Series Tracker

A-Z Challenge

New Personal Challenge for 2016. I'm going to read books following the alphabet. 

Title: the first letter in the title of the books (not the title of the series) should correspond to a letter in the alphabet. Letters Q, X and Z can be positioned anywhere in the title.

Ashfall - Mike Mullin

Bond of Venom and Magic (A) - Karen Tomlinson 

C

Darker Shade of Magic (A) - V.E. Schwab 

E

Forget Tomorrow - Pintip Dunn

Games of Lives (The) - James Dashner

Hidden Oracle (The) - Rick Riordan

I

J

Killer - Sara Shepard 

Last Star (The) -  Rick Yancey

Morning Star - Pierce Brown

N

One Hundrer (the) - Kass Morgan

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken

Q

Rebel Spring - Morgan Rhodes 

Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys

Truthwith - Susan Dennard

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Winter - Marissa Meyer

X

Y

Z

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2016

2015 is nearly finished and it's time to think about 2016 reading challenges. I've had fun with this challenge this year and I want to try it again since I like reading Dystopian Novels. 

I want to try and reach Leader level that's reading and reviewing 16+ books! Yeah!!!

Books read so far: 

The Game of Lives - James Dashner
Winter - Marissa Meyer
The 100 - Kass Morgan
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Forget Tomorrow - Pintip Dunn
Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Ashfall - Mike Mullin
Ashen Winter - Mike Mullin
The Gender Game - Bella Forrest
Queen Song - Victoria Aveyard
The Last Star - Rick Yancey
A Torch Against the Night - Sabaa Tahir

Let it be December!!!

So, December is finally here!!!

I can't wait for the holidays. I love Christmas and between one Christmas movie and another, baking cookies and Christmas presents  I would like to read a lot of books before the end of 2015.

Sorry I was AWOL in November. I had a very busy month and I couldn't keep up with the blog. 

In November I read:

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard The Sword of Summer: A long title means that Rick Riordan is back with a new series. If you were used to the Greek and Roman Mythology with his two previous series, you will find this story strange. There are really some weird legends in Norse Mythology, but the book was great.

Four: A Divergent Collection :  This was the last book I had to read of the Divergent Series. I chose it as my copy cat book challenge.

15 Minutes: This was a free ebook on Amazon. Really good. If you love time travelling books, you will like this one. I think it's still free on Amazon. And book 2 and 3 are already out.  

Heir of Fire: The third one in the throne of Glass series. I loved the first two in the series, but I found this one a bit boring. Too many different characters to follow. 

Five Seven Five: I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review. You will find it here

Book Review: Five Seven Five - C.E. Wilson

Title: Five - Seven - Five
Author: C. E. Wilson
Publication Date: November 20th 2015
Publisher: C.E. Wilson
Pages: 200
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Boy with Words

Plot: Take only what can be used. Take only what won’t be missed. The Creators are watching all of us.

White Frost lives in a world cloaked in darkness and ignorance. While most people in her society are content to live in fearful peace, White’s cousin brings her words from the mysterious Unknown. Strange collections of written words that tease her that there may be more to the world than candlelight and dank hallways.

But when tragedy strikes, White can no longer rely on the words to give her solace. She must discover what lies beyond the only world she’s ever known… no matter the cost.

Eventually, White finds her way to the skies and there she discovers that the tantalizing clues of her words are only pale reflections of the massive and wondrous world above. Colors she never thought possible. Blinding light. And an impossible being who may or may not be the Creator of it all.

But this information comes at a price White Frost is not sure she can pay.

White’s hunger for knowledge proves to be her greatest strength and weakness as she strives to learn more. But as she learns, she has to wonder – is there such a thing as too much information? And what will happen as it brings her closer to a being who could destroy everything she’s ever known?

Reading Period: November 27, 2015 - December 2, 2015

Review

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out to be something I didn't expect, I was surprised by the different outcome the story took at about one third of the book. So if you read the first chapters and you can already imagine how the story is going to be, I can assure that it will be completely different.

The story is written in the first person point of view and it's told through the eyes of White Frost, a girl who has lived her entire life underground with her community and has never been outside. Going outside it's a privileged (or a curse) that only the Chosen Ones have. Her cousin is one of the Chosen One and in his expeditions outside into the Unknown to get supplies for the community, he brings back to White pieces of paper with words written on them. Words like rain, green, blue sky...   Words that White doesn't  understand because she has never seen them.

And her curiosity and her thrive for knowledge will take her outside of the safety of her walls. But what will she find in the Unknown?  Will she meet the Creators? Mystical beings that have created her people, or so she have been told her whole life. 

The book is well written. The pace is good and the end leaves you wanting more. There's a bit of romance, if you like love story. But I think the story really makes you think about the power of words and knowledge. Could you understand what a word mean if you have never seen the object or colour? If you have always lived without seeing the blue sky or the rain or the green grass, what would be your reaction when you discover them?

No one can answer the question: Where do we come from? But if someone gave you an answer, would you accept it without question it or would you try to find the truth yourself?

This is a great YA that makes you reflect on all this, I really recommend it. 

The story continues in a second book.

RATING

O is for October!

October is here! That means a lot of reading during the rainy days, curled up under a warm blanket while drinking hot chocolate.... and Halloween!!!

I'm not a fan of Horror, so no scary books for me this month. 

I'm currently reading: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. It's the first book of the Great Library series. I'm about 150 pages into it and it's quite good. Practically the Great Library of Alexandria was never destroyed and the Library is this powerful organisations that controls knowledge and books. 

Another book on the list is Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It's the second book of the Lunar Chronicles series. I read the first one in September and I'm trying to catch up for the release date of the 4th and last book of the series. 

The book of the month for one of my YA groups is Six of Crow by Leigh Bardugo .I'm curious about it. Everyone is excited because the all read the previous series from this author The Grisha trilogy, but I still need to read it.

I'm really excited about the new Rick Riordan's series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard !!! I love Percy Jackson's series and even more the Heroes of Olympus and I love Norse Mythology so I can't wait for it! Tomorrow!!! \o/
I hope it's better than the Kane Chronicles which I didn't like so much.

So many books on my list and so little time...

But I'm happy to say that I read all the books on my September list plus others, including the Martian. by Andy Weir. I saw the movie as well last Saturday so soon I will publish the review for both!

Do you like horror? Are you planning to read scary books this month?

Happy reading everyone!!!

Book Review: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: January 3rd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 400
Link to Goodereads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Lunar Chronicles

Plot: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Reading Period: September 11, 2015 - September 16, 2015

Review:

I knew this series was very popular among YA readers, but I've always put it off because I wasn't really convinced.... a cyborg Cinderella?!

But  after months of debating and deliberating, I read the first book.... I made the right decision!!!

I really like it! So much that I read the other novellas: Glitches , The Little Android and The Queen's Army in just one day!

Okay, so the book is a retelling of Cinderella's story in a more futuristic and dystopian way. Cinder, is a mechanic and a cyborg. She lives in the futuristic  New  Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters.

Since she is a cyborg she is considered a second class citizen. Cyborgs are used as experiments to find a cure for a deadly illness that has invaded the planet. One days she meets Prince Kai and they fall in love,

They are a lot of things involved, an intergalactic possible war with Lunar, the inhabitants of the Moon, the virus, cinder's discovery which wasn't really of a surprise. You can image it right for the beginning. I don't know if it was intentional or I've read so many of these books that nothing is unpredictable anymore.

Overall it's a very enjoyable book, well written, dynamic characters. I'm glad I finally picked it up and read it. Now, there's the rest of the series!Lol

RATING