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R9: Team "5th Element is Books" (5)
message 51:
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Sarah
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Jun 09, 2017 01:40AM
So many options for this one, but I'm going with Written in Red by Anne Bishop. It is 433 pages, and #1 in a series. I have most of the books in this series so I'm hoping I can get some points for reading through it.
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Looks like a good book. I haven't read anything by that author. Let me know what you think. I may add it to my tbr.
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Week: 2
Spot: 11
Alternate: Cover purple
Book:Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Pages:352
Qualifies: #1 in Miss Peregrine's Peculiar children series
Date Completed:
Rating:
Review:
I have been eyeing this book up for a while so this is the perfect time to read it.
Nice! Lots of choices for this one.I'll be reading Soulbound by Bethany Adams.
Selection Post: Week 2, Spot 11
The Distance by Alexa Land
250 p.
#11 in the Firsts and Forever series
Mod
Week: 2
Spot: 11
Alternate: Cover purple
Book:Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Pages:352
Qualifies: #1 in Miss Peregrine's Peculiar children series
Date Completed:6/11/17
Rating:4 stars
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to watch Jacob go from confused about the whereabouts of the home & children to discovering the loop. The photos were a nice touch and really added to the story. I wasn't ready for the book to end so I will definitely be looking for book 2.
Completion Post: Week 2, Spot 11The Distance
Book: The Distance by Alexa Land
Qualifies: #11 in the Firsts and Forever series
Pages: 250
Date: 6-12-17
Rating: 5 stars!!
Review: This was another AMAZING entry in the Firsts and Forever series by Alexa Land...a series comprised entirely of 4 and 5 star reads (mostly 5 stars, these books are fantastic!!). This review is going to sound like a gushing fangirl wrote it...primarily because that is precisely what is happening. I have had this book on my TBR since it was released in April 2016...and all I can say is WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ IT??? Actually I know why. The same reason I always let a few Alexa Land titles accumulate on my Kindle. First (and not-foremost), I always worry just a little bit that I have built up my love for Alexa's writing in my head. I figure there is no way that she can really have written so many ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL books in the same series with zero duds and that, maybe, just maybe, this will be the book that lets me down somehow (which has NEVER EVER HAPPENED, NOT ONCE...). Second (and foremost), I think I use reason 1 as an excuse to get several titles so that then I can have a glorious glom in which I read one new Alexa book after another and just wallow in the awesome-sauce-ness (sauciness?) of her writing. I love her characters, I love their stories...I just LOVE it all.
But let's talk just a bit about The Distance in particular, because it was one of the best in the series, which is not an easy thing to achieve as we are now 11 books in and there have already been multiple 5+ star books...Jessie and Kai are both wonderful, rich, very fully realized three dimensional characters (although this is written from Jessie's perspective so his character is more fully developed as we get so many of his thoughts) who have gone through a lot before finding each other. And their first interactions? Well, they leave a lot to be desired. However, slowly but surely these two come together to create a strong love story which I have no doubt believing will carry on for the next sixty or seventy years.
While these books can be read as stand alones, I strongly suggest starting from the beginning as previous characters and couples play strong roles and there are a LOT of secondary characters in here which could/would get incredibly confusing without knowing their back stories. I strongly suggest that you do read this series though because these characters are worth knowing and revisiting as often as possible. They exemplify family in the best possible way, which is perfect for Jessie as that is what he wants more than anything. Watching him be the friend who would do anything for those he cares about and seeing Kai slowly emerge from his shell that he has used to protect himself for so long was beautiful, heart-warming and oh-so-satisfying. I loved this book and will be rereading it soon as I absolutely devoured it in one sitting and cannot wait to see it from the beginning knowing the endgame. I know there will be cues and clues that I missed the first go around. Lucky me, I have two more books and a novella that I haven't read in this series sitting on my Kindle ready to go.
Edited to add: OH MY LUCKY GOODNESS!! While confirming how many books left to read, I saw that book 14 released YESTERDAY!! I could not one-click fast enough on Amazon!!!
COMPLETION POSTBook read: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Date finished: 6/12/2017
Rating: 5 stars
How it fits: #1 in series
THIS BOOK.
YOU GUYS.
This book was -way- better than I was ever hoping that it would be. To be fair, when I bought it, I had no idea what the book was about, just that it had popped up on my feed ages ago and I had marked it TBR. I had some cash to spend on books, so I bought it.
AND I AM SO GLAD I DID.
Paige happens to be one of those rare characters who are shoved in the crappiest situations and yet isn't COMPLETELY a whiny little toad. She fights her situation a little bit more than I cared for, but eventually she turns into the kick-ass character that I knew she could be from the beginning.
I cannot wait to read more of this series!!!
Mod
Week 2:
Rolled: 5
New spot: 11
Alternate: Cover: Purple
Reviews
Sarah review
Donna review
Maya review
Eunice review
maria helena review
Elaine review
Week 2
Book: Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #1
Pages: 433
Read: 6.14.17
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This is a very popular series, and I can see why! This isn't the typical UF with vampires, shapeshifters, and elementals. The Others (creatures other than human) have no regard for humans. They are the terre indigne, they held the earth before humans were a thought. The Others have a barely handled tolerance for humans, because they can provide something that the Others want, but if humans step out of line the Others have no problem reminding them they're just meat.
Meg Corbyn is running away from something or someone, and she ends up at a Courtyard (Other's territory) with the hopes of becoming their Human Liaison. Her job would be to collect deliveries and mail from humans outside of the Courtyard. Simon Wolfgard, a wolf shapeshifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, decides to hire Meg. He finds her confusing and intriguing, plus it's time to have another liaison.
While adjusting to her new life, Meg's past comes to haunt her in ways she couldn't see coming. I really enjoyed the world building, and the characters. I did find some spots to be a bit slow, which is why I rated it 4 stars instead of 5. Some of the narrative dragged, but when it hit the action it really picked up speed. It was interesting to get a few different POV's besides Meg, because she really doesn't know a lot about the world around her and it would have been hard to follow along.
Overall, I'm really excited to have finally started this series. I'm fascinated with where it could lead next.
Maya wrote: "COMPLETION POSTBook read: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Date finished: 6/12/2017
Rating: 5 stars
How it fits: #1 in series
THIS BOOK.
YOU GUYS.
This book was -way- better..."
This has been on my immediate TBR, you know the one with all the books you hope to get to soonest LOL, and the hardcover has been staring at me since last summer. :)
I've heard such great things about it! I'm so glad you liked it!
Book read: All Fall DownDate finished: 6/14/2017
Rating: 4 stars
How it fits: #1 in series
Review: It was unique when compared to other mysteries. The main character Grace had a traumatic experience when she was younger so there's this uncertainty if what she's remembering is real. I didn't really expect the ending because you know someone's gotta be the murderer and there isn't just "It's all in your imagination." There was a murderer, just not who I was expecting. Very far from it.
What I was a bit dubious about was when Alexei seems to not believe in her at first and Noah believes her and goes with her to track down Grace's suspected murderer. That's not anything out of the ordinary, but when Noah decides to stay out of it, Alexei seems to decide that he believes in her all along. What great timing.
The ending was a cliffhanger, which I was annoyed at. I thought it was a good book, so I hope to be able to get my hands on the next book soon
Sarah wrote: "Maya wrote: "COMPLETION POSTBook read: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Date finished: 6/12/2017
Rating: 5 stars
How it fits: #1 in series
THIS BOOK.
YOU GUYS.
This book was..."
After reading it I was so sad I put it off for so long. I've owned it for like a year now.
Completion post: Week #2, Spot #11Alternate: Cover purple
Book: The Marx Sisters by Barry Maitland
Qualifies: #1 in the Brock and Kolla series
Pages: 260
Date: 6/14/17
Rating: ★★★
Review: This is the first book in a series about Detective Chief Inspector David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla. They investigate a murder case in London involving three elderly sisters, who happens to be the great-granddaughters of Karl Marx. The book had quite a slow start and I wasn't a big fan of either Brock or Kolla. I did, however, find the sisters charming and the ending was good enough that I might give another book from the series a chance.
Sarah wrote: "maria helena, how's your book going?"Finished it last night, but didn't have chance to update until now. (I did end up switching book.)
maria helena wrote: "Sarah wrote: "maria helena, how's your book going?"Finished it last night, but didn't have chance to update until now. (I did end up switching book.)"
I usually end up changing books quite a bit. But I'm glad you ended up enjoying the book you ended up with. :)
Sarah wrote: "I usually end up changing books quite a bit. But I'm glad you ended up enjoying the book you ended up with. :) "This one worked for two other challenges too, and since I didn't have as much time to read this week as usual, I figured it was a good move to switch.
Roll #3Roll: 9
Spot 20
Standalone
Series #2, #20
Alternate: Cover Item - Food
Reviews:
Donna - Temple of Indra's Curse (#2 in Time-Traveling Bibliophile series) Review
Elaine - Key of Knowledge (#2 in Key Trilogy) Review
Eunice - Glory in Death (#2 in In Death series) Review
maria helena - A Twist in Time (#2 in Kendra Donovan series) Review
Maya - Island of Lost Girls (Standalone) Review
Sarah - Murder of Crows (#2 in The Others series) Review
I'll probably be reading Glory in Death by J.D. Robb (2nd in the In Death series)
Mod
Spot 20
Book:Temple of Indra's Curse by Rachael Stapleton
Qualifies: # 2 in Time-Traveling Bibliophile series
Pages:276
Completed:6/22/17
Rating:4 star
Review: After all the action and suspense in book 1, I couldn't wait to read this one. It did not disappoint. There is not quite as much time traveling but she seems to be having some pretty real dreams of the past. I wish there had been a bit more time traveling like the first book but I did enjoy the story. I did enjoy the little change up at the end. I actually didn't figure out what was happening until right before she figured it out. I am looking forward to book 3.
Changing, because after reading the first one there is no WAY I'm reading #2!The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
499 pages
0 = Standalone novel
Completion Post: Week 3, Spot 20
Book: Key of Knowledge by Nora Roberts
Qualifies: # 2 in The Key Trilogy
Pages: 327
Date: 6-18-17
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I loved every entry in The Key Trilogy, which I read back-to-back (I recommend this method!)...In this particular book, Dana Steele is looking for the second key to free the Daughters of Glass whose souls have been imprisoned by Kane. Helping her (much to Dana's dismay) is Jordan Hawke, Dana's first love. Dana and Jordan haven't had much to do with each other since he left to pursue his dream of writing in New York--the few times they are in the same room, Dana does her best to draw blood with words. To say they did not part on good terms is an understatement. Watching them work their way back together while working to find the second key was pure pleasure. Nora Roberts is a master at her craft and this trilogy is one of her finest!
Completion post: Week #3, Spot #20Alternate: Cover item food
Book: A Twist in Time by Julie McElwain
Qualifies: #2 in the Kendra Donovan series
Pages: 320
Date: 6/21/17
Rating: ★★★ (2.5)
Review: I don't usually like books with time travel but I loved the first book in this series about FBI agent Kendra Donovan who ends up in 1815 England where she needs to help catch a serial killer. I've been waiting for the sequel since last year, and was very excited to read this follow-up (in which Kendra is still stuck in the past). However, I was quite disappointed. In this one, there is once again a murder to solve, but the main character feels much more passive and not as much focus is on her quest of returning to her own time. Overall, the book felt slow and the dialogue quite repetitive.
So, I changed again. Time is not on my side this week.COMPLETION POST
Book read: Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon
Date finished: 6/21/2017
Rating: 4 stars
How it fits: 0 - standalon
I really enjoyed this book overall. It wasn't quite what I was looking for in the end, but it kept me interested and on my toes. I liked Rhonda overall as a character. The ending caught me by surprise, but not surprise enough that I feel like recommending it to everyone.
Completion PostBook: Glory in Death
Qualifies: #2 in the In Death series
Date Read: 6/19/17
Rating: 5 stars
Review: The second book of the series is just as good as the first one. I don't even know how the author is able to come up with these motives. It's pretty sneaky and I love it. She's been dropping hints in the book and I didn't even realize it until the murderer is revealed. 5 out of 5 for the plot.
And there's also the romance. I like Eve and Roarke, both individually and as a couple. They are great characters, and I admire their strong personalities, even if they're being overly stubborn towards each other. Their relationship isn't like in many books that have romance and is slow-going. Insta-love isn't something that I like very much though I do still read books with that. Of course, this series has the opportunity to go slow since it's a long series and still on-going, unlike other books or series.
Sorry everybody, I'm going to be late with my review this week. I will post again as soon as I finish.
Mod
My bad. I don't know why I didn't notice that. I will update it.
Book: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #2
Pages: 354
Read: 6.23.17
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Now that everyone knows what Meg really is, her strange behavior makes more sense. But when she wakes from a dream with blood in the snow and falling black feathers no one is sure if it's something that's already happened or if this is new.
I liked that this one wasn't as long as the first one. But it still had just as much meat to the story. I appreciated that Bishop didn't feel the need to drill into the reader repeating facts about the world they live in. I like the progression of Meg and Simon's friendship. It's new and challenging for both of them. It would have been awkward or seemed too forward if Simon really understood how relationships with humans really worked. But since they're both so new to it their blunders and misconceptions are charming. While the plot line was exciting, I feel like the resolution of the conflict was a little rushed and unsatisfying. However, I'm still interested in seeing where this series goes.
Roll #4Roll: 7
Spot 27
Series #2, #7, #27
Alternate: Cover - Orange
Reviews:
Donna - Family (#7 in Insanity series) Review
Elaine - Seduced by the Tide (#2 in Dragon Soul series) Review
Eunice - Princess in the Spotlight (#2 in The Princess Diaries series) Review
maria helena - Lärjungen (#2 in Sebastian Bergman series) Review
Maya - Raging Sea (#2 in Undertow series) Review
Sarah - A Court of Mist and Fury (#2 in A Court of Thorns and Roses series) Review
I'm going with A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I feel crazy for doing that since it's 627 pages. It's the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I'm reading it for a buddy read, so it happened to fit this too.
Mod
there is a bonus points for over 500 pages if you guys haven't claimed it already.
Mod
Book:Family (Insanity 7) by Cameron Jace
Pages:231
Date: 231
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I absolutely love this series!! Then again, I love all the books by this author (I do own them all). This is Alice in Wonderland like you have never read before. A lot of secrets are coming to the surface and there is so much more to learn. I can't wait to read book 8 as it is sure to be really good.
I'll be reading Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot. It's #2 in the Princess Diaries
Ezinwanyi wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I'm going with A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I feel crazy for doing that since it's 627 pages. It's the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses ser..."Oh wow! Thank you! I'll see if we have, but I don't think so.
COMPLETION POSTBook read: Raging Sea by Michael Buckley
Date finished: 6/24/2017
Rating: 4 stars
How it fits: #2 in series
Seeing as how I really loved the first book in this series, it's not a surprise that I liked this one as well. I feel like Buckley threw in drama as a page filler, but overall the story worked and HOLY THAT ENDING. I am so excited for a third book in this series that I could cry big huge alligator tears.
Completion Post (Week 4)Book Read: Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
Date Finished: 6/26/2017
Rating: 3 stars
How it fits: #2 in series
Review:
Nothing much happened in this book, hence the rating. No wonder the movie shortened the series. Things are going pretty slow, with only Mia's mom's wedding happening. At least she isn't so irritating like in the first book, and I still liked it overall. There wasn't anything bad about the book aside from the lack of exciting things happening.
Book: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Pages: 624
Read: 6.26.17
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
I will probably be a fan of Sarah J. Maas for life. I cannot believe the talent she has, and I am not afraid to admit that I am very jealous of it too. As an aspiring writer, it's difficult not to love and hate her at the same time.
I won't go into details because I don't want to spoil this series for anyone that is interested in reading it. I will say that I think everyone should give this series a shot. I do disagree with the marketing for this book (really the whole series). It's targeted for YA because her other series falls into that category, however with the events of this book, I would classify it as New Adult. Definitely, more descriptive in some areas than I've read in any YA book. It's really a toss up between the two series for me. I can't say that I love her Throne of Glass series more than this one or vice versa.
The problem I have with reading her books is that when I finish it I'm so wiped out. It's an emotional roller coaster. I get a book hang over and then I don't know what to do with myself. I'm reading this series as a buddy read, so I'm waiting for the next book. Probably better to take a break and not read them so close together.
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