• Home
  • About Me
  • What I’m Writing
  • What I’m Reading
  • Sample Chapter
  • Ratings and Policies

Woven Magic Books

~ Book reviews, Book-ish Babble, and occasional writing advice.

Woven Magic Books

Tag Archives: top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Best books I’ve read in the last three years

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

image

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

Since a straight top ten best books would be too hard, I’m doing it by category! 🙂

Sorry for no postage last week. I’ve been sick. Finally feeling better now though!


Best Super Hero (powers) Book: Vicious vs Steelheart

World Building: Steelheart. Since Vicious was set in our world and Steelheart is set in the steel city of Newcago in a post apocalyptic like setting this was a given.

Characters: Vicious. Hard to beat Victor, I’m not sure if he’s an anti-hero or a villain, but he rocks!

Super Powers: Steelheart. Most of the powers were pretty standard (though I did love Victor’s from Vicious) but in the end Steelheart won with the unique weakness thing.

Plot: Steelheart. This is just a personal preference, because Vicious’ tale of revenge didn’t have any flaws. I just preferred the mystery of figuring out the super powered people’s weaknesses. (And though Vicious’ flashbacks were well done, I prefer a more standard timeline)

Winner: Steelheart

steelheart

Runner up: Vicious

vicious2


Best Urban Fantasy: Generation V vs Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Since Dresden Files was disqualified because I read it too long ago)

Characters: Generation V. Suzume is one of the best characters I’ve ever read and though I liked all of the characters in Necromancer they just weren’t as well fleshed out as Fort and his crazy family in Generation V.

World Building: Generation V. This was a close one because they’re both fairly similar with a council (Necromancer) or a family (Gen V) in charge over other supernatural beings and investigating problems these people have. But I prefer the almost mafia style of Generation V and it spends more time establishing the different peoples.

Magic/Powers: Necromancer. The powers of the vampires and Kitsune, etc are cool in Gen V, but there was more time establishing the magic of the Necromancer. (and it’s hard to beat kick butt death magic)

Plot: Necromancer. This was another close one, because I prefer the fighting of the big bad like in Necromancer over the littler cases in Generation V, but since Gen V is a longer series a big bad can still be in the works.

Humor: Generation V. For me Urban fantasy and humor go together and these are both funny books with a similar sense of humor, but once again Suzume tips the scale for Gen V.

Winner: Generation V
generationv

Runner up: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer necromancer


Best Dystopian: Legend vs Red Rising vs Divergent vs The Hunger Games

World Building: Red Rising. There are few books to stand up to the futuristic color tiered world of Red Rising, though both Hunger Games and Divergent came in a close second and third.

Characters: Legend. I just like both Day and June. Some people say they’re too much alike, but that’s what I liked about them. They came from two opposite kinds of life, but in the end they had a lot in common.

Plot: Hunger Games. For starting this whole Dystopian craze in the first place. Red Rising comes in a close second. (I know many will say Red copies HG, but Red has spaceships!)

Romance: Legend. I just like Day + June and I’m not a big fan of Katniss + Peeta (Hunger Games) and Tris + Four (Divergent). I have hope for Reaper + Mustang (Red Rising) but since that’s not concluded yet it’s hard to say.

Winner: Legend
legend

Runner up: Red Risingwpid-wp-1408668260148.png


Best Epic Fantasy: A Song of Ice and Fire vs Sword of Truth vs The Saga of Recluce 

Characters: A Song of Ice and Fire. Though I like the characters of all of these books no one creates likable diverse characters like Martin.

World Building: Tied. Surprisingly while good none of the epic fantasys I love have outstanding world building.

Plot: Sword of Truth. I like Ice and Fire’s plot, but it annoys me how I never know what’s going to happen next, unless a character thinks ahead, then I know nothing’s going the way they think. It’s like there’s a rule that no plans can work.

Magic: Saga of Recluce. Though I like the magic in Sword of Truth, Modesitte creates the best magic systems.

Battles: A Song of Ice and Fire. There are many ways to do large battle scenes but my favorite is to be in the mess of things and Martin does that like no one else.

A Song of Ice and Fire
gameofthrones

Runner Up: Sword of Truthswordoftruth


Best Young Adult: Daughter of Smoke & Bone vs Lunar Chronicles vs Snow Like Ashes vs The Grisha

Characters: Cinder. With having a different protagonist in each book Cinder won, but Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a close second. Grisha wins for minor characters, but I just don’t like Alina and Mal.

World Building: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Grisha was a close second for a cool Russian like culture, but when it comes to world building Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of the best.

Magic/powers: Grisha. Mostly elemental, but the cool light and dark powers are just awesome. I did enjoy the wishing magic of Daughter of Smoke and Bone a lot too. I have a feeling Snow Like Ashes will be a contender after a couple more books.

Plot: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Plot is hard to compare, because all of the books have different goals, but overall I liked the war between the chimaera vs angels best.

Winner: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
daughterofsmokeandboneRunner up: Lunar Chronicles

cinder


Best Middle Grade: Percy Jackson and the Olympians vs Skulduggery Pleasant vs Magisterium (Harry Potter would so win if I’d read it recently)

World Building: Percy Jackson. A new take on Greek mythology while still staying true. Skulduggery is a close second only because Magisterium only has one book.

Characters: Percy Jackson. Some of my favorite book characters are those from Percy Jackson and the main protagonist (Percy) himself is my favorite which never happens.

Plot: Magisterium. Percy Jackson’s plot is pretty straightforward, stop the bad guy. Skulduggery is pretty much the same with some little cases thrown in.

Magic: Skulduggery Pleasant. I like the powers half bloods of Percy Jackson get from their godly parents, but those books don’t focus on magic as much as Skulduggery does.

Humor: Percy Jackson. Skulduggery is the master of sarcasm, but no one does a bad pun like Percy.

Winner: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson

Runner up: Skulduggery Pleasantskulduggery-pleasant


I had lots of categories to start, Scifi, indie, humor, romance (and I debated doing best vampire, thief, etc) but it got way too long. Which books would you pick?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Related Problems I Have

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

Ten Book Related Problems I Have, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

image

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

I got a little carried away again… I guess I have a lot of bookish problems.

1. So many books so little money

“That skirt is $15, that’s like three used books!” Who else rates other items based on how many books you could buy instead?

bookishpeeves2

2. Library Hold Lists

I’ve been at the top of the Firefight hold list for a month now. If this person renews the book one. more. time. I’m going to flip!

3. Strange book formats (Adobe PDFs) 

Random library and arc books are in this Adobe PDF format, which means I can only read it on my computer or my phone. And it’s usually a book I really really want, so I spend several days squinting at my phone.

4. Heavy Hard Covers / Wait for Paperback

I am a paperback girl, they are cheaper and lighter, BUT they usually come out like a YEAR after the hard cover and sometimes I just can’t wait that long.

5. Never Ending To Read Lists

Yay I’ve read ten books off my to read list, and added 100 more…

bookishpeeves1

6. Post Book Depression

Whether it was just that good or just that shocking, sometimes a book stays with me for a long time after I read it and that’s all I can think about. I can’t start another book because I’m still stuck in the last one.

7. Spoilers!

I like spoilers to be optional, that way if I want them I can click the tempting little spoiler tag or I can ignore it. Posting book spoilers on social media where I cannot look away is SO NOT OKAY.

8. Reading an emotional book in public and trying to act naturalbookishpeeves6

9. Wanting to read a book right now, but the Kindle price is only $3 less than the book

This goes with the waiting for the paperback. Sometimes those two days the book will take to come from Amazon are just too long. They really need a discount on the paperback/hardcover if you buy the Kindle book.

10. Extended Release Dates

Yay the next book is coming out in June, I mean November, I mean 2026… Okay so I might be talking about you Martin. I love your books, but you are a tad SLOW. Considering the first book was published in 1996 and the sixth STILL isn’t out… Yes, I want them good BUT come on already!

11. Being distracted from things I should be doing

I should be doing the dishes, but the lives off all of these fictional characters is on the line!

bookishpeeves3

12. Books being made into movies

Do I really have to elaborate this one?

13. Having a crush on a fictional guy who isn’t age appropriate 

Yeah… This comes from being an adult who reads young adult. I realize I’m falling for this fictional character, but he’s only fifteen years old. AWKWARD.

14. Lack of Sleep

I like reading before bed, but it’s dangerous because all of a sudden my book will be done and the sun will be coming up.

bookishpeeves4

15. Book shelf space

I’ve now made most of my books go horizontal and I’ve cleaned off all of the books I KNOW I’m never going to read, but once again I’m rapidly running out of room.


 

What’s the thing that annoys you most about books? 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read Yet

02 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 52 Comments

Tags

top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

image

 (Yay I think I finally got my computer working! No more writing posts and comments on my phone!)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

I have over 200 books that I own but haven’t read! (And that’s not even counting all of the ebooks on my Kindle.)

My new to be read shelf!
image

mistborn


1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

For a thousand years the world as been a wasteland ruled by an immortal emperor. A new uprising is beginning, planned by a criminal mastermind and aided by a street urchin who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn.

Owned: A year and a half (Bought at a used bookstore in South Carolina on vacation) Sanderson is praised for his magical systems and pretty much everything else. Why haven’t I read him already?

2. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordanredpyramid

Siblings Sadie and Carter haven’t seen much of each other since their mother’s death. Their father brings them together for an ‘experiment’ and accidentally unleashes the god Set. They learn the gods of Egypt are awakening and the worst one, Set has it out for them. They set out on a quest across the globe to learn the truth about their ancestry and stop the evil god.

Owned: 8 months. I actually know why I haven’t read this one. I’m saving it. (Which is a good and valid reason) And I still don’t own book two!

neverwhere3. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Average guy Richard helps an injured girl and gets thrown into a strange new world. Existing beneath London is a city full of monsters, angels, knights and magic.

Owned: 7 years *hides* I bought it after I saw the Stardust movie, (And LOVED it) but my used bookstore didn’t have that book, so I bought this one instead. (I’ve read Stardust and it’s really good by the way.)

4. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1) by Robert JordanEyeoftheworld

A shepherd and two his friends are attacked by a big bad villain and go on a quest. Along the way they learn skills to help them fight evil.

Owned: ??? More than a decade. Yeah… My sister read it and loved it. and went and bought the rest of the series. (But stopped reading after 7) A year or so ago and read the prologue. (That counts for something, right?)

goldencompass5. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman

In a world where Dæmons and winged creatures live side by side with humans, Lyra is an orphaned ward living among scholars. Her uncle arrives with evidence of a phenomenon called dust and a strange photograph. He leaves Lyra with Mrs. Coulter, a scholar and explorer. Many children are disappearing and when Lyra’s friend is kidnapped she sets off to find him. Someone has been experimenting on the disappeared children and somehow both her uncle and Mrs. Coulter are involved.

Owned: 7 Months. I wanted to read this for years. I finally found it at the used bookstore and proceeded not to read it…

6. Vicious by V.E. Schwabvicious

The story of two super villains! College friends Victor and Eli discover a way to give people extraordinary abilities. Ten years later Victor breaks out of prison to find Eli who is now is enemy. Eli’s on a mission to kill ever other super powered person he can find.

Owned: 2 Months. I won this book from the Fox’s Hideaway I was so enthusiastic about it, but for some reason every time I pick a new book I’m not in the mood for it.

gardensofthemoon7. Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) by Steven Erikson

A squad of soldiers try to infiltrate a city so that the Malazan empire can conquer it. Of course things don’t go as planned and the gods often muck things up.

Owned: 7 months. I got it for my birthday last year. But I’m afraid to start it because it’s one of those love it or hate it sort of books.

8. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colferartemisfowl

Artemis is a millionaire, genius, and criminal mastermind. He may have gone too far when he kidnaps a fairy. She’s a member of a secret supernatural organization and all they come to rescue her back, including a troll, a centaur, and a dwarf.

Owned: Four years? My sister read it and said it wasn’t very good, but it was only a quarter at a yard sale. (I couldn’t resist!)

alanna29. Alanna (Song of the Lioness, #1) by Tamora Pierce

Alanna wants to be a knight while her twin brother Thom wants to learn magic, so they swap places. But it isn’t as easy to become a knight while hiding her magic as she thought.

Owned: 8 months, but turns out my sister’s owned it for years.

10. A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) by Deborah Harknessadiscoveryofwitches

Diana, a scholar at the oxford library, accidentally discovers an ancient alchemical manuscript. She’s descended from a long line of witches, but wants nothing to do with sorcery. Unfortunately her discovery sends witches, demons, and vampires all to the library searching for the lost treasure.

Owned: 5 months. I just haven’t been in the mood. (and I get distracted by new books and arcs)


 How do you choose which book to read next? 

I usually have a group of books picked out and then I randomly select one based on my current mood.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Books on my Might Read List

27 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 63 Comments

Tags

top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(Okay so this is my freebie because I didn’t come up with the idea in time.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

I like things organized so on Goodreads I have a Might Read Books list. (Which had 138 books on it, but I’m now down to 107 after making this list)

One of the best parts of these lists (besides reading them all) is getting opinions on books I’m curious about, hence this list.

falseprince1. The False Prince 

A civil war is brewing. A nobleman has a plan to find a look alike for the king’s long lost son and make him a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role.

Why it sounds good: The political intrigue and war brewing, a competition to become prince.

Why I’m unsure: PTSD, kids killing kids?

2. Across the Universeacrosstheuniverse

Amy’s on a spaceship where she was supposed to sleep for 300 years and arrive at a new planet, but she’s woken up 50 years early, because someone tried to kill her.

Why it sounds good: Scifi and mystery

Why I’m unsure: too much romance (instant) and beautifully perfect characters

incarceron_book_cover3. Incarceron 

In a futuristic prison a young prisoner with no memory of how he got there find a crystal key which enables him to talk to the warden’s daughter who is trapped in a prison of her own, an arranged marriage.

Why it sounds good: I’ve heard good things, Sounds a bit like man in the iron mask

Why I’m unsure: the whole prisoner thing

4. Every Dayeveryday

A wakes up in a different body every day. A has no control over who he winds up in. Then A is in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin’s girlfriend.

Why it sounds good: Cool Premise

Why I’m unsure: Stalker who processes bodies

bloodredroad5. Blood Red Road 

Saba lives in a wasteland with constant sandstorms. When her brother is kidnapped by the four horsemen she teams up with a band of girl revolutionaries.

Why it sounds good: kick butt heroine

Why I’m unsure: strange narration style

6. The Monstrumologistmonstrumologist

Will is assistant to a Monstrumologist, someone who studies monsters. A grave robber brings them their most deadly case yet.

Why it sounds good: Monsters

Why I’m unsure: Horror

7. Crewel crewel

Adelica has the ability to weave time, but she’s trying to fail. Those chosen by the guild live a life of privilege, but they also control people. One mistake was all it took and now they’re coming for her.

Why it sounds good: Such a cool premise!

Why I’m unsure: Sexual discrimination, slow paced

8. Rebootreboot

Reboots have died, the longer they stayed dead the tougher they are. Wren was dead for 178 minutes, the longest ever. She’s in charge of training new reboots. Callum is a 22, and practically human, so why is Wren attracted to him?

Why it sounds good: Kick butt girl who’s different

Why I’m unsure: Romance over plot

rubyred9. Ruby Red

Gwyneth hasn’t been prepared for traveling through time like her cousin, but suddenly it’s her whose in a different era. She’ll have to work with Gideon, a time traveler from another gifted family, to discover who in the 18th century they can trust.

Why it sounds good: Time travel!

Why I’m unsure: The book was translated into English so some parts are awkward, slow to start.

10. The Nightmare Affairnightmareaffair

Dusty is a Nightmare, literally. She goes to an academy for magical peoples, but she’s the only Nightmare. When she sees a murder in someone’s dreams that happens in real life she has to look for clues before someone else winds up dead. (Of course the dreamer is a cute boy)

Why it sounds good: A magical school, a nightmare (never heard of that one before) and a murder.

Why I’m unsure: Too much romance instead of mystery


By the sounds of this I don’t like romance. That isn’t so! I just like characters, plot, and action more. I don’t mind romance in a book, I just don’t like it to take over.

How much romance do you like in your books?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 91 Comments

Tags

2014 books, 2014 books I missed, 2014 releases, book haul, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(Two in a row! Though I might have written this yesterday.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

I have 125 books on my want to read list that were published in 2014, so this was the hardest list to make yet!

snowlikeashes1. Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes, #1) by Sara Raasch

In a world with four kingdoms named after the seasons, winter has been defeated. The survivors seek to steal back winter’s magic. Meira an orphan, secretly in love with her best friend the crown prince, sets off alone to recover an ancient locket that can restore winter’s magic.

Epic fantasy, magic, and political intrigue, yes, yes and yes!

Why Haven’t I read it yet? My library hold hasn’t come in.

2. Trial by Fire (Worldwalker, #1) by Josephine Angelinitrialbyfire

Lily suffers from life-threatening allergies. When she wishes she could disappear at a party she discovers she really did, into another version of her home town of Salem. In this other Salem magic exists and strongest and evilest witch is her alternate Lillian.

It has magic and parallel universes, what’s not to like?

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I’m cheap and it’s expensive.

3. Half Bad (Half Bad, #1) by Sally Greenhalfbad

Two warring factions of witches live in England. Nathan is an abomination, caged, beaten, and trained to kill. The son of the most violent witch, Nathan has to track him down and receive the three gifts that will awaken his magic.

I’m afraid it will be dark, but witches and a supposedly evil boy and magic. I need this.

Why Haven’t I read it yet? Some reviewers I trust had trouble with the slow pacing, so I keep choosing other books first.

4. A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1) by Claudia Grayathousandpiecesofyou

Marguerite’s parents are scientists. Their latest project, the Firebird, enables someone to jump between parallel worlds. Her father is murdered and the killer, their lab assistant Paul, runs away to another universe. Seeking revenge Marguerite follows him.

Revenge and parallel universes. 🙂 Love triangles. 😦

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I’m afraid the romance will overshadow the plot. Who has time to be caught between two guys when avenging their parents murder anyway? (My library has it, so I’ll probably read it soon.)

veronicamarsbook5. The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars, #1) by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

Veronica mars is a spunky little blond private investigator. She’s clever, and snarky. Based on a tv show (which I loved!) where she was in high school. The book series takes place after the movie (also good) and continues her adventures. Once again a PI (in the movie she became a lawyer. Yuck!) and back to living in Neptune.

I was so sad when Veronica Mars was cancelled. The book is written by the writers of the original, so I have high hopes.

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I don’t usually read mystery, but I think I need to make an exception for Veronica.

6. Prince of Fools (The Red Queen’s War, #1) by Mark Lawrenceprinceoffools

The Red Queen is growing old, but she is still feared by the other Kings. Her most powerful weapon is the Silent Sister. Her grandson is the most unlikely of heroes, a drinker and gambler who’d rather love than fight. But when the Silent Sister sets a trap for him, he has to journey across the empire to break the curse.

A prince who is a coward and uses his wits to escape danger and witty one liners, gimme!

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I own but haven’t read Prince of Thorns and figure I should always read the first (cheaper) series first. (Same for Half a King by Abercombie.)

talon7. Talon (Talon, #1)

Dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George long ago. They’ve been rebuilding their numbers in secret, hiding as humans. Ember is a young dragon who only wishes to be normal and Garret is a member of the order sent to kill young dragons.

Dragons, a forbidden romance, and dragons.

Why Haven’t I read it yet? The reviews are mixed. I’m afraid there is too much every day stuff and too few dragons. (again it’s at the library so I’ll probably read it this year)

8. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, #1) by Danielle L. Jensenstolensongbird

A witch’s curse has bound trolls underground for centuries. When Cécile is kidnapped and taken to the land of the trolls she surprisingly makes friends with them. She learns that the half humans half trolls are treated badly, but there is a rebellion brewing. She’s forced marry to the prince who is of course gorgeous (yes a pretty troll) and the secret leader of the rebellion.

TROLLS!

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I have no excuse since I’ve had it on my Kindle for months.

9. Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers, #1) by Rachel Aaronnicedragonsfinishlast

As the smallest dragon of the clan, Julius survives by staying quiet and meek. Fed up by his weakness, his mother seals him in human form. He has one month to prove himself or he’s stuck like this forever. In a city of mages where dragons are considered monsters he’s going to need some help.

Yes, more dragons. I love the whole he’s thought of as a monster but he’s good thing!

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I just learned about it from Pabkins.

10. California Bones (Daniel Blackland #1) by Greg Van Eekhoutcaliforniabones

People eat bones and gain magic abilities. Daniel’s dad is a powerful magician, so other magicians attack him and yeah ‘gain his powers’. Years later Daniel’s become a thief and his uncle wants him to break into a vault and steal back his father’s sword.

A magical heist along with one of the strangest magic systems I’ve heard of, how could I resist?

Why Haven’t I read it yet? I just bought it on the Book Outlet Boxing Day sale, so I will change this soon!

Other Books On My List: Dorothy Must Die, The Kiss of Deception, The Midnight Queen, & Girl in the Well.

Speaking of the Book Outlet Boxing Day Sale, here’s my haul! (Bunny Photobomb)

bookoutlet

Some I’ve already read and loved, (Scarlet, Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm) and some I really shouldn’t have bought, (Jenna Fox, Paranormalcy, Unearthly) but I can’t resist a sale!

Okay, so it becomes really obvious when reading this how cheap I am… I love books, but $15 for a book I don’t know I’ll like? I can’t do it!

How do you buy most of your books? New, used, preorder, sale?

I buy most (like 95%) of my books used. The rest are sale Kindle books. (other than my bookoutlet order above)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

06 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 69 Comments

Tags

2015 books, 2015 debut authors, 2015 releases, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(One in a row… I had last week’s all written ahead of time too.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

I now have SIXTY 2015 releases on my list now! So I decided to do only Young Adult books this week.

redqueen1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Expected Release Date: February 10th 2015

I expect this book will be on almost everyone’s list this week, because it just sounds so good! The premise does remind me of Red Rising, with Reds like slaves with god like people above them. (Only the top people are Silvers not Golds) Though in Red Queen there’s a girl main character and they have powers.

Mare, a red finds herself working at the Silver Palace, surrounded by the people she hates. She discovers she has a deadly power in spite of her Red blood. (I think usually only Silvers have powers)

Early Reviews? Mostly positive. Liked the powers, political intrigue and twists, but stupid character decisions, angsty mean girls, and sort of not really a love triangle.

2. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahiremberintheashes

Expected Release Date: April 28th 2015

Billed as an Epic Fantasy the plot reminds me a lot of Legend. My only problem is I’m going to totally picture the main character as Princess Leia.

Laia is a scholar whose brother is arrested for treason. Rebels put her undercover at the military school as a slave in exchange for helping save her brother.

Elias is the best solider, and secretly the most unwilling. He’s ordered to participate in a competition to be the next emperor.

Early Reviews? Almost all positive. Though people do say it is dark and violent.

witchhunter3. The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Expected Release Date: June 2nd 2015

I like the whole forbidden magic thing. (Like BBC Merlin) and this is also probably going to be a case of forbidden love. (Silly grin)

Elizabeth is on of the Kingdom’s best witch hunters until she’s accused of being a witch herself and sentenced to die at the stake. Surprisingly she’s saved by the kingdom’s most powerful wizard who wants her help tracking down the person who put a deadly curse on him.

Early Reviews? Hard to put down, things get insane quick, and great fight scenes.

sineatersdaughter4. The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Expected Release Date: February 24th 2015

The main character is different. She has a frightening power, which reminds me of Rogue from the X-men. She kills people when she touches them. How cool is that? (Okay in real life it would suck, but in fiction it rocks) I only hope this is more action than romance.

Twylla is engaged to the prince, but she’s the executioner. She has the power to kill anyone she touches. No one wants to be in the company of such a person, even the supposedly immune prince. When a new guard comes who can overlook her power and see the girl beneath, she wishes she could leave the prince, but no one crosses the queen. The queen has a plot to destroy her enemies and it’s up to Twylla to save her kingdom.

Early Reviews? Mostly positive. Lots of swearing so I’m anticipating an epic twist and excellent world building.

girlatmidnight5. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Expected Release Date: April 28th 2015

It’s really the bird people which caught my attention on this one. I only wish it was a bird girl secretly living among humans instead. I also like multiple point of view books.

Echo, a runaway pickpocket is adopted by a group of bird like people living secretly under New York City. When war threatens her new family Echo searches for the Firebird, a mythical creature with the power to stop the war.

Early Reviews? Almost all positive. Good humor, fast paced, and great visuals. A not awful love triangle and no cliffhanger.

6. Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldsteinbecommingjinn

Expected Release Date: April 21st 2015

All of a sudden there are several Genie books and this one sounds like one of the best! I’m not sure about the whole beautiful magical transformation thing, I usually don’t like that, but I think I can look past it.

Azra turns 16 and transforms into a beauty. (Sigh) Her Jinn ancestry is asserting itself. She’s living a normal life, but secretly she’s learning to harness her new magical powers. She discovers she may not be a normal Jinn, but have dangerous powers.

Early Reviews? Not a ton of reviews but all positive. Humor, a contemporary fantasy, with good characters.

magonia7. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Expected Release Date: April 28th 2015

I love the idea of a character with a condition who then discovers it is only because they’re special. Also super powers and war helps make this my kind of book. I also like when an author twists real events to make fantasy believable.

Aza suffers from a mysterious condition that makes it hard for her to breath. She sees a ship floating in the sky and hears it calling her name. Somehow she winds up in the world of floating ships and finds she can breath easily and also has immense power. She discovers that her new world is on the cusp or war with Earth and must decide where her loyalties lie.

Early Reviews? Mixed reviews. Unique and original with great visuals, but many unanswered questions.

8. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hallconspiracyofus

Expected Release Date: January 13th 2015

Look a book that is not a fantasy or scifi made my list! (It might have forbidden love though) and secret societies. It’s described as a light and fun action mystery. I’m only afraid of the love triangle..

Avery is the missing heir to a secret society. They are powerful and if they discover who she is some will want to use her as a pawn and others will want her dead. To stop them she must solve and ancient puzzle in a deadly race across Europe.

Early Reviews? Mostly positive. Thrilling, exciting, romantic, cute, but ends in a cliffhanger.

shutter9. Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Expected Release Date: February 3rd 2015

Reading the description I’d decided this horror wasn’t for me, but Kat Stark’s glowing early review has changed my mind. This sounds more like a darker Supernatural, and the girl even has a power.

Micheline sees the auras of the undead. She’s trained since birth to destroy monsters. Spiritual undead are killed with a camera. When a routine ghost hunt goes bad, Micheline and her team are infected with a curse.

Early Reviews? Almost all positive. Suspenseful, chilling and creepy with good character relationships.

wickedthing10. A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Expected Release Date: February 24th 2015

This one sounds really good, a sleeping beauty retelling where Aurora has magic! Unfortunatly the early reviews are mixed.

Sleeping Beauty after the happily ever after. All the people she knew are dead and her prince charming is a stranger. She’s worried that the curse left its mark on her. She’s not sure if she should marry the prince or run away.

Early Reviews? Mixed, with plenty of negative. Slow paced, well written, and not a lot of romance. Aurora was a good character, but a bit weak. Lots of unanswered questions.

How much to reviews matter to you? Since I became a blogger I’ve had less time to read (ironic) so I want to pick just the right books. Now I always read reviews first. It’s great knowing people who have similar tastes to mine. 🙂

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing This Year

23 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 82 Comments

Tags

Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

Sorry for the late post. I was distracted by this little bugger puppyface and I was jet lagged. (You can so be jet lagged without changing times zones. Only explanation for the zombie that was me this morning.)

inthenameofthewind1. The Name of the Wind(The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Kvothe is the most notorious wizard the world has ever seen, but he’s now in hiding. It takes him three days to tell the story of his life.

This book is doomed for me! Three times I’ve borrowed it from the library, but something always happens before I can start it. (It must be telling me to buy it.)

Recommended By: Yvo

princeofthorns2. Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #1)

Jorg was nine when his brother and mother were killed. His father, the king, didn’t even punish the count who did it. Jorg plots revenge and intends to be king no matter the cost.

I love a good antihero and this is like THE antihero book. It might be a bit dark for me, but I think it will be interesting to see through the eyes of such a character.

Recommended By: Nathan

liesoflockelamora

3. The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)

Orphan becomes con man, starts band of expert thieves.

I was clearly in an antihero mood when I made this list. (I didn’t even realize it at first.) Locke Lamora is said to be witty and funny too!

Recommended By: Mogsy

4. Unwind (Ununwindwind, #1)

Until their children turn eighteen parents can decide to unwind them, where all of their parts are used to save lives. Three teens at risk of being unwound try to escape and survive.

This book just sounds creepy, but reviewers I trust loved it and I’m just too curious.

Recommended By: Shannon

summoning5. The Summoning(Darkest Powers, #1)

Chloe discovers she can see ghosts. She gets herself locked up in Lyle house for troubled teens, but turns out they’re all special too.

I’m hoping this is a lighter book. It looks like fun with lots of different kinds of paranormal creatures. I’m a little worried that there’s a mental institution thing, which is why I haven’t read it already.

Recommended By: Carmel

6. The Iron King (The Iron Fey, #1)ironking

Megan knows something’s about to change. Someone is stalking her and her best friend is acting over protective. She discovers she’s the daughter of a fairy king and a pawn in a war. To save someone she cares about she’ll have to face a mysterious evil and she might be developing feelings for a prince who would rather see her dead.

Mostly I’ve read that Puck is in the book and I always loved that trickster character. Plus war and a forbidden romance.

Recommended By: Sydney

hexhall7. Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)

Sophie is a witch, but after a spell goes wrong on prom night her father sends her to Hex Hall as punishment, a reform school for witches, faeries and shapeshifters.

I love magical boarding schools and the different magical species thing sounds like fun. I think there’s also some mystery.

Recommended By: Melanie

amongthieves8. Among Thieves(Tales of the Kin, #1)

Drothe is a member of the Kin, thieves and murderers who work for a crime lord. When an ancient book that everyone wants falls into his hands it causes all sorts of trouble.

I actually own book two already and I’ve heard good things. It’s also another antihero book, which I obviously like.

Recommended By: Anya

hounded9. Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #1)

Atticus is the last of the druids and twenty one centuries old. He draws his magic from the earth, can shapeshift into a wolf, and wields a magical sword. It’s this last part that gets him into trouble when a Celtic god wants said sword.

I like funny urban fantasys and it’s a rather long series, which means it should last me a while. (I hope)

Recommended By: Pabkins

1pawn0. Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1)

A test determines your place in society. Kitty is a lousy III, but she can become a IV if she agrees to be surgically altered into the Prime Minister’s niece who died mysteriously. The catch? She has to stop the rebellion the niece secretly started.

I’ve read so many good reviews of the sequel Captive, which was released this year. (Always good to know the series holds up)

Recommended By: Natalie

Do you feel the need to own good books? If I read a good library or Kindle book, I HAVE to own it for real! I am a big rereader though, so it’s not like I ONLY like staring at all the pretty books.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten 2014 Books I Read this Year

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 78 Comments

Tags

2014 Books I Read this Year, 2014 releases, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, Top Ten Books I Read In 2014, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(It was way too hard to pick my top ten books of the year, so I’m only doing 2014 releases.)

I read 23 books published this year! Since my previous record was like 3-4 I’m pretty impressed!


It was hard to find good quotes without spoilers, but I did it! (Some I had to remove names, but I made it work)

Sequels

cress1. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder and Captain Thorne (a criminal with a spaceship who helped Cinder escape from prison) contact Cress on her satellite. (Told from Cress’ point of view.)

He leaned forward to inspect her closer. “Is that all hair?”

With a squeak, she ducked out of view of the camera and scrambled beneath the desk. 

“Wha—where’d she go?” Thorne’s voice came to her through the screen.

“Honestly, Thorne.” A girl. Linh Cinder? “Do you ever think before you speak?”

“What? What did I say?”

” ‘Is that all hair?’ “

“Did you see it? It was like a cross between a magpie nest and ball of yarn after it’s been mauled by a cheetah.”

This might not be the best written book on the list, but thinking back it was the most fun. Lots of people like Scarlet best, but I couldn’t really connect with her. Cress might be a bit odd, but so am I, and I related to her the most and I really like Thorne. (Such a lovable scoundrel) Also the plot deepened, and there were good moments with all the past characters too!

2. Dreams of Gods & Monsters(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, dreamsofgodsandmonsters#3) by Laini Taylor

“Finding his door still closed, she gave a chuff of derision and didn’t knock but only crashed it open and glared at the sight that greeted her.

“Well,” She said, “At least you still have your clothes on.” 

I loved the fist book, struggled with the second and loved the third. (the second was too dark and Karou got wimpy) but the third is back in the swing of things. There was a new character who I didn’t see the point of and I didn’t like her parts at the time, but after it all comes together that was one of my favorite parts. (I know I’m fickle) It was left open for a sequel and I for one NEED MORE!

the-blood-of-olympus-cover3. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5) by Rick Riordan

“Legion, cuneum formate!’ Reyna yelled. ‘Advance!’ Another cheer on Jason’s right as Percy and Annabeth reunited with the forces of Camp Half-Blood.

‘Greeks!’ Percy yelled. ‘Let’s, um, fight stuff!’ They yelled like banshees and charged.

Jason grinned. He loved the Greeks. They had no organization whatsoever, but they made up for it with enthusiasm.”

Percy Jackson was my favorite book of the year, but thinking back I just didn’t enjoy Blood of Olympus as much as Cress or Dreams of Gods and Monsters. (I blame the lack of Percy-ness)

cityofheavenlyfire24. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6) by Cassandra Clare

“We shouldn’t,” protested Isabelle. “The Clave has a plan.”

“The Clave has the collective intelligence of a pineapple,” said Jace.

Alec blinked up at them. “Jace is right.”

Isabelle turned on her brother. “What do you know? You weren’t even paying attention.”

“I was,” Alec said, injured. “I said Jace was right.”

“Yeah, but there’s like a 90% chance of me being right most of the time, so that’s not proof you were listening,” said Jace. “That’s just a good guess.”

Again, not the best book in the series, but still really good. I didn’t think it felt long at all and I enjoyed it even if I didn’t get the Jem time I wanted.


New Series

The-Iron-Trial5. The Iron Trial (Magisterium, #1) by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

“They all yelled in excitement. Tamara yelled because she was happy. Aaron yelled because he liked it when other people were happy, and Call yelled because he was sure they were going to die.”

I liked this book, but by the end I LOVED it. If you try this and you get bored in the middle, keep going I promise it’s worth it.

6. The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) by Marie Luyoungelites

“Be true to yourself. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.”

I had mixed feelings about this book, because it was so weird and dark. The main character felt like a bad guy and I wasn’t really feeling the romance, but it was such a cool concept and world. I NEED the sequel NOW, even though I haven’t a clue what the book is going to be like.

LastChangeling27. The Last Changeling (Faerie Revolutions, #1) by Chelsea Pitcher

“You have to make sacrifices for the things you believe in. If you don’t, what’s the point in believing in anything?”

Most of you might not like this one, because it has instant annoying love, but I like it when the main character is the mystical thing, the monster, the cyborg, or in this case the Fairy. It was just a fun book and I also want the sequel of this, because things were left rather dramatically. (not to be continued though)


Debut Authors

8. Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, #1) by Pierce Brown

wpid-wp-1408668260148.png

“I stand over them and cock my head. ‘Is this the first time you’ve lost at something?’ No answer. I frown. ‘Well, that must be embarrassing.’ ”

The beginning of the book book was excellent! The middle was a bit repetitive and violent for me, but I enjoyed the ride. My main problem was I didn’t really like the main character, Darrow. I think he matured over the course of the book though. This is a book where I NEEDED the sequel simple because of its potential. (Thanks to Netgalley I’m reading it right now!)

Storm-Siren9. Storm Siren (Storm Siren, #1) by Mary Weber

“I think some have to fight harder to choose good over evil because the evil’s got it out for them. And maybe it’s because those’re the ones evil knows will become the strongest warriors, recognizing true wickedness when it rears its head.”

The magic, the political intrigue, this was a good book. Then the author went all Goosebump ending on me! (Anyone who’s read those children’s books will understand, lets just say it was unexpectedly horrible.) Even though it was a good book, (if a bit dark) I’m not sure if I want to read the sequel.

10. Between by Megan Whitmerbetween

“It’s fine.” I feel my blood pressure rise as heat branches out from my chest throughout my body. Oh no. I’m about to start saying stupid things. “I don’t know why I keep getting so flustered around you. And I get that it’s weird for you or something.” The words come faster and faster. Oh my God, Charlie, shut up. “It’s just sometimes it seems like you want me close and sometimes you don’t.” Stop talking. Just. Stop. Talking. “But I get it. You’re not interested.”

I liked the world building with lots of magical species, but that’s pretty much all I remember about this book. I know I liked it, but it didn’t stick with me.


Next week I will be on vacation! I’ve never gone away for Christmas, but this year we needed something different, so my mom and I are flying to South Carolina to visit my sister! I’ll actually have a warm Christmas for once! (I hope, with my luck it will snow.)

I have no clue how many comments I will get a chance to respond to or how many of your fabulous blogs I’ll have time to read. They all get sent to my email though so they’ll be waiting for me when I get back. I’m planning on writing posts ahead of time. (Shockingly I already have the book review written, so there will still be postage.)

puppyWhat are you doing for the holidays? 

I will be eating good food, because not only is Charleston a foodie town, but my sister is a fabulous cook and she spoils me.

I will also get to enjoy (be tortured by) sappy Christmas movies.

And my sister is getting a Schnauzer puppy 3 days before we get there, so I’ll get to play with him!

When you think back on the books you read do you change your mind about them too?

Like for me I remember enjoying Young Elites more as time passes and others like Blood of Olympus which I loved at the time I remember less fondly (and some books I can’t even remember what they were about.)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 60 Comments

Tags

New authors 2014, New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(5 in a row! I almost didn’t make it this week. I procrastinated a bit too much. Also, this is my 100th post!)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

Before this year I rarely branched out and tried a new author, so I made it my goal to read only new authors in 2014! (and I’ve succeeded so far.)

I wanted to only include authors that I’d read more than one book by and got at least 8 stars from me. (Which is why there are only eight, but I did cheat on my ‘rules’ once.)

riordan21. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson & Heroes of Olympus (ALL)

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.” 
― Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

Strengths: Creating great characters, sense of humor, (bad puns rule!) Knowing what children like, making mythology his own.

Weaknesses: Lots of points of view, (He does this fine I just often wish I could hear another character’s thoughts at that moment instead.) Sappy romantic moments. (He really does romance fine too he just doesn’t do as much romance as most YA authors and I needed another weakness.)

2. Cassandra Clare – Infernal Deviclare2ces & Mortal Instruments (Books 1-3) The Iron Trial

“Is this the part where you say if I hurt her, you’ll kill me?”
“No” Simon said, “If you hurt Clary she’s quite capable of killing you herself. Possibly with a variety of weapons.” 
― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass

Strengths: Creating likable characters, complex world building, non obnoxious love triangles and decent romances

Weaknesses: Overly descriptive, love triangles, lots of romance

taylor23. Laini Taylor – Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Books 1 & 3)

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” 
― Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Strengths: Atmosphere, unique story and setting.

Weaknesses: Darker story, Not a lot of humor (Mostly centered on the best friend character) I wasn’t  a fan of the second book (Mainly the main character got weak, but I loved the third book too!)

4. Marissa Meyer – Cinder (All)meyer2

“Vanity is a factor, but it is more a question of control. It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth.” 
― Marissa Meyer, Cinder

Strengths: Her characters are great! (As of Winter there will be 9 main characters and they’re all excellent!) Unique take on retelling fairy tales (Made me like retellings) Plenty of humor

Weaknesses: Predictability (I guessed the ending way ahead of time)

lu25. Marie Lu – Legend (Books 1 & 2) The Young Elites

“Be true to yourself. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.” 
― Marie Lu, The Young Elites

Strengths: Kick butt characters, & interesting worlds

Weaknesses: Her characters in Legend were book very perfect and sounded a lot alike. (I wasn’t bothered by this) One word: Champion. (I didn’t like the end of the Legend trilogy)

6. Leigh Bardugo – Grisha (Books 1 & 2)bardugo2

“Of course not,” said Sturmhond. “Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea.” 
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

Strengths: Dark mysterious characters, unique Russian-like culture, excellent secondary characters, un-guessable plot lines, love quadrangles

Weaknesses: Main characters. (I wasn’t a fan of the main character or her main love interest) Plot lines that don’t always make sense (Okay I’m just not happy with the third book, mainly something that happened towards the end. I won’t rant about it again. Hey at least she made me care enough to be so upset, right?)

landy27. Derek Landy – Skulduggery Pleasant (All except book 2)

“What is it?” Stephanie whispered.
“That, my dear Valkyrie, is what we call a monster.”
She looked at Skulduggery. “You don’t know what it is, do you?”
“I told you what it is, it’s a horrible monster. Now shut up before it comes over here and eats us.” 
― Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant

Strengths: Humor. Witty sarcastic characters. Good world building & action scenes. (I only rated these 7 stars, but they made my list for entertainment value. There’s just some thing so addicting about them.)

Weaknesses: Excessive action, main character doesn’t always think, not a lot of romance.

8. Honorable Mention: Suzanne Collins – The Hcollins2unger Games (Books 1 & 2)

My first dystopian and the YA book that got me started.

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” 
― Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

(One of the best most accurate quotes ever. That’s why I didn’t like Mockingjay it resonated with me too much.)

Strengths: World building, plotting, tense action scenes

Weaknesses: Killing off characters.


What do you think is the most forgivable and unforgivable writer weakness? I think the most forgivable writer weakness is probably lack of romance, I don’t need romance to be happy. Also if descriptions are too long I can skip them.

For me the most unforgivable thing a writer can have is weak characters. If they are  flat or unlikable it ruins the whole book.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Top 10 Tuesday

≈ 80 Comments

Tags

2015 books, top 10, top 10 tuesday, top ten, Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015, top ten tuesday

toptentuesday

(4 in a row! And ANOTHER to read list.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They come up with top ten lists that people can blog about every week.

So many to read lists! To keep them non repetitive, I’m not listing sequels (Just did that) or debut authors. (Coming up in January) I don’t remember these top tens doing so many want to read lists before. (At least I didn’t put any 2015 books on last week’s list.)

darkershadeofmagic1. A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

(Author of: Vicious)

I can’t wait to read Vicious and I’ve been wanting to read a good parallel worlds book.

Kell is a magician who has a rare ability to travel between parallel worlds. Officially Kell is a ambassador of London from the ‘red world’. Unofficially he’s a smuggler, but he’s set up for treason and flees to ‘Gray London’ where he meets a thief and they team up to save all of the worlds.

2. The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadowsorphanqueen

(Author of: Incarnate (Newsoul, #1))

Forbidden magic and a princess reclaiming her thrown! So much YES!

After Princess Wilhelmina’s kingdom is conquered she’s taken to the enemy capital along with the other noble children. Ten years later, they are the osprey, experts in stealth and thievery. With their help she plans to get her kingdom back. A wraith is sweeping the nation and Wil’s magic might be the only thing that can stop it, but magic is forbidden. (2 book series)

Courtofthornsandroses3. A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J.
Maas

(Author of: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1))

Okay so I still neeed to read Throne of Glass, but Beauty and the Beast and fairies! (and maybe a war too)

Feyre kills a wolf and is dragged off to a magical land, by a ‘beast’ who is actually a fairy ruler.

Darkestpartoftheforest4. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

(Author of: Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1))

I’ve been meaning to read something else by Black and this fairy-tale sounds so cool

In a town where humans and fae live side by side a fairy prince has slept for hundreds of years, then one day he wakes up. Hazel knows that the fae aren’t good, but she made a deal with one for her brother. Now it’s time to pay her debt. She teams up with her brother, a changeling boy she can’t help being attracted to, and the fairy prince himself.

5. The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) by Jim Butcher

(Author of: Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1))

Jim Butcher (Dresden Files) writes steampunk,enough said. Also the oddities that thee people who can manipulate crystal magics have sound funny.

People live in spires and transport is on air ships, which are powered by crystals. Certain people can manipulate the energy in the crystals, but most of them have an oddity like not being able to use doorknobs. There are also mean talking cats.

crimsonbound6. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

(Author of: Cruel Beauty)

A retelling of little red riding hood. Everyone liked Cruel Beauty (Now on sale for Kindle for $2) so I want to check this one out.

Rachelle serves the realm (I’m thinking military) and she’s assigned to protect the King’s son, a man she hates. She forces him to help her find a legendary sword to save the kingdom.

7. Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

(Author of: Unspoken)

A retelling of A Tale of Two Cities with magic! And I like doppelganger things. Again, I own Unspoken, but haven’t gotten to it yet. (I need more TIME!)

Lucie’s New York is caught between two kinds of magic. She wears magical rings and has a secret The love of Lucie’s life, Ethan also has a secret, he has a doppelganger created by dark magic.

uprooted8. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

(Author of: His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire #1))

I love coming of age learning magic tales.

The dragon (actually a wizard) protects a village from the corrupted woods, but every ten years the village must give him a young girl. (Not to eat, but to work for him)

9. The Veil (Devil’s Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

(Author of: Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1))

I don’t read much adult Urban Fantasy, but the premise sounds so unique.

The veil between humanity and the veil was torn. Now some humans have magical powers, but they are all forced to live in the district called Devil’s Isle. Claire is a sensitive, but she’s untrained because she’s kept her power a secret.

starsneverrise10. The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

(Author of: My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, #1))

Post apocalypse with demons and evil exorcists. (I only hope they aren’t zombie like) Plus the cover is purdy.

Nina’s town has been destroyed by soul sucking demons. She’s trying to protect her little sister Mellie, but she learns her sister has a secret that will put her in danger. Her sister’s committed a sin and the church and their exorcists don’t tolerate any sinners. Finn saved their lives, but he could be an exorcist. Can she trust him?


I’ve actually only read two of these authors, but they’ve all made my wish list! 🙂

How do you choose which books to read next? Covers, blurbs, authors, or some other system? I mostly go by blurbs, (and if certain things are mentioned, I’m there) but I’ve been known to be swayed by a pretty cover and there are some authors that I see their name and I want to read the book regardless of what it’s about.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,755 other subscribers
Follow on Bloglovin
Follow @molly_mortensen

Goodreads

Recent Posts

  • I’m still here!
  • Shadow Hunters Series Episodes One and Two Review
  • Life Update and 2016 Reading Challenges!
  • Air Awakens
  • Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo

Categories

Archives

  • September 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
NetworkedBlogs
Blog:
Woven Magic ~ Adventures in Writing
Topics:
Litureature, Books, Writing
 
Follow my blog
Parajunkee Design
Site Meter
Challenge Participant
RhiReading

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Woven Magic Books
    • Join 380 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Woven Magic Books
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: