It's Monday What Are You Reading? #6

This weekly recap is hosted by Shelia of Book Journeys and the kidlit version is hosted by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers. Each week we recap what we’ve read and look at what’s coming up this week. 

This week I'm reading....

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

2013 End of the Year Survey

Hosted by the Perpetual Page Turner

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Ok best book? hummm....It would totally have to be The Fault In Our Stars

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Indigo Spell,,,I mean it was great but not one of my favorite ones, I think it could have been better.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

Gated, that book was incredible!

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

The Fault In Our Stars. Have you read it? No? You need to read it now!!!!!!!!!!

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Throne of Glass, I still need to finish reading the books!:s

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I would have to say Amy Plum, I think she's becoming a really good author!:)

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I would say the 5th Wave, I've never been interested in books about aliens but this book was surprisingly good. 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Throne of Glass definitely haha! 

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Fault In Our Stars, I know I keep repeating that book for every answer haha! But it was really great because it made you be thankful for what you have!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

River from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and Augustus Waters from The Fault In Our Stars duh! 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

The Fault In Our Stars, you know what I give up haha the rest of my answers are probably going to be that book.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

Same answer as above! 

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

City of Bones! /.\ I know that's totally embarrassing haha

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Ink by Amanda Sun, shortest. 

The Indigo Spell, Longest.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

The Fault in Our Stars. I called my friend at 3 in the morning crying and telling her how much I hated her for making me read the book.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

The romance in The Fault in Our Stars…oh yeah. Even though it broke my heart and soul.

And of course the one between Adrian and Sydney from the Bloodlines series. 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I would have to say The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Throne of Glass haha. 

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

No surprise here — contemporary YA!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Adrian Ivashkov from the Bloodlines series, poor guy he just wants to love someone. WHY WON'T SOMEONE JUST LOVE HIM!!!

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea it was really great

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, I know it was published in 2012 but I read in 2013 haha. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Do you even really need to ask…? TFIOS made me cry for two hours straight. No kidding! 

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso. It was a good book.

*Thanks guys! And have a Happy New Year*

A Prequel to Harry Potter: The Greater Good!

The short film "The Greater Good" shows the end of the friendship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. 

This 17-minute film was inspired by the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows scene were Aberforth tells the story of the fight that led to the death of Ariana. Since the movie didn't show any scenes of the fight some fans decided to do a short film about it. 
Even though the film is made by fans the effects are still really good and the costumes seem really authentic to those used in the actual Harry Potter films. And not to mention the cast are some hotties! Just look at Dumbledore and Grindelwald! ;)

You can see the film below here....

And is it just me or can you see subtle references to Dumbledore's romantic interest to Grindelwald? Anyways while some have complained about the accuracy of the plot I think it was really great for being a fan made film. Even the Harry Potter films weren't accurate in some parts to the books. I give them high fives for at least trying and doing a good job! This proves that the movies might be finished already but Harry Potter still lives on with us. 

P.S. I love this other poster of the movie....

And is it just me or does Aberforth look like a teenage Marshall from How I Met Your Mother

So what are your thoughts on the film? For more info you can visit their official page here. 

Book Review

Review: A Shimmer of Angels By Lissa M. Basso

Title: A Shimmer of Angels
Author: Lissa M. Basso
Series: Angel Sight
Book #: 1
Pages: 321
Book Rating:
Goodreads Rating: 3.67

Published: January 29th 2013

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

“The thing about beliefs? Even the strongest can be shattered by the simplest of things.” 

This book was incredible it had everything! Romance, action, adventure, heartbreak and of course mistery! The author did a great job with the characters, especially with Rayna. I felt like I was right beside her feeling the same things she felt. Rayna just felt real, she was not perfect and she had her flaws. At first she is weak and vulnerable but you see her grow up and become strong as you keep reading. 

Another of my favorite persons was Lee. He makes a lot of Doctor Who references, is good with computers, and loves chocolate. I was afraid that Lee would have turned into the good friend with a secret crush who wouldn't plan on making a move till the bad boy came and stole the girl. Thank god that didn't happen! He was just a good friend who even tried to set up Rayna with another guy.

 “I was having second thoughts. And third and fourth ones.” 

Cam and Kade were some really interesting characters. I still don't know how to feel about them. Cam was fighting between his feelings and the rules, it was refreshing having a guy who doesn't throw everything away for a girl. Kade was the typical sexy, bad boy, with a weird story. So I will definitely read the next book and keep an eye on this boys. The plot was really good, I can usually predict what is going to happen next, but with this book I kept being wrong. The pacing and flow was fine, it was easy to read. Give it a try it's pretty good book, there's potential for this series.

“Scout's honor.' Good thing I'd never been a scout.” 

Feature and Follow #5

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. 

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers

3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week’s question

Pick a book in your favorite genre that you’d recommend to a reluctant reader.

The book that I choose would have to be...

Although my favorite genre right now is YA sci-fi, I have to chose The Fault in Our Stars for a reluctant reader because it's a pretty awesome book. I have a friend who actually doesn't like to read but I made her, more like forced her, to read this book and she loved it. She called me at 3 in the morning crying and telling me that she absolutely loved the book. She said that she read it all in one day, hence she calling me at 3 in the morning-.- haha. But yeah I think this book is great for a person who doesn't really like to read much. 

Waiting on Wednesday #5

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm eagerly anticipating....

From Goodreads: 
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Why I'm Waiting?
To be honest the reason I chose this book is because ever since I first saw it I fell in love with the book cover. Is in it pretty? Haha anyways once I got over my amazement of the book cover I read the summary and thought, "You know what Mari, this sounds like a book you would totally read and love till the end of times". Yes I know my head can be a little over dramatic. BUT! It's true this is the kind of book that I love reading all the time. I just hope Alienated is amazing because if not I will be crushed. 

Book Review

Review: The Indigo Spell By Richelle Mead

Title: The Indigo Spell
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines
Book #: 3
Pages: 401
Book Rating:

Goodreads Rating: 4.49

Published: February 12th 2013

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives." 
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

    Yup that describes my overall reaction to the book. Especially to any scene that contained Adrian and Sydney together. I just love Adrian so much! He is a lost wandering soul who just wants some love. So yes I did enjoy the book immensely (I wouldn't have finished it in one day if it wasn't). But I don't think it was the best book that Richelle Mead has written, actually I felt this was just an okay book. And before you start throwing stones let me explain...

   Sydney was really stubborn about not using magic since the beginning, but out of nowhere she becomes ok with it. I mean we all knew that she would eventually be ok with using magic, but the way Mead wrote it made it feel not Sydney at all. 
   
   Now to my second point. What's up with the whole love triangle, more like spider web, between Jill/Eddie/Angeline/Trey. We all know that Eddie is going to end up with Jill, so why isn't it happening? I felt that it was unnecessary to make Angeline have a huge crush on Eddie, because when they finally get together it turns out that Angeline likes Trey better. What? And besides I felt like Mead didn't want to bother with the gang and decided to put them in a shelf. Did you guys felt like that or was it only me? Eddie, Jill, Angeline, and Trey weren't mentioned a lot and when they were it was for something boring and useless. 

     And my last point. What's up with the fight with Alicia? The whole book was about Sydney trying to stop Veronica, and when the fight starts it ends minutes later! It was so anticlimactic. I think it was because us fans of Mead are used to this big epic fights and adventures, and this book didn't have any of that. Anyways I still love the books and can't wait to read Fiery Heart! 

P.S. Who else wants a baby dragon as a protector?