WWW Wednesdays #3 – May 27th

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly bookish meme formally hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm, and revived by Sam of Taking on a World of Words. This meme consists of answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

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►What am I currently reading?◄

I’m currently reading  The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket, the eighth book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series. As I just mentioned yesterday in my Teaser Tuesdays post, a few months ago I found out Netflix is planning on making a live-action TV show based on this series! And since I never finished reading it when I was younger, I’ve been slowly working my way through it.

 

I am also currently reading the third book in the Nikki & Michael series, Chasing the Shadows by Keri Arthur. I’m still really enjoying this series so far and I’m sad that there is only one more book after this one. Hopefully it will have a satisfying ending.

 

 

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►What did I recently finish reading?◄

I just finished  My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, the first book in the Soul Screamers series. It was an enjoyable read with a unique plot. I wished I liked the main character a bit more, but I’m hoping she’ll grow on me as I continue reading this series.

 

 

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►What do I think I’ll read next?◄

Next I’m planning on reading My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent, the second book in the Soul Screamers series. Since I’m reading both this series and A Series of Unfortunate Events on my NOOK, I’ll probably start this up after I finish with The Hostile Hospital.

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Teaser Tuesdays #3 – May 26th

Wow, this week has just gone by extremely fast for me. I can’t believe it’s Tuesday already. It feels like I seriously just did one of these posts… xD I recently got another part-time job and I’ve been working every day since last Sunday so I’m pretty wiped out, but in a good way? Since I’m enjoying the job so far. Things will be slowing down until Friday so I’m trying to enjoy my down-time while I have some. Anyway, I’m rambling. It’s Teaser Tuesday time people! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. To play along just follow the rules below!

Rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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I’m currently at that weird point where I just finished up a book yesterday but haven’t had any time to start another. BUT, I’m planning on reading The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket, the eighth book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series. I mentioned in my last book tag that I’ve been slowly reading this series – having never finished it when I was younger – because I heard Netflix is planning on making a TV show based off it.

Like myself, I’m sure many fans of this series are excited about this news because the movie…well yeah, it just wasn’t that good. So we’ll see how the show turns out. Sadly I have no idea when the show will air or anything more specific about the show, but hopefully it will be in the next few years. If you’re reading this and have any more current news then please let me know in the comments! :) Once again I’m rambling, so I’m going to shut up now and give you the teaser…

My teaser from The Hostile Hospital:

【“Hend,” said Sunny in disagreement. Violet was about to explain that her sister meant something along the lines of “Actually, I worked as an administrative assistant at Prufrock Preparatory School,” but the intercom speaker was too busy reproving the Baudelaires, a phrase which here means “shouting ‘Be silent!'” at every opportunity.】

xxxx– Chapter 4, page 50

 

There you are! Have you read this series? What are your thoughts on it? And the soon-to-be Netflix show? Please let me know in the comments below!

Happy reading! :)

Book Review – Connor Grey series by Mark Del Franco (Part 2)

Alrighty then! This is my second review on this series. I’ve done one on the first three books in the series so this will be focused on the last three. You can find my first review here. I finished up the sixth book…almost two weeks ago? So sorry this has taken me so long. As I’ve mentioned in almost every post, I procrastinate. A lot. As I’m sure many of my fellow bloggers do at some point or another. But moving on…this review will be on the last three books of the Connor Grey series by Mark Del Franco.

 

The last three books include:

• Unperfect Souls
• Uncertain Allies
• Undone Deeds

My Rating: 4/5 stars for each book

Throughout this series I have given each book four stars. And that’s because, obviously, I have found this to be an enjoyable read. I loved Franco’s world-building and his writing style was also amazing. I actually found myself attached to most of the main characters as well. The action scenes were suspenseful and kept you wanting more and although romance wasn’t the main focus of the series, it was there.

In the last three books Connor definitely grows as a character. He can be rather childish, and still slightly arrogant, at times but overall he’s a good guy just trying to do what he thinks is best for everyone. Sometimes that includes himself, but most of the time it’s for the people he cares about. If Connor is anything, it’s loyal to those that have earned his trust. He makes a fantastic main character.

In my previous review I mentioned a few more characters including Connor’s gym buddy and police detective, Leo Murdock, the hilarious flit and Connor’s life-long friend, Joe, and Meryl, a sassy Guild researcher. As this series progresses you delve deeper into all three of their lives and, as I mentioned before, I found myself rather attached to them. Two other characters that I truly enjoyed are Shay, a young male prostitute introduced in the first book, and Dylan, Connor’s former Guild partner.

In these last three books the plot pretty much skyrockets until the ending. It just goes BAM BAM BAM! Plot twists thrown left and right. A lot goes on but it’s not overwhelming in the sense you don’t understand what’s happening. However, I do have mixed feelings about the very end of the sixth book. I found that to be slightly confusing, which left me a bit unsatisfied. By overall, this series was wonderful and I’ll definitely be looking into what else Mark Del Franco has written.

Happy reading! :)

Time of the Day Book Tag

Once again Emily tagged me in another book tag. And once again, it’s taken me awhile to complete it. I still need to do a review on the Connor Grey series and another book tag from Analee at Book Snacks. Did I mention I was a procrastinator? But yeah, I’m slowly getting there. Anyway…book tag time!

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1 – Time to wake up: A book that opened your eyes to a genre you didn’t previously read.
I’m going to go with Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. This was one of my first ‘adult’ books. My friend’s mom wouldn’t even let me borrow them until I was eighteen (even though there wasn’t any sex until…the fifth or sixth book I think?) But yeah. It opened up my eyes to the adult fiction genre. I need to catch up on that series. It’s pretty long. Some of the more recent books haven’t been as great, but I still enjoy the characters and the overall plot.

2 – No time for breakfast: A book that has been sitting on your shelf for ages.
The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas E. Sniegoski. I don’t remember if someone gave this book to me or if I bought it myself…but it has just been siting on my shelf forever. I think part of it is because I was waiting until the series was completed…but even then, for some reason when I think of what I want to read next it just never comes to mind. Now that the series has finished up I’ll have to get around to reading it.

3 – Time to travel to work: A book you read whilst traveling.
I actually don’t have a specific book for traveling. I just take whatever book I’m currently reading. Recently I’ve heard of people listening to audio books while in the car, but I get easily distracted if I don’t have the actual physical book in front of me so I simply can’t use them. Which is sad because they’re a great concept, just not for me unfortunately.

4 – You’ve had a hard time at work: A book you struggled to get through.
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I mentioned in my first WWW Wednesdays post that I struggled through this book and I did. A lot. The overall plot wasn’t terrible, but the characters were just…ugh. Most of them were simply uninteresting and I didn’t really connect with any of them. Towards the end of this book I was skimming, mainly reading the dialogue to see how it ended. I don’t do that often but I just really wanted to be done with this book.

5 – Lunch time: A quick and easy read.
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. I read a good chunk of A Series of Unfortunate Events as a child but never got around to finishing it. I’ve recently picked it back up and have slowly been working my way through it again due to the news of there eventually being a live-action show on Netflix. Since the movie was no good, I hoping Netflix does better!

6 – Time for your performance review: A book you bought because of a review you read/watched.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I haven’t actually bought this book – as I’ve mentioned quite a few times I normally don’t purchase the books I read – but a couple months ago there was a lot of hype for this book and I read quite a few reviews on it, so it is definitely on my TBR list! And once I do get around to reading it I’ll be posting my own review.

7 – Time to travel home: A book that follows a character on some kind of journey.
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. This was one of my favorite books as a child. It’s about dragons so of course it’s amazing! Although movies based on books usually aren’t any good, I think this would have been a great book to make into a movie. Probably an animated one, but still.

8 – Dinner time and conversation: A book you don’t hear people talk about much, but you loved.
I’m trying to think of a book I’ve never put in a book tag before…(I really want to put the Dresden Files again, but I’m refraining from doing so). Hmmm…I’m going to pick You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister. This was a really great book. There was plenty of action, plus romance, and the characters were hilarious. Plus this was another one about dragons…so yeah. That’s usually a plus-side with me. If you’re looking for a funny adult fiction series (warning: there are some steamy scenes in here) then check this book out!

9 – Time to zone out in front of the TV: Your favorite book that has been turned into a movie or TV show.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This was actually a book I wouldn’t have normally read, but I really enjoyed it. And so when the movie came out I didn’t want to watch it until I read the book first, so that’s exactly what I did. I know that usually makes the movies less enjoyable, but I simply prefer reading the books first. However, it didn’t really matter much in this case because I thought the movie was amazing! It followed the book decently and the graphics were just…WOW. If you aren’t planning on reading this book, at least go see the movie!

10 – Bedtime: The book that is currently on your nightstand.
I don’t actually have a nightstand, but the book that is currently on my dresser is  Chasing the Shadows by Keri Arthur. I haven’t started it yet, since I’m still working through My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, but I’ll get around to reading this within the week. Unfortunately I work all weekend so less time for reading…

11 – Night-time: A book you couldn’t put down so you stayed up way too late reading.
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. (The link goes to the movie-edition cover – which I normally don’t like – but that one had the best summary so sorry if it’s confusing.) Another funny adult fiction series. All of the characters are hilarious and it’s packed with enough action to keep you wanting more. If you saw the movie, let me just say it did the book no justice (as usual). So give it another chance and read the book! It’s another long series – I believe she’s on the twenty-third book? – but give it a try anyway!

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Another book tag completed! Once again I tag anyone who thought this tag fun and interesting and would like to participate! :)

WWW Wednesdays #2 – May 20th

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly bookish meme formally hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm, and revived by Sam of Taking on a World of Words. This meme consists of answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

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►What am I currently reading?◄

I am currently reading My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. It is the first book in the Soul Screamers series. I’ve read the first two books in Vincent’s adult fiction series, Shifters, and wasn’t overly impressed, so I wasn’t sure how much I would like her young adult series. However, I am enjoying this book so far. The romance is a bit rushed for my taste, but the plot is definitely interesting and unique.

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►What did I recently finish reading?◄

I literally just finished Hearts in Darkness by Keri Arthur about half an hour ago. It is the second book in the Nikki & Michael series. I’m really enjoying this series so far. It’s fast-paced and filled with action. There’s romance involved as well, but in this book and the first it kind of sits on the back-burner of the plot. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

 

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►What do I think I’ll read next?◄

I’m definitely going to be reading the third book in the Nikki & Michael series, Chasing the Shadows by Keri Arthur. Once I finish all four books I’ll be posting a review! :)

 

 

 

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Let me know if you’ve read any of these books or even if any are on your TBR list!

Happy reading! :)

Astrology Book Tag

I was tagged by the amazing Emily to complete this tag. Like…most of the time, she tagged me awhile ago but because procrastination is my middle name (and I’ve been trying to catch up on TV shows) I am just now getting around it it. So here I go! :D

Aries – A book where the characters go on a grand adventure.
I’m going to go with Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck. Mostly because I just caught up on that series last month, so it’s still in the back of my mind, but also because obviously it fits the category of having loads of adventure throughout its pages! Along with the rest of the books in the series.

Taurus – A book you thought long and hard about before buying.
None that I can think of. As I’ve stated in previous posts, I don’t actually buy many books. And the ones I do buy are usually a part of a series that I’ve been collecting so I don’t have to think about buying it, I just buy it.

Gemini – An author who you feel is wise, someone who understands people and life, and they portray that in their books.
Damn. This is a tough one. But unique. It really makes you think. At least it makes me. Hmm…I’m going to be a bit cliche here and pick J.K. Rowling. I mean come on. There are so many different characters and life lessons in the Harry Potter books. And although it’s fantasy, there are plenty of ‘real life’ situations as well. Like the whole muggles vs. halfbloods vs. purebred wizards thing. Not those categories exactly, obviously, but the overall issue of prejudice. So yeah, I’m gonna go with her.

Cancer – A book that helped you get through a hard time in your life.
Once again, none that I can think of. Whenever times have been rough I don’t read any specific books, I just read what I feel like, like I always have.

Leo – A book that made you feel inspired or empowered.
This is another hard one. I’m going to pick the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Yes, it’s about talking cats, but it inspired me to start writing because I decided to base a FanFiction story off of this series. Unfortunately my story is incomplete, but it’s one of the longest things I’ve stuck to and maybe someday I’ll actually go back to it.

Virgo – A book that you think is flawless.
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It’s amazing. Go read it.

Libra – A sci-fi, fantasy or dystopian novel with the perfect balance of romance and action.
I’m going to have to agree with Emmy on this one and say I don’t think I’ve read such a book. There tends to be either too much of either romance or action, although since I prefer action I suppose I don’t mind the books that steer further away from the romantic bits.

Scorpio – A book that turned out to be very different from what you expected.
Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith. I wasn’t expecting that I would enjoy this book so much. I don’t know why, I just thought the plot seemed like it would be interesting so I didn’t really have any high expectations or anything like that. But the entire series was fantastic. There was suspense, fear, gore, action and it was a relatively easy read. If you’re a fan of the author Darren Shan, I would definitely recommend this series.

Sagittarius – A book you are very enthusiastic about, one you recommend to everyone.
Once again, I’m going to go with the Dresden Files series. OHMYGOSH JUST GO READ IT ALREADY!

Capricorn – A book where the main character never gives up in getting what they want.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Lyra’s entire set of mind throughout the book focused on finding her friend Roger.

Aquarius – A book unlike any other, with a uniqueness that sets it apart and makes it great.
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. Told from the point of view of a dog, this book is just…GAH. Frickin’ amazing. And emotional. You will cry. If you don’t…well I won’t believe you unless I sit there and watch you read it to see that no tears fall from your eyeballs. Seriously. But yeah, if you’re a dog person (or animal person in general) go read this book.

Pisces – A book with a character who goes through immense character development.
Hmmm…I’ll say Grubbs Grady from The Demonata series by Darren Shan.

 

Done! I tag anyone who found this tag interesting and would like to take part in it!

Teaser Tuesdays #2 – May 19th

Happy Tuesday everyone! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. To play along just follow the rules below!

Rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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I am currently reading Hearts in Darkness by Keri Arthur and My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent.

My teaser from Hearts in Darkness:

【Michael smiled slightly. He’d had over three hundred years of practice resisting temptation and the needs of his heart, but in all that time, he’d never met anyone like Nikki.】

xxxx– Michael’s POV (Chapter 9, page 94)

 

My teaser from My Soul to Take:

【“I’ve seen you hold back your wail twice. What do you remember about the time you let it go?”】

xxxx– Nash talking to Kaylee (Chapter 9, page 153, ebook)

 

And there are my teasers for the week!

Happy reading! :)

 

WWW Wednesdays #1 – May 13th

As I mentioned in my Teaser Tuesdays post yesterday, I’ll also be participating in WWW Wednesdays, another weekly bookish meme formally hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm, and revived by Sam of Taking on a World of Words. This meme consists of answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

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►What am I currently reading?◄

I am currently reading Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I’m a little over two-thirds done with this book and I admit I’m struggling. None of the characters are likable, to me at least. The plot was what interested me in the first place and it’s not terrible, but because I don’t particularly like any of the characters it’s just turning out to be a disappointing read. I’ve already decided I’m not going to be finishing this series and I probably won’t even review it either. I’ll post a small review on Goodreads but otherwise I don’t think I want to bother with an entire post. It sounds harsh, but it’s mostly due to laziness.

I also just started Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur. I read two of her other short series and really enjoyed her characters and writing style, so I wanted to try reading more of her books. I’m only one chapter in so far but even those first twenty pages have made me look forward to the rest of this book.

 

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►What did I recently finish reading?◄

I finished up Undone Deeds by Mark Del Franco last night at work. This was the sixth and final book in the Connor Grey series and it was fantastic. The ending was a bit confusing, but there were a few major plot twists that I definitely did not see coming. I posted a review on the first three books a few weeks ago and will try to get one up for the last three sometime this week.

 

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►What do I think I’ll read next?◄

After I finish up Blue is for Nightmares, I think I’ll start My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. After deciding to read multiple books at once, I’ve tried to read one on my NOOK and the other a physical copy. I’ve also found myself flipping between adult fiction and young adult fiction. So because I will not be continuing the series by Stolarz, I decided I’d try this one out on my NOOK (since Dancing With the Devil is the book I’m reading as a physical copy). Sorry if that sounds confusing. But yeah.

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Let me know if you’ve read any of these books or even if any are on your TBR list!

Happy reading! :)

 

Teaser Tuesdays #1 – May 12th

Alrighty, so to keep myself somewhat more active I’ve decided to participate in Teaser Tuesdays, a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. A few of the blogs I follow also participate  in this meme and it looked like fun. I’ll also be doing WWW Wednesdays, so expect another post up tomorrow!

Rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’m currently reading Undone Deeds by Mark Del Franco, the sixth book in the Connor Grey series.

My teaser:

【“I’m having some kind of double vision.”
“You’re seeing through the glamours. Not many humans venture this deep in the Tangle. The glamours are more tuned to fey sensibilities,” I said. 】

xxxxx– Conversation between Connor and Murdock
xxxxxxx(Chapter 18, page 110)

Yes, it’s a bit more than two sentences, but oh well! I’m sure other people tweak their teasers too. Hope this one was okay. Once again, I should have another post up tomorrow for WWW Wednesdays!

Happy reading! :)

Book Review – Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Sorry I haven’t been very active recently. I wanted to get through an entire series before doing a review. Plus, I’m lazy. But anyway, I finished this series the other day so here’s my review! I own the first book in the Raised by Wolves series and read it back when it first came out. I remembered enjoying it, so I thought I’d reread it as well as read the other two books in this trilogy since I never went back to it.

The series includes three books:

• Raised by Wolves
• Trial by Fire
• Taken by Storm

Here is the Goodreads synopsis for the first book to give you an idea of what the story is about:

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn’t mean that she’s averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian’s basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents’ murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she’s shaped?

My Rating:
Raised by Wolves – 4/5 stars
Trial by Fire – 4/5 stars
Taken by Storm – 3.5/5 stars

 Overall, I enjoyed this series. I liked Barnes’s writing style. It was nice and simple and easy to read. The plot was interesting. I love werewolves so that’s why I picked this up in the first place. Barnes goes into a good amount of detail about what it’s like to live among werewolves and their basic way of living. Although I gave it the same rating as the first one, I actually enjoyed the second book the best out of the three. I liked the plot a bit better than those of the other two books and more characters were introduced. I gave the third one a slightly smaller rating because I had mixed feelings about how the series ended. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say any more about that. But if you’ve read this series and want to discuss it, definitely let me know and we can talk about it!

So, characters. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Bryn at first, but I did. She’s stubborn, strong-willed, and a bit of a trouble-maker. Okay, maybe a little more than ‘a bit’. But she has to be this way, having grown up in a pack of werewolves. She’s always been the weakest so she has to make up for it somehow. She’s loyal to her friends and will do anything to keep them safe. She has a habit of rushing into a situation before thinking it through, but throughout the series she becomes better at controlling that and learns to think before acting.

Chase is a newly turned werewolf who appears to have a connection with Bryn’s past. He was a likable character, but not much is really known about him except that he is extremely loyal to Bryn. There’s a bit of romance between him and Bryn, which I thought was a little rushed, but it’s definitely not a big part in the series. Devon, Bryn’s best friend, was probably my favorite character. He’s very dramatic and would definitely be labeled as the comic relief in the series. He cares a lot about his appearance and doesn’t give two shits about whatever people think of him. He has a very close relationship with Bryn and they would do anything for each other. Their relationship was refreshing because it’s rare for people of the opposite sex to be so close without any sexual undertones. And no, he’s not gay. Lake, Bryn’s other best friend, is one of the few female werewolves. She’s extremely blunt and is obsessed with weapons. She has a shotgun named Matilda.

Ali, the only other human in a pack full of wolves, joined in order to take care of Bryn. She’s a very caring person but can be quite scary when she needs to be. I like how her character progresses throughout the series. Callum, the pack Alpha, is also an enjoyable character. He can appear fairly laid-back but if you underestimate him you’ll be sorry. Sometimes the things he does are frustrating, so I’m sure it’s not uncommon to have a ‘love-hate’ relationship with this character. I feel that most of the characters in the series are rather likable and they definitely make the story more fun and enjoyable.

And I’ll stop there. This series is a quick, easy read and I’m glad I went back to it. If it’s something you seem interested in, I would recommend checking it out.

Happy reading! :)