SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R7: Team #11 ~ Psychedelic Oysters



I hope you're holding up, Amber. I'm dealing with family issues myself right now but I try to remind myself that things won't always be this hard and that life wouldn't be so amazing if we weren't hit with the occasional shit storm.
@ Vi: No, you are not imagining things. There IS a love triangle, as is prevalent in most YAs these days, unfortunately. TBH, I don't even know how to feel about the one in this book due to things you'll learn later that might just blow your mind like they did mine.
ETA: @ Judithe: It really does get good, Judithe. Rehvenge is almost at Zsadist's level when it comes to tortured heroes in BDB. I say almost because I don't think you can get more tortured than "OMG MY PECKER IS AN ABOMINATION! CUT IT OFF CUT IT OFF CUT IT OFF!

Book Boyfriends:

Date Read: June 10th
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
As I've previously stated, I'm not a big NA fan. It's one of those genres that I really want to like but a lot of the books I've read it in make that hard because they feature TSTL heroines and boring-as-hells plot lines. Suffice it to say, I didn't think "Easy" would be so easy to enjoy. But I did.
I don't have many complaints. I liked the heroine, Jacqueline and the hero (name left out for spoilery purposes). I liked the "I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!" vibe I got throughout "Easy." I liked Jacqueline's relationship with her two girlfriends (yay for women helping each other out instead of trying to bring each other down!). I did NOT like how incredibly perfect the hero was. He had like NO faults, which made it hard for me to relate to him. I also didn't like how idiotic Jacqueline was about the (view spoiler) I don't understand why she didn't call the cops. How did she not realize that if he did that to her, that he'd probably-or already had-done it to other women? I understand that it might not have crossed her mind in the beginning, but months later and she STILL didn't see the light. The way I see it is, (view spoiler) . Other than those reason, I liked "Easy."["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Oh well, I can't seem to find a YA without a LT. I'll wait till I finish before I pass judgement.
Glad that you liked Easy, LL! Even with a perfect Hero, I liked the book and for that very reason you mentioned. One of the NA's that I actually enjoyed.


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Finished: 6/10
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
There are no words to describe this book! No way to capture just how amazing it is.
This book is so unlike anything else I have read, it is so powerful and gripping and incredible in every sense of the word.
Katniss truly is the girl on fire. She is powerful and strong and a survivor. I admire her so much (even though she can be annoyingly dense at times)
This book had me crying, gasping, and gaping in amazement. I could not put it down!
This book makes you think, and you get lost in its world. Suzanne Collins paints such a detailed picture.
I immediately watched the movie and have to say I wasn't that disappointed. Now, I just have to get Catching Fire and Mockingjay from the library


Book: Shadow and Bone
Date Finished: 11 June
Rating:★★★
Review:
I'm finding it hard to put down my thoughts on the book. I really liked the world building and the fact that it was inspired from Russia. The prose was very engaging - I couldn't put it down while I was reading. In fact, I finished 90% of the book in one sitting.
But the main, main thing that bothers me is the story and the characters. Alina was like the typical YA heroine - she's plain, seemingly talentless and falls for the BFF from her childhood who doesn't notice her. And like all YA heroines, she talks back (with the word honestly added soo many times) that sometimes it comes off as a little bit stupid. The story was a little straightforward - good vs evil stuff that I was really hoping for something more complex. And at the end of the day, like in all YA, she becomes close to perfect physically. Even though it's sort of explained in the book, I would have liked it more if it was not set that way.
The other good stuff that I really have to mention is that Alina, the female lead grows throughout the book. There is actual character development which I really enjoyed. The ever-present Love Triangle was actually ok - at the end of the book I'm not sure how I feel about it. And I'm hoping (view spoiler)
On the whole, I'm glad I read the book. I'll be picking up the sequel but I'm not in a rush.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Sorry you didn't like S&B as much as I did. *Lethal ducks the shoe thrown her way* I agree with a lot of your complaints when I look back on S&B but at the time I was just like WOW THIS IS SO AWESOMAZING! A lot of things that I usually hate in YA just plain worked for me with that book. Hopefully your next read will be much more enjoyable.
BTW, in reference to the love triangle, (view spoiler)





4*
Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines
I liked the book ok but f ound it to be a bit slower then the first two. for me it was a filler and good starter for other books to come. with all that said I still can't give a Rush and Blaire story less than a 4* rating. Can't wait to read more books on the other characters. someone needs to start a Grant chant lol.



@ Vi: I hope "Unspoken" works out better for you than "Shadow & Bone." I adored the heroine in that one. FYI, there's another love triangle. I need to make a shelf featuring YA's that don't have them because it seems like they're a damn endangered species. >_<
@ Amber: Nice review. Abbi Glines writes NA, right? And sorry to hear your computer is down. I feel your pain. I'm connected to my laptop like it's my freaking conjoined twin.
@ Sam: Sorry to hear your vacation isn't going the way you hoped it would. =( What's that saying? "Life happens when you're making other plans." Hopefully you'll be able to finish that "Assassins" read in the near future. IIRC, we're one of the only (if not the only) team who hasn't gotten a stamp for it yet. Keep your head up, girlfriend.

Vi, I searched through that shelf and discovered that you'll be able to read


I should be done with my book boyfriends book tonight or tomorrow at the very latest. I still have a good chunk of my assassins book to get through though =/ I may end up going back through the shelf to see if I have any quick reads on my shelf that I can get out of the way in a couple of days.


I'm also leaning towards



Finished: June 16th, 2013
Rating: 5/5 stars
This series honestly just gets better and better! I love Mac and Barrons' weird, tense relationship. Karen Marie Moning is the queen of the cliffhanger ending (and I mean that in a good way! I think...I'll get back to you once I run out of books and have to actually wait for the next one.) This series is also great for leaving you with more questions than answers, again, in a good way. I found Dani's chapters a bit meh, but otherwise, this is a great book and I can't wait to start the next one!

LethalLovely: Easy-★★★★☆ REVIEW
Sam: Dreamfever-★★★★★ REVIEW
Jennifer: The Hunger Games-★★★★★ REVIEW
Vi: Shadow and Bone-★★★☆☆ REVIEW
Amber: Forever Too Far-★★★★☆ REVIEW






You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'book boyfriends'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D

I don't know what I'm going to read for the new shelf. I'm not crazy about the ones that fit that I own (or can get from the library) and the ones I am interested in I don't want to shell out cash for ($12.99 for the ebook version of Twice Bitten? Bitch please.) Either way, I'm gonna start something tonight whether I'm excited about it or not.
HAPPY READING, TEAM!

I don't know what I'm going to read for the new shelf. I'm not crazy about the ones that fit that I own (or can get from the library) and the ones I am interested in I don..."
Ugh ebooks drive me INSANE! Don't get me wrong, I love my Kobo, but I can probably count the number of books I've actually purchased for it on my fingers. Luckily though my library has a pretty awesome digital collection.

Tehehe.
@Sam: I ADORE ebooks (actually I adore books period, regardless of the format). Yeah a lot of the prices has me thinking the publishers are tripping balls, but I've also gotten some really good deals in ebooks since I got Book Jesus (my Kindle) back in 2010. For instance, I got books 3-6 in Jocelynn Drake's "Dark Days" series for $4 when they were on sale for $0.99 in the Spring (and I got Angel's Ink, the 1st book in her "Asylum Tales" series for free). Yeah there are cons in e-reading, but there's also a lot of pros IMO.
ETA: And unlike you, my library's digital collection is crap. Green with envy, I am.



@ Amber: I'm glad to hear you got the internet working! YAY! And I'm happy you're enjoying the NA subgenre. Angelfall was really good.

Strong Heroines:

Date Read: June 20th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
DYT was a big disappointment for me. I went into it excited to delve deeper into the "Pushing the Limits" Literverse and left it wondering if I should bother putting Crash into You on my TBR.
I thought the hero, Ryan was a douche in the beginning (although he did redeem himself well IMO) and the heroine, Beth, a straight-up bitch (who did NOT redeem herself). Don't get me wrong, I knew what I was getting into with Beth. She wasn't exactly rainbows and unicorns in Pushing the Limits. But I was hoping there would be more depth to her character-and there wasn't. She was a dick to everyone except for the one person she should've let go of a long time ago, (view spoiler) .
I'm not saying DYT was bad. It wasn't. It had its nice moments, like the ones with Beth's uncle. I just didn't think it lived up to the awesomeness that was PtL. Sooo much drama. So much cattiness. So much self-destructive behavior (seriously, Beth is like Chess Putnam Junior). I suppose the emo sadness was supposed to break my heart but instead it made me want to break the protagonists faces. SEQUEL FAIL. That this book is on the "Strong Heroines" shelf is hilarious to me.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Strong Heroines Shelf

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Finished: 6/20
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Review:
Great book! Love the series! Very interesting story line. Most trilogies stay true to the first being superior,however Collins has truly kept the edge of your seat excitement going in this second book. Read this book in a very short time because I couldn't put it down! I would recommend this read to everyone!


Finished: June 20th, 2013
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This was a hard book for me to rate. On the one hand, the writing was fairly juvenile and hard to get into at first. But at the same time, the plot made this a quick read, because I NEEDED to know what happened next! There are definitely some weaker parts to the book, mostly in the way Kami describes her relationships, but at the same time, it's being told from the perspective of a 17 year old girl so the tone fits. Overall I did enjoy the book, definitely enough to continue the series (when the second book is released.)


Finished: June 20th, 2013
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This was a hard book for me to rate. On the one hand, the writing was fairly juve..."
I'm glad to hear you liked it, Sam. While I didn't give "Unspoken" 5 ★'s, Untold is one of my most anticipated releases of 2013, if only because of the WTF cliffhanger at the end! I read on a friend's review that Brennan said about (view spoiler)



Shelf: Strong Heroines

Date: 22 June 2013
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: I picked this book up in the library on an impulse after seeing Regina's update on my feed. I didn't want to start a new book that'll fit tomorrow's shelf and I thought this would be good chance to try this author.
The book didn't start off with fireworks. Francesca is the protagonist who was forcibly enrolled in a just converted Boys-to-coed school. As a result, she doesn't have any friends yet nor is she inclined. Then, the situation at home gets worse.
The first half looked to be a typical YA novel - nothing new. Then, Francesca makes her first friend and the book just picked up from that point. The friendships she gains are portrayed so beautifully. And the book dealt with depression so realistically that it was very hard not to feel for the whole family.
And not to forget Melina Marchetta's writing. It was so easy to get lost in the world she created. On the whole, I loved this book! It's one of my favourites and I'm definitely picking up another book of hers very soon.

http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/c...
I'm gonna read

I'll update the master list tomorrow. I'm on my 2nd glass of wine and while I am not drunk, I am however tipsy enough that I doubt my ability to work with HTML right now. HAPPY READING MY BSB BUDDIES!




And I love those three covers - especially the Piper's Son.

I'm sure I will. I didn't know it was the last. Now, I'm all sad :(
I'm not sure about the Dani series. She kinda gets on my nerves with her fecking this and dude that.


I'm *still* working on


I'm dreading finishing Mac's books! I have Iced (Dani O'Malley #1), but Dani's two or three chapters in Dreamfever were already driving me a bit nuts.
@Jennifer, I'm excited to see what you think! I'll probably be reading that one soon too :)
Books mentioned in this topic
Fire (other topics)Lover Avenged (other topics)
Touch of Power (other topics)
Mistborn: The Final Empire (other topics)
Venom (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dean Koontz (other topics)Ernest Cline (other topics)
Nalini Singh (other topics)
Suzanne Collins (other topics)
Suzanne Collins (other topics)
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READ
RATED 4*
REVIEW
I enjoyed reading this. I wasn't looking forward to Rehvenge's story I have to say. This sat on my Reading list for a long time before I picked it back up and started reading. I can't believe I almost gave up!!! This book had a lot going on but was crafted great. The beautiful romance story between rev. and Ehlene works wonderfully. I was even reading all the lesser parts thanks to Lash and his descend to "BAD BOY" status. Great book and would recommend that no one leave this behind.