in more read-a-thons, and so far so good.

Work!

So here's the shelf I picked. I'm going to be reading from Bloodlines by Richelle Mead onward. The goal is to get through most or all of the series. If that happens, which it probably won't, then I'll read The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, since I've read the other books past that point. If you're participating as well, good luck and happy reading!

Favorite Books of 2015

I read a lot of great books this past year, but these are the best of the best in no particular order. I will link each book's Goodreads description so you can see what it's about, unless it's a sequel, then I'll link the first book in the series to keep the spoilers away. Here's the list!

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
I love sci-fi, and this is probably my top sci-fi book right now. I loved the characters, the plot was exciting, and the aliens were terrifying.

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
A contemporary book has to have something special about it for me to really enjoy it, and this one was unlike any other I've read. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a unique contemporary.

3. Angelfall by Susan Ee
Dystopian is not my favorite genre, and I don't typically like angel books, but this was incredible. The entire series is great if you like books with an amazing heroine, a fast-paced plot, and a lot of unexpected twists.

4. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
This book made a lot of favorites lists this year. I read all of the currently published Throne of Glass books in 2015, and they got better with each book. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book, is the best so far by a landslide.

5. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
This is the fourth and final book in the Seven Realms series. This may be my favorite fantasy series of all time, to be honest. Cinda Williams Chima is an incredible writer; if you like fantasy at all, read this series!

6. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
This is the third book in the Raven Cycle. I don't even know how to talk about these books; they're so complex and nuanced that you just have to read them for yourself. The final book in this series, The Raven King, is my most anticipated new release for 2016.

7. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
This is the sequel to The Winner's Curse. Of course, this is another fantasy book. This was a heartbreaking but wonderful book. It's different from a lot of other young adult fantasy series in the way that it's very politically-focused, which is quite refreshing.

8. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
I read this in January 2015, but I thought about it throughout the entire year. I feel like it's good to read this book without knowing too much about it, but just know that it's a gritty anti-hero story.

9. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Another fantasy! This was such an incredible book, especially for a debut novel. The setting is ancient Rome-inspired, which was something that I've never read about before.

10. The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
This is the sequel to The Kiss of Deception. This is a fantasy series that has well-developed characters and an incredibly well-written love triangle.

11. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
This is a Peter Pan retelling narrated by Tinker Bell, and it follows the character Tiger Lily. I love Peter Pan and I love reading different retellings, and this one is darker and more realistic than most.

12. Cress by Marissa Meyer
This is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles. I read the first three books in 2015, and I just finished the final book a few days ago. This series is just so much fun. I love the characters, the relationships, and the world. If you like sci-fi or fairy tale retellings, give this series a try.

Hooray! Awesome books!

Monday, January 18, 2016

December Wrap-Up

I know this is incredibly late, but I wanted to get it posted anyway. In December, I focused on getting a lot of my unfinished series wrapped up (or at least caught up). I think I did fairly well. I also ended up making my Goodreads goal of 100 books! January has been going pretty great, too, but more on that at the end of the month.