1/23/14: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study

Cover: It plays in well with the book, and isn't overly detailed. 

Author: Joelle Charbonneau 

Genre: Dystopian, Action and Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic

Goodreads Blurb:In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

Published/ing: January 7th, 2014 HMH Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5/5

Review: 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

This book continued my adoration for this series. 

So, being a dystopian book, you have a revolution to go along with your broken society, right? Right.

So it's book two and it's time for a revolution! What I like about this book though, is that the revolution and the whole revolting part is more complicated than it seems. We don't just have rebel group against government, but rebel group, president, part of government against part of government and powerful guy. It's really truly interesting all the politics in this book. 

Moving onto characters, Cia is just amazing. She is absolutely the same as I described her in the last book. She is calculating and smart. She is clever and can get herself out of sticky situations. In this book, I love all the inner conflict and turmoil that is affecting her. I love seeing how she pushes through it to focus on the conflict in front of her, but still has to think about all the people she might've killed, he friends might've killed, and the government killed. 

Thomas, her significant other (but not really anymore), has become a lot more quiet and conflicting. I really with I'd get to see a bit more into his POV soon just to see what's going through his head. 

I really liked all the side characters introduced in this book, and their effect on the plot. 

The only real downside I have for these books is I wish they were longer. They are only about three hundred or so pages each but I want more. 

Future News:

The final book in the trilogy, Graduation Day, will be out on June 17th of this year.

I really really liked this book, so I suggest you go find a copy now. Have a good night guys!

~Monty

1/21/14: Top Ten Tuesday: I Want It All

This meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 

January 21: Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.)

• J. K. Rowling writes a sequel to Harry Potter.
• I want to see all the little kiddies grow up and Harry and Hermione and Ron just living a beautiful happy life. 

• J. K. Rowling writes a prequel to Harry Potter.
• Marauders. I just want the mischief and the characters and the love story between James and Lily. 

• Tahereh Mafi writes a prequel to Shatter Me.
• I want to know how the world ended and how all these people developed these powers. 

• Holly Black turns The Coldest Girl in Coldtown into a series.
• *Sharpay voice* I WANT MORE!

• Rick Riordan writes a sweet and lovey dovey epilogue for Percy Jackson.
• I just want there to be a happy ending at the end of Percy Jackson. I don't care is it is cheesy, I just want that happiness. I want Annabeth and Percy to go to college together and Leo to find Calypso and Frank and Hazel to settle down and EVERYONE MUST BE HAPPY AND NOT DEAD.

• Cassandra Clare write my life.
• I live a pretty boring life and honestly it'd be awesome to see if Cassandra could, like, jazz it up a bit. This one is weird but I've thought about it a lot.

• Sarah Dessen writes a dystopian novel. 
• I haven't read Sarah Dessen. I only know she writes a lot of love stories. Well I want to see her channel that into dystopian. Let it sink in. 

• Ruta Sepetys writes a book based in North Korea.
• Ruta is so good at writing Historical fiction books and really capturing the ideas of certain eras. I really want to see a novel written by her with a character based in a North Korean camp. 

• Lauren Oliver writes a prequel novella to Delirium.
• Once again, I want to know the world. I want to know what led to this society. 

I want a lot of things guys. Have a good night.

~Monty

1/16/14: Passion by Lauren Kate

Passion

Cover: I really like the designs of these covers, although they do seem a bit, I don't know, 'fake'. 

Author: Lauren Kate

Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Time-Travel, Historical Fiction

Goodreads Blurb: Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn't need to be that way....

Luce is certain that something - or someone - in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of thislifetime...going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel...and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames...forever.

Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.

Published/ing: June 14th 2011 Delacorte Press

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

I definitely enjoyed  this book much more than the last two in the series. 

I think everything had a new depth to it. We get to see Luce actually develop as a character and question this 'undying love' that she is supposed to have with Daniel, and whether or not it is just the curse. She goes from being the foolish empty-headed girl with a crazy crush to being a bit more of a hero. Daniel also grows more as a character. He understands Luce's desire for truth. 

What really got me with this book though, was TIME TRAVEL! One of my all time favorite things. 

I loved how we got to go back and see Luce's past with Daniel. Through out the book we plunge deeper and deeper into this pit of time and personality and love. Everything was so accurate and beautiful. I can't even with how great it was to have all these different settings and conflicts and Luce and Daniels. 

The whole plot point with the 'breaking the curse' seemed a bit boring but when you jazz it up with history it actually turned out to be extremely interesting to me. 

Towards the end, when Bill, a character I absolutely adored until he turned out to be Satan (I kinda still liked him as Satan), changed the whole thing around, I was astounded. At first I though Bill was a bit too childish of a character to be in a book like this, but WOW DUDE way to pull that plot twist. I really liked that whole revelation moment. 

But the ending was a bit weird and confusing. They jumped around a lot and then all of sudden they were in Heaven and then they weren't and now Satan/Bill wants to take away two millenniums of time and Daniel, Luce, and the gang have to find where the angels originally fell. I got a bit confused. What about the curse? And, you know, God? Like I know from watching shows like Supernatural and such that God doesn't usually just come to the rescue, but I feel like the characters should've had that 'wait where's God' moment. You know? 

I hope, when Rapture comes in the mail from amazon tomorrow, that this gets a bit cleared up. Honestly, I'm kind of excited to read the next book. I hope it really smooths out and I get to give it a five star review (not very likely).  

Future News:

This series is expecting a movie, but nothing has been announced. This book series is completed. 

Hope you all have a good night! :)
~Monty

1/15/14: W...W...W...Wednesday: Not Much

This Wednesday meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Currently Reading
• I am currently reading Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau. 

• Finished Reading
• I finished Passion by Lauren Kate and The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. 

• To Read
• I want to read Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys and/or Eye of Minds by James Dashner. 

Not much going on. Pretty simple life. Have a nice day.

~Monty

1/14/14: Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Debuts

This meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 

January 14: Top Ten 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For

• The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
• The long awaited book. I don't know whether to be extremely excited or extremely scared. 

• Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Also long awaited. I'm excited to see how Tahereh Mafi decides to wrap it up.

• Panic by Lauren Oliver
• I don't think I've ever read a dystopian stand alone, so that will be interesting. 

• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• How can I not be excited about another Rainbow Rowell book?

• City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
• Honestly, I am scared to death of this book. 733 pages of death. 

• Percy Jackson and The Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
• I am beyond excited for this. Percy's point of view is absolutely amazing, but when he's describing gods and creatures, it's just twenty times better. 

• The Iron Trials by Cassandra Clare
• We haven't gotten too much information about this yet, but I have trust in Cassandra to do a great job with it.

• The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, The Traitor by Veronica Roth
• I was sad to here that the books' publishing dates were moved. I read the first one and really enjoyed it, so I can't wait until they come out this summer.

• Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau
• I am just now reading Independent Study and I really loved the first book. I am beyond happy that this is coming out this year.

• Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick 
• We also don't know too much about this book, but I really liked her original series, Hush Hush. 

I'm way too excited for this coming year!

~Monty

1/8/14: W...W...W...Wednesday:

Wednesday's meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Currently Reading
• I am current reading Passion by Lauren Kate, the third book in the Fallen series.

• Finished Reading
• I just recently finished The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.

• To Read
• I'd like to read Eye of Minds by James Dashner and Out of the Easy by Rute Stepetys. 

Hey guys! Sorry this was kind of blunt and boring post. School has started back up again, and I just learned I have a crap load of Confirmation stuff I have to do within the next few weeks. But I will still be posting, just not as often as Christmas. Have a good week! 

- Monty

1/7/14: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing

Cover: I like the simplicity. And it also goes along with the story. 

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance

Goodreads Blurb: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same? 

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career. 

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one. 

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Published/ing: June 4th 2013 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 

Rating: 5/5

Review: 

Overall, each aspect of the book was strong. 

I liked how planned out and flowy the plot was. You knew how the book was broken up, but you didn't exactly know what was going to happen in those breaks. You knew she was going to be accepted for the Testing, and then go through the four stages and then hopefully make it to the end. But you didn't know how she would get through those stages. How it would affect the main character mentally, physically, or emotionally. 

The main character, Cia (interesting name), is probably up there with one of my favorite characters. She is strong without knowing it. She is realistic and calculating. But she isn't that special. She doesn't just magically has special skills. The book tells you her experiences so it's not just poof! fire or poof! caught an animal. 

I also found it interesting how she handled killing her fellow contestants. Now, throughout this review you'll probably compare a lot of things to the Hunger Games, because it is a good comparison. The Testing is like The Hunger Games on steroids. 

In The Hunger Games, when Katniss starts killing people, and we don't exactly see how that affects her. We see how the death of other contestants affect her, but not her own killings. 

With Cia, she is emotionally affected. She is scared to kill others, no matter how cruel they are. She is disgusted and afraid when she witnesses a fellow student die in front of her because of the test. While everyone else just casually brushes it off, she is genuinely freaking out. And I think that is awesome. She is not some perfect robot heroine. She is broken and scared. 

Also, back to the gun thing. She doesn't just magically know how to use the gun. She doesn't have great aim. It once again shows that she isn't a perfect heroine. She is being shot at and she doesn't want to shoot at a contestant but since her life relies on it, so she just does. And misses. And shoots again. And misses. Then she clips him in the shoulder and runs. 

I loved her throughout the book. That 'never-give-up' attitude she gives throughout the whole book, through everything that she goes through. She's the perfect heroine to look up to, because she isn't perfect. She doesn't have amazing skills. She learns from experience and is intelligent. 

I also want to mention how the romance wasn't the main idea of the story. There wasn't a major love triangle. The guy isn't perfect. *slop claps for Joelle* 

I liked Thomas, Cia's counterpart, from the beginning; intelligent and in my mind, was pretty hot. But I had a bad hunch about him. 

He was so sweet and loving and had a cute crush on Cia the whole time and I thought they were just such a great couple. Like there's this one part when he confesses his love to her and finally says those three magic words, and her response was "I think I love you, too."

It made me happy because she wasn't sure of herself, and she didn't jump into it without being one hundred percent confident. 

I'm not gonna mention anything else for fear of spoilers.

The only downside I found to this book, was, although there were many exceptional side characters, they didn't have very absolute personalities. I didn't feel as sad as I usually did when they died (or other) because they didn't capture me. 

Other than that, I enjoyed the heck out of the book. And I think you would too. 

Future News:

The next book in the series actually came out today! The next book in the series comes on June 3rd of this year. 

1/7/14: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Cover: Perfectly designed to make you just want to pick up the book.

Author: Holly Black

Genre: Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic (kind of), Romance (kind of), Fiction

Goodreads Blurb: Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Published/ing: September 3rd 2013 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5/5

Review: 

This books was so well written. 

I've never read anything from Holly Black before, but now I wish I had. 

The fantasy aspect was so well thought out and detailed. Same with the post-apocalyptic. I liked that the romance was not the main idea in the book.

The main character was strong. She made her own decisions and tried cleaning up her own messes. She new the right decisions. She tried saving others before saving her own life. 

Tana might not have been illustrated as a hero, but I think she is the perfect example of one. 

I liked how Holly tied in that historical aspect, taking the older vampire back to Russia and how they came to America. It really tied together how people in the  twenty-first century views vampirism to how it is viewed in more historical times. 

She really got every aspect to a good book down; fast paced plot, strong and well-written characters, and a detailed setting. 

Honestly, if you are a fan of anything I would suggest this book to you; Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and The Mortal Instruments, it all relates. 

This is an amazing book. Honestly if you haven't picked it up yet, you are missing out. 

Future News:

This is a stand alone book and there will not be a sequel (at least there isn't one planned)(I hope there is one). 

~Monty

1/7/14: Top Ten Tuesday: Resolutions

This meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 

January 7 2014: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014 (bookish, not bookish or a blend)

• Well, starting off with my Goodreads goal of the year, I'd like to read 130 books this year!

• I want to get at least 55 points in the Prequel Sequel Challenge. 

• I'd like to read 15 stand alone books published in 2014 through this challenge. 

• I just want to read more overall.

• I want to take time to write also.

• I want on focus more on my triumphs than mistakes. 

• I want to focus on playing instruments more too.

• I want to open myself up more and make friends both online and in at school.

• I want to read Lord of the Rings (although between me and you, it's not gonna happen).

• I just want to have a fun year. I don't care what happens, I just want it to be awesome. 

Pretty simple list (except LoTR). I can't wait to see what 2014 holds!

~Monty

1/1/14: Hello 2014

So what can we expect this coming year? 

Will it be full of surprises and comebacks?

Will there be debuts of new authors?

Will there be new genre explosions?

Who knows!

Most Anticipated Stand-Alones

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Panic by Lauren Oliver
John Green's mysterious new book

Most Anticipated Sequels/Other New Books

Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Most Anticipated Series-Closers

Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Most Anticipated Book-Movie Adaptations

Divergent based on the book by Veronica Roth

The Maze Runner based on the book by James Dashner 

The Fault in Our Stars based on the book by John Green

Mockingjay Part One based on the book by Suzanne Collins

The Hobbit Part Three based on the books by J. R. R. Tolkien

Most Anticipated Author Comebacks

J. K. Rowling

What are we going to do with women? Just when we thought Harry Potter would be gone from our lives forever back in 2010, she is bringing it back. Get excited for her new co-produced movie, based on the Hogwart's school book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Then, prepare for Harry Potter ON STAGE. That means songs and dance numbers and wonderful amazing things telling the story of Harry's life before wizarding school, also  to be co-produced by J. K. herself! We have a lot to look forward to my friends!

Are you guys excited? I have a feeling this'll be a good year!
~Monty

12/31/13: Goodbye 2013

HELLO GUYS!

It's been a great year hasn't it? Maybe. It was a bit weird and off-kilter. 

Oh well. 

We got some pretty good books this year though! Here is my top books/authors/etc. of 2013 celebrating an end to this year and a welcome to the new year!

Favorite Book Read This Year

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

This book was one of my most anticipated books this year. I had extremely high expectations for this book and it delivered. Rick always delivers. I am going to be heartbroken when the last book comes out this coming year. I'm positive you guys won't hear the end of it. My full review is HERE. My meeting with Rick Riordan is HERE. 

Favorite Book Published This Year

Champion by Marie Lu

He is a Legend.

I only started reading these books this year, and was I seriously impressed. They blew away my idea of a dystopian novel. Champion had such a memorable and magnificent ending. I bow down to Marie Lu. Read my review HERE.

Author(s) of the Year

Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and The Bane Chronicles series

and 

John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and many others

I totally made the mistake of reading both these exceptional authors in the same year. Now I can't choose which one blew me away more. Oh well. They both did. Their books are so treasured to me. They both are great people. I just can't even comprehend how powerfully these authors have influenced me. I've done reviews for both these authors, but there are so many I'm not even gonna bother.

Favorite Debut Author

Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl and Eleanor and Park

I was a bit iffy about reading her first book, Eleanor and Park, but ended up enjoying it more then I though I would. Fangirl though, was amazing. She definitely proved herself in YA literature this year and I can't wait to read her next book Landline, coming July 8th. Read my review for Fangirl HERE.

Favorite Book-Movie Adaptation

The Hobbit (The Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug)

I originally read this book in 2012, and got really excited for the movies. Now I'm a big LotR fan and will probably write a review for all three movies when the last one comes out next year. 

Favorite Blogger

Flip that Page

She had such a beautiful blog, and I love how laid back and realistic everything she does is. It's a great place to get some good reviews on books. 

Favorite Vlogger

Katytastic

She also has amazing, detailed book reviews. She has a bubbly personality and is a great person overall.

I hope you all have an amazing year, and good luck with your resolutions and goals!
~Monty