Top 10 Favorite Books I've Read This Year (TTT 4)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is the favorite top ten books you've read during the lifespan of your blog, but since my blog is only a baby of 2 months old that doesn't give me many books to choose from ^.^' heh. So, I'm gonna bend the rules a little here and choose my top ten favorites I've read this year. Here are my picks:

1. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

 This is the best book I've read this year! The character development was amazing, and I loved the storyline and the world the author created. If you haven't read this yet you need to ASAP!

2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 The author did such a creative spin on the Cinderella story with this book! This is hands-down the best fairytale re-telling I've ever read. I loved the futuristic setting with all the cyborgs, very cool.

 3. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

 This is my favorite angel story. I love the world the author creates with the 'angel-bloods'. Though some things about this book did frustrate me it was still an amazing sequel with thought-provoking themes and some good surprises!

4. Fateful by Claudia Gray

 Werewolves + the Titanic. This book was basically my heaven.

 5. Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 I fell in love with this whole series, but Trial by Fire was my favorite. I love the whole idea of a human being raised by werewolves! Very interesting and different. Plus, Bryn, Devon, and Lake were all awesome characters :]

6. The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

 *le sigh* I am so in love with Daniel. I have a thing for werewolves.

 7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

 This dystopian was really different from others out there. The premise was really interesting and the story really gripped me. It really made me think about different real-life issues as well, like prostitution and sex trafficking.

8. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

 *embarrassed grin* Well, beings that this is the 4th werewolf book to make it onto the list you've probably figured out by now that I'm a little obsessed. Teehee ;] This premise was really different from other werewolf books--a werewolf serial killer? Very interesting read!

 9. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

I love Maria Snyder's books! This was such an interesting, fun read and I loved the fantasy world she created. I can't wait for the sequel :]

10. The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

This book was so addicting! Three boys are chosen to be trained to impersonate the prince. The main character was interesting--he was so stubborn, cocky, and always had a witty remark ready.












What were your top ten?

Happy reading!

5 Enchanting Equine Covers

I love beautiful book covers, and there are so many out there! Here are a few that caught my eye this week...









 

Enchanting Equines

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

I love the elegant simplicity of this cover! I love horses and I've had my eye on this book for a while but haven't had a chance to read it *sigh*















 
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I'm really liking this version of The Scorpio Races cover! The doodle-like style is really cool. Though I do think that the other cover with the silhouette of the horse and rider is more appropriate for the story.












To Ride A Puca by Heather McCorkle

This book has been popping up everywhere, and I'm dying to read it! Druids and horses? Yes, please! Plus, that cover is beautiful--that horse looks so soft I wish I could pet it :]














Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn

*swoon* I'm totally in love with this cover! I love the unexpected contrast of Pegasus against the backdrop of New York City, and how the girl's bright red coat jumps out at you amid the muted colors. What on earth is Pegasus doing in NYC? I'm dying to get my hands on this one to find out!

This was the original cover of Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus published by Hodder Children's Books before Aladdin published it with the above cover. I really love the look of this one as well--the mist and grey tones make it look very mysterious. But I like the newer cover better, it has a more polished and professional look to it.












Which covers do you like best? Let me know in the comments below :]

Happy Reading!

Write Right: Don't Write What You Know

This is the first post in a new feature I'm starting, which I will post weekly on either Saturday or Sunday. In this feature I'll be sharing writing tips I've learned to make your writing journey a little easier. Huzzah for you! If you read this and would be so kind as to leave feedback below, it would be appreciated ^.^

Don't Write What You Know

The first step in writing a story is deciding what on earth you're going to talk about for 200+ pages. If you're a writer, at one point or another you've probably come across this little tidbit of writing advice: Write what you know. Sure, it makes sense to write about something you're knowledgeable about--it's comfortable and you'll undoubtedly have something to say. It's a good place to start for beginners. So why am I telling you not to write what you know? Because the problem is, it's restricting.

What if you want to write a story about something you don't know? Please toss "write what you know" out the window! Now, instead replace it with this new advice: write what you like. Or better yet, write what you want to read.

 Let me give you an example. I love Japanese mythology, history, and culture. Let's say I want to write a YA fantasy combining these elements. But the problem is, I know little to nothing about any of them! Should I ditch my awesome story idea because it doesn't fall into the "write what you know" category? Nay!

Don't be afraid to write about something because you're not knowledgeable about it! Learn more through research before you start your story. Research will open up a whole world of possibilities--you will no longer be restricted to writing what you know because you can learn about anything you want to write about. Not only will you gain confidence about the topic but you'll most likely get some cool ideas along the way.

Let's get back to our original example. Let's say I decided to set my story in feudal Japan and I've done all the historical research. But I want it to be a story about vampire ninjas. How exactly does one write a story about vampire ninjas when it is not possible to know anything about vampire ninjas?

If, like me, you write in the fantasy/paranormal genres, just go ahead and blow "write what you know" to smithereens right now. How exactly does one know what it is like to be bitten by a vampire? To transform into a werewolf? To have psychic abilities? The answer is, no one does. This is where your most powerful writing tool comes into play: your imagination. With your imagination, you can write about anything--even the impossible.

When I was starting out my very first story back when I was a wee budding writer, I was frustrated by "write what you know." It was daunting and frustrating to me, and I felt limited to what I could write about. This is why I think much better advice is to write what you like. What interests you? What do you love? What do you think would make an awesome story? If you don't know about it, don't sweat! Don't let knowledge that can easily be attained stand between you and that next great story you're dying to write.

Happy writing! 

Follow Friday: What Blogger Inspires you? (FF 2)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

This week's question is:
Q: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be a book blog.

Well, Candace@ Candace's Book Blog was the first YA book review blog I ever came across back in high school. I had no idea people had entire blogs devoted to reviews of books they'd read! I was in love with the idea and eventually decided to start my own blog, so here I am ^.^ I guess you could say her blog inspired me to start my own. So go check it out, it's awesome :]

If you are a new follower, please comment below so I can be sure to check out your blog and follow you back! :]

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Pages: 329
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: The Body Finder #1
Released: March 16, 2010
First Line: "Violet Ambrose wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of sounds weaving delicately around her."
From Goodreads: "Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself."

My Thoughts:

 I was so excited to read The Body Finder, but I'm sad to say that I was disappointed with this book. I was hoping for so much more, but this book didn't meet the high-expectations I'd set after seeing the great rating on Goodreads and all of the raving reviews. I guess this is one of those books that is over-rated.

I was drawn to this book by its title: The Body Finder. Sounds creepy and interesting, right? The idea of a psychic girl who senses dead bodies sounded really cool. The story starts out strong with an attention-grabbing scene of an 8 year-old Violet discovering a body in the woods. But unfortunately the story was lacking and by the end of the book I found myself skimming. There wasn't a whole lot of body-finding going on as much as there was boy-pining.

There was just too much romance in my opinion--it took over the story. Violet pines for her best friend Jay, who she suddenly discovers she has feelings for. What really irritated me about this romance is that she developed romantic feelings for him because he had 'developed into a man' and now he was 'hot' and she and every other girl in the book were now taking notice. Come on. Why couldn't she have fallen for him because he was an awesome guy? I know she liked him in part because he was nice, but the author talked about Jay's physical attractiveness sooo much that that got overshadowed and Violet began to feel shallow to me.

The romance just didn't work for me. Which sucks because it took up 2/3 of the story. I think the reason why was because of the characters. They were all underdeveloped and forgettable, and I didn't feel attached to them. Jay was nice but boring. Violet was alright, but Jay was always saving her which got annoying fast because, #1 Why couldn't she save herself for a change? and #2 Every time Violet got into a bad situation it became predictable that Jay was going to save her which killed the suspense.

But what irked me the most was the first kiss scene where the author switched back and forth between the killer's POV and Violet's and wrote it in a way that made it seem that Jay was the killer. And Violet was kissing him. I was so confused that I didn't even care that they had finally kissed. I didn't figure out Jay wasn't the killer until the next page, but by then I was irritated with the author and had totally given up on the romance.

It is true that a romance either works well or falls flat, and unfortunately in this case it was the latter for me.

Recommendations:

Overall, the book was just meh for me though there were some scenes that kept me on edge. The writing was average and could use more strengthening, and the initial concept was great but for me failed in execution. I don't think that I would recommend this book to a friend, and I won't be reading the sequels. Borrow it from the library if you have to read it.

My Rating: 

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Creativity/Originality: 4/5 (for initial idea)
Kept me interested: 2/5

Review: Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Taken by Storm
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Pages: 314

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Series: Raised by Wolves #3

Released: May 22, 2012

First Line: "I ran as though my life depended on it."

From Goodreads: "Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own."

My Thoughts:

Alright, so I really love these books. I just love werewolf books in general. The psychic angle that Jennifer Barnes puts on the story makes things interesting and sets it apart from other werewolf stories. But in this book I was a little thrown, because things got even weirder. I won't say how because it will give things away, but I'm just not sure how I felt about one of the twists. This is the main reason I decided to give this book a 4/5, because the aforementioned twist was just a little too weird for me.

Jennifer Barnes is really good at creating a story that keeps you turning the pages, and there was lots of suspense, mystery, and a few twists I didn't see coming. I like how the books build off of each other in a way that isn't predictable and is based on the character's actions and the consequences they have or the problems they create.

I really love some of these characters! Devon and Lake are probably my favorites, and their dialogue always gets me grinning or laughing. And Bryn is an awesome, strong heroine. But while Jennifer Barnes is strong plot-wise, the romantic elements are definitely her weakness, which is disappointing. Chase isn't developed much as a character at all, and his and Bryn's relationship isn't developed much either. I wish the romance had been better, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

The pacing of this story felt a little weird to me. The ending almost felt rushed, like the author was trying to tie up too many loose ends too quickly. But there is still one loose end we never get a proper explanation for, which could potentially lead into another sequel? And while the book does end in a satisfying way, there is somewhat of a cliffhanger that could be suggesting another book.

Recommendations:

 I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the characters and cheered them on. I loved Taken by Storm, and I would recommend the whole trilogy to those who enjoy werewolf stories. I'm not certain if the author is planning another book, but I really hope she is and I will definitely be reading it :]

My Rating:

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Creativity/Originality: 4/5
Kept me interested: 5/5  

Where have all the bookstores gone?? (My bookstore adventure)

Where Have All the Bookstores Gone?

I'm sure that if you love to read, you've probably noticed the shrinking number of bookstores. It's like they're becoming an endangered species. I was devastated when Border's went out of business, and one of the Books-A-Million stores in my area also closed and was turned into an Old Navy. Old Navy? Really? Really?? 

Today when I was out I found a Books-A-Million, and I was so excited when I saw it (and saw that it wasn't closed). Of course, I couldn't resist going in.

Oh, the smell! I'd forgotten how wonderful that bookstore smell is, that mixture of ink and paper. I hadn't realized how much I had missed bookstore visits. I felt like a little kid in a candy store and I spent nearly an hour browsing the YA section.

There were so many lovely, lovely books in one place! And so many that I wanted to buy, but I had to restrain myself because they were hardcovers and expensive.

But I think this partly is why bookstores are going out of business--people go there to browse, not to buy. I buy my books off of Amazon.com because I know I can get them cheaper there, and as a college student I need to save as much money as I can. In fact, I rarely even buy books anymore unless it's a sequel to a book I loved, or a book by an author I'm crazy about. Now I get nearly all of my books from the library, and if I fall in love with one I buy it later.

My Bookstore Finds

But I do love bookstores. I love looking at all the beautiful covers, reading all the titles, being able to pick up a book that interests me and skim through it. Browsing through bookstores allows me to make new discoveries, and I did find a few books on my outing today that I hadn't heard of before but will be adding to my to-read list:

Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

Ninjas and vampires? Yes, please!

Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo

I love horses and horse mythology. This sounded interesting!

 The Game of Triumphs by Laura Powell

Doesn't have the best rating on goodreads, but it sounds so interesting!

And of course, I couldn't resist leaving the store without a book ^.^ I decided to buy a softcover, which was less expensive. I decided on:

Sold by Patricia McCormick

I usually don't stray out of the fantasy genre too often but this is supposed to be a good one, and I feel very strongly about the issue of human trafficking. Can't wait to read it!

So Tell Me...

• Why do you think bookstores are disappearing?
• Where do you buy your books?
• Do you visit the bookstore anymore?

Happy reading!