Dec. Wrap-Up and Jan. TBR

Must say that I am a little disappointed in the fact that I wasn't able to finish more than two books this month, BUT I am so happy that I got to spend two weeks with my best friend (who lives on the other side of the country as me) and the holidays with my family.

December Wrap-Up

1. A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1) by Morgan Rhodes 
2. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) by Pierce Brown

January TBR

1. Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer 
2. Crane (The Legends Saga #1) by Stacey Rourke 
3. The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia #3) by C.S. Lewis 
4. Blood and Snow (Book 1: A Snow White Re-imagining) by RaShelle Workman 

Anticipated Releases of 2016

1. The Winds of Winter (A Song of Ice and Fire #6) by George R.R. Martin?????
   In some places it shows that it will be coming out in 2016 but there isn't an official release date yet, but regardless my fingers are crossed that it will be coming out sooner rather than later. 
2. The Darkest Magic (Spirits and Thieves #2) by Morgan Rhodes 
3. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Steifvater 
4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
   Alice and Wonderland retelling? I might die. 
5. Untitled (Untitled #1) by Marissa Meyer
   New series by one of my favorite authors!!
6. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan 
7. The Fever Code (The Maze Runner #0.6) by James Dashner 
8. The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy #3) by Marie Rutkoski
9. Lady of Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clair 
10. Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5, 0.6, 1.5, 3.1, 3.6) by Marissa Meyer
    Not one for reading novellas but I love this series so much that I may make an exception. 
11. And I Darken (The Darken Series #1) by Kiersten White 
12. The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
13. Passengers (Passengers #1) by Alexander Bracken 
14. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo
    I still haven't read the first book yet but I feel like I am going to love it.
15. Untitled standalone  by Stephanie Perkins
    Based on Scream with no supernatural killer just an average knife wielding maniac? Yes, please. 
16. The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold #1) by Traci Chee
17. This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab
18. The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
19. Revenge and the wind by Michael Modesto 
20. The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins 
21. Stealing Snow (Stealing Snow #1) by Danielle Page 
22. Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine 

Favorite Reads of 2015!

So I know that there is a Top 5 Favorite Books of the Year for the goodreads Top  group, but I was having so much trouble only choosing 5. Besides, choosing the order is just too hard. The struggles.
(PS. The order is based on the order I read them throughout the year)

•  Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
  I have never really been one for cyborgs and such like that, in fact, as a rule, i never read books with them, but this has got to be the biggest exception to that rule EVER! Blew me away how she mixed someone like Cinderella with cyborg qualities. 
•  A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin
  Everyone I know has basically been raving over how totally incredible this tv series is so I thought it would be a good idea to pick the books up first and I am so happy I did. Probably one of the best first book in a series I have ever read. 
• Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer 
• Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer 
• The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski
  Got to love a good story of an enslaved civilization breaking free of its 'master'. This book took turns I wasn't expecting and I am so happy I decided to pick it up. Plus the romance was so ridiculous I can't not like it. 
• The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #2) by J.R.R. Tolkien
  This is such a classic series. There are obviously some problems I found within this series but I have to say that the second book was so incredible. I love the multiple perspectives as the fellowship slowly separates and all the incredible world building within the series as a whole. 
• A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin
  The best book in the series so far. I can't get over all that is happening in this series, but this book made me go through some serious emotional turmoil. SO MANY FEELS. I can't even count the amount of times I wanted to either hug or stab a character. 
• Relentless (Relentless #1) by Karen Lynch
  This book surprised me in so many ways. I found it as a free eBook on my Kindle and thought I would give it a try. Because it was a free eBook I wasn't expecting anything particularly memorable about it, but holy...it was something else. Such a fun and relatively quick read. I cannot wait to read the next books 
• A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1) by Morgan Rhodes
  I'm not going to say much here, check out my review. 
• Red Rising (Red Rising #1) by Pierce Brown
  This book was freaking incredible, I was not expecting it to be nearly as intense as it was but that just made it so much better!

Top 5 Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings

Fairy tale Retellings are some of my all time favorite stories to read. I absolutely love a good twist on an old classic.

1. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I am not going to say much because I already wrote a post about the first three books in this series. But wow, it really is so great. (PS, I havent actually read Winter yet but I have read Fairest) 

2. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

A take on Snow White, taking place in the same world as Ella Enchanted. This book is definitely for younger audiences but it was my favorite book in middle school and I still love it today. 

3. A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A twist on Rumpelstiltskin by the Brothers Grimm. Such an incredible story of family, riches, love, and what one is willing to sacrifice for all of it. 

4. Splintered Series by A.G. Howard

Spin-off on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book takes place around Alyssa Gardner who's ancestor is Alice Liddell. This book has curses, destiny and one hell of a love triangle. Such a fun read.

5. Depravity (Beastly Tales #1) by M.J. Haag

A take on Beauty and the Beast. I was not expecting the way this story went and how well and slowly it built up. My only complaint is that I wish the three part series was one large book instead of three individual ones. (PS. I have only actually read Depravity but I do plan on finishing the series)

Favorite Holiday Reads!

So not all of these are directly related to Christmas but they all put me in the holiday spirit! We all know that the holidays are coined to be the 'Happiest Time of the Year', a time spent with friends, family, and loved ones. All of these stories are close to my heart, especially during the holiday season. Especially the Polar Express because I believe that if magic exists, the holidays are proof of it.

"Holi-day a restoring thing, which, by a blast of magic, turns man into himself."
 -G.K. Chesterton 

A Book of Spirits and Thieves Book Review

 A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes

This is the first book I have ever read by Morgan Rhodes so I will admit that I had some pretty high expectations, however, this book in no way let me down! This book takes place from 3 perspectives (Crystal, Farrel, Maddox), and shows how two different worlds connect; Mytica and Toronto.
The beginning of this book was a little slow for me and it actually took me the first 60 or so pages just to get into it, but after that I practically couldn't put it down, in fact the last half of the book had me so hooked I didn't put it down. I will admit that there were some parts that were pretty predictable, and a few of the minor characters could have had some more substance. But, the world building and the differences in character personalities among the main characters make up any of the lacking elements. The writing style was nice and the characters were all so interesting to follow in their own way. Some of the outcomes I did not see coming, and there were things that I swore that were coming to happen but turned a way I would not have predicted. The Society aspect of this was so intriguing itself, and everyone within the society, as well as all the society itself, left me wanting to know more. The book as a whole was a great begging to series and makes me want more Morgan Rhodes. (Motivation to finally pick up the Falling Kingdoms series) I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come, especially considering this one left you with a bit of a cliff hanger. 4.5/5

Top 5 Series I Want To Start Next Yea

Top 5 created by gingerreadslainey
Goodreads group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
I mean come on, this is a must read!


2. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass
I literally hear about this book everywhere and I am dying to know what the hype is all about


3. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
A Book of Spirits and Thieves is so freaking good, I need more!


4. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
I don't know much about this series but I here so many good things about it and I am in the mood for something new.


5. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
I have tried to start this series so many times I don't know what to say....

Nov. Wrap-up and Dec. TBR

November Wrap-Up

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
   A book about books? I suppose so. Books, rebellion, and runaways. It was exactly what I thought it would be and nothing more. 
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
   Not everyone is going to agree with me on this, but I liked the movie better. Maybe its because Leonardo DiCaprio was in it. 
3. Pride and Prejudice (Audiobook) by Jane Austen
   I have been in such a classics mood lately. Plus the movie with Kiera Knightley is one of my all time favorite movies. 
4. Depravity (Beastly Tales #1) by M.J. Haag
   I really do enjoy fairy tail retelling's.  
5. Beauty and the Beast by Anonymous 
   Not much to say, just been in a fairy-tail mood lately.  
6. A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin
   SOOOOOO FREAKING GOOD!!
7. Chance of Rain by Laurel Veil
   Nothing like what I was expecting, but I still really enjoyed it, it's been too long since iv'e read book with more romance in it. 
8. Relentless (Relentless #1) by Karen Lynch
   So freaking good! I felt like this book had some City of Bones, Twilight, and The Body Finder elements. For a free Kindle ebook that was much better than I thought it was going to be. 
9. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer
   So I'm not usually one for novellas, but this book gave so much perspective to things! So happy I decided to pick it up.

December TBR

1. Red Rising (Red Rising #1)
   I'm actually currently reading this, but hopefully I don't get distracted by something else.
2. A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
3. The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #3)  
4. Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia #4)
5. A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1) 

Top 5 Characters I Want To Be My Bestfriend

Created by gingerreadslainey.
Goodread group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-Wednesday

This definitely got me thinking on the characters I liked. In the end this was much harder than I thought it was going to be.

1. Jon Snow
   Probably one of my favorite fiction characters of all time. I just can't get enough of him! Plus, I know he is a very loyal friend and just generally awesome. 
2. Peregrin Took
   I know that if he was my bestfriend we would always be going on adventures and laughing in general. Pippin is definitely a very interesting and funny character. 
3. Elizabeth Bennett
   Her and I are so much alike it's almost scary... 
4. Legolas
   Who doesn't want an elf as their bestfriend. Being friends with Legolas would be incredible and lets not forget to mention that Orlando Bloom looks pretty good as a blonde elf from middle earth. ;)
5. Neville Longbottom
   Such an underrated person. He is loyal, smart and an overall great person. Everyone needs a friend like Neville by their-side. 

Top 5(s) Book Or Movie

Book Not Movie

1. The Book Thief  by Marcus Zusak
   My favorite standalone book of all time. There are not enough amazing things I can say about this. 
2. The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials  (The Maze Runner #1/2) by James Dashner
   I've read and really enjoyed all the books in this series, plus I think Dylan O'Brien is kind of really great, but I have just never gotten around to seeing either of these movies even though I really want to. 
3. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan
   I was crazy about this book so I had little to no motivation to watch this movie, even though my family has it on DVD
4. The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1) by Lois Lowry  
   I have no excuse for never watching this movie. I liked the actors and I do really enjoyed the story. 
5. A Song of Ice and Fire (Series) by George R.R.Martin
   I absolutely love this series and the only reason I have yet to watch Game of Thrones is because I want to read the books first. 

Movies Not Books

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
   This s going to sound kind of ridiculous, especially considering I've read so many of the A Song of Ice and Fire books, but this book is just so intimidatingly long. 
2. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
   I have no excuse for not reading these books yet!!!
3. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead 
   One movie versus a whole series of books...yeah I will stick to the one movie for now. 
4. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
   I have started this book like 3 times and I still have yet to actually get into it, however, I am determined to eventually read it. 
5. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
   My favorite suspenseful movie, as well as my favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie. I actually had no idea it was a book until years after I saw the movie in theater.  

Chance Of Rain Book Review

Chance of Rain by Laurel Veil

This book was not exactly what I was anticipating. The book itself was a good read for the most part but there was something lacking that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The protagonist, Ashley, definitely reminded me of most high school students I know act, and her best friend Bri, was exactly how most HS best friends are portrayed in books; quirky, loud and all over the place.
The writing style was very easy to follow and the story had a good mixture of romance and mystery. The friendship between Ashley and Bri was entertaining all in itself and the HS experience in the book brings me back to my own HS days. Ashley and Trent's blossoming romance in the book was something I could not stop myself from rooting for. Plus he fast pasted ending helped to make sense of some of what happened in the beginning of the book and really added a perspective in regards to the parents relationship that mended a lot of what happened. (Especially in regards to certain creepy and ill tempered people).
However, the story was a little predicable in regards to the mystery blonde, the fathers job, and what occurs in the last few chapters. Trent having a dark side and a mysterious aura about him was something very expected, especially when they first met. Plus the book was so short!! Though I really enjoyed it and related to a lot of aspects to the book, I felt like there were missing aspects. I wish there was a little bit more character building and that the story as a whole was just a bit longer, 200 pages was not enough, I wanted more! 3.75/5
(ps. I received this book via Goodreads giveaway)

Top 5 Books and Movies

Movie and BookThese are probably my favorite movies that I have also read the book to...yes, I put 6 not 5...

1. Lord of the Rings (Series) and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
   Love the Series so much and the movies are so great as well. I know they are different in a lot of ways, but I love them both regardless. Plus the cast for them are pretty A+
2. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #2) by C.S. Lewis
   Part of me enjoys the movie just a little bit more, but that's mainly because the book itself is so short! again, I still love them both though
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
   Not everyone is going to agree with me, but I do enjoy the movie more than the book.  
4. Alice's Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
   Tim Burton has a way of making everything amazing, no matter how different it is than the original (Ps. can't wait for Alice Through the Looking Glass by him) 
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
   Both of them are so beautiful and the movie is cast so well. 
6. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) by Louise Rennison
   One of my all time favorite movies from middle school. Definitely an old love. 

Classics: Book Reviews: Fahrenheit 451, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

This was pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be. The story line itself is thought provoking and interesting view on the affect that books have on us. I like Bradbury's extremism in this book and his play on firefighters, in that they now start fires instead of stopping them, and how so many people's lives revolve around their television. Overall it was fast paced and unique in a sense, however it wasn't really my cup of tea. I feel like there were a lot of things that could have been better explained and that some aspects were a little confusing. The book definitely seems to jump right into the action opposed to having a back story.


The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Not everybody is going to agree with me on this, but I like the movie adaption with Leonardo DiCapreo better than the book itself. The story is beautiful and tragic at the same time and I did enjoy it. The writing style itself was enjoyable and the imagery had a direction that was easy to understand but that also left much to the imagination. I felt as though Gatsby was very misunderstood and that Daisy in no way made his life easier. The whole thing with the light and the parties was tragic and a lot of what happened to him I don't believe he deserved. But in the game of love, you never know what is going to happen.


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I absolutely love the movie adaption of this with Kiera Knightley; one of my all time favorite movies. The book itself is also amazing. Jane Austen has a gift in both being able to give life to her characters and make them incredibly relatable. The diversity of the characters and what they go through truly creates a story with both layers and believability. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcey are a couple that learns the truth behind the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover'. Elizabeth truly believes Darcey to be a very prideful person whom she wouldn't marry if he was the last living thing available to her. Mr. Darcey on the other hand views Elizabeth to be very plain and lacking in regards to her physicality, and believes her family to have an air of utter ridiculousness about them. The writing style in this book is beautiful and Austen ties an amazing web of pride and prejudices to show that sometimes one truly has to now someone to understand why they are the way they are. Moving past the pride that makes one believe they are better than the other, and the fact that everyone in their own way is prideful and everyone holds prejudices against other, whether it be due to jealousy or something else entirely.

Top 5 Books I Did Not Finish

(  Created by gingerreadslainey. Goodreads group https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-Wednesday  )

So I have to admit this is going to be very difficult considering I usually force myself to finish books, even when I am not really enjoying them...but here we go...

1. Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by Susan Beth Pfeffer
   I feel like so many people really enjoyed this series, but I found that so much of the book dragged on way to much. I mean, nothing interesting happened in this book at all. I got about 3/4 of the way through it. 
2. Escape From Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America by Francis Bok  
   The story itself I have to admit was amazing in regards to what this man had to go through, he was really strong considering all the shit he went through. The only reason this book is on the list is because the last hundred or so pages is all about the politics of the war going on where this book took place and I wasnt interested in anything other than his story.
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs
   Such a disappointment. Riggs has an amazing writing style and the story line is incredible well thought out, however there was something about this book that made it impossible for me to get through, in the end I had to put this down about 1/3 of the way through and I ended up reading the graphic novel version of it instead.  
4. Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga #4) by Stephanie Meyer
   UGHHH...I spent so much time reading the first three books in the series hoping it would get better, and in Eclipse it sort of did but when it came to reading this one I just couldn't get passed the first 50 pages...
5. Loser by Jerry Spinelli
   I had to read this book for a group project in 8th grade and it is probably one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. The writing style is hard to look past and the story itself was incredibly boring, I mean, it was so bad that not one person in my group could finish it and its only about 200 pages long. My mom is the only one I know who has been able to finish the book and she agreed that it was pretty awful.,,,It really is just terrible. 

Lunar Chronicles (Pre-Winter Release) Review

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
- Cinder (#1), Scarlet (#2), Cress (#3)

I'm just going to start off my mentioning that this is one of my favorite series ever.
In this series Meyer makes her own twist on classic princess, e.g. Cinderella, by throwing them into a world where there are cyborgs, "people" living on the moon, and wolf-warrior hybrids. That doesn't even include evil queens and lost princesses.

Cinder was definitely not what I expected. I went into this book with very little knowledge as to what it was about, other than the main character, Cinder, was a cyborg and there were people called Lunars who weren't exactly on the best of terms with the people on earth. But damn did this book surprise me in the best possible way. I mean, cyborg Cinderella? YESSSSS. Yes in the best possible way. I am such a sucker for re-imagined fairy tales and this in no way disappointed. A great beginning to a series. 5/5
“I'm sure I'll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.” 
― Marissa Meyer, Cinder


Scarlet is where it lagged a little for me, I mean, again it was so incredible like the first book, but it still had that awkward middle of a series slump. Scarlet was another great character (not as great as Cinder, but we can't all be kickass cyborgs), she had the kidnapped granny angle going for her, and a guy who made us all kind of question his intentions, but other than that she was just a girl on a wild goose chase (depending on how you look at it). At the very least this book was a good segue into the third one. 5/5
“She did not know that the wolf was a wicked sort of animal, and she was not afraid of him.” 
― Marissa Meyer, Scarlet


Cress....to say this book was awesome would be an understatement. It definitely hit the ground running and never stopped. We get more of look into the inner workings of Queen Levina and how she manages to be such a manipulative person. Like hot damn, for such a terrible queen/person in general, she can be pretty clever. Cress is also a pretty big genius in her own way. The things she has single handily accomplished in her satellite over the years is crazy. Like the first two books this one one starts off with the newly introduced girl and how her life gets turned around in some way or another, and of course, the romance has to be thrown in there. However, I feel like out of all the romances in this series, Cress has the cutest one because it isn't an instant love connection between her and her man thing, its more naturally built up. Back to the story though, the ending to this book just leaves you wanting more! Winter needs to be released like right now...ughhhh. Seriously though, she's got me hooked. 5/5
“You said yourself that the people of Luna need a revolutionary.” She lifted her chin, holding his gaze. “So I’m going to Luna, and I’m going to start a revolution.” 
― Marissa Meyer, Cress


Anyways as a whole this series seriously is awesome as all hell, especially considering that Cinder is Marissa Meyer's debut novel. I CAN NOT wait for Winter to come out already, I can't even imagine what she has in store for us in the final installment of Lunar Chronicles, to say it is going to be epic, i'm sure, is a huge understatement.