June Wrap-Up 2016

Another month over! AHH! This month aka Shadowhunter month, I read a total of 3 books.

1. City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★
   Paranormal, YA, Urban Fantasy
   
2. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★.5
   Paranormal, YA, Steampunk
   I have a review for this book here
   
3. Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★★
   Paranormal, YA, Steampunk
   I have a review for this book here
   
   Overall, I feel like I had a good reading month despite all the madness that’s been going on in my personal life lol. I’m happy I enjoyed the books I read. Happy reading everyone!

May Wrap-Up 2016

First off, I just have to say that it’s really cool/weird at the same time to do a blog post of a monthly wrap up. I’m use to recording it and posting it on YouTube but I secretly like this way more lol.

This month I read a total of 7 books and I’m just going to jump right into it.

1.The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins ★★★★★
For people who like unreliable characters, suspense, and mental health.
I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait for the movie. I loved the narration and how unreliable the characters were, I think that added so much to the story.

2. He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker ★★★
If you like suspense, psychological thrillers with a bit a mystery.
For people who don’t read much of this genre, maybe you’ll like it. I found the ending very predictable and it just felt flat to me.

3. A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) by  Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
ALL THE FREAKING STARS!!!!!! MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE OF THE MONTH!!! I need to re-read this book already. I absolutely loved this. This is the second book to A Court of Thorns and Roses. If you like Sarah J. Maas, Fantasy, New Adult, Angst, Hades and Persephone then try this.

4. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer ★★★★★
Fairy Retelling (Cinderella), Sci-Fi, Young Adult
I thought this book was really CUTE! I had it on my shelf for ages but I’m happy that I finally picked it up and really enjoyed it.

5. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer ★★★
Fairy Retelling (Little Red Riding Hood), Sci-Fi, Young Adult
This is the second installment to The Lunar Chronicles. This book also felt very flat to me. I eventually will continue with this series but once Scarlet leaves the bad taste left in my mouth.

6. City of Bones (TMI #1) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★
Paranormal, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
I have finally started this series, I have a more in depth review here

7. City of Ashes (TMI #2) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★
Paranormal, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
I’ll be doing a review for this some time this week. I’m still enjoying this book.

Have you read any of these books? What are some of your thoughts? I would love to discuss. Have a lovely day!

City of Bones Book Review (Non-Spoiler)

Title: City of Bones (Book One)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
My Rating: 4 out 5 stars

I have finally read the first book of this series!!! Finally! Finally! Finally! And when I finished City of Bones I wondered what the heck took me so long because I really enjoyed it.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

My Initial Thoughts Right After I Finished:

WAIT HOLD UP. HOLD THE **** UP!!!!!
NO THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. CASSANDRA CLARE WHY WOULD YOU GIVE ME THIS PLOT TWIST?!?!??!?!?!?!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!

My Thoughts Now That It’s Been A Few Hours Since I Finished:

• I thought the book had a lot of info-dumping when it came to the world, which I actually didn’t mind at all because there was a lot of dialogue and explanations. I grasped the world quicker with the info-dump rather than play a guessing game as to how things go about in this world. And I love me some major dialogue between characters, where the character is explaining all types of stuff.
• Was the plot somewhat predictable? Yes, the majority of the plot was predictable except for that ending, that ending caught me off guard. However, the predictable plot didn’t bother me because I was thoroughly enjoyed this world and it’s only book 1 out of a 6 book series. This story can really go anywhere at this point.
• I understand Clary can be a little ridiculous and at times I was like “STFU, what is wrong with you?…omg you’re such a child”…honestly though, I’ve read WORSE characters than her plus she’s a teenager with raging hormones who just got her world flipped upside down in the matter of hours. So I can surpass her.
• Loved how much I laughed out loud in this book. I LOVE BOOKS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH!!!
• I need more female characters and female friendships, I hope I get to see that in City of Ashes (Book Two). I’m not ignoring Isabelle, yes I know that she exist. However, I feel like I’ve seen Isabelle’s character in other books. You know the “don’t need anyone, I’ve been here before you, I’m a bad ass and you’re not, oh you’re such a human” type of character. I wanted to see more between Isabelle and Clary. The ending of the book gave me hope that maybe there will be a friendship between these two sometime in the near future.
• LGBTQ – YES YES YES!!!!!!!! LOVED ALL OF IT!!!! Alec baby I support you!
• The Setting? Takes place in NYC. I live in NYC and I want to thank Cassandra Clare for being so on point with EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of New York. I’ve read books where it takes place in NYC but Cassandra Clare definitely takes the cake for being spot on with locations and whereabouts.
• Characters? I like all the characters. They’re all unique and different in their own way but all mesh together perfectly.
• I absolutely loved the idea of having Nephilim, Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Fey, Warlocks (pretty much all paranormal creatures) in one book. It was really well done.
• Will I be continuing this series? YES!!! I already started the second book.

Have you read this book? What are some of your thoughts? Let me know so we can discuss!!

Tuesday Talks – What is the longest series you’ve read?

Tuesday Talks is a group on Goodreads, just like Top 5 Wednesday where the moderator gives a topic and you discuss on it. Today’s topic or rather question is “What is the longest series you have read?”

The answer for me is: Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter (5 books) this also includes the spin off series which is called Shadow Falls: After Dark (3 books) and all the novellas that are included in a book named Almost Midnight (5 novellas).

I know this isn’t a hyped up series like Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, Throne of Glass….you get the gist of what I’m saying.

BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!

If you like boarding school, everything paranormal which includes: ghost whisperers, vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, etc. With a twist of FBI, getting to know who you are, and some serious tropes. Then pick this up!

This book has some awesome female friendships (which I personally think we need more in YA) and romance. Plus we meet some kickass female characters who are realistic (insecurities, love interest, finding yourself), there’s great character development, and there are adults present in these teenagers lives.

Here is a more in-depth synopsis from Goodreads:

“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, shapeshifters, 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…”

I just loved this series, yes there’s tons of series out there that probably have the same synopsis, characters, tropes, etc. However, I thought the author did this well. We have Kylie who doesn’t know what paranormal creature she is, Della who is this kick ass sarcastic vampire that you just love because you know she’s going through the motions, and you have Miranda the dyslexic witch who messes up all the spells but always makes a joke of it.

The spinoff series Shadow Falls: After Dark has one more book coming out but if this series had like 10 more books, I would devour each one.

Currently Reading

Last night I finally decided to dive into the world of The Mortal Instruments and OMG, I am so happy that I finally started this series. I am currently on the first few pages of City of Bones. I will not lie that it has gotten a little hard for me to separate the character descriptions from what I’m reading then from what I’ve seen the characters to look like (due to the show, tumblr hype, and twitter hype). However, I’m getting there. It’s an easy read and I should finish in no time. I do really want to get to The Infernal Devices though because of how I heard the world is set up.

The Alphabet Book Tag

I saw @fridaysandbooks and I thought “hey what now?” since I am new here. I thought it would be a great idea for you to get to know me through my choices of books. So from what I understood, the rules are the book either has to be one you own or one you have read.

A: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

B: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

C: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

D: Divergent by Veronica Roth

E: Eternal by C.C. Hunter

F: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

G: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

H: Harry Potter

I: Illuminae by Aime Kaufman and Kay Kristoff

J: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen:

K: Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

L: Legend by Marie Lu

M:The Martian by Andy Weir

N: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

O: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

P: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Q: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

R: Rooms by Lauren Oliver

S: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

T: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

U: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

V: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

W: Winter by Marissa Meyer

X: ..this is where I draw a complete blank….

Y: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Z: Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld

(some books are missing in the photo because I either read them in library form or ebook)