Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Book: AMillion Suns (Acroos the Universe #2)
Author: Beth Revis
# of Pages: 404 (paperback)
Challenge: 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
GODSPEED WAS FUELED BY LIES. NOW IT IS RULED BY CHAOS.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision--no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder learns shocking news, he and Amy must race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed, all the while dealing with the love that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: THEY HAVE TO GET OFF THIS SHIP.



My Thoughts:

The one big difference between this book and the Across the Universe was that I grew to really like Elder. In AtU I found to to be a bit annoying, but now I like him as much as Amy.

A Million Suns seemed darker AtU and there was definitely a lot more tension and mystery what with Elder taking on the role of leader and chaos breaking out everywhere. Also, there is a big secret that Amy and Elder unearth about Godspeed. While there was so much suspense building up to the revelation of this secret, the secret itself was kind of underwhelming.

AMS was pretty fast-paced, and I enjoyed getting to know more about Elder and Amy and watching their relationship grow. Even with the slight disappointment of the big secret, this was still a great read.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Vicious by Sara Shepard

Book: Vicious (Pretty Little Liars #16)
Author: Sara Shepard
# of Pages: 338 (hardcover)
Challenge: 2015 TBR Reading Pile Challenge
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, reporters are lined up outside the historic courthouse, typing furiously at their iPhones with freshly manicured nails. Because the trial of the century is happening right here in Rosewood: the four pretty little liars have been accused of killing Alison DiLaurentis. Only Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily know that they've been framed. Ali is still out there, laughing as she watches the girls go down for her murder. But when your nickname includes the word "liar," no one believes you're telling the truth. . . .

Aria tries to run away from it all but finds that life on the lam is even harder than life as a liar. Spencer gets in touch with someone who can help her disappear--but when a guy from her past reemerges, Spencer no longer knows what she wants. Hanna decides that she'll hear wedding bells chime before she serves time. And in the face of prison, Emily does something truly drastic--something that will change her friends' lives forever.

As the trial goes on and the outcome looks grim, the girls are in their darkest hour yet. But maybe they can finally figure out how to beat Ali at her own game. Because once upon a time, she was just a pretty little liar too.
 



My Thoughts:

In this final installment of the Pretty Little Liars series, Sara Shepard takes us on an emotional roller coaster as Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer are tried for murder. The girls are horrified of the impending prospect of a life term in jail and are determined to prove their innocence. In doing so, they do some pretty unexpected things.

Shock, a couple "aww" moments, even more "Ugh, why did you do that?!" moments, and a jaw-dropping yet impressive twist made this book a satisfying conclusion to the PLL series. I have to admit though that I was expecting this book to be darker, creepier, like the final book in Shepard's The Lying Game series.

I know a lot of people complained about how this series was extended from 8 books to 16, but I really enjoyed the series watching the characters grow and relationships form. So I am kind of sad that the series is over. True some of the books were better than others, but I've grown to love these characters. And I'm glad I stuck with the series to the end.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

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

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.




All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne
Breakable by Tammara Webber
The Taking by Kimberly Derting
The Young Elites by Marie Lu





Rooms by Lauren Oliver
The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings
The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Favorite Books I Read in 2014

2014 Favorites

Panic by Lauren Oliver


City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls & 
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare



Unravel Me & Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi


The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan


The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas


One Shot by Lee Child


We Were Liars by E. Lockhart


The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick


Deadly by Sara Shepard


Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins