2015 Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I really wanted to complete this challenge, but it just didn’t happen… ups! Still, I finished books in 39 of the 50 categories, so I’m considering it a win. The goal when I started this challenge was to read a bit more, and I initially aimed for 30 books to read in the whole year, and now, one day from the end of the year, and I’ve surpassed the 90 books read this year, so I’m happy about it!

1. A book with more than 500 pages – City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6), Cassandra Clare
2. A classic romance – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. A book that became a movie – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jesse Andrews
4. A book published this year – An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir
5. A book with numbers in the title – The One Thing, Marci Lyn Curtis
6. A book written by someone under 30 – A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
7. A book with non-human characters – The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss
8. A funny book – Attachments, Rainbow Rowell 
9. A book by a female author – You had me at hello, Mhairi McFarlane
10. A mystery or thriller – The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss, Max Wirestone
11. A book with a one-word title – Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell
12. A book of short stories – The Bane Chronicles, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson
13. A book set in a different country – The Year of Taking Chances, Lucy Diamond
14. A non-fiction book – Bossypants, Tina Fey and Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg
15. A popular author’s first book – Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell
16. A book from an author you love but haven’t read yet – Landline, Rainbow Rowell
17. A book a friend recommended – More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera
18. A Pulitzer-Prize winning book 
19. A book based on a true story – Love at First Type: A Chronicle of Addiction to Online Dating, Robert D. Spake
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list – Finding Cinderella, Colleen Hoover
21. A book that your mum loves
22. A book that scares you – Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas and Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas
23. A book that’s more than 100-years-old – Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
24. A book based entirely on the cover – Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon
25. A book you were supposed to read at school but didn’t finish
26. A memoir – Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, Maya Van Wagenen
27. A book you can finish in a day – Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, J.K. Rowling
28. A book with antonyms in the title
29. A book set in a country you want to visit – The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
30. A book that came out the year you were born 
31. A book with bad reviews – Nirvana, J.R. Stewart
32. A trilogy – Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me, Tahereh Mafi
33. A book from that reminds you of your childhood – A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale, Liz Braswell
34. A book with a love triangle – To all the boys I’ve loved before, Jenny Han & P.S. I Still Love You, Jenny Han
35. A book set in the future – Armada, Ernest Cline
36. A book set in high school – Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
37. A book with a color in the title – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard
38. A book that made you cry – My Heart and Other Black Holes, Jasmine Warga
39. A book with magic – Love in the Time of Global Warming,  Francesca Lia Block
40. A graphic novel – Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona
41. A book by an author you’ve never read before – The Perfect Match, Katie Fforde
42. A book you own but you’ve never read – Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
43. A book that takes place in your hometown
44. A book that was originally written in a different language
45. A book set during Christmas – Girl Online, Zoe Sugg
46. A book written by an author with your same initials
47. A play 
48. A banned book
49. A book based on or turned into a television show – The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
50. A book you started but never finished 

 

Everything, Everything (Nicola Yoon)

Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone? 

Everything, Everything is about the thrill and heartbreak that happens when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love.

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This is the time when someone beats me with something on the head, for being a fool and just now reading this book, especially considering that it has been sitting on my shelf for more than a month… THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!

First of all, let me tell you, I loved this book visually. Not only is the cover one of the most beautiful things in my shelf, but the inside of the book is just as amazing. The narration is a mix of short prose chapters, IM conversations, drawing, definitions, short book reviews, charts, recipes, …, it’s just visually amazing. Which makes this book a super fast read.

Then Yoon’s writing is just amazing, beyond words, it’s simple, direct and whimsical all at once. And Madeline and Olly are two of the cutest teens I’ve ever came across in books. And them together? CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

I adored the story and the plot, it was endearing, heart breaking, heart wrenching and hopeful, and I laughed and cried, and then cried some more… most of the laughing was until 50% of the book, everything is more or less ok until then… I loved seeing the romance between Maddy and Olly developing, against all odds, and how they were willing to make it work, even if it meant staying at different sides of the room and not touching (though that didn’t last long).

The character growth was mind blowing, and not only for Madeline, who’s been stuck inside all her life, but also for Olly, who finally stands ups for the well being of himself and his family.

When Maddy makes her decision, my heart gave out a little, I was happy to see her take control of her life, but I was so scared for her, and I was only thinking that if something happened to her, Olly wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. And Olly, oh my, he’s as swoon-worthy as they come.

I was happy with the plot twist (yeah, there’s a plot twist), actually, I had an epiphany out of the blue at 2 a.m. (almost sleeping), when I was in the middle of the book, and I tweeted Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much to expose my theory and it turned out to be correct (not that she confirmed it to me or anything, she was adamant not to give away any spoiler…)!!! And I liked the ending, although I could have used a couple more chapters to be totally satisfied.

To sum it up, I loved loved loved this book, and you all should read it!

Nirvana (J.R. Stewart)

Animal activist and punk rock star Larissa Kenders lives in a dystopian world where the real and the virtual intermingle. After the disappearance of her soulmate, Andrew, Kenders finds solace by escaping to Nirvana, a virtual world controlled by Hexagon. In Nirvana, anyone’s deepest desires may be realized – even visits with Andrew.

Although Kenders knows that this version of Andrew is virtual, when he asks for her assistance revealing Hexagon’s dark secret, she cannot help but comply. Soon after, Kenders and her closest allies find themselves in a battle with Hexagon, the very institution they have been taught to trust. After uncovering much more than she expected, Kenders’ biggest challenge is determining what is real – and what is virtual.

Nirvana is a fast-paced, page-turning young adult novel combining elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. Part of a trilogy, this book introduces readers to a young woman who refuses to give up on the man she loves, even if it means taking on an entire government to do so.

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First of all I want to make sure you know that I read the revised version of this ARC. If you received this ARC, you know that there are 2 versions of it, because the author took into account the negative reviews he got after the first version was distributed and revised his book. I’m assuming that was an excellent move, because the ratings now are slightly better than before. From the original version, I only managed to read the first part of the prologue, before wanting to quit it… Also, another note, I DID NOT REQUEST THIS BOOK, it was an automatic approval.

Now, how to I even start with this review? From my rating you’re probably guessing that I didn’t enjoy it, and you’re right, I did not. I was never as confused while reading a book in my life, as I was with Nirvana. But let’s take it one step at a time, shall we?!

(I apologise before hand for the length of this review and mild SPOILERS that might slip the cracks.)

I’m starting with the writing. The first part of the book, like the first 25%, is a buckload of info dumping, which might have been ok if it made any sense at all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and the writing doesn’t help – it goes from extremely detailed elements, to simple and short phrases that don’t convey everything you need to know. It’s inconsistent. It’s a fast read though, I’ll give it that. Also, we get multiple POVs here – I like multiple POVs! – however, we go from 1st person in Kenders’ POV, to 3rd person with everyone else… it was weird and it didn’t work for me.

About the characters… I didn’t like any of them! Wow, how the hell is that possible right? I mean, not even one? NOPE! The characters are one dimensional at best, we have the kick ass female heroin, the super smart boy she’s in love with, the super rich guy who’s in love with her, the hot best friend, the dejected enemy, the big military guy and the rich and fat baddie. And that’s it. I dare you to describe these characters any other way. There is absolutely zero character development throughout this book, and the characters are not even well characterized to begin with.

The plot is nonsensical. I feel so bad writing this, sorry, really, but this is how I felt. I thought this book would have a lot of Virtual Reality incorporated into it, and I thought its role would be a lot bigger that it actually was. In fact, it factored just in a way that Kenders would go there to get clues from Andrew and that was it. I assume that it might factor in more in the sequel, given the Red Door project and all, but ughhhh! Also, I have to ask, WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS? Usually when you have a “chosen one” – for whatever reason – there’s a purpose. There isn’t one here. SPOILERS!!! Ok, so Kenders gets clues from Andrew, people die, she gets everything he asks her, and then we find out that almost everyone she worked against actually knew what she was doing and were helping her. So, Andrew trusted a lot of people, but didn’t trust anyone but her?!

And that ending… I’m sorry, it was a WTF moment for me, because I felt that we go back to the beginning again, was it just to make sure we would turn into the sequel? In the end of the day the goal of the bad guys was to control the world, so they created a species extinction to do that? Ok… oh the bees…

I’m not even mentioning how the World Building was severely lacking…

Now, I have a LOT of problems with this book. A LOT A LOT! I was fucking confused most of the time I was reading, and I felt that my doubts were never really answered. So, shall we dive into that?

The main problem I had with it was the age of the main character. I honestly felt that this plot was written for a MC in her mid 20’s and then someone thought it would be better to make her 17, so this could be considered a Young Adult novel. In no way, shape or form is Kenders character adequate for a 17 yo girl. She’s an animal rights activist, super famous punk star, college graduate, and working in Nirvana for a “while”… what am I missing here?

This young age of our MC brings all kinds of weird problems into the plot. First of, the timeline is way too confusing. This girl is 17 yo, but she’s already graduated college a while ago and has been living with her fiancé for more than one year – I’m guessing a lot more if they have cute little Easter traditions and if Andrew had built a door for their dog YEARS AGO. Now, how old is this elusive fiancé, right? I was wondering that throughout most of the novel! Andrew is the lead scientist in the Nirvana project, he graduated, he had broken up with a girlfriend 5 years before while already being courted to work at HEXAGON. And then Kenders says he’s 25. OK, he’s 25!!! But she just turned 17 – it’s the first chapter people! And then it gets weird: they made love for the first time after they graduated… and they were already living together when she turned 16…

Now, I’m not a prude or anything, heck, I don’t really give a damn about age. I don’t think it’s weird to have such a huge age gap. But she claims they met 3 years ago, when she was 14 (and if you’re not good at math, he was 22!) – who else thinks it’s creepy for a 22 yo man to date a 14 yo girl?! I FREAKING DO!

Wait, it gets worst! Remember the ex-girlfriend I told you her fiancé had 5 years before? Well, when Kenders meets her, she claims that she’s about her own mother’s age. Now, wait a minute, what?! So, this guy Andrew first dated someone super older than him, and then went the other way around? Completely? What?

But the whole timeline is jumbled. The book starts with a written passage from 2086, and it’s the day Kenders and Andrew meet – which she claims was 3 years before the present. But then at some point, they say it’s 2088… again, what? Also, they have known each other for 3 years, while they were still in college, but Paloma states that 5 years before he was already working for Hexagon… I swear, my head never hurt so much while reading a fiction book!

Also, the whole Extinction thing. At some point she claims it happened 10 year before (I’m not sure about this one though, I was having lunch and might have misread it), but then it’s mentioned stuff she did when she was a child and with Andrew at the University BEFORE the Extinction. HOW? Even if I misread the date, considering everything that was already in place at the present, that event had to have happened a long time ago – Rome wasn’t build in a day, and neither were entire domed cities.

Speaking of domed cities, what/who the hell was Serge? It’s established in the preface that he’s 5 years older than Kenders, but he always loved her… again, is it just me that finds it weird that an 18 yo boy was in love with a 13 yo girl? Yes? No? Ok… moving on… at 18 he was rich as hell, but at 22 he was even richer… not to mention annoying. There were a lot of plot holes concerning Serge, but that last scene when they make him a memorial really bugged me, because this guy couldn’t care less about helping the planet, he did what he did to keep this girl alive. Whatever…

I have so many problems with Lexie! Lexie is only used to lure and seduce men in this book, and I’m assuming that she’s NOT Kender’s age, because that would make some things worst.

This actually happens from the end of a chapter to the beginning of the next: : “even if Andrew pre-recorded these conversations before he died” “I’m certain Andrew is alive now” … Oh man, the inconsistencies of this book that totally floored me.

Another thing that I didn’t quite understand why it was even there, was that beginning, what I’m assuming were Kender’s trips into Nirvana, when I’m assuming she got revenge on her father. Was she abused as a child? Was that it? Because she only mentioned her father when she talked about how he died, so, is that it? Is it important for the plot?

From the blurb:  After uncovering much more than she expected, Kenders’ biggest challenge is determining what is real – and what is virtual. – Funny enough, she never has a big problem with that! She also believes him to be alive pretty early in the game.

So, now you must be wondering where do the 1.4 Stars come from, right? The premise of this book was good, and it could have been done so much better. Most of the problems I pointed out would have been resolved with an older MC, instead of trying to make a 17 yo make sense is this context. So, more than anything, it’s the possibility… Also, this book has too trimmed, basic information was missing at crucial points. It could have been so much better 😦 .

That’s it people, sorry for the long (and bad) review… I really hate doing these 😦 …

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss (Max Wirestone)

For fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something. 

The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.

Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she’s not living her best life. But that’s all about to change.

Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she’s offered a job. A job that she’s woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).

Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she’s just the girl to deal with them.

Pub Date: October 20, 2015 by Redhook Books

I received an eArc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I had so much fun reading this book. The geeky references were amazing, and I would like to say that outside the MMORPG references – that I got only because I watched The Guild recently, I got most of everything else! So yay me! The Pokemon references were totally lost on me, I have to admit that I never watched it…

I LOVED the writing. It is written as if Dahlia is writing her story in the future about the events that have already occurred, so sometimes she gives hints to the future and her inner dialogue is hilarious.

(my copy did have some typos and missing words, but it was an ARC, so I’m not sure how the final version turned out.)

The characters are so many that a few felt underdeveloped. I think that it would have worked better to cut some of the Guild members and stick to the important ones plot-wise. I really liked Dahlia, and I loved Nathan, and I wanted to see more of them and their weird and cute relationship, but that didn’t developed much (unfortunately). Charise was crazy as hell, and she really kept me on my toes right until the end of the book (I thought for sure that a plot twist was coming…). I really liked Detective Schuler and until the end I wasn’t sure if there might be something more between him and Dahlia… I think she should stick with Nathan though, but honestly, the book didn’t give much closure in regards to that and I would like to know who she did end up with (sorry people, I’m a sucker for romance!).

The plot kept me thinking. I will tell you this though: I did not see the murderer coming… but a few things were a bit convoluted. Still, the plot flowed well enough and it had a good pacing.

I was expecting Dahlia’s ex-boyfriend Erik to actually make an appearance – other than in-game – but he did not, and I felt that that was a missed opportunity, given how much time she spent thinking about her failed relationship with him.

To sum it up, I really enjoyed this book, and it left me wanting more. I could totally see this becoming a series or something, with Dahlia taking on nerdy cases and socializing with her weird and wonderful new friends.

Rating: 4.2 Stars

Finding Cinderella (Colleen Hoover)

This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe. 

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same. 

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

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This is a novella, that is part of the Hopeless series by Colleen Hoover. I have never read anything by her, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But the blurb sounded like a cute fluffy romance, so I went for it – the ebook is free!

I really liked it! It made me want to go back and read the other two books in the series… it’s that good!

I loved Daniel, and his relationship with Six was perfect. They were so cute and different together. I could have read a whole book about them together, 90 pages was not nearly enough.

“I’ve been doing this with her for one day and I have no idea what’s happening. I don’t know if it’s a full moon or if I have a tumor wrapped around my heart or if she really is a witch. Whatever it is still doesn’t explain how this kind of thing can exist between two people that ridiculously fast… and actually last.”

But you just know that other shoe is going to drop, because the blurb says so, but still, when it does, it was not anything I was expecting. I was a bit shocked actually, at what happened, at Daniel’s reaction, at Six’s lack of response, …, everything broke my heart. So, when they finally talk and get through it, I was beyond happy.

I would highly recommend this novella, and I look forward to reading more about these people. My rating will probably rise once I’ve read the other two books.

Rating: 

2015 Reading Challenges Update!

Initially my goal was to read about 30 books, repeat books in several categories and so on, now I’m convinced that I’ll be able to read the 52 books! I also had initially set the books for each of the topics, but soon discovered that that wouldn’t work… lol. So, this is the progress so far:

1. A book with more than 500 pages – City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6), Cassandra Clare
2. A classic romance – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. A book that became a movie – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jesse Andrews
4. A book published this year – An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir
5. A book with numbers in the title – The One Thing, Marci Lyn Curtis
6. A book written by someone under 30 – A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas
7. A book with non-human characters – The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss
8. A funny book – Attachments, Rainbow Rowell
9. A book by a female author – You had me at hello, Mhairi McFarlane
11. A book with a one-word title – Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

12. A book of short stories – The Bane Chronicles, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson
13. A book set in a different country – The Year of Taking Chances, Lucy Diamond
14. A non-fiction book – Bossypants, Tina Fey and Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg
15. A popular author’s first book – Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell (I now realize that this is not actually he first book, but I’m too lazy to change all the links)
16. A book from an author you love but haven’t read yet – Landline, Rainbow Rowell
17. A book a friend recommended – More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera
19. A book based on a true story – Love at First Type: A Chronicle of Addiction to Online Dating, Robert D. Spake
22. A book that scares you – Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas and Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas
23. A book that’s more than 100-years-old – Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
26. A memoir – Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, Maya Van Wagenen

27. A book you can finish in a day – Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, J.K. Rowling
29. A book set in a country you want to visit – The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
32. A trilogy – Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me, Tahereh Mafi
33. A book from that reminds you of your childhood – A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale, Liz Braswell
34. A book with a love triangle – To all the boys I’ve loved before, Jenny Han & P.S. I Still Love You, Jenny Han
35. A book set in the future – Armada, Ernest Cline
36. A book set in high school – Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli

37. A book with a color in the title – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard
38. A book that made you cry – My Heart and Other Black Holes, Jasmine Warga
39. A book with magic – Love in the Time of Global Warming,  Francesca Lia Block
40. A graphic novel – Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona
41. A book by an author you’ve never read before – The Perfect Match, Katie Fforde
42. A book you own but you’ve never read – Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz
45. A book set during Christmas – Girl Online, Zoe Sugg
49. A book based on or turned into a television show – The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

To read (15):

10. A mystery or thriller
18. A Pulitzer-Prize winning book
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list
21. A book that your mum loves
24. A book based entirely on the cover
25.A book you were supposed to read at school but didn’t finish
28. A book with antonyms in the title
30. A book that came out the year you were born
31. A book with bad reviews
43. A book that takes place in your hometown
44. A book that was originally written in a different language
46. A book written by an author with your same initials
47. A play
48. A banned book
50. A book you started but never finished

This one has a bit more progress than the Popsugar one, that’s because I started to read a lot of stuff that I can’t fit in the other one anymore. My initial number was something like 30 books, I then changed it around April to 51, to fit the Popsugar challenge (given that 1 book that I had already read is not on Goodreads). Now I’m almost done! 12 books ahead of schedule and with 3 more months left to go in the year. I also have all my reviews up to date, which is kind of amazing.

Ignite Me (Tahereh Mafi)

>>>>  Nº32 on My 2015 Reading Challenge – A Trilogy #3  <<<<

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.” 

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end.

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*** Warning, there will be lots of SPOILERS ***

I am obsessed with this book! I started it on Thursday night (actually it was friday already, around midnight or something), thinking I would read a couple of chapters and head on to bed… yeah, that didn’t work out. I stayed up until 6 a.m. reading it and only stopped because I was conscious that I needed to get some sleep before sunrise – by this time I was also fully aware that there was no way I was going into work in the morning. I finished it as soon as I woke up on Friday… and then I re-read a few chapters… several times during the whole weekend.

So as you might have figured it out by now, I absolutely loved this book, it’s definitely my favorite of the series and I don’t understand why it isn’t longer, because I needed more of it. I have so many questions, and I don’t understand why this is only a trilogy, because I could have had more (or at least some more novellas to keep me tight up).

Warner + Juliette

Have I mentioned before how much I love Warner? Yes? No? Oh well, I love Warner, a LOT! I loved that he finally explained everything to Juliette and that even extremely heart broken, he still did everything in his power to help her and gave her everything she wanted. He was so vulnerable throughout some parts of this book and that was such an interesting thing to read, given how he was always so in control in all the others. I loved all his moments with Juliette, and that what’s kept me awake for the whole night!

Juliette grew so much in this book. I loved that she stood up for herself and those she loves!

I also liked that she took her time figuring out her feelings and that she only went to Warner when she knew that she had all the choices but all she wanted was him. But it was hard! He was in so much pain and she wanted him and didn’t say it… oh…. my heart was in physical pain throughout all this.

But people… the sex! OMG! The sex! If their scene together in Unravel Me was hot (and it was), it doesn’t hold a candle to everything that goes on here, just… wow!

By the way, “Lift your hips for me, love.” will forever be etched into my brain…

(Also, why do I keep imagining him slightly british when he calls her “love”? I keep going to Tom Hiddlestone accent… don’t know why…)

Juliette + Kenji

This was my second favorite thing about this book: Kenji and Juliette’s friendship. I want a best friend like Kenji! He’s hilarious, so damn funny, and I loved all their talks. I loved that he took the time and had the cool head to actually listen to her. Even if he thought she was a bit mental for trusting Warner, he still listened and understood. Such beautiful moments there…

Adam vs The World

When I started to read Shatter Me and loved Adam, I talked to Kat @Life and Other Disasters and she told me she didn’t like Adam, that he did something bad. I couldn’t understand, I believed I could never hate him, ship Juliette with Warner, maybe, but dislike Adam? Not possible!

Then I read Fracture Me and my feelings for Adam started to change very drastically, and then I got to this book and I wanted to kill him each time he opened his mouth! It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s coming from, I can understand that, but what he said to Juliette? Some of that stuff is unforgivable in my book.

But I did like that Juliette stood up to him (you go girl!), but this Adam?! GOD! By the end he seemed a bit more mellow, but he was just so stupid throughout everything… I didn’t like it, and I didn’t like him! 😦

What I loved:

I really liked that ending. I liked that Anderson died with 2 bullets to the head – though Juliette, love, it should have been “One for Warner. One for Adam.” and not the other way around… but hey, I forgive you.

I loved all the powers and projections and stuff. I’m a huge fan of Warner’s power and how quickly he was able to control it.

I loved Juliette’s relationship with Warner. I loved that he respected her, her powers and her opinions. And that she did the same regarding him. They ended up being a perfectly balanced couple, and I couldn’t have predicted that on book 1.

WHY I WANTED MORE:

I wanted more of Juliette and Warner. I wanted more of them as a couple, I wanted to know what happened when she took control, I wanted to know it all. I also wanted more bed, tables, walls, bathtubs and disrobing scenes… seriously, they can’t even keep their clothes on!

I also would have loved to have a double POV in this book, I wanted to know what Warner was thinking for most of the book, especially during all those weeks when he couldn’t even look straight at Juliette.

More Kenji! More Kenji with Juliette. More Kenji with Warner. Basically, more Kenji.

I wanted to know more about Winston and Brendan and all of the gang. I wanted backstories and the works. Novellas, maybe? Can a girl dream?

I wanted Warner bonding with Adam and James. I absolutely loved that Warner was the bigger man and showed interest and getting to know his brothers, but I wanted to see him actually interacting with the both of them as brothers. Also, James would be confused as hell…

I wished that Anderson would have been aware that both his children were against him – not that it would have mattered to him… he was a monster.

I wanted to know all the secrets that Warner was still not telling. Come on, we just know that there’s a lot more stuff, right? I wanted everything!

Rating: 4.7 Stars

PS: to everyone that told me that Warner would win me over and that I would change my opinion of him from the first book on… you were so so right!

PS2: I’m so unwilling to let go that I actually went looking for fanfiction last night… I never ever read fanfic before…

– Shatter Me – Destroy Me – Unravel Me – Fracture Me –

Unravel Me (Tahereh Mafi)

>>>>  Nº32 on My 2015 Reading Challenge – A Trilogy #2  <<<<

tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it’s almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She’s finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam’s life.

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I LOVED this book! Seriously, wow!

Warning, there will be SPOILERS, actually, there will be nothing but SPOILERS, because we already covered Mafi’s wonderful writing in the review of the first book and the premise, so what’s left?! SPOILERS!

***** Full disclosure: I AM OFFICIALLY TEAM WARNER! *****

First I need to say, I love Juliette. I know a lot of people can’t stand her, or doesn’t identify with her, but I do (in some weird way). It’s not easy to be conditioned your whole life to believe in something and then change your ways from one moment to another. So I thought that her behaviour at the beginning of the book was totally normal, she was scared, she didn’t reach out to anyone because she has never been able to in her whole life. This means that I was a bit pissed off at Castle and later at Kenji when both of them pushed a bunch of accusations towards her, not to say that they weren’t right in what they said, but they said it all wrong, especially Kenji – I could have punched you, if you weren’t so adorable!

I was a bit frustrated by Adam keeping secrets from her, I know he didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t trust her, and that’s not OK. And then, obviously, things went very wrong very fast and then the touchy moment ended abruptly. Poor Juliette. At first I was a bit dismayed that she was giving up so fast, but really, what choice did she had?!

This prompted her to make some friends and that was super! And she started to control her powers and that was awesome!

Then came trouble, enter Warner’s dad – a.k.a. the most despicable human being in existence! And his awfulness bring Juliette to a state of fury and control that she didn’t think possible and she awesomely starts torturing him – sorry, but he totally deserved it. He was lucky Kenji was there! And then it turns out that that stupid awful Anderson guy is Adam’s father! Say what?! Yes, Adam and Warner and brothers and that’s freaking fantastic!

Now Warner is being held hostage and Juliette has to talk to him, and he begins to unravel himself and she begins to really like it. Like really really, inappropriate thoughts and all that!

Warner has a power, which by the way is way cooler than his brother’s (not James though, James is special!). Warner can sense and harness energy from other gifted people. So he can use Juliette’s energy and it will never ever hurt him (interesting, right?!). This eventually leads to a chapter that I had to read at least 3 times because I was getting all dizzy and stuff… very hot chapter!

The pants on the floor?! OH MY LORD! And then… grrrrr, I could have slapped her!!!!

And then shit hits the fan and she’s dying and Warner saves her and THE END! I need more!!! I want more Warner and Juliette, because he’s so great with her!

I still like Adam (though I just read Fracture Me and I’m mad at him), but the truth is that Adam treats Juliette like she’s this broken thing who needs fixing and who needs 24h protection. While Warner knows what she is and what she’s capable of, and loves it, owns it, respects it… that’s why I’m Team Warner right now, and I don’t see that changing.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Armada (Ernest Cline)

>>>>>  Nº 35 on My 2015 Reading Challenge – A book set in the future <<<<<

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. 

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe. 

And then he sees the flying saucer. 

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.  

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it. 

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?  

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

Pub Date: July 14, 2015 by Crown

I received this book from the publisher through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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First off, I would like to let you guys know that I haven’t read Ready Player One yet. I’ve noticed that some people had a lot of problems with this book, due to their high expectations following Ready Player One, I had so such problem.

I quite enjoyed this book, it had me laughing and wanting to know what would come next, so I label it a success in my book. It isn’t, however, my kind of book, but I still enjoyed it a great deal.

I found Zack, the main character, pretty relatable in some things and highly likable. Unfortunately, due to the short length of time of this novel – roughly 2 days – the other characters were not fleshed out at all, with a couple of momentaneous exceptions (that you’ll have to read, because SPOILERS!). So, to be honest, I was only invested in Zack’s life really.

Although I’m not a gamer, or a HUGE Sci-Fi nerd, I really enjoyed all the references and thought that the premise was well engineered. The idea that the government has been supporting movies, shows and video games that simulate real life in order to prepare the human race for an upcoming invasion, it’s smart and I thought it was well done. The explanation for all the Sci-Fi tropes made sense, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

The main problem I had with this book was the predictability, though it managed to throw me off a bit by the end. I liked the ending, but it was sort of open and I would like to read more about what comes next.

Although not my favorite book of the year, it was still a good read.

Rating: 3.7 Stars

Shatter Me (Tahereh Mafi)

>>>>  Nº32 on My 2015 Reading Challenge – A Trilogy #1  <<<<

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I’m more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

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Even though everyone had already read this book but me, I still had no idea what the story was all about – yes, I did not read the blurb, on purpose, I trusted that it would be good!

I am in love with the writing! So damn in love with it. So I’ll warn you right now that there will be a lot of quotes in this very short review, that’s how gorgeous the writing is. This month has been a treasure in terms of unique books, first The Wrath and the Dawn, and now this?! WOW!

I’m so intrigued by Juliette! Truly, how sane would anyone be if you couldn’t touch anyone? I would go mental. Parents not wanting you… wow…I felt so sorry for her. Also, she’s just like Rogue from the X-Men, so I immediately loved her. Plus, her internal dialogue is amazingly beautiful.

I mean, it’s just so poetic… I can’t get enough… Last night when I was trying to choose which quotes to put up here, I couldn’t make up my mind, because the writing is so gorgeous! (not to be repetitive or anything…)

I just wanted to wrap Juliette is my arms and tell her that everything was going to be fine (too bad that would probably get me killed in the process…).

Fair warning, I doubt that I will spoil anyone, because I bet that you’ve all read the books, but either way, be warned, I might say something SPOILERY!

Now, before you kill me for what I’m about to say, keep in mind that so far I’ve ONLY READ SHATTER ME, I haven’t read the sequels yet. Are you keeping that in mind? Good! So, I really like Adam! He’s just so sweet and attentive to her, and their scenes together are hot and steamy (and not just the ones in the shower).

I really like him. I like Adam with Juliette and I like Adam with James, and I wanted to punch James and Kenji a couple of times during the book, because come on! They have the worst timing ever! Couldn’t they just let Juliette and Adam advance their relationship… poor Juliette (and Adam, after the second time I bet that he was just about to explode).

Also (again, don’t kill me), Warner is a bit of s psycho in this book. He has a very weird fixation on Juliette and that whole scene in the warehouse (or whatever), though undoubtedly kind of hot, was super disturbing. How can he be so obsessed with someone he just met? His happiness for being able to touch her and then proceeding to assume that she would want to be touched by him, was unnerving. I know that everyone loves Warner, and I’m pretty sure I will to, but so far, nop, the guy is shady and creepy, albeit hot and beautiful.

I really liked the setting, I want to see more of it. The plot itself was nothing special, this book mainly introduced the characters and set up the world, and I’m betting that the next ones will have a deeper plot, so I’m excited for that.

Also, I really liked Juliette’s character development, and there’s no denying that this girl learns things fast. She goes from a broken little bird to someone who can hold her own (-ish) pretty fast. I can’t wait to dive in to the next one.

I’m saying this again, because I feel like it will never be enough. Tahereh Mafi’s writing is gorgeous, and I have a feeling that as soon as her next book is out, I’ll be there to collect it.

Rating: 4.2 Stars