January 2015 - The Month of Indecisiveness... and Morpheus

OK, so I’ll NEVER be indecisive about Morpheus! He is just perfection, my mind is made up, and that decision is set in indestructible concrete for all eternity.

I will steal a football pundit saying that January has been a month of two halves. (YES, I just may be anxious about a certain football match this evening… COME ON CHELSEA!! … *cough* I digress…) The first few weeks of January was as normal, but the last two… I can’t make up my mind on ANYTHING! I’ve kept up my New Year’s resolution to eat better, and to try and to get up to date with some NetGalley books… but everything else – NOPE!

Thank goodness my dog is the only one that sees me when I’m trying to decide what to read next! I swear, I stand at the bookcase in my room for twenty minutes and I have an internal debate on each book I want to read… but to make it worse, I end up NOT choosing a book!! While this is going on, Jade is lounging on the bed watching me. When I try to move her so I can get into bed early, I either get “the glare” (NOTHING can give an evil glare like a Siberian Husky!) or a look that’s even worse… worry mixed with sympathy!!

You really do begin worrying when your DOG starts worrying about you!

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

I read 7 books this month, but comparing this to January 2014, I’m WAY behind – I read 14 this time last year! I keep telling myself not to become obsessed with that little widget on Goodreads but, it’s so HARD! It’s always right there when I log in.

The BIG difference this year though? I rated all 7 books 3 Stars and above! I’m SO HAPPY about this and it more than makes up for being behind on my yearly challenge. I’ve become so used to one or two books that I’m very disappointed in each month, and it’s a real treat to enjoy them all. I can’t remember the last time it happened, but I’m secretly hoping this good-book-streak lasts!! (*Touches wood, looks for a four leaf clover… or maybe I should look for a horseshoe?! I’m open-minded, I’ll try anything!)

My favourite book, or my Book of the Month if you will, was easy to choose - ENSNARED. I don’t think anyone will be surprised by this! I’ve become even more obsessed with Morpheus, and I didn’t think it was possible. He is just pure awesomeness in Ensnared, and if you haven’t read this series, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?

All the Books I Read in January 2015

Books I Got This Week

I got these via NetGalley, and Thank You to both publishers for them!

Books I Read this week:

Elsker, and I just started Gone yesterday. I can't believe it's been sitting on my shelves for almost TWO YEARS, and I'm only reading it now. I really regret this - it's amazing so far!

Challenge Updates

I’ve set all my counters to the minimum amount for each challenge level – I really would like to read more… but it’s best to have a little breathing room!

Re-Read Challenge

0/10 Rereads

None yet. I’m trying to tackle those Netgalley’s first – I know once I begin rereading, I won’t stop! The Hunger Games is calling to me though…

Fairytale Retelling Challenge

1/10 Retellings

YAY, some progress! I read Ensnared – review here.

2015 New Release Challenge

2/16 books

I've read two 2015 releases so far: Ensnared by A.G. Howard and Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian.

Posts I loved

Tracy asks about Book Buying Bans. I tried a ban for a month last year, and it COMPLETELY backfired. I ended up buying over TRIPLE the amount of books I’d normally get. I admire anyone that can stick to them… but they definitely don’t work for me! She also chatted about Bad Boys in YA Literature this month – and while I liked Beautiful Disaster when I read it, I completely agree with her. It was the first NA book I’d read, and it was new and shiny… if I read it now, I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much. Oh, and yes, MORE MORPHEUS! Always this *nods* :D

Cait asks What is the point of negative reviews? I love all the points she raised in her post. I think negative reviews can be just important as positive reviews – everything needs a little balance! Stay away from trashing people though - that's just NOT OK!

Becca talks about DNFing and wrote an excellent post In Defence of the DNF. For 2015 I’m going to be more relaxed with dropping books that don’t work for me. I’ve always tried to grit my teeth and push through… but it makes me miserable! Life really is too short to do something that upsets you.

Kristen chats about Our Audience Also Being Our Competition - Maybe I’m a little naïve, but I’ve never thought of other blogs and bloggers as competition! I see each and every one as a fellow reader and book lover, and that equals potential friend in my eyes. I LOVE what she said in this post – and the links she provided to Spreading Kindness and Book Bloggers Love-a-thon. We need to nurture respect, support and love in this community. It’s a precious place for us all of us, we need to try and keep it that way :)

Trish got inspired by a book she recently read, and chats about Wearing Masks, and how each of us can use a different mask, depending on the situation. It's true, we all do juggle different parts of ourselves, and we have a separate mask for each one!

Becca gives us 10 Reasons to Date a Boy Who Reads. I LOVE all her reasons… but now, the challenging part – to FIND one of these lovely rare creatures! ;-D

On the Blog this Month

Reviews:
Review: Ensnared by A.G. Howard
Review: Spiders by Tom Hoyle
Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Review: Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian
Other posts:
Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read, But Didn’t
February 2015 Releases I Need to Read
10 YA Books I’d Love to Read With a Book Club
My Bookish Resolutions for 2015

Soundtrack for the Week

Have a great week, and Happy Reading!!

2015 New Release Challenge

I’m signing up for the 2015 New Release Challenge hosted by Lexxie @ Unconventional Book Views and Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! I have dozens of 2015 releases that I hope to read, but it’s always a bit difficult to predict just how many I’ll actually manage to get my hands on and read within the year! I’ll be including mini-updates of all my challenges at the end of each month in my Sunday Post/weekend post, and maybe a larger quarterly wrap-up post – we’ll see how things go :)

Here are the rules, guidelines and levels to pick for the challenge:

The rules for the 2015 New Book Release Challenge are simple:

• Books has to be read and reviewed in 2015, and the book has to be released in 2015
• Other challenges can be used as well, if you are participating in the Netgalley / Edelweiss challenge or in the COYER challenge, books can count towards more than one challenge, as long as the ones you use for the 2015 New Release Reading Challenge qualify to the first rule.
• The minimum length for a book to qualify is 130 pages, it can be in any format though, physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook.
• The New Book Release Challenge is open from January 1st through December 31st 2015, and sign-ups are open until March 15th.

There are four levels in the New Book Release Challenge:

1. -- 1 - 15 books per year – New Release Newbie
2. -- 16 - 30 books per year – New Release Pro
3. -- 31 - 45 books per year – New Release Veteran
4. -- +45 books per year – New Release Enthusiast

I was thinking of signing up for Level 1, but I’m going to be brave and aim for Level 2! I’ve read two 2015 releases in January – Ensnared by A.G. Howard and Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian – so hopefully I’ll be able to read 14 more by the end of the year, and hit at least 16 books :D

Now for the fun part – some of the books I hope to read!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

End of Days by Susan Ee

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Endgame by C.J. Daugherty

Duplicity by N.K. Traver

How many 2015 releases do you hope to read this year?

Blog Tour Review: Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian

I’m so excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the release of Tunnel Vision, and welcome to my stop on the tour! You can follow the tour by clicking on this link to discover so much more about Tunnel Vision. Susan Adrian has kindly provided an excerpt of the first two chapters of her debut novel on her website, and you can read them here. Enjoy!

Title: Tunnel Vision
Author: Susan Adrian
Format: ARC kindly provided by
St. Martin's Griffin (Thank You!)
My rating: 5 / 5
Pages: 320

Add to Goodreads

Romance and action come crashing together when a teenage boy with incredible powers is brought to the attention of the government.

Jake Lukin just turned 18. He's decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he's also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there's a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.

When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to "tunnel" into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It's an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.

Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn't agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he's juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.

Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he's doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel's help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others.

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Once I read the synopsis, I knew I’d enjoy Tunnel Vision, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d love it! It is the perfect blend of Sci-fi, mystery and thriller genres with government plots and intrigue thrown in, and it’s easily the best Sci-fi novel I’ve read in a long, long time. It combines so many elements flawlessly, resulting in a thrilling adventure that had me on the edge of my seat and I didn’t want it to end! Add to this the amazing characterisations and a heart-warming family bond, and I’m completely in awe.

The book starts off with a bang, and the fast pacing and intensity stay consistent throughout. I have to mention the writing style first – I clicked with it from the first paragraph. Everything flows so easily, and all the descriptions of events are crystal clear. I loved seeing all the subtle twists and turns, and all the different layers of intensity, lies and speculation. There is always something going on and something new to consider and get swept away with. I found so many intriguing moral and ethical questions raised, and while it’s not necessary to delve so deeply into the book, I love that the option is there to pause and have a good chew on some tough questions if you so wish. The abuse of power by those in a position of power is something that always interests and concerns me, and to see it portrayed so clearly and convincingly… it’s brilliant. I also loved the playlist that was incorporated into the book! Each chapter is headed with a song title, and either the title or the song itself is based on the current chapter.

Jacob Lukin is our main character and narrator, and I absolutely loved him. On the surface he’s your typical eighteen year old guy, but he has a secret. Jake has the ability to link with other people when he touches an object. Think of his ability as psychometery in reverse. Instead of getting images and impressions from the past, Jake can touch any object and ‘tunnel’ to the owner of the object, as long as they are currently alive. He can tell their exact location, along with what they’re feeling and experiencing at that moment. In essence, he is the perfect covert spy for any government or other organisation. If he has access to an object, he will find you. He promised his father he would never reveal his secret, but he slipped up at a party one night, and his secret has become known to DARPA. Now, they want to use his talents for their own purposes…

I thought Jake was a complete sweetheart! I loved seeing your regular, everyday lad being the hero of a book for a change. I connected with him very quickly, and I felt so bad for him with everything that eventually happened! He has a very strong bond with his entire family, and I loved seeing this as it’s not shown often enough in YA for my liking. Knowing he has strong family ties makes what happens that much more horribly gut wrenching! The choices this kid had to make… my goodness, nobody should have to make them, never mind an eighteen year old! I loved seeing his fighting spirit and his determination to never give in, no matter how much crap gets dished his way. The things that happened may have changed Jake’s outlook, but they never changed what was in his heart.

I think my favourite part of the book was the relationships between the characters and in particular, the relationship between Jake and his little sister, Myka. It’s probably the best brother/sister relationship I’ve read about, and I loved both characters so much. Right from the beginning I could see a bond already existed and it kept developing over the course of the book, and it captured my heart completely. It’s not just a random thought here and there - we can plainly see that Jake cares deeply for his baby sister, and it’s backed up with both his words and his actions. I really liked Myka. She’s twelve and a little genius (literally), who attends an advance placement school. I loved how observant she is, and even though we only get to see things from Jake’s side of the story, we can see she loves and trusts her big brother. I also loved Jake’s grandfather, (Dedushka). He started off being a little crazy and paranoid, but oh holy… after everything that happened, it’s perfectly understandable!

The romance angle of the plot is, thankfully, a lot more subtle than I originally expected. There is an attraction between Jake and Rachel, but it’s a very small part of the story, and it adds a different element to things. Personally, I didn’t really connect with Rachel that much. I don’t feel like I got to know her that well, and her role wasn’t as prominent as I thought it was going to be. I would have loved Tunnel Vision just as much if the romance thread wasn’t included - everything else was so good, I wouldn’t have missed it!

I had so many different theories about the possible ending, and the majority of my ramblings ended up being way off! I did spot a couple of things, but overall I was pleasantly surprised and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book concludes nicely, and there are a couple of threads left for a possible sequel. My final note in my ARC on my iPad was “That. Was. Awesome!” It’s a couple of weeks since I read Tunnel Vision, I still feel the same way! I thought it was an awesome debut, and an amazing story with loveable characters. Hand on heart; I really, really hope there will be a sequel - I really want to know what will happen next!

Ten YA Books I'd Love to Read with a Book Club

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish.

I’m not in a book club, either on or offline, but I’ve always liked the idea of being a part of one. A group of likeminded people chatting about books – what wouldn’t be to love! So, this is my chance to create a fictional and virtual Young Adult book club! I’ve picked the books I’d love to read as part of a group, but I’ve split the list into two sets of five…

The Lovers List

These five books I love with all my heart! They’re all on my favourite’s shelf on my bookcase, and I cherish each one. All of them are the first books in a series… so I guess this would end up being five series I’d love to read with my book club?

Why I chose them? Well, I’d love to share the love with other people that love the books, and also try to convince people that don’t love them, to love them! ;-) And, also, to convince people that don’t typically read YA to give it a try and discover the awesome! (Yeah, maybe I’m taking on a bit too much… but I could try!!)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – In short, epicness on every level!

Angelfall by Susan Ee – It’s one of the best post-apocalyptic books I’ve ever read, plus, I love the banter between Raffe and Penryn!

Splintered by A.G. Howard – Would it be bad to say my reason to include this book was Morpheus? No?? Awesome! We can never have too much Morpheus in our lives…

Cinder by Marissa Meyer – What isn’t to love about the Lunar Chronicles!?

Night School by C.J. Daugherty – It’s a mystery/thriller series, and I love the characterisations and the plot twists. Seriously, book four was simply epic!

The Others List

This list is kind of the opposite of the lovers list. I’ve read all of them, and while I liked some of them, there was quite a few ‘meh’ moments.

Why I chose them? I want to see why people love them! I want to be convinced, and I’d love to chat about them and see if my opinions can be altered in any way with a reread.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth – I loved Divergent, but I was so disappointed with Insurgent. I could see the ending coming a mile away, and it...just... *sigh* I need convincing!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – I liked it… but it reminded me way too much of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that TV show was my entire early teenhood!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa – Ok, this might be a little shallow… but I really want someone to try to convince me to like Ash! (I doubt it'll happen! Give me Puck any day…)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver – It wasn’t for me, and I found way too many inconsistencies… yet I wanted to like it, even though I didn't?! Maybe I could be convinced in a group setting?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – I really enjoyed it… but Anna and St.Clair! I’m not their biggest fan. I’d love to be convinced otherwise!

What kind of book club would you love to be a part of, and what books would you love to read?

Review: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Title: Ensnared
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered, #3
Format: Paperback, owned
My rating: 5+ / 5
Pages: 404

Add to Goodreads

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts.

In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Oh, how do I begin! I’ve been avoiding writing this review for DAYS because I don’t want to burst the bubble and face the reality that the Splintered series is really over. I loved this trilogy so much (except for one person – I hate his guts.) This will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done – talking about this book without including spoilers. But I will do my very best. I promise.

I love the characters in this series – and one in particular above all the others. If you’ve read my Splintered and Unhinged reviews (and have seen my proudly displayed Team banner), you will know I have a severe dislike (OK, hatred) for one character in particular. I’m sorry for those on Team Jeb, but going into this book I was secretly hoping for his demise – preferably painfully. I could just about tolerate him in Splintered, but in Unhinged, his controlling, standoffish, over obsessively-protective ways firmly cemented my hatred. Well, I didn’t think it was possible, but I’ve found a new path for my hatred – Alyssa’s father. Oh. My. GOSH! What a judgmental, arrogant, snobbish, Jeb-carbon-copy, ANNOYING father he turned out to be! I was really looking forward to seeing a father/daughter bond develop, but instead Thomas Gardner turned into a self-serving, self-centred control freak! At one stage I swear I had to put the book down and move away or else I would have DNF’d.

I think my hatred for Thomas Gardner allowed me to be a teeny tiny bit more… tolerant… toward Jeb. But, still, his double standards are absolutely sickening. He’s grown an awful lot since the first book. This growth was desperately needed in my opinion, but I still have absolutely no idea what Alyssa sees in him.

But, I have a HUGE confession. I did something I NEVER do – when I reached page 103 and I was FUMING mad with Alyssa’s father… I skipped ahead and read the last page. I couldn’t take the suspense anymore – I needed to know! Then I couldn’t stop there. I read the entire Epilogue. Moving on before I start chatting about stuff I shouldn’t…

Alyssa grew on me a lot more in this book. I was a bit doubtful of her in Unhinged, but she had moments where she really blossomed into a fabulous character in Ensnared. She trusts herself a lot more, and doesn’t base her decisions totally on outside influences, but takes her own opinions into account. But, she also had moments where I wanted to shake so much sense into her! Her indecisiveness was quite pitiful at times. Alyssa is two parts of a whole. She is human, but she is equally netherling. The previous books felt like a battle between each half, whereas Ensnared felt like she finally accepted both halves of herself, and that each half has a different set of desires and beliefs. For a while I’ve felt her feelings for Jeb were borne out of habit, duty and guilt, not love. I’m of the opinion that both her human and netherling halves love Morpheus, while only her human half could love Jeb… but then again, I’m not Alyssa, just an observer!

It's no secret that I will be forever Team Morpheus! In Ensnared, Morpheus is nothing short of brilliance. His dialogue is flawless, his intentions impeccable, and he is the main reason why I love the Splintered trilogy so much. Morpheus is simply… perfection. He is so imperfect, he becomes the perfect character. He is the prefect duality: light and dark; cunning, yet open; confident, yet unsure. He is kindness, and maliciousness. He is gentle, and ruthless. He is mischievous, and caring. He is manipulative, and trusting. And simply, his most precious trait, he has a heart of gold. I loved falling for this psudo-bad boy with a heart of gold over the course of three books. Morpheus captures EVERYTHING I look for in book characters, and in particular, male characters. I am sick to DEATH of goody-two-shoes, cardboard-cut-out, ‘bad-boy’ wannabe male characters. Please, can we have more uniquely imperfect male characters like Morpheus?! PLEASE!! The term book-boyfriend gets thrown around so often between us bloggers, but for me, Morpheus will forever be my numero uno, and sitting happily at the top of the list. No other character can compare. It will take one hell of a character to capture everything I love in one place again – but I like a challenge, so… bring it on!

I love A.G. Howard’s writing style, and I clicked with it in the first two books, and it stays true to style in Ensnared. I love her descriptions, and the dialogue between characters is fabulous. I loved that the world building was back to its best, just like it was in Splintered. Seriously, that book has some of the best and most beautifully twisted world-building I have ever read, and to see it matched here was amazing!

The ending… ooh the ending. I have a feeling that this one will cause lots of heated debates. Personally, after I’ve thought about it for a while, I think it’s fitting. Looking back over the three books in hindsight, I think it makes sense, and we could see it coming. Overall, I loved Ensnared. While in my heart I would have like things to be slightly different, I’m satisfied with it. When it comes to a rating, I have no idea what to give! It has elements that would warrant a 4 star rating… and each of my ratings up to New Favourite! My official rating would be “Unrateable”… but we’ll go with 5+… because, well… Morpheus!! (It’s a perfectly legit reason! *Grins*)

PS. For those curious folk who already have read the book, and would like to see a perfect gif reaction of how I felt when I cheated and read the last page… click this link ;-)

Weekly Wrap-Up: Jan 18 - 24

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

Re-Cap

I always mention how life has been ‘calm’ or ‘drama free’ this week… well rinse and repeat, another calm and drama-free week! I feel like I should me embellishing things, or else you’ll think I’m insanely dull… No wonder I read so much – fictional lives are so much more entertaining!

Toward the end of 2014, I kept putting off reading Netgalley ebooks and I REALLY have to catch up on them ASAP. I went through a phase where I forced myself to read some, and I think I pushed myself too far and I ended up avoiding them like the plague. I feel so guilty about it, but just the thoughts of reading them had me scurrying far way! I’m DETERMINED to catch up, and to keep up to date with the new review books I’ve received. My ratio isn’t too bad, considering I haven’t sent in feedback for 3 books yet – it’s 50% – but I want to get this up to at least 70% as soon as I can. Then, I can work to get to the magical 80%...

I mentioned last week that since the New Year I’d started eating healthier in a bid to shift a few pounds. I’m becoming resourceful – I managed to create a portion of potato wedges, chicken and salad that add up to less than 250 calories! And it’s delicious - I just might be deliriously happy about this! Now, granted it IS a smallish portion, but hey, I’m eating what I want, and I’ve actually lost 6lbs since the start of the year. WOOHOO! Progress!

Oh, and in case you missed it, this happened on Thursday

I’ll just leave this little tweet from Bloomsbury right here…

Here it is! The title for @SJMaas's fourth Throne of Glass book! pic.twitter.com/7mPNjdEo6y

— BloomsburyUS Kids/YA (@bloomsburykids) January 22, 2015

My reaction?

Yep, that's pretty accurate!

Books I Got This Week

I just want to cuddle and reread Tunnel Vision ever since it showed up in the post! I thought I'd like it, but I wasn't prepared for how much I actually ❤ it! My tour stop is this Thursday, and my review will be up then. Prepare for gushing...

Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton via Netgalley;
Awoken by Sarah Noffke, via review request.
Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian, sent from St. Martin’s Press.

Thank you so much to each publisher/author for these beauties!

What I Read This Week

Ensnared by A.G. Howard and Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton

Morpheus! What have you done to me?? Seriously, I think I love Morpheus even more after reading Ensnared. How is this even possible?! I didn’t think it WAS possible! As a result, I WANT to reread the entire Splintered trilogy, like, NOW, but I need to catch up one those ARC’s first. (This is a valuable lesson that sometimes trying to be a good little blogger kinda sucks!) I’ve been putting off writing my review as that’s really the time it sinks in that “The End” really happened. Yep, I’m clearly in denial.

Speaking of rereading, ever since the Night School Web Series came out last year on YouTube, I’ve been dying to reread the Night School series! The last episode was released last Friday, and I’ve LOVED each one. Any book-to-web series I’ve watched recently has been a play-by-play of what happens in the first book in the series. Night School was very different, and I LOVED it! It took the characters out of the book, and showed each of them in a different light. And the acting is fabulous! Shame we didn’t get to see much of Sylvain though :( I really, REALLY hope a Series Two will be in the works, because a) Sylvain and b) ZOE! We need to meet Zoe!

I highly recommend watching this series, but Ep 5 has a HUGE spoiler in it, so skip over that one if you haven’t read the books! (That episode DID make me very teary eyed!)

Episode 1: Flashback
Episode 2: The Other One
Episode 3: Power
Episode 4: The Gilmore Girl
Episode 5: All The Pretty Killers
Episode 6: Bang

On the Blog Recently

Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read, But Didn't Get To
Review: Spiders by Tom Hoyle
Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
February 2015 Book Releases I NEED to Read

Soundtrack for the Week

Tighter & Tighter – Soundgarden

YouTube // Spotify

Have a fab week, and Happy Reading!

Where do you post your reviews? - F&F Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. The goal is to increase blog followers and to make new friends. If you want to take part, answer the question posted and add your post to the linky, follow the hosts and the featured blogs, and hop from blog to blog leaving a comment to say hello, and follow as many or as few blogs as you like.

This Weeks Question:

Do you post your reviews anywhere besides your blog?
Where else do you post reviews?

Yes, to Goodreads! I have posted my reviews to multiple sites before, but the only one I consistently post to these days is Goodreads. I’m familiar with it and I use it all the time anyway, so it’s the most convenient option for me. My one gripe? No half-star ratings! Books just don’t fit into one neat little box, and I use halves in my own rating system on the blog. Both Leafmarks and Booklikes have half-stars, so I don’t see why Goodreads can’t join in! (*cough* Sorry for the mini-rant!)

I’ve considered posting to Amazon again, but it all comes back to the rating system, and it’s light-years away from how I rate my books! Then when you add in the drama factor... to me, it's not worth it.

I always post my reviews on my blog first, though! I’ve read a few posts warning against duplicate content, and posting the same review to multiple sites can have a negative impact on page views and your SEO... When I did read those posts, half of the information went straight over my head and now I kind of wish I had paid a bit more attention!

Do you post your reviews to multiple sites? Which ones would you recommend?

February 2015 Book Releases I NEED to Read

Is it just me, or does 2015 seem to be an endless stream of awesome book releases?? I was browsing through Goodreads the other day, and I’m a little shocked with how many 2015 books I really want to read! From Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4 FINALLY HAS A TITLE!! Excuse me while I hyperventilate *deep breaths, deep breaths*), to A Court of Thorns and Roses, to Winter, to End of Days… every single month this year I have dozens and dozens of books earmarked to read.

The temptation to pre-order is VERY hard to ignore! (May, you may just be the month that succeeds in bankrupting me. *sniffles*) Under normal circumstances my willpower is pretty good, but let’s be honest here, these are clearly NOT normal circumstances and sometimes a girl just needs certain things. Like book. Lots and lots of BOOKS.

(* Throws a sheet over the 100+ physical books I own that I still haven’t read… They can be ignored. Yep. *)

So, in a futile attempt to aid my willpower and stay away from that pre-order button, I’m sharing the February new releases I’m pining over. And! I also would love to know which of these books YOU are most excited about! I have a poll set up at the bottom of the post if you’d like to vote, or you can chat about them in comments if you prefer!

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder
Shutter by Courtney Alameda

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Dreamfire by Kit Alloway
The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger
Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen
The Glass Arrow by Kirsten Simmons

Unspeakable by Michelle K. Pickett
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
Soulprint by Megan Miranda

Poll

Thanks for reading!