January 2011

I thought I could start with a monthly update with how many books I've read that month. This year my goal is to read at least 55 books throughout the year, so this will be a great way to keep track of my progress. You can also visit my goodreads-profile here.

Books read January, 2011:

1. Rachel Vincent - My Soul to Steal (01/01)

2. Richelle Mead - Spirit Bound (01/01)

3. Richelle Mead - Last Sacrifice (02/01-03/01)

4. Alyson Noel - Blue Moon (04/01)

5. Libba Bray - A Great and Terrible Beauty (05/01-09/01)

6. Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time (21/01-24/01)

7. Lisa McMann - Wake (26/01)

8. Michael Grant - Gone (29/01)

9. Diana Peterfreund - Rampant (31/01)

9 out of 55 books read

Rebel Angels 5/5

This is the second book in the Gemma Doyle-triology. You can find the review of the first book in the series here. I must say I am thoroughly impressed. In this book Gemma, Felicity and Ann go to London for Christmas, while getting strict instructions from the Rakshana to find a temple in the realms. There Gemma can bind the magic which is running wild in the realms and ruining the precious balance. The problem is that Gemma doesn't know where the temple is or who she can trust to help her find it.

Like I've mentioned before, the first book kind of disappointed me. This one did not. At all. Even at the start of the book, I felt that something had changed for the better. Maybe it was just that I'd gotten used to the idea of the realms or that Gemma, Felicity and Ann had grown on me. Anyway, that something made sure that I enjoyed the book from the very start.

This book had everything I like in a book: Action, romance and magic. I loved it. The book revealed something major about Felicity which actually makes her bearable. Ann is still annoying unfortunately, but Gemma's neutralness makes up for it.

What astounded me the most about the book was the way it stayed so true to the Victorian Era. So few authors do! It made it seem so much more authentic. At some points I felt like I was reading a Jane Austen-book with a magic twist. And trust me, that is so very good.

It had a slow start, but when the pace increased, boy, then it increased. There was a point where I could not possibly put the book away. I love books like that!

I cannot wait until I get my hands on the third and final book in the series. Absolutely recommend the series to everyone with a love for the Victorian Era and magic!

A definite 5 out of 5!

Read: Feb 05, 2011.

Blue Moon 3/5

This is the second book in the Immortals-series. The Immortals-series is about Ever, a sixteen-year-old girl who, after an accident which takes the lives of her parents and sister, sees auras and can read people's thoughts and know their life story by touching them. 

I thought that the first book was okay, and I have to say that the second book is also just okay. It had some good parts, and then there was the bad part.It was well written and I was actually starting to enjoy the series, but that twist at the end... 

The plot was great, right until the end. It really destroyed everything. Like I said, I had started to get my hopes high and then the overly tragic and cliché twist at the end made me lose all hope. I will not read the rest of the series because honestly, I can see where this is heading and I'm not interested in that. 

So, no, I do not recommend the series unless you're into cliches which aren't even good. Very easy read, though.

3 out of 5

Read: Jan 04, 2011.

A Great and Terrible Beauty 3/5

So I had heard a lot of good things about this book, which naturally led me to have many expectations. And I have to say, unfortunately, that this book disappointed me a great deal. I thought that it was slow paced, that you received too little information to even know what was going on and, quite frankly, that the plot was boring. 

The story is about sixteen-year-old Gemma, who has lived in India all of her life. When she sees her mother die in a vision and it actually happens, she is sent to a boarding school in England. There she meets a group of girls, and together they explore the magic which led Gemma to have that first vision, while being warned not to by the mysterious Kartik. 

I do think that Bray is a magnificent writer. She really is. And I'm not really saying that I disliked the book or anything like that. It just disappointed me because I had too many expectations. I am going to read the sequel, though, because I was intrigued, and I've heard that the series gets better. Hopefully it won't disappoint me! Another thing I have to say is that I think Bray managed to write the time period perfectly. Kudos!

Okay, so just to be clear: This book was good, not great. Good enough to continue reading the series, though! 

3 out of 5

Read: Jan 05-09, 2011

My Soul to Steal 5/5

I'll just use this opportunity to express my feelings about this series. I love, love, love, LOVE it. It has become one of my favorite series of all time, and Rachel Vincent one of my favorite authors. I love the way Vincent portrays teenage relationships. It's much more realistic than other young adult-books I've read. 

This series is about bean sidhes AKA banshees. And I so love that! I had never read books about banshees, but I like it a lot. Though, alright, I'll admit that the appeal of the series might not be the whole banshee-thing, but more the whole Kaylee/Nash-thing. I adore the way Vincent deals with their relationship. It just can't be said enough that it is so deliciously good to read about a realistic teenage relationship. It's amazing to read about a book that actually deals with the sexual tension between two teenagers instead of completely avoiding the subject. I mean, it's all natural and normal, why would authors need to stay away from that subject just because some people are a bit sensitive?

Anyway. So I finally got my hands on this book, and wow. Yes, I expected that more problems would be resolved, but now that I think about it, if more problems were resolved it would seem unnatural and forced. So it's all good! And I really cannot wait until the next book is released!

So I'll continue praising Vincent's way of writing, because I really really love it. I love the way she makes you picture the scenes so clearly, which adds to the whole reading experience. I love the way she dealt with a certain someone's way to recovery from drug abuse. I love the way her characters are flawed, just like any other person. Yes, I thought Kaylee was a bit selfish, but honestly? I think that is one of the things that make the book so realistic and great, and make the book amazing. (Besides, she totally has deserved the right to be selfish. And the way she acts may also not be entirely selfish, I just have a very strict sense of loyalty.)

Yes, I was very pleased with this book. And I hope that many more read this series, because it really is amazing (as I keep telling you)! Rachel Vincent even has a prequel novella to the series free to download here (My Soul to Lose), if you want a little taste. There's also another novella up for download here (Reaper), about Tod. I would recommend that you read at least the first book in the series before you read the Reaper-novella, though. It's just better if you know who Tod is before you read the novella. He'll make more sense to you then. 

Read: Jan 1, 2011

2010

Total # of books read: 37
Books Read for the first time: 30Total Number of Authors Read (not including anthologies) : 19
Total Number of Never-Before-Read authors (not including anthologies) : 12
Number of Books written by men: 3
Number of books that made me cry: 20
Total Number of Books that I read more than once DURING 2010: 1 
Book read most times during 2008: Spirit Bound



1.  Robin McKinley - Sunshine (??/??-??/??)
2. Brent Weeks - Beyond the Shadows (??/??-??/??)
3. John Green - Paper Towns (07/02)
4. Kristin Cashore -  Graceling (20/03)
5. Richelle Mead - Succubus Shadows (10/04)6. Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games (13/04-14/04)
7. Holly Black - Ironside (??/??-??/??)
8. RIchelle Mead - Spirit Bound (25/05)
9. Rachel Vincent - Stray (??/??-??/??)
10. Cassandra Clare - City of Bones (??/??-??/??)
11. Cassandra Clare - City of Ashes (18/06-19/06)
12. Cassandra Clare - City of Glass (20/06)13. John Green - Looking for Alaska (12/07)
14. Jeaniene Frost - First Drop of Crimson (15/07-18/07)
15. Suzanne Collins - Catching Fire (21/07)
16. Maria V. Snyder - Poison Study (22/07)
17. Sarah Dessen - Along for the Ride (15/08)
18. Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel (15/09)
19. Suzanne Collins - Mockingjay (16/09)20. Sarah Rees Brennan - The Demon's Lexicon
21. Laurie Halse Anderson - Speak (06/10)
22. Rachel Vincent - My Soul to Lose (07/10) + Reaper (??/12)
23. Kiersten White - Paranormalcy (07/10-10/10)
24. Rachel Vincent - My Soul to Take (07/10)
25. Rachel Vincent - My Soul to Save (08/10)
26. Rachel Vincent - My Soul to Keep (10/10)27. Sarah Rees Brennan - Demon's Covenant (18/10)
28. Alyson Noel - Evermore (27/11)
29. Anthony Horowitz - Crocodile Tears (30/11)
30. Stephen Chbosky - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (??/??)
31. Cheyenne McGray - Demons Not Included (12/12)
32. Richelle Mead - Last Sacrifice (14/12)
33. Maria V. Snyder - Magic Study (25/12)
34. Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy (26/12)35. RIchelle Mead - Frostbite (27/12)
36. Richelle Mead - Shadow Kiss (28/12)
37. Richelle Mead - Blood Promise (28/12-30/12)

I haven't really had time to read much this year. Between studies and work I just haven't had much time to just sit down and enjoy my precious books. Next year I will read more, I promise!

Oh, and by the way, if you noticed that 20 books out of 37 made me cry, I'll confirm right now that I am indeed an emotional mess. I get way too attached to characters, so I often sit and cry, not only out of sadness but also happiness, frustration and whatever other reasons, while I read. Yay me?


Well, I wish you a very happy year filled with lots of great books! May all the releases next year (starting with Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Steal in a few hours) be as good as we hope they are!

Quote of the day

Swallowing, I asked again, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

He regarded me with utter seriousness, like he always did. "I think you're beautiful"

"Beautiful?"

"You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes"

Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy)



I'm currently rereading the Vampire Academy-books, so I couldn't resist putting up a Dimitri-quote. Love that series so damn much. It's actually the first time I'm reading them back-to-back, so it's changing the entire way I view the series, in a good way.

By the way, don't expect the quote of the days to actually be daily. I'm notoriously known for being forgetful, so that probably won't happen. I could just rename it to "Quotes on Days I Remember" but I think "Quote of the Day" sounds a bit better.

Quote of the day

"Jesus!" Luke exclaimed.
"Actually, it's just me," said Simon. "Although I've been told the resemblance is startling.

Cassandra Clare (City of Bones)

Quote of the day

Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.

John Green (An Abundance of Katherines)

Be prepared for a lot more quotes from John Green. That man is a genius.

Magic Study 4/5

Magic Study is the second book in the study-series by Maria V. Snyder. It continues the story of Yelena, who discovers she has magical powers in the first book, Poison Study. It takes us to the exotic land of Sitia, where Yelena reunites with her family after being separated for fourteen years, and starts apprenticeship with Irys, Sitia's fourth master magician. I really enjoyed the first book, Poison Study, and have to say that though the second book is good, it's not Poison Study-good.

The plot itself and characters had great potential but I don't think Snyder really took advantage of that. I honestly felt as though she tried to rush through the book, only shortly mentioning parts that should have taken more space. The whole Yelena-coming-back-home-thing, for instance. One would think that it would be a great place to explore the character, but, as many other parts, and other characters, it felt rushed and two dimensional. I feel as though we know a lot about Valek, for example, but still don't know him. Leif, Yelena's newly found brother, is another character I think Snyder could have explored a bit more. I think maybe Snyder should have done a bit more research into the whole reuniting-with-your-family-after-thinking-you-were-an-orphan-for-fourteen-years-thing.

I'm not saying that this book was bad and that you shouldn't read it, I'm just saying that it had a lot more potential, which, if taken advantage of, could have made this book a heck of a better read. Don't misunderstand me, though! I still read it in a day and thought it was entertaining. I guess it's just hard to write the sequel to a fantastic book. That's just my humble opinion. It is still packed with action and suspense, just the way I like it.

PS: Here you can read the short stories set between the books. We'll call Assassin Study #1.5 and Power Study #2.5 for easiness' sake.

Read: Dec 25, 2010