Uglies - Scott Westerfeld - 3 stars

I had thought about reading this book quite awhile ago but I thought maybe it would be too youngish for me and I would not like it at all. I kept hearing really good things about the series though. I found the 2nd book on a sales rack and decided to buy it and then I went to the library and picked up this one. I have to say I did enjoyed it. It was quite engaging and really easy to follow. It kept pretty good paced throughout.

In this book we have Tally who is about to turn 16 and will be all ready to become a pretty. Her friend is already a pretty and he is patiently waiting for her to be there. Tally makes a new friend named Shay. She is pretty much an ugly rebel and decided that she did not want to be a pretty and ends up running away. Tally is presented with a choice when the authorities discover Shay has run away. She can either agree to find Shay and turn her in or not and never turn pretty at all.

The plot of this story ended up being pretty interesting although it was annoying as far as 'uglies' and 'pretties' were concerned. I did not like the fact that these kids were taught that they were ugly and they were classed as that, and strived to be turned into pretty. I think that there is enough of that going on in this world. Everyone the same, with no differences, and no mind of their own, is just kind of a sad perspective. I didn't think the names of places were not that well thought out though. Names such as Uglyville and Pretty town, kind of generic really. But I guess for the readers that were targeted it would make more sense. Other than that I did think the book has a lot of action and excitement, enough to keep me turning the pages and picking up book 2 in the near future.

The characters were pretty good. There was however next to no backstory on any of them and I think it would have been most helpful to learn a bit more about them. I really did not like the main character Tally at all. She is rude, judgmental and disregarded others feelings for most of the book. She got less annoying towards the end of the book though. I liked most of the 'smokies' and mostly liked Boss who stood up for history that the others were really not taught much about. I do hope to see these characters develop more throughout the series.

I can recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian stories. I am not huge on dystopian but there are a few I liked, and this one does have enough for me to want to continue with.

Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare - 3 stars

Since we were at the end of the month I wanted a quick easy read to close the month with. I had never read Romeo and Juliet. This however is not the book to choose for that. I found that out the hard way even though I did still finish it in a day.

Everyone knows the Romeo and Juliet story, I had no idea it was so hard to read though. I did get lucky with this edition though because in the beginning there is a 70 page retelling of this famous play by Jacqueline Ritten. And she told the story beautifully and it was very easy to follow.

The trouble started when I got to the actual play itself. Our language has come so very far. It was hard to read and understand what was being said and it made me very happy that I had this edition with the retelling in it.

I had no idea that Juliet's parents were so vile and uncaring of Juliet when she needed them to understand the most. That was a very sad part of the story and it made me dislike them very much. I could never imagine treating my children that way, but then again this is a whole new era and things are very different. I also had issues with how demanding Juliet was with Nurse. You could tell she was somewhat spoiled. I understand what was going on with her though and it sheds some light as to why she was so demanding.

I have no idea who to even recommend this book to. Probably to those readers who love classics and those who love plays. It has to be a craft to be able to read and understand Shakespeare. It is a tough read but it was in play form so it did nto take too long to get through it.

Chosen (Rune Gate Cycle #2) Mark E. Cooper - 4 stars

After I finished Rune Gate I knew I was going to have to read Chosen, book 2 in the Rune Gate Cycle. And I am so glad I did. This has been a great duology and loved them both.

In this installment Alex and her friends track down Shadow Man, but everything seems to go wrong. And they find themselves forced through the Gate and end up in a whole new magical world called Othala.

Wow the world building in this one was great, loved this world that the characters found themselves a part of. Great imagery again and chock full of magic. I really liked how the author took us from mystery to fantasy so easily without a lot of confusion. I don't read much fantasy but this one was wrote in a way that I could follow and enjoy.

Again the characters are brilliant and we get to meet several new and interesting characters. And again I really loved Douglas character. He is like a Knight in Shining Armor, there to help who he can. Everything he does is for the greater good, and he does not realize how wonderful he is. The rest of the characters also develop well coming into this story from the last and I love what each of them become and what they must overcome to get there. There is a 'light' love triangle in this book that was slowly developed in the first book. It was not the focus of the story which makes me really happy. I also liked the antagonists in this story as their true forms come more to life. I would have liked to have seen more of them in the story though. I don't feel like they had a big enough presence in this one.

There was only one real issue that I had in this book and I am not sure why, but it seemed like anyone could do magic if they trained and that kind of bothered me. I am not sure why because Harry Potter was much the same way. It just does not seem likely for this book that people of our world could go to Othala and be able to train to do magic. It just seems to take away from the story a bit, makes the magic less of a big deal and less important for those who are born into it. Because of this I give the book 4 stars and not 4.5 like the first one. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and I think it wrapped up nicely.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and witches and magic. There is plenty of magic in this book for everyone to enjoy. I am pretty sure the series stops here and I think that is good as well. I am not sure where the author would take the story if it should continue.

Rune Gate - Mark E. Cooper - 4 stars

I was looking around Amazon at different books and I ran across this one for free. I read the synopsis and saw that it was a mystery and decided it was right up my alley. I am so glad I chose this book to read. It was very engaging and had some great elements to the story such as the witchcraft, and also the fantasy mixed in.

In this story we have Alexandra Yorke who is a supposed clairvoyant has helped the police for years on their murder cases. But Alex is not just a clairvoyant, she is a witch who has struggled with controlling her powers for years. She decides to give up the police work and take a recluse on her grandparents farm until on day she gets another plea for help from her friend Anna on another case. Alex agrees and must help stop a killer who seems to be connected to witchcraft.

I really liked this plot a lot. It was so different and so much more than I initially expected it to be. It is very engaging and also very hard to put down. It was fast paced and super easy to follow. I loved the element of witchcraft in this story and not just the same old cliché story of a woman who could see the future or past and was able to help the police, there were so many more aspects to the story than that. This was wrote in much more exciting way and all the other elements leading up to solving the crime were amazing. It was really not at all what I was expecting out of the story and that made this read very refreshing.

The characters were pretty good. I think that they were developed very well and most were very likable. One of my favorites was Douglas. His inclusion into the story was not something I expected at all, but it added so much more to the overall story. His character was very intriguing to me and I fell in love with him from the start. I also really liked Alex and her overall personality. She felt like someone I could relate to on many levels. There are some exciting villains as well that are sure to make readers hate them.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery with a little extra spark to the story that is sure to please. I look forward to the sequel Chosen, and am hopeful that it is just as good as this one.

Seeker - Arwen Elys Dayton - 4.5 stars

I got this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was not too sure at first about this book since it is fantasy, but it is a YA fantasy and most of the time I do ok with YA Fantasy. I have to say that I really enjoyed this book and found it to be very engaging with a solid plot of good vs. evil.

In this book we have Quin who has undergone years of training to become what she thought was a very noble and honorable position, a Seeker. She later discovers that her skills were going to be used in a less than noble manner. For years she was lied to and no one appears as they seem. Quin sets out to make things right as she travels to many places in very magical ways.

I have not read a book like this before and it was very refreshing to me. Then again I don't read much fantasy so maybe this is just new to me. I was engaged with the story from the beginning and found it hard to put the book down. It is chock full of greed, revenge, betrayal and even love. I found it amazing that even though there was somewhat of a love triangle, there was not any of this insta-love going on that we find in so many YA novels.

I found the world building and the plot beautifully written with great imagery. Most of the time I could imagine myself there at the estate in Scotland or even on the bridges of Hong Kong, amazing. I also loved the air of mystery there was in the book from the very start. Readers will find themselves trying to make sense of things right along with the characters. I loved that. There was non stop adventure and excitement throughout the book and I find it had a good ending to make room for the next book.

Our characters are very well created and very realistic imo. I also must say that they are also pretty relatable. I love that the author added an interlude about 35% into the story. It had plenty of backstory on our characters which made them even more realistic to me and made me feel such raw emotion for them in each of their situations. Quin and Shinobu are definitely my favorite characters, but I also have to say Maud made her way to that list as well. I loved how they fought for a better purpose even when they were pushed back every step of the way. Made them really likable. They evolved well through the story. For me, that is one of the most important elements for a character to achieve trough a story.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a different kind of fantasy story with plenty to keep the mind of a reader totally engaged. I am giving this book a 4.5 star rating.

Series for 2015

I have decided that I wanted to get through some of the many series I have on my shelves that I have vowed to read over the years and just have not gotten to it. But this year I am going to make that a challenge. I have written down right now 16 series that I know I want to read, and I never thought there would be that many, but I know there are even more than that patiently waiting on my shelves to be picked up and explored.

Right now I will list the 16 series that I will strive to get through this year. And then I will share those other series that I also hope to squeeze in and at least get started on if not finished.

The Lux series - Jennifer L. Armentrout - Opposition is left
Kovak and Liska Series - Tami Hoag - The 9th Girl
Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Last 4 to read
To Die Series - Lisa Jackson - Last 3 to read
The Legend Series - Marie Lu - Books 2 & 3 to read
Dublin Murder Squad - Tana French - All of them to read
The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Myer - All of them to read
The Pathfinder Series - Orson Scott Card - All of them to read
The Grisha Trilogy - LeighBardugo - All 3 of them to read
 Will Trent Series - Karin Slaughter - Last 5 to read
Trylle Trilogy - Amanda Hocking - All of them to read
Maximum Ride Series - James Patterson - Books 5, 6, & 7 to read
Gretchen Lowell Series - Chelsea Cain - Books 5 & 6 to read
Fallen Series - Thomas E. Sniegoski - All of them to read
Fallen Series - Lauren Kate - All of them to read.

Future Series to read

The Inkheart Series - Cornelia Funke
The Last Dragon Chronicles - Chris D'Lacey
Blood of Eden series - Julie Kagawa
The Halo series - Alexandra Adornetto
Revenants Series - Amy Plum
The Partials Sequence - Dan Wells

...and many more.

Wicked - Clover Donovan - 4 stars

I first decided to get this book when the author advertised it on You Tube. It sounded like it would be a good witchy, magic, paranormal read. I don't normally read with books so I was not to sure about this one but decided to read it anyway.

In this book we have twins, Ethan and Emma who are witches from a long and pretty powerful and dark blood line. As young children they are taken to the mortal world and are cloaked for protection sake. For several years they are there surviving in the mortal world until things start to happen and they have a mission to figure out why they are now in danger and who is after them.

First off I loved the plot to this story, which is great since I don't normally tend to lean towards which stories. There were some great twists involved which livened the story up more. I also loved that it did not take forever to get to the point, since there was no instalove going on where our characters were falling all over each other. The story stayed focused on the plot. This story was so fast paced and full of action and adventure that I could not stop reading it. I was completely engaged from start to finish. Once I finished I wished that I could move on to the next one.

Our protagonists were likeable even though there were a couple of times I wanted to beat Ethan with a stick. I would have liked to have seen a bit more backstory of when they were much younger though, I think that would have allowed us to have a bit more insight to the story and characters. I just feel like we need to know them a little bit better than we did. I do however think these two characters will develop well throughout this series and I look forward to seeing that happen.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes witch stories or paranormal stories. It is a fast paced, and easy to read that will engage most readers. Looking forward to the next book in the series, Tainted.

Let Me In - John Ajvide Lindqvist - 2 stars

I read this book because it was for the 'pick it for me' challenge in my group. I was really excited to be challenged with this book because I heard some good things about it. And what can I say, it was simply that a huge challenge to read. There was just too much going on. I almost ended up putting this on my DNF shelf, but I did push on and finished the book.

This story is about a vampire named Eli and her friend and confidante, Oskar. Oskar was being bullied in school when he first met Eli and she seemed to make like a little more bearable for Oskar. Though there were doubts in Oskar's mind that Eli was really a vampire he started to believe it when Eli began showing him glimpses of what life was like has been like for her. This is a story about friendship and loyalty as we follow the lives Eli, Oskar and a whole cast of characters.

I found this story to just be dark and depressing most of the way through the book which kind of made it a little boring and slow. I also found different plotlines were not really necessary to make the story work. It seemed like a lot of it was thrown in just to make the story longer. It could have easily been about 150 pages less than what it was. There were also some elements to the story that I did not like such pedophilia. I did like the plot and idea of the story I just think it was not executed all that well. I do think there were some pretty good plot twists and because of this it got the 2 star rating rather than 1.

The characters? Well, I only liked Eli really. The author shares some of her backstory that threw me for a bit of a loop. Our Main character Oskar was not really likeable or relatable at all to me. I thought he was rude, uncaring, and even kind of obnoxious all the way till about a quarter of the book was left, and had I been Eli I would have done away with him from the very start. He always had to have something more in order for him to believe anything that Eli shared with him even if it caused Eli harm, and that was annoying to me. As for the rest of the characters it felt like the author did not want his readers to like any of them, because I sure did not.

I am really not going to recommend this book to anyone. You will just have to read it at your own risk and decide what you think about it. For me, it was just ok.

Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige - 4 stars

My sister is actually the one who convinced me to read this book, even if it was 6 months later. I did not really know what to expect from this book but she really enjoyed the book, so I had high hopes for it as well. I am really glad that I finally decided to read it. It was very engaging, fluid and easy to follow.

In this book, Dorothy had returned to Oz and wreaked havoc upon the Emerald City and its inhabitants. Amy, pretty much a nobody girl from Kansas, gets caught up in a tornado and ends up in, you guessed it, Oz. Amy is told by the wicked witches that she is meant to be The Emerald City's savior. Amy has to wonder how she is going to live up to that.

This was really a fun read for me. A complete turn around for Oz and seeing everything so different than the beloved book/movie as we all knew it, was great. There was plenty of terror, action and excitement and it definitely has more of an adult feel with it's more descriptive parts. I was not too sure about the Wicked suddenly being the good and the good being the wicked and to tell you the truth, I trust no one except Amy. The Author does well keeping her readers confused about who they could really trust.

The characters in the book are well developed and seeing the old favorites in a different light made the book intriguing and exciting. As far as the new character in the book I have to say there are really only a few I like Amy, Ollie, Maude and I am thinking I will like Ozma more in the next book. The Ordsr, which are the wicked, well I don't really care for any of them all that much. I felt like they kept too much from Amy and they were not very understanding of her, especially the love interest, Nox. I wanted to punch him most of the time.

Looking forward to the next installment The Wicked Will Rise. I am anxious to see where this story will go. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books that have another side to the story, or a complete role reversal. This book definitely has that and keeps the pages turning.

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa - 5 stars

This is the final installment of The Iron Fey series. I read this series as a read along Brittni starting last year and it had been one of the best buddy reads I have ever had. I am so glad we jumped into this beautiful world. I can say that Julie Kagawa has an instant fan in me. I will have a hard time trying to express what I feel about this book and this series as a whole, but here goes.

In this book we get Ash's perspective as he goes on his quest to uphold a promise he made to Meghan. Now that she is the Iron Queen he vowed that he would someday return and make it possible to be with her. So this is an unforgettable journey with Ash, and the rest of these brilliant characters, Puck, Grimlkin and the Wolf.

What a great wrap up to the series. I have so many things that I could say about this book but I can't get all of those thoughts out because mere words could not express my feelings for this book or even the series as a whole. This series needs to be experienced by each individual, because I can assure you that everyone will take something away from this story. This world is one I will never forget and one that I will journey to again. The imagery makes the world come to life so beautifully. The story itself is so realistic and believable even though it is on a make believe plane. It is full of emotion, sacrifice, love and hate. You will feel jealousy and rage and want to lash out at the bad guys you meet while taking this journey. You will long for justice and peace among the kingdoms in this world. So many elements make up this story and keeps it so engaging you can barely walk away from it.

These are among some of the greatest characters I have ever read. I must say that while reading this I got annoyed at times with the characters as they evolved and maybe one of them did something that I did not like and at that point I hated them, but then they redeem themselves at some point and I gain that love back for them again. It is a rollercoaster spending time with the characters in this series, but it is one that I would gladly get on again. Ash has got to be my favorite character of all of them. At the beginning I never would have thought that. He was a hero to me and it did not take me very long to fall in love with him. His backstory throughout the series was fantastic and readers learn what he did and what he had endured to become who he was in the end. All of these characters are developed so well that we can watch them evolve through each book until they eventually reach that point of who they were meant to be. All of them were wonderful to meet and spend time with and this is a journey I will gladly take again.

"We were born from their dreams, their fears and imaginations. We are the product of their hearts and minds. Without a soul we are immortal, yet empty. Remembered, we exist. Forgotten, we die. And when die, we simply fade away as if we never existed at all. To become human is to have a soul. It is that simple."

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan - 4 star

I finally got around to reading this book because my son had bugged me for over a year, so that we could watch the movie together. All I can say is I am sad that it took me this long to get to it. It was such an engaging book.

This story is about Percy Jackson who struggles with school and kids in school. He gets kicked out of the boarding schools continually. He is with his mom and stepdad and wonders what happened to his real dad. Also he has been confronted by mythological monsters and beings and is accused of stealing the lightning bolt that belongs to Zeus. Now he and his friends must find the bolt and return it to Zeus, but it is no easy task.

I really liked the world building in this book and the plot of the story as well. I thought the imagery was great and it made for a very engaging read. It is a very fast and fluid read, hard to put down. I found the Author made this book more plot driven than anything, but I think it worked out well.

As far as the characters go, I find them to just be simple, and it worked for the story. I feel like they will all grow throughout the series and we will learn more about them as we go. At least that is my hope. I liked Clover the best. He has such a great sense of humor throughout the story. Percy was just annoying to me and so clueless through over half of the story. I was finally glad to see he started to get a bit more serious after that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves middle grade reads. Also if you like a bit of light fantasy you may appreciate this book as well. I do look forward to moving on with the series and then to the series after this one, The Heroes of Olympus.

Since You've Been Gone - Mary J. Payne - 3 stars

I got this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book. I think it was very engaging and a quick, easy read. Although there were a few issues with the editing such as repeat lines of the title and the Author's name throughout the book which kept me from giving it a higher rating.

In this book we have Edie and her mom on the run from Edie's dad constantly. They finally settle in London hoping for a better life. Things are not going well for Edie because of bullies in school, and bad teachers. Things only get worse when Edie's mom doesn't come home from her job. Now alone and scared, Edie must decide what to do.

The premise of the story was pretty good although it is not really anything new in the book world. I do think it is a very believable story for most readers and it was engaging as well. There was a lot going on in the book though, and I felt like there were scenes that did not really need to be there.

The characters felt a little incomplete and a little more back story would have helped in that area I think. I wanted to know more about our characters Edie and Jermaine. I think they could have been a little better developed than they were, but other than that I liked both of their characters.

Origin - Jennifer L. Aremntrout - 5 star

This is book #4 in the Lux series and I have to say that so far it is my favorite. I am glad I finally got to it after a couple of months from reading the last one. I was worried I had forgotten too much of the previous books, but once I open the cover and began reading it all came flooding back.

In this book we start off right where the last book left off with Katy and Daemon now being separated. Now Katy is in within the clutches of Daedalus and having to undergo all those horrible things that Dawson had endured. Daemon is determined to save her despite his family trying to convince him otherwise. How the roles had reversed.

I found this book to be a HUGE step up rom the other 3 books. They were all fun reads but in this book things got real serious and I loved that. I love the world building, the imagery, the characters, and the story as it progresses. It just gets better and better as I go along. I found the plot line very engaging and almost realistic enough to be believable. I also feel like it was no holds barred with the Author when she wrote this book. More action and excitement kept me turning the pages with this one. There were lots of new twists and a cliffhanger to make you wanna jump right into the next one.

The characters really grow on the readers. I feel like they are developing so well and they are all evolving into what they are meant to be. Along the mix we get to meet a few new characters as well, both protagonists and antagonists alike, and both loved and hated.

I definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves YA or alien stories and also to those who have not progressed with the series. This book really picks up ten fold and should really be read. I really look forward to continuing with the last book and I can guarantee it will be soon.

Legend - Marie Lu - 4 star

I read this book for a read along with a friend from Booktube. I am glad I finally picked the book up and got it off my TBR. I still need to buy book 2 but hopefully I will get that one soon since I already have Champion.

In this book the author gives us 2 different perspectives, Day and June. Day is an outlaw of the Republic. He is known for doing many things that, at the time, were against the law. One of the worst crimes he is thought to have committed is the murder of Metias, June's brother. June is out to get Day and bring him to justice until she begins to discover that not everything is adding up.

I was a little worried when I started reading this book because I thought it started off kind of slow, it dragged a bit for me because there did not seem to be that much action involved. But the world building was amazing and so was the character development so much so that it made me appreciate the time the author took to develop the story. The world itself kind of had a hunger games feel to it. I really loved the bad guys and the good guys both. Soon after, when the reader gets to meet the characters and get familiar with the world, the book does pick up and gets far more interesting and engaging.

I have to say that I love the characters in this book. They are quite engaging, relatable and are developed very well. I like June and Day the most, they just work well together I think. Even though their relationship felt more like an instalove, the story did not focus solely on that. And after reading the end of it I feel like they will not get to be together till much later on in the series. I also liked Kaede, I thought she was a brilliant addition to the story. An even bigger outlaw than Day himself. She is rough and tough and takes nothing thrown her way. I look forward to reading more about her in future installments.

I look forward to reading the next installment, Prodigy, as soon as I get the book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes YA Dystopian/Apocalyptic stories. This is definitely a favorite for the new year!