SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Love your name choice!!

Will pop over and check it now, Judithe :)

Thanks Kerstin!

I'll be keeping track of everyone's book choices as we proceed. If I make a mistake or you change your mind about which book you're going to read (I do that a lot, LOL), just let me know.

And here's the first status update through post #52:

Free Space: 0/5
Stamp Received: not yet

Kerstin Marked or Jacob
Steph Ann Queen of Shadows
Daffodil Deadly Descendant
Cristina TBD
Lisa(68) Firelight


or TBD

O21 - Young Adult Paranormal: 2/5
Stamp Received: not yet

Kerstin Radiant Shadows
Steph Ann Bloodlines, 3.5 stars, Review
Daffodil maybe Generation Dead
Cristina Beautiful Creatures
Lisa City of Bones, 3 stars, Review



My nephew's birthday party is tomorrow (and it's Father's Day), so I don't know if I'll be able to check back in. If not, have a great rest of the weekend and I'll chat with y'all on Monday.

Enjoy the party, Daffodil!

Hope you had fun, Daffodil!

Kerstin wrote: "Will pop over and check it now, Judithe :)"

Thanks bunches!!!

Hope everyone has had a great Sunday! Just got home from my parents' place after celebrating Father's Day, and my plan for tonight is to hopefully be able to just read until True Blood starts. :)

Ya'll have been busy this weekend :)

I still haven't decided on my Free Space book yet but I'm going to read for the Young Adult Paranormal shelf.

Finished my YA book this morning before heading to work. This is pretty much my first time reviewing a book other than giving it a star rating, so feel free to tell me if I need to change my review in any way. :)



Shelf: YA Paranormal
Read: 6/18/2012
Rating: ***1/2

Review:

I'd been putting off reading this because I'd initially seen some negative reviews, and I also wasn't super excited about Sydney being the main character of the series. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I enjoyed this first book in the Bloodlines series. The book starts off very quickly and keeps up a good pace throughout the story, which is a definite plus. It assumes that the reader has read the Vampire Academy series, so there is very little in depth explanation of the different vampire races, what Alchemists do, etc. I also saw this as a plus because I don't typically like it when every book in a series constantly rehashes what other books have already said.

Some new characters are introduced, but for the most part, the main players in the story were all initially introduced in the Vampire Academy series. I was especially pleased to see Adrian back in the mix, as I really liked him in Vampire Academy and didn't want his story to be finished. He is responsible for most of the light hearted moments in the book.

The one thing that kept this from being a solid 4 star read was that I was able to figure out who was responsible for the killings taking place in the novel before the reveal was actually made. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but just enough to keep it from being 4 stars.

Richelle Mead knows how to end a book in a way that makes you want to immediately pick up the next book in the series, and that was definitely the case here. I'll be continuing the series and look forward to seeing how everything continues to develop.

I'll wrap up my review with a quote from the book that made me laugh (I love quotes, so this might become a regular thing in my reviews). At this point in the story, Adrian is talking to a tattoo artist in an attempt to distract him while Sydney snoops around in back. It's one of those exhanges that made me laugh just because I could just picture it in my head:

Adrian: Can you draw a skeleton riding a motorcycle with flames coming out of it? And I want a pirate hat on the skeleton. And a parrot on his shoulder. A skeleton parrot. Or maybe a ninja skeleton parrot? No, that would be overkill. But it'd be cool if the biker skeleton could be shooting some ninja throwing stars. That are on fire.
Tattoo Artist: That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
Adrian: That's not what the ladies are going to say.


I apparently had an awful lot to say. I was not anticipating that! Sorry for the wall of text. :)

Steph Ann you did an awesome job :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I started on Sunday and so far so good. The mythology is interesting. In the first book, Nikki found out she was a descendant of Artemis and was suddenly thrust into the conflict between two factions of descendants. I'm interested to see where book 2 goes.

When I got home last night, I picked up and tried to start it, but it didn't really capture my interest. Maybe because I wanted to get back to Descendant? Not sure, I'll try a little bit more on my lunch hour today and if I still cannot get involved with the story, I'll stop at the library after work and check out the YA pickings.

Thanks, Sandra! :)

Great review, Steph Ann. It hit all the key notes for me. Including information about what should be read beforehand is always a plus. I once read book one of an author's series and felt like I should know more than I did, only to find out it was a second series tied to characters from the first.

1 down, 4 to go! ;D

I've had that happen before too, Daffodil! I remember when I was reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, and got to one book that started out talking about something I did not remember happening at all and thought I'd accidentally picked up a book further down in the series. Turns out I just hadn't read the short story that needed to be read in order to make sense out of everything.

Started over my lunch hour. It started out a little slow, but it's definitely picked up now, and I didn't want to have to go back to work. Looking forward to hopefully having some reading time tonight.

Steph Ann, that's a great Review! And I hope you enjoy "Queen of Shadows". I read it a while ago and really liked it. I suppose I should pick up #2 sometime soon but what can I say...Too manny books, too little time.

Daffodil, "Deadly Descendant" sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to your review, as I'm always interested when mythology and UF are interwoven.

I'm halfway through and I'm enjoying more than I thought.

Thanks, Kerstin! I was able to get further into Queen of Shadows last night, and I'm really enjoying it so far! I know what you mean about there being too many books and too little time. It's sometimes a little overwhelming to look at my TBR list and figure out what I want to read next! :)

Finished this up last night.


Read 6/18/2012
Rating 3 stars
Review This is a tough review for me because I am not a big fan of YA (Reading about teenage angst and emotion is just not my cup of tea). Of course, that is not the authors fault, and so I will take that into account as I review. This is the first book in a series and as a first book, I think the author did a really good job of world building and character indtroduction. The characters all had their own distinct personalities, and I was never confused about who was who. (I hate books that require you to continually look back through the pages to try to figure out who someone is). However, I never felt comfortable with the relationship between Clary and Jace...always seemed forced and awkward. Maybe that was done on purpose considering the ending that I won't reveal. I have to say that Simon was my favorite and I wish that he had been more of a player in all the action (I always root for the underdog). Maybe he will have his turn in future books of the series. There were many scenes that I felt he should have been a part of, but was just forgotten about and left out. Speaking of action, that is one of the things I enjoyed most about this story, lots and lots of action. I am an action junky, and to me, the more the better. I can't really say anything too negative about this story. Overall it was an enjoyable read...just not spectacular for me. I did like the fact that even though this is a series, the story felt complete. There were a few loose ends for the next book, but not too many. No great cliffhangers to worry about. I probably will not go on to read the next book in the series, but that is just because of my own personal YA hang-up. I'm sure most readers would more than likely want to continue on with the intriguing world that the author has created. This book opens up many possibilities for future books.

Yeah, 1 more book down. Great job, Lisa.

I've updated post #53.

I went back and edited my post #13, so we can have a master list on the first page of our thread. I'll continue to post little status updates as we go along, but the main list will always be at the front.

Yay, Lisa!

I have to be in the right mood to read YA, and that mood doesn't come along very often, so I definitely know where you're coming from there!

Steph, It's not that I dislike YA...it's just that there are so many other genres I would rather read...and with so many books and so little time, I usually choose something else. That being said, there are a few YA books that have gotten such great reviews, that I am intrigued and have added them to my TBR list. Someday I do hope to read a few of them.

There are some YA books that I've added to my TBR list as well due to having a number of great reviews. It's easy for them to get lost in the shuffle though, considering I have 500+ books on that list. I'll get to them eventually though! :)

I had a friend who commented once that she went through enough teen angst in high school, she didn't need to revisit it in books.

I'll admit, I enjoyed reading the Twilight books. However, when I watched the second and third movies, there was a lot of eye-rolling in my corner of the room. Maybe even a few mutters of "Just get over it, already". LOL. For me, Bella's pain and suffering over Edward did not translate well to the screen.

I will also admit to enjoying the Twilight books (I've actually read each of them twice now I think), but it definitely does not transfer well to the screen. I'm not sure if it's the fault of the actors or if it's just that the material doesn't translate well to film. I still go see the movies though with my sister because it's one of the few book series she's actually read (she's not a big reader at all), so we use it as a good excuse for a girl's night out.

Daffodil wrote: "I had a friend who commented once that she went through enough teen angst in high school, she didn't need to revisit it in books."

Ha Ha, maybe that's my issue too!

So many movies don't seem to measure up to the books. I always try to view the movie with an open mind and not compare, but it is difficult sometimes. I have to say that I haven't read Twilight yet...but I think I'm more of a BDB girl :)

By the way Daffodil, great job on the Master List...looks good! Thanks for all the extra work you are doing!

I'm more of a BDB girl too, Lisa. :)

I constantly compare movies to the books. I can't seem to help myself. I enjoyed the Hunger Games adaptation, but that's the first movie in awhile that I can think of that I enjoyed as much as the book.

Yes, definitely thank you, Daffodil, for your work on the Master List! :)

Your welcome!

I am so ready to get off work, it's been a little frenzied around here today. I did, however, manage to get quite a bit of reading done on my lunch hour. 8D

Have a great evening everyone.

I don't mind reading a YA novel every now and then, but prefer the ones that don't concentrate on angsty teenage love (-triangles). I did read the Twilight books a few years ago and quite liked them at the time but I've only watched the first movie and have to admit that I thought it was pretty much the worst movie I'd ever seen. I haven't bothered with any of the follow-ups. But I have to say, I'm hardly ever excited by movies that were made from books.

The Master List looks great, Daffodil!

I've just come home from work and will hopefully be able to finish my book tonight, while sitting on the couch with a nice cup of hot chocolate ;)

Sitting on the couch and reading sounds like a great plan, Kerstin! I really wish that's what I was doing right now! I desperately did not want to go to work this morning. I'm so close to finishing Queen of Shadows, and it's at a part that I really just want to know what happens, but I had to stop reading so I could finish getting ready for work. Oh well, I should be able to finish it today either on my lunch hour or once I get home this afternoon. :)

Finished Queen of Shadows on my lunch hour!



Shelf: Free Space Read
Read: 6/20/12
Rating: ****1/2

Review:

I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read this book! Queen of Shadows is one of those first in series books that just keeps getting better as you get further into the book. By the time I was 90% through it, my heart was pounding because I was so nervous/excited to see what would happen.

I'm someone who tends to favor dialogue over extensive description, but Dianne Sylvan is extremely good at creating imagery so that you feel you are in the world with the characters, seeing what they're seeing. The dialogue is good too, but the imagery (especially in descriptions of fighting/battle) is what really stuck out to me. Sylvan also gets bonus points from me for making multiple references to my favorite Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. :)

The only negative thing I can really say is that it took me a few chapters to really get into the book. I have a feeling that may have had more to do with me starting it on my lunch hour on a Monday rather than it being the fault of the book, but it still keeps it from being a complete 5 star read for me.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!

As will probably become habit, I have a quote to share:

David: Keeping my energy flowing in an even circuit is the key to my emotional equilibrium.
Miranda: Emotional equilibrium. Meaning you never get angry and you're always perfectly calm.
David: Yes.
Miranda: Are you sure you're not just boring?

I just wanted to let you know that this week has been crazy for me and real life keeps interrupting my reading time :/

Come heck or high water, I'll have my book finished in the next few days. Scout's honor :)

Love the review Steph Ann. I read it about a year and a half ago and fully intended to start on book 2 the moment it came out. ::shakes head:: It sure didn't work out that way.

Cristina, no problem. There's no immediate rush with the first shelf choices. Using the free space, you still need a minimum of 4 shelf calls to get BINGO. So you have a little leeway, time becomes a factor later in the game as teams get closer and closer to bingo.

Finally, I did finish my Free Space read, but haven't gotten around to posting my review yet. I'll probably put it up in the morning.

Cristina, I know how crazy life can get! I've only been able to get back to reading regularly recently, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that life stays calm!

Daffodil, I'm trying to decide if I want to start book 2 right away, or try to pace myself, as there only 3 books in the series currently. For now, I think I'm going to be patient, but if a shelf gets called that book 2 fits into, I might have to change my plan. :)

Steph Ann, glad to hear you enjoyed Queen of Shadows. I'm really going to have to read it soon. I'm about halfway through with my free space choiceFirelight and loving it also!

Shelf: YA Paranormal
Read: 20/06/12
Rating: ★★★★

It took me quite a while to pick this book up after reading the previous three instalments in the series. The reason for that was partly my disappointment in the last book and partly the fact that I didn't know much about and therefore didn't care too much about this stories main characters. So I was quite surprised when I liked this book a lot more than expected.

Though the story had a bit of a slow start, I immediately liked Ani, who is a great heroine. She is a halfling, who is struggling with her hungers, as she needs touch and emotion to be sated. She knows what she wants though, is strong and stands up for herself. Devlin is a great match for her. He has been created centuries ago by Sorcha and Bananach, in order to balance order and chaos. He is also the court assassin, killing everyone Sorcha deems a threat. There have only ever been two instances in which he did not follow his orders and those are about to change his life.

Irial and Niall, two of my favourite characters from the previous books, have also small parts to play, as well as Seth. And we also get tiny glimpses as to what happens in the seasonal courts.

I've also decided to go for as my free space book and have read the first couple of chapters. So far, so good.

Glad to hear you're enjoying Firelight, Lisa! I know that's on my TBR list somewhere, so I'll have to give it a try.

I may have to move the Wicked Lovely series up on my TBR list, Kerstin! I've heard a lot about it. Just too many books, and not enough time to read them all! :)

Free Space

, Deadly Descendant, 6-19-12
Rating: 4 stars
Review: It was incredibly easy to slip back into Black's world and for the most part the story moved along well. The mystery element was a little light, but the plot kept me involved enough that I didn't mind.

Note: Liberi are descendants of gods from various pantheons. Olympians are elitist and purists; only descendants of Greek gods are worthy of living and basically humans should worship/serve Olympians. Very little time has passed since the opening pages of the first book, so Nikki is still adjusting to major changes in her lifestyle. In Dark Descendant, Nikki was maneuvered into immortality by a member of the Liberi and discovered that as a rare descendant of Artemis she has valuable hunting skills.

In book two, Nikki is uncomfortable living under Liberi protection, but knows it's the only way to protect her family from the Olympians. I don't think the setting was used to the fullest advantage though and would have loved more interaction with all the members of the household. I enjoyed learning more about Jamaal, a descendant of Kali, but I think I would be happier with slower relationship growth on that front. The transference of anger into passion is understandable. However, a gradual transformation into solid friendship and then exploration of those feelings would suit me more. Nikki's uneasiness around Anderson and the tension centered around Emma were interesting, but I still feel there's much more character development that was left unexplored.

Nikki's past has made her tough and a little untrusting, but it's also made her strong and self-reliant. She doesn't wait around for someone to rescue her, instead she investigates the best plan and takes action. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her skills as a "huntress" develop even more.

Overall, I really enjoyed Deadly Descendant and will definitely be continuing this series.

I'm almost done with my YA Supernatural and will post my review as soon as I finish.

I will say it's not quite what I was expecting, not nearly as light hearted as the cover would suggest.

Good to know you enjoyed Deadly Descendant, Daffodil! I know that's another series I've been meaning to start but haven't yet. I enjoyed Black's Morgan Kingsley series (what I've read of it anyway, as I haven't finished it yet), so hopefully I'll enjoy the Nikki Glass series as well when I finally get around to reading it.

I finished my Free Space book...got it from the SOS bookshelf.

Firelight

Read: 6/21/12
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I always base my star ratings on pure enjoyment of the book, and in my opinion, this one was a five star winner! It had everything that I enjoy from a story. A Beauty and the Beast theme is one of my favorites…add a bit of paranormal to it and make it doubly fun. I loved the sizzling chemistry between Archer and Miranda…there was no denying their attraction to each other, and they were a strong couple from the very beginning (No wishy-washiness about their relationship…they would die to protect each other)! The verbal sparring between the two of them was always entertaining. I loved the mystery of what was behind the mask...I had some ideas, but never really figured it out until it was revealed. And I loved the mysterious storyline that brought it all together. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

I picked Firelight up from the library this week and have been desperately trying to stop myself from reading before the next shelf announcement. Your review just makes it that much harder to wait, Lisa. LOL.

In other news, I finished my YA-Para and will post my review in a little bit. I'm going to be at a friend's house this weekend, so I should have internet access at odd times.

Great review, Lisa! I may have to pick up Firelight sooner rather than later! :)

Thanks, lol...I hope you all like it as much as I did. I just got notice of a kindle book that is ready for me from the library. It's a bundle of the first four books from the Lords of the Underworld series. I'm hoping it will fit into the next shelf announcement too.

Oh and Happy Weekend everyone!!!

I apologize in advance, this review kinda got away from me.

*** 1/2
Read: 06/22/12
Shelf: Young Adult Paranormal

Review:

This poor book has been sitting on my TBR shelves, gathering dust for about three years. I bought it because of the dust jacket without knowing anything about it except the blurb on the back about cursed love.

Positives: This was a decent read. The whole magic system, while not ground-breakingly original, was pretty clever. I really enjoyed the characterization of the supporting cast... the entire Caster family (and Ridley, who I quite enjoyed disliking), the Sisters were fun to read about and I really dug Amma and Macon Ravencroft (and Boo Radley). One of my favorite scenes in the book was during the "disciplinary hearing" after Macon showed up. The story, overall, flowed pretty smoothly. Even being nearly 600 pages in length, once I was reading, the story went really quickly and I was interested enough to keep reading to see what happened next. When I was reading, I could feel the anticipation and was counting down the days with Lena and Ethan. I also liked reading this cursed love story from the male POV. Nice change of pace from the majority of young adult books I've read. It didn't end with a cliffhanger, which a big plus. It just ended with a little tease that implied there will be a sequel.

Negatives: Every time I put the book down, I didn't feel the need to pick it back up. Seriously, 551 pages in... a major character may or may not have been dead... I put it down, and later had to practically force myself to pick it back up because there was no way I wasn't going to finish the last 15 pages at that point. There were quite a few things that I figured out WAY earlier than our main characters. The authors were dropping what I felt were incredibly obvious clues everywhere. I had to fight the urge to skim every time they started writing in length about the Civil War. I was born and raised in the South, it reminded me of History class in high school and I read those parts with about as much enthusiasm as the back of a shampoo bottle. And bless her heart, Lena really did have that whole ‘special snowflake' thing going on all the way through the story. I also didn't really feel any chemistry between Lena and Ethan, other than being apparently fated to be together.

In my head, it was interesting enough when I was reading it but I just don't care about it. When I wasn't reading it, I wasn't even remotely interested in it.

It is always possible that I might read the next in the series but more than likely, I won't.

Happy weekend, indeed! It's been a very long week!

It really stinks when you're reading a book that you just don't feel the need to keep picking up. I hate it when that happens! Hopefully, your next pick will go better, Cristina!

Hope everyone's weekend is going well so far! Just popped in to say I'll be out of town tonight visiting my BF's parents, but I'm hoping to check the shelf announcement using my phone so I can get some reading done on the car ride home tomorrow. :)