So today will be sort of like a reflection of all the books I read over the December-end of January period. I've been conveniently keeping track of every book I've read over this period, and if you see a book you've read or want to read, feel free to leave a comment requesting a review or a proper recommendation where I can explain it in more detail.
Anyways, my goal for this period was twenty books… which means twenty books to two months, twenty books to nine weeks, which averages to two books per week… and I did it! *throws confetti in the air over you and starts singing Planetary (GO!) by My Chemical Romance* Let's get into this.
The first book I read was Allegiant, by Veronica Roth. Allegiant is the last book in the Divergent trilogy, and I have a review for it here if you missed it [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/allegiant-book-review.html]. I really liked this series, but I must admit that this is my least favourite book in the series. I give it 3/5 stars, but I do recommend the series as a whole.
Next I read Beastly, by Alex Flinn, which was a book I picked up from my library when they were giving away some books for free (you can imagine my excitement at free books). I also have a review for this book, and you can see it here [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/beastly-book-review.html.] This is a story about a boy who thinks looks are everything, and learns the hard way that they are not. I wasn't blown away with this book for several reasons you can see in my review, but overall it was a good story and a great idea. I also give this one 3/5 stars.
After Beastly, I picked up another book I managed to grab from my library, The Declaration (review for it here: [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/the-declaration-book-review.html]). This book was probably my Christmas book for the year, as it was fantastic. It's a dystopian novel about a girl in a world where adults live forever and youth is illegal. Not only was it fantastic in terms of writing and plot, I was in awe of the subtle love story behind it, the innocence of two fourteen year olds finding comfort in each other. The author, Gemma Malley, now follows me on twitter, and I may or may not have squealed. I highly recommend it. 5/5 stars.
This book I grabbed from K-Mart because it was on special and it looked like a book I read a while ago that was fantastic. It's called Here Lies Bridget, and it's about a girl called Bridget Duke, rich girl, queen of the school, and notorious mean girl. The book follows her journey and her realisation that she's made huge mistakes. I liked this book, and it was a quick, nice read that has good morals behind it. I recommended it a while ago here- [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/book-recommendation-2.html]. I give it 4/5 stars.
There's a store I found that has second-hand books, and quite cheap, as well. So you can imagine that I had a field day sifting through the books and buying just a few… maybe more. One of these books was Betrothed, and it's about a girl who's always been different. She has many severe allergies and her ears are slightly pointed. Not to mention the fact she's adopted. She finds out she's a faery, and that she's betrothed to a handsome faery prince. I didn't like this book at all, but it was so cheesy and soppy that I found it hilarious, so it gets 1/5 stars for being entertaining.
The next books I read were a series, from the same book store as above, with four books, called Beautiful Dead series, by Eden Maguire. I did enjoy these books, because they were fun to read, however, some times plot convenience was just a little too unbelievable, and they weren't exactly intellectually stimulating. It's about a girl called Darina, and at her school, four kids have died over the last year, the fourth being her boyfriend, Phoenix. In a desperate and heartbroken attempt to find him again, she starts seeing visions of him. But are they just visions? She gets caught up in the world of the Beautiful Dead, and has to solve the mysteries surrounding their deaths. The four books are called Jonas, Arizona, Summer and Phoenix, after the dead kids, and in that order. I give the series 3/5 stars.
After Christmas, I spent Boxing Day reading the rest of the series after The Declaration, which I got as a present (yay!). The next book is called The Resistance, and although I still loved the series, this book was probably my least favourite. Peter was being mean and annoying, and nothing was going right. Maybe it's just me and my inability to accept any sort of change. The next book after that is called The Legacy, and although it was better than The Resistance, the first book will always be my favourite. I give the series as a whole 5/5 stars, still.
Next, I read a book my sister bought for me, called Just Like Fate. This book is about a girl called Caroline who has to make a huge decision, one that will affect the whole of her life from then on. The book follows the storyline of both outcomes, and I did like it, because it was different and fun, even if at some points it got a little slow. I give it 3/5 stars.
My sister also bought me a book called Seventeen and Gone, by Nova Ren Suma, who wrote Imaginary Girls. It's about a girl who starts to see other girls who've gone missing, seventeen year olds just like herself. I didn't really like this book; it was a struggle to get through and it really didn't grab me. I think for me, the characters were too distant and there was nothing that helped me invest myself in the story, even though it was a good idea. I don't think that Nova Ren Suma's distant writing style grabs me unless I'm invested in the characters, and in this book, I just couldn't. I give it 2/5 stars.
Next, I read another one of my holiday favourites, Angelfall by Susan Ee. This book follows a girl in a post-apocalypse world where angels rule. It's dark and interesting and awesome. I seriously recommend it because I really, really loved it. I recommended it a while ago, you can see it here- [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/book-recommendation.html]. I give it 5/5 stars.
I continued my Angelfall streak when I ran out to the nearest bookstore the next day to grab World After, the next book. I loved this book just as much as the first one, and I won't spoil it, but the ideas in it are genius and particularly one of the locations. I also give this one 5/5 stars.
Ah, Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I tore through it. And as I say in my review (here- [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/the-raven-boys-review.html]), I felt like I was on a boat. The story follows a girl, who's a psychic's daughter, with a strange and dangerous prediction hanging over her head, and a rich boy, with everything he wants and a strange obsession with the supernatural. Their worlds collide, and they discover that things are much, much darker than they originally thought. I give this book a 4/5 star rating.
Next came Sea of Monsters, the second book in the Percy Jackson series. I read The Lightning Thief, the first book, just over a year ago, and I didn't really like it. But my friend made me continue the series, and I made a promise, so I shall fulfil it, and continue the series. I liked SOM a lot more than the first one, but it still isn't totally engulfing me. I will continue reading, and if you want, I can publish shorter reviews of all the books as a side-thing, Lily's Journey Through The Percy Jackson Series. I rate this book 3/5 stars.
It was a mistake to give me Christmas money, because after the next shopping day I went on, I came home with four books. Yep, four. The first of these that I read was These Broken Stars, which was recommended to me, and also the cover is beautiful, so I bought it, not expecting much. But I actually really liked it! It's about a girl, the richest in the galaxy, and a boy, a war hero, following a rags-to-riches story. They unexpectedly get thrown together, and have to survive, alone, on an abandoned planet. My recommendation for it is here- [http://mywordsarearrows.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/book-recommendation-4.html]. I rate it 4/5 stars.
Another book I managed to grab was Pawn, by Aimee Carter, and although it was a good idea, I didn't love it as much as the previous book I read. It's set in a dystopian world where everyone is ranked based on usefulness on a scale of one to seven. When Kitty is offered to change her three for a seven, a rank that can only be inherited, she jumps at the chance, sacrificing many things and starting up something she would never have guessed. I rate this one 2/5.
My twentieth book was The Hunt, by Andrew Fukuda, which I have a review coming up for. I really liked The Hunt, because it was different, the characters are different and it was spectacularly written. It's about a world where vampires are the general population, and they have almost sent humans, or hepers, into extinction. Little do they know that Gene, seventeen, normal human boy, is living among them, right under their noses. In an unexpected change of events, Gene is thrown away from his home, and people start to suspect him… I rate this book 4/5 stars, and I suggest you go and read it so that you can tune into the discussion on my review soon!
So that's my twenty books, and now I'm moving on to read The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater, the second book after The Raven Boys. Hopefully I can be putting up a review soon! I'm also going to try and get my hands on a copy of The Prey, the book after The Hunt. And then I have even more books that I have ordered so there is going to be lots more reviews and recommendations soon!
As always, leave comment and your twitter name and you'll get a shout out and a follow from me :) Have a lovely day!
love,
lily xox
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