15 Things In 2015...

Happy New Year! I know we're all well into 2015 by this point, but I thought I'd take this time to outline a few book-ish happenings; here's my ode to the year ahead! :)

2015 Releases I've Read and LOVED
(If these aren't already on your TBR, they need to be!)

I loved Cruel Beauty when I read it last year but Crimson Bound is even better than Hodge's debut--which is saying something. I hardly need to tell you to read this; the cover does a better job than I do. But, seriously, read it. It's a fresh, innovative take on a mixture of fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood among them, and the end result is a novel that is equal parts enthralling and romantic. What more could you possibly ask for? I'll Meet You There is my favorite Demetrios novel to date. Considering the fact that I devoured all three of her books last year and enjoyed them all, that's high praise indeed. Her latest contemporary, out next month, is heart-warming, moving, and deeply touching. It made me think, reflect, and be immensely grateful for the small, but fulfilling, life I led. Beautiful. Vision in Silver is the third novel in  Anne Bishop's The Others series and, let me tell you, with just three books this series has already become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy chronicles. It's right up there with Mercy Thompson, Arcadia Bell, and Downside Ghosts. All I could articulate after finishing this one was, "THAT ENDING THOUGH. MY HEART. THE SWOON. AHH." Containing one of the slowest-burning romances I've read, ever, Bishop's novels are immensely entertaining and build their own niche in your heart. I dare you to finish this series without a boatload of feelings for these characters. It's impossible. 

2015 Releases I Need...Now!

Rook is written by Sharon Cameron, the same author who wrote the brilliant historical fiction duo, The Dark Unwinding. I absolutely adored her debut series and Rook, her third novel, sounds simply fantastic. I adore that cover to pieces and cannot wait for the book itself to reach my greedy hands. Court of Fives, by Kate Elliott, is yet another novel by an author I've loved in the past. Elliott wrote Cold Magic, the beginning of one of my all-time favorite fantasy trilogies. Court of Five promises to be just as innovative, romantic, and politically thrilling as her former fantasy novels. I just know I'm going to love it. Leila Sales upcoming novel, Tonight the Streets Are Ours, is like every fangirl dream come true. I mean, a journey of a girl tracking down a blogger she's obsessed with? As Amy Poehler would say, yes, please! More than that, though, Sales made me laugh with Past Perfect and cry with This Song Will Save Your Life. I suspect Tonight the Streets Are Ours will made me do both.

Here's something not many know about me: I've yet to dislike a Libba Bray novel. No easy task, I assure you. Lair of Dreams is a novel I've been anticipating ever since I fell in love with The Diviners and here's the truth: it's going to rock my world. Hard. I can't wait. All the Rage, on the other hand, is sure to send me into a spiral of despair because that's what Courtney Summers does best. And I love it. I anticipate the sensation of her prose rendering me at the mercy of her characters and their emotions, not my own. Ever since binge-reading all of Summers novels shortly after I discovered the brilliance that is her, I haven't been able to read anything by her in a long, long time. With two Summers releases coming out this year, I cannot wait to dive back in. 

I didn't go crazy over Lord's debut but, for some bizarre reason, I really want to read The Start of Me and You. Not sure if it's the cover or just the synopsis, but I have a gut-feeling I'm going to find a favorite in this one. Dead Heat, on the other hand, is a book I feel like I've been waiting for forever even though Patricia Briggs is absolutely a godsend when it comes to publishing novels. The only UF books I like more than the Mercy Thompson ones are these, the Alpha & Omega ones. I'm practically salivating just thinking about reading this soon. Girl Before a Mirror is another novel I know I will love. I've adored all of Palmer's novels and this one seems to have the perfect recipe for a favorite. It'll be out later this month and you can bet I'll be waiting up for the post man.

2015 Book-ish Goals 

1. Quality > Quantity 

In the past, I've always tried to read a variety of genres and read widely within those genres. Unfortunately, those genres have been limited to YA Contemporary, Adult Contemporary, YA Fantasy, Adult Fantasy, YA Post-Apocalyptic, Adult Urban Fantasy, YA Science Fiction, Adult Science Fiction, and Adult Romance. I want to read more Non-Fiction in 2015. More Classics. More thought-provoking novels that may take longer to finish by may be more rewarding by the end. 

2. Quality > Quantity 

I want this concept of quality over quantity to apply not only to my selection of novels but also to my blogging habits. I'll be frank: I know I won't blog as much in 2015 as I have in 2014 or any previous years. College is a lot more hectic and time-consuming than I imagined and though I find time to read, finding time to sit down and write a review, cross-post it on Goodreads, format it onto the blog, and schedule it all while visiting other blogs to read their posts and make thoughtful comments... I don't have as much time for that as I wish. Thus, I want the few posts I do manage to get out every month to be full of content and quality. I want my reviews to reflect my thoughts and be interesting and thought-provoking. I want the blog tours and guest posts I receive to spark discussion. Unless I have that, I won't be posting. 

3. Bookshelf > ARCs 

Seriously, this needs to stop. I have books on my shelves which dear friends have gifted me but I almost never get to read them because of all the ARCs I can't stop myself from downloading. I've worked on reducing the number of ARCs I request but that doesn't stop me from picking up the ones I receive unsolicited. I loooove getting ARCs--almost nothing makes me happier--but it means that I bump into people who ask me how I liked the books they gifted me and I have to admit I haven't read those books yet. Or, just as bad, it means I come home from college and come across a book on my shelf that people have been raving about or recommended to me and I put ARCs above those novels. I'll always have ARCs; my attitude needs to change. Hopefully, 2015 is the year it does. 

4. Friendships 

I cherish my blog friendships like nothing else in my life. I love them. I have folders of comments and e-mails that cheer me up and all of them are from you; readers, commentors, and fellow bloggers alike. Even though I know I won't be able to blog as prolifically as before, I want to be able to maintain my book-ish friendships despite the hurdles I face to posting. I love you and I like you.

Well, there you have it--three novels I've read and highly recommend, eight novels I cannot wait to read, and four goals for the upcoming year of reading and blogging. I'm a sucker for pretty covers--and just covers, period--hence the reason titles such as the final Raven Cycle book never made it onto the list (though, let's be real, if I had that book in my hands right now I would die a happy woman). But, there it is; a quick ode to the year ahead! I can't wait to see what 2015 brings, both in terms of books and in terms of life. I hope you all have an incredibly happy and wonderfully prosperous year ahead of you. I don't say it often enough, but thank you for sticking by my side, supporting my blog, and being all-round awesome people. You all deserve the very best the world has to offer.

Review: It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning

Title: It Felt Like a Kiss

Author: Sarra Manning 

Rating: 4 Stars

I'm not sure why I'm surprised to have enjoyed this one so much. It Felt Like a Kiss is set in the same universe as Manning's Unsticky, one of my all-time favorite novels. Yet, despite having held tightly to a copy of this on my Kindle since its release, the mixed reviews have prevented me from diving in. I've enjoyed Manning's work in the past but with the exception of Unsticky, I haven't loved them. And, as a companion novel--of sorts--to Unsticky, I wanted to love It Felt Like a Kiss. Desperately.

Admittedly, I don't love It Felt Like a Kiss. But, by the end of it, I did really, really like it.

The weakest aspect of It Felt Like a Kiss is, unfortunately, the beginning. Unlike Unsticky, its plot doesn't take off running and, what's more, the narrative voice takes awhile to develop. Ellie Cohen, a young British girl working in Vaughn's office, finds the truth of her parentage leaked after a nasty breakup. Ellie's father, the famous rock star Billy Kay, has never acknowledged Ellie or her mother, Ari, all their life and now that Ellie has been outed as his illegitimate daughter, her entire life is upended. Unable to avoid the paparazzi, Ellie finds herself face-to-face with Billy's lawyer, David Gold. And although David and Ellie have a great deal of chemistry between them, there is the tiny little problem of David representing the interests of a man who has done his best to avoid Ellie for all of her life.

It Felt Like a Kiss truly begins only around a third into the story. While the beginning of the novel sets up the story, complete with the cast and Ellie's life prior to the truth of her parentage breaking loose, it doesn't get interesting until David truly enters the tale. Manning excels at writing romantic relationships. Her characters are complex and gritty and real to a fault which usually means that I wind up so wrapped up in their love story that I often don't sleep until the wee hours of the morning, utterly satisfied despite the fact that my heart has gone through the wringer. But, for Sarah Manning's romances, I'd do it all over again.

David is driven, focused, and ambitious. Willing to do anything that his job demands, he manages to be charming and aloof, considerate and cynical. With him, Ellie doesn't quite know where she stands and, as a girl whose entire life has been leaked to the media and who wears her heart on a sleeve, David is uncharted waters. In the past, Ellie has dated the "lame duck" guys; the ones who desperately need fixing. When Ellie finally realizes she's dating a loser and breaks up with them, however, they move on to become the best version of themselves, all thanks to Ellie's intervention. Thus, all the more reason David poses a terrifying choice for Ellie as he's a man she's attracted to but one who doesn't need fixing of any kind.

Watching David and Ellie dance around their attraction, the legal documentation between them, and, of course, their pasts, was more than just a little entertaining. David is enigmatic and inscrutable but as the novel progresses he becomes increasingly human. Their relationship isn't perfect and they're both than just a little bit flawed, but Manning makes us fall for them--and fall hard. She has a knack for painting men and relationships in the worst possible light yet, by the end, you're more than half in love with both.

Nevertheless, the strength of this novel lies within Ellie and her struggle to reconcile who she is in a world she has vastly underestimated. With the people around her acting in the worst possible way towards her, Ellie's position is difficult and empathetic. It's impossible not to fall in love with her and decide--firmly--to be on her side, no matter what. She's just one of those heroines. Moreover, her predicament brings up a fascinating array of questions about the media, publicity, and, what's more, the portrayal of women in the news. Ellie's outing isn't just a news headline; it's also an inspection of her body, of her sexual life, and of her character as a result. Because the paparazzi are stalking her, images of her in a bikini are leaked and, as a result, the headlines rate every body part Ellie has from her lips to her waist to her legs. Because her terrible ex-boyfriend lied about her to the press, Ellie's sexual escapades are released to the world and society judges her to be a "slut" and a "whore." Though Manning doesn't directly bring these issues under scrutiny, by bringing them up in her novel she draws attention to them nevertheless.

It Felt Like a Kiss isn't the best Manning has written, but it's gosh darn close. Just like I've come to expect from her, it's witty and charming, compulsively readable and wickedly swoony, all with unforgettable characters to boot. If you like the corporate slave turned passionate lover trope even half as much as I do, this is simply a must-read.

ARC Mini-Reviews: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen and Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Title: First Frost (Waverley Family, #2) 

Author: Sarah Addison Allen 

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: January 20th, 2015

Anyone who has read Garden Spells can confirm that the novel hardly needs a sequel. It's a magical, beautiful stand-alone novel and Allen's debut holds a special place in my heart. First Frost, on the other hand, does not. It takes place a decade after Garden Spells ended and though the re-visit to the Waverley household is familiar--warm, comforting, loving--it feels strangely unnecessary. I didn't have to know of Claire's new candy-making business, Sydney's desire for a son, or Bay's feeling that she belongs with Hunter John's son. While I loved being back in Waverley House and the distinct feeling of Allen's writing is a sensation that wraps around you and holds you tight, like a blanket, First Frost is possibly the most disappointed I have been by her work. If it were not that these were beloved characters I knew before--and intimately, loved these characters--I wouldn't even have given First Frost three stars.

The issue with Allen's latest is the fact that the conflict at hand is flimsy. I appreciate the post-marriage struggles Sydney and Claire face. Their demons from Garden Spells aren't as pronounced but that doesn't mean they have disappeared. Thus, I rather enjoyed being back in their minds, witnessing them come to terms with the change in their lives that time inevitably introduces. Most of all, I loved Bay's narrative and the teenage issues she found herself face-to-face with. Yet, the coming together of these plot lines didn't work quite as seamlessly as it worked in Garden Spells. The shift from Teenage to Adult perspectives wasn't perfection. The strange side plot line with an odd old man entering town, poking around and asking about the Waverley's, ended too abruptly and anticlimactically to satisfy. Ultimately, First Frost lacked the strength of Garden Spells. Claire and Sydney were a unit and in being so, the union of their sisterhood from Garden Spells is a far more compelling story than their joint unity in First Frost.

Allen's latest isn't bad, not in the least. It is beautifully written and, as always, her prose is impeccable and characterizations are point-on. In my eyes, though, there wasn't enough of a story to be told, here. I didn't feel moved by these characters or their struggles as I was in Garden Spells. I wasn't charmed or enchanted or rendered speechless by the magic in the air. First Frost is a novel that fans of Allen are bound to read--and I don't fault them. It's a few hours well spent in the company of an author and characters I adore. Just don't go in expecting the caliber of Allen's debut.

Title: Things We Know by Heart

Author: Jessi Kirby

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: April 21st, 2015

Things We Know by Heart is laughably predictable. Unlike Kirby's Golden, which delivered on being more than just a road trip novel, Things We Know by Heart does not. From what its synopsis says, it is easy to deduce that Quinn, who has lost her boyfriend to a horrible accident, tracks down the patient who received his heart, Colton, and falls in love. Naturally, the romance is well-developed and sweet, making Quinn believe that there is more to Colton than simply sharing a heart with her deceased boyfriend. Quinn comes away from their love story knowing that sharing a heart does not mean sharing a personality and as she falls for Colton, an entity separate from her former boyfriend, Trent, there is only a calm sense of relief to be found.

Yet, Kirby creates a novel about grief that is strangely lacking. Quinn chases after Colton well over a year after Trent's death and, as a result, her grief isn't fresh or raw. It's a different kind of grief, which I appreciated, but her interactions for Colton do little to assuage her grief except replace it with love. Quinn has a supportive family, a strong relationship with her older sister, and she discusses--in great length--her relationship with Colton before labeling it as love. Nevertheless, for me, the overwhelming message felt as if to overcome grief, one must simply find true love. Things We Know by Heart beautifully writes Quinn and Colton's romance and, moreover, Colton's thoughts as a heart recipient, though never explored from his perspective, are realistic, meaningful, and in-depth. I learned so much more about organ donations and the pain felt from both sides of the equation--how it's not just happily ever after once the organ is transplanted successfully--from this novel. Regardless, though, I felt as if Kirby could have used this innovative, fresh idea and done more with it than make it a love story. I wanted more of Quinn's emotional journey as explored through her grief. I wanted more of Colton's anger and confrontation after realizing the truth Quinn hid from him as she never reveals that she is the girlfriend of the guy whose heart now beats in Colton's chest. Instead, this romance plays out in a predictable manner, complete with the "break-up" towards the end that eventually culminates in a relationship.

Things We Know by Heart just felt too easy for a novel about life and death. Perhaps if this were written more like If I Stay with us getting to know Trent and Quinn before his death, this would have made a stronger impact. As it rests, however, it is a solid love story and a unique premise. Yet, if you've come looking for the type of depth and scope offered by the author of Golden, re-read Golden--there's little to be found here.

Year in Review: 2014 Favorites

It's that time of the year again! Unlike most years, where I cheat and list multiple books per question and often repeat those same books in nearly every question, I actually stuck to picking just one book per question and didn't repeat a single book either. If that isn't the achievement of the year then I don't know what is! ;) 

Number Of Books You Read: 304
Number of Re-Reads: 5? 6? 7? Not sure...
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy & Contemporary

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

Review HERE

Every year, picking just one favorite book is always a tough decision but this year, I knew from the moment I finished Isla that I wasn't going to find a book I loved nearly as much as this one. I know not everyone loved it and I will not deny that the negative reviews for this novel bring up excellent points about the flaws abundant within this narrative, but it worked for me and simply spoke to me in a way no other book quite has this year. 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I loved the first novel in this series, Omens, when I read it last year and was sure this was going to be a promising sequel but the romantic developments really ruined this one for me. What a disappointment. 

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

Was this really written by the same woman who wrote Tiger Lily? Trust me, The Vanishing Season was a bad surprise. 

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

I couldn't stop talking about this one, probably because it was so different from everything else being published in YA but still managed to be so relateable and integral to the age group it targeted. Seriously, this book kicks ass. Read it.

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

I fell hard for this novel when I first read it and though the rest of the series hasn't quite lived up to the potential this one promised, Mystic and Rider ranks among my favorite books of the year as well as one of my favorite fantasy novels and romances ever. 

House of Sand and Secrets is such a good sequel that it far surpasses its predecessor. If you don't fall apart emotionally during this novel and yet close its covers with the greatest grin on your face then you're reading the wrong book.

Banished the Dark is a perfect series ender. I couldn't find a single flaw within this novel and the Arcadia Bell Quartet is among my favorite UF Series ever.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I read all three of these books this year, in the order they appear above. What's more, I genuinely loved all of them. Needless to say, Heather Demetrios has become an auto-buy author for me now and I cannot recommend her work enough.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don't read a whole lot of non-fiction so this was certainly not my typical read. But, how could I not love it? It's Mindy Kaling! :)

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

A lot of the books I read are typically slow builds or straight out romances so Into the Darkest Corner is a definite change from that. It's more psychologically thrilling than anything else and I was so engrossed in it that I couldn't stop reading until I knew what would happen to these characters who I quickly became attached to.  If I remember correctly, I stayed up till the early hours of morning to finish it. (It was completely worth it!)

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Laurentine Spy is such a delightful novel. A story of two spies who play their roles in the enemy's court to a fault--so well, in fact, that though they are falling in love with one another in the darkness where they receive their assignments, they do not realize they are both spies for the same country in court. It's an emotional romance, all set against a backdrop of betrayal and deception which makes it the perfect book to curl up with and re-read. I can't get enough of these characters or their love story.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Dred is amazing. Seriously. A kick-ass woman who rules her own expanse of territory in a prison and manages to keep order through her own ruthlessness. Yet, she's fair, isn't really a criminal, and is capable of love. Yup, can't forget that one. After all, there's a reason these are the Dred Chronicles. ;)

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Stiefvater's prose is poetry. What more possibly needs to be said?

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

I kept meaning to read The Caged Graves last year, which is why I forced myself to get to it early this year and I loved it. It's a true hidden gem in the world of YA historical fiction. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

So Stephanie Perkins writes the most romantic acknowledgements ever and what she wrote in Isla basically made me want to find the love of my life right then and there.  

"Finally, thank you to Jarrod Perkins. I'm crying now just because I typed your name. I love you more than anyone. Ever. Times a hundred million billion. Etienne, Cricket, and Josh--they were all you, but none of them came even close to you. You are my best friend. You are my true love. You are my happily ever after." 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

 Could it have been anything else? ;)

18. OTP OF THE YEAR 

Titus and Iolanthe truly prove their OTP status in this novel and I ship it so hard! 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

I loved the romantic relationships in this novel--seriously, they slayed me--but at the heart of this novel is a strong sibling bond that completely gutted me. It's beautiful. 

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Courtney Milan has long been a favorite romance author of mine and Talk Sweetly to Me, a novella of the love story between an intelligent young black woman besotted with astronomy and a male feminist columnist basically rendered me speechless in awe. Milan not only writes some of the best historical fiction out there, but it's always so on-point with social norms and constructs and she's able to make readers swoon and walk away with revolutionary ideals. I mean, male feminists? YES, PLEASE.

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

I feel like people were going on and on and on about this book and I just had to read it to see what all the fuss was about. It was worth all the hype. ;)

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Mateo from Love, in English. *fans self*

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Half a King isn't Abercrombie's debut, but it is his YA debut, so I'm going to count it. It's amazing so you should read it. Now. 

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Sharon Shinn is impeccable. I read Troubled Waters in the beginning of the year but I haven't been able to forget the vivid setting and rich culture of the fantasy realm Shinn created in this novel. Lovely.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

This book is not only intensely romantic, it's also wonderfully sweet, charming, and lovely. It's a friends-to-lovers romance of the best variety and has just a touch of drama, but not too much. It's my favorite of Johnson's romances, though I've enjoyed all of her work. Nearly a Lady contains the type of characters that force a smile onto your face. It's that cute.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

No one else is quite guaranteed to make me tear up the way Laura Florand is. I adore her work and the emotional impact she is able to garner, even from a novella, is astounding. 

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

What I Thought Was True hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as Fitzpatrick's debut, My Life Next Door, but in my opinion, it's a far better novel. Not only does it contain a great romance, which is always a draw (let's be honest), but it also features a diverse cast of characters with cultural heritage, a sex-positive relationship, and teens who possess more than one friendship and whose future plans aren't set in stone. 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Fault Line was so hard to read but it also really deserved to be read. 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

Chasing Shadows is told through both prose and comic style and while it didn't work for me, it's still highly unique.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Red Wedding, the death of Oberyn Martell, the framing of Tyrion Lannister, etc. Of course I was mad! Doesn't mean A Storm of Swords isn't the best fantasy novel I've ever read, though... ;)

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

With the Paper Towns movie being filmed as I write this, I really have no excuse not to read this. It's my last John Green novel, which is perhaps why I keep putting it off, but I absolutely want to read this before the movie releases. 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 ?

Lair of Dreams may have gotten the worst cover on the planet (and is overdue by at least a year in terms of release dates) but it's Libba Bray and I'll forgive everything as long as this will land into my hands. I adored The Diviners with a passion when I read it back in 2013 and I have yet to complain about any Bray novel so I know this is going to rock my world. 

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?

I just need answers, dammit! 

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?

Maybe finally attend an author event? I know I keep hoping to achieve this but maybe 2015 will be the year it happens! Who knows? ;)

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

READ IT READ IT READ IT!