Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.
Here you share upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating. A great way to share books you have found, and also a great way to discover and add more new books to your TBR list (like we don't' have enough).

My book this week is going to be Talon by Julie Kagawa:

Release date: October 28th, 2014

Goodreads Synopsis:
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

My thoughts:
I have read The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, and those are such great books. So when I see Kagawa is writing a new series, I want to read it. And it is about dragons, which is something I haven't read a lot about, but I have always wanted to. 
The book sounds super intriguing so I can't wait to pick it up. Hopefully it is really good, cause it is going to be a 5 books long series :)

Do you have any "waiting on" books you want to share, or you just want to read about others picks, then CLICK HERE.

….
Elin

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Top ten tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read

As the Broke and the Bookish puts it, books that has you going "To read or not to read" for different reasons. I have several books that falls under this category, so here is my top ten list.

1. Tigers Curse by Colleen Houck

I have actually tried reading this once. I came about halfway through it, but then I just couldn't do it anymore. I really wanted to like this book, and continue on with the series, cause it sounds really good. But for some reason I just could not get into it. I don't know if I will ever try to read it again, but who knows, maybe someday I'm in the mood for it.

2. Fallen by Lauren Kate

I actually have the first 3 books in this series on my bookshelf, but for some reason I am really hesitant to pick it up. I've heard so many mixed reviews about it, and it has gotten me confused as to wether or not I want to read it. But who knows, I might be one of the people who really loves it.

3. Matched by Ally Condie

This is on my list for the same reasons as Fallen, the mixed reviews. In the beginning I felt like everybody loved it, but then it suddenly got a lot of hate as well. I love dystopian, and have really enjoyed all the books I've read in that genre so far, so because of that I'm leaning more towards actually trying it out and seeing for myself. Besides, I do own the entire trilogy ;)

4. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Yet another book on my list because of it's mixed reviews. I feel like there are more people who dislike this book, than who actually likes it. That obviously makes me question if I should pick it up. But the plot on the other hand sounds really intriguing. And as I mentioned with Matched, I do love dystopian books. I don't own this book, but my sister does. So if I decide to read it, I can just borrow her copy, and if I like it I can purchase the trilogy for myself.

5. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

This is the second book in the Anna duology. I have read the first book, Anna Dressed in Blood, and I really enjoyed it. So the reason that his book is on the list is simply because I don't feel like I need to read it. I thought the first book was great on it's own, and it didn't really need a second book. I don't think I will ever pick this one up, and I really don't feel like I'm gonna miss out on anything either, not after the reviews I've read at least.

6. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

This is on my list for the same reason as Girl of Nightmares. This is the second book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children duology(?), and I have read the first book in this as well. Really liked that one also, but just don't feel like there needed to be made a sequel. But that's just my opinion. I am satisfied with just reading the first one, which by the way is a really interesting and unique book.

7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This has gotten tons of good reviews, I've really never heard a bad word about it. And I was really planning on reading it, but then I went ahead and watched the movie first. And even though I liked the movie, I just don't feel like reading the book, cause I know the whole storyline. I love to read books and then watch the movie, but I don't really do the other way around. So I think this is going to be one of those books I maybe should have read, but just never are going to.

8. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

This one I am struggling with. I have read Chima's other series The Seven Realms, and I absolutely loved it, it is one of my favorite series. But I have heard that The Seven Realms is a lot better than this series, so I'm just afraid to get really disappointed by it. I know this is a book that has gotten more attention lately in the book community, so I might just have to wait a little bit and see what people really think of it, and then decide if I want to pick it up or not.

9. Valkyre Rising by Ingrid Paulson

This is a book I've had for quite some time now. The main reason I picked it up is because it is set in Norway, which is my country. Other than that I don't really know what it is about, and I just don't feel like I'm dragged towards it. I hope I do read it sometime, I just know it won't be picked up any time soon.

10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I've had this book on my wish list for a very long time, but haven't picked it up manly because of the reviews…again. A lot of people really like this first book, but then I feel like nobody really enjoyed the rest of the series, which makes me think "then why should I bother picking it up?". But I really like fantasy books, and it sounds really good. I do have a feeling this is a book that I am gonna give into eventually, because I do really want to love this series.

So that was my top ten list for this week. If there are any of these books that I've mentioned that I should really give a try, please let me know :)
If you have a top ten list you would like to share, or you just want to read more top ten lists, then go ahead and CLICK HERE.

….
Elin

Book Review: The Husbands Secret

Short Synopsis:
This book follows three women's very different, and very tragic lives.

Cecilia finds an old letter written by her husband with the words "if you read this, it means I am dead". Only her husband isn't dead, and what is written in the letter is a secret that may ruin a lot.

Rachel is an older woman, who finds out that her son, daughter in law and her beloved grandson is moving to New York. Her grandson means everything to Rachel, especially after she lost both her husband and daughter in a very tragic way.

Tess is running a company with her husband Will, and her best friend and cousin Felicity. One day they tell Tess they have fallen in love.

These three women's lives will intertwine, and secrets will unravel.

Click HERE if you would like to read the Goodreads synopsis.

My thoughts on the plot:
The synopsis of this book was what made me want to pick it up. And it did not disappoint at all. I was actually pleasantly surprised. If you read the Goodreads synopsis it seems like the book only follows Cecilia's life but the fact that we get to read from three women's perspective, was something that I was really happy about. I just find that reading from different perspectives is a great and unique way to tell a story.
All of these women is experiencing some pretty traumatic events. And throughout the book more tragedies, and more secrets are revealed. And I just found myself being really dragged into their stores and wanting to find out what was going to happen. When Cecilia reads the letter, I actually felt something drop in my stomach. I was like "are you freaking kidding me?!? ". There were a lot of wow moments in the books, and it was unpredictable which is always something I want in a book.

My thoughts on the characters:
Cecilia, Rachel and Tess are three very different women, and I enjoyed reading about all of them. I couldn't really relate to any of them, I don't have a husband, I don't have children/grandchildren, and I'm just not similar o any of them personality wise. But I still thought it was enjoyable to read about them.
I must say though that my least favorite character to read about have to be Tess, just simply because I found Cecilia's and Rachel's life more interesting. And I guess they had the most shocking secrets being revealed.

All in all:
This is my first adult book, and I definitely want to read more from this genre. I also really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's way to tell this story, so I know I will pick up more of her novels in the future for sure.
A super good, interesting and really exciting book. If you haven't read any adult books, this is a great first book to get started with that.
In the end my rating of this book was a solid:

Friday Reads #1

Friday Reads is a meme I've seen been done by a lot of BookTubers, and I know bloggers do it, and people also tweet about it.
It's basically just a post where you write about the book/books you are reading for the weekend.
So without further adieu, this is the book I am reading this weekend:

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. This is the 3rd book in the Vampire Academy series. I am really enjoying this series so far, and it is the best vampire series I've read. 

I hope to get a good way through the book this weekend, but I know I won't finish it because I am working, as well as I have some other plans. But when I get some time I will definitely pick it up and read.

Anyone else reading anything fun this weekend? :)

….

Elin

Wishlist Wednesday #1

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen To Paper. Here you can write about a book that you have had on your wish list for a long time, or just one that you recently added. Just write about a book you can't wait to get on your shelf.

Goodreads Synopsis:
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword….

My thoughts:
Recently I have been really into fantasy books. I haven't read that many, but I have added a whole lot to my TBR list. This particular book has been on my list for quite some time. 
It just seem like such a magical, action packed, fun book. It has also gotten a lot of good reviews on Goodreads. This is also the first book in a series called Falling Kingdoms, and as of right know two books have been published, number 3 is set to be published December 9th of this year, and the fourth (and last book I believe) is expected to be published in 2015.
I hope to get this book in my possession very soon.

If you would like to share your wish list, or just want to read others list, click here.

….
Elin

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where they invite people to join in and share their list of the top ten topic for each week. This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Books I'd Give To Readers Who Have Never Read xxx

I have chosen to go with Young Adult Novels, because that is the genre I have read the most from. So here is my list:

1. The complete Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

These are just my all time favorite books. They are so magical and fun. And the world that Rowling has created is just amazing. You fly through them, while having the time of your life.

2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is a great dystopian series. Even though I gave the first book 5 stars, and the last book 3 stars. But all in all it is a very good and action packed series. And it is a very original story. The movies are also so entertaining and great.

3. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

This is a series about faeries. I was really hesitant when picking up these books, because I just couldn't imagine how they could make books about faeries interesting. But I really enjoyed this series a whole lot. The faery world is just so magical, and the characters and the story line is great.

4. The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima

Another great YA series. This is a fantasy book, filled with magic, wars and love. The characters are enjoyable, and the series are filled with twists and turns. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, I think you would like this.

5. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I have just read the first two books of this series, but I am loving it so far. If you are looking for a good vampire book, give these books a try.

6. The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl

I have just recently finished this series, and I enjoyed it so much. It's a book about casters (nice word for witches), and it is filled with magic, curses, love and death. 

7. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

There are a total of 16 books in this series, plus 2 novellas. It sounds like a lot, but these books are so much fun, and really fast pace. If you like the TV show, you will like the books. But there are not that many similarities between the TV show and the books. So if you think you will know what happens in the books because you've watched the show, you are mistaken :)

8. Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

Again, another great dystopian series, and another great, original concept. The ending to this series is mind blowing, and so unpredictable. They are also being made into movies, and the first movie was so good.

9. The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner

And yet another great dystopian series. This is just filled with so much mystery, and it is full of action. Another popular book that has been made into a movie, and I can't wait to watch it, it looks awesome.

10. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

This is a series with a really interesting concept, the main character can hear dead people that has been murdered. It was pretty scary at times, and I'm glad I didn't read it late at night.

That was my top ten Young Adult books I would recommend to people who haven't read any YA books. It turned out to be all series, but then again that is what I mostly read.

Make sure to check out The Broke and The Bookish Top Ten blogpost HERE, where you can also find others who have made their list. A great way to find and add more books to your TBR pile :)

….

Elin

July Wrap Up - August TBR

July has come to an end, which means it is time to do a July wrap up, and an august to-be-read blog post.
In july I read 5 books in total, which I am pretty pleased with considering that some of the books were pretty long. I read 4 physical books, and listened to 1 book on audio.

The first book I listened to on audio, and that was Magyk by Angie Sage click here for synopsis

My thoughts:

This is a middle-grade book and it is the first book in the Septimus Heap series. I thought this book sounded fun, and it has been compared to Harry Potter, which is my all time favorite book series. I was in a mood to read a book that made me feel as I did with Harry Potter, but I'm sorry to say that this book disappointed a little.

In the beginning I was intrigued, but the further I got in to the book, the more it fell for me. It became a bit boring. I wanted more things to happen, and I felt they just got stuck doing the same things over and over again.
Some of the magic was creative, but I felt like there could have been done so much more.

The book was OK, but I will not continue on with this series. I ended up giving it:

The next book I read was Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl, click here for synopsis

My thoughts:

This is the third book in the Caster Chronicles series. I really enjoyed this book a lot, and I think this series has progressively gotten better and better.

It was really fast pace, and I felt like I flew through it.
I am not a big fan of the two main characters Lena and Ethan, but the series have a lot of other great characters to make up for that. Like Link, Ridley and Macon.

I will do a series review of the entire series, so therefore I won't write to much about this now.

In the end I gave this book:

Then naturally I continued on with Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl, synopsis here.

My thoughts:

This is the 4th and final book in the series. As I mentioned with "Beautiful Chaos" I will be doing a series review of these books, so I won't write to much about it here.

But I will say this last book is my favorite in the series. It was more adventurous than the previous books. And you also got to read from both Ethan and Lena's point of view, which actually made me like Lena a little bit better.

Another thing I will say about these books, is that what happened has been a bit obvious at times. You can kind of guess what will happen. But still, the books was very good.

I gave this book:

I then read Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, synopsis here

My thoughts:

I finally picked up and started this series. It has been on my TBR list for quite some time, but I have been hesitant to pick it up because the other vampire books I've read I haven't been that impressed by. But I am glad I decided to pick it up, cause i LOVED it.

I just loved the concept, I thought it was original, and I like that it takes place in a school for vampires, that is something I haven't read about before. It was also interesting with all the different types off vampires and guardians, and the characters were great.
I like the relationship between Dimitri and Rose, and the fact that it is a forbidden love just makes it that much more interesting. I like when the love relationships in books doesn't come to easily, and they have to fight for it a little.

This book mostly focused on introducing the world these vampires live in, but a lot of the things that were revealed made you really want to continue on with the series and find out what it all means.

This book got from me:

The last book I read in July was Frostbite by Richelle Mead, synopsis here.

My thoughts:

This is the second book in the VA series. I did not love this book as much as the first one, but I still really, really enjoyed it.

You get introduced to the world outside the academy in this book, and it is a scary world for sure. A lot of stuff happened in this book, and I'm guessing this is only the beginning of all the bad things that are going to happen throughout this series.

The relationship between Dimitri and Rose hit an even bigger bump in the road, when another character was involved, and it created a love triangle. I am rooting for Dimitri and Rose, but as I've mentioned I like when the love in books doesn't happen instantly, and they have to work for it. It makes it that much more interesting.

The main character Rose is a really bad ass girl, which I like. The only thing I will say is I hope she doesn't continue on to be too much off a bad ass hero. Cause if she is the one who always sacrifice herself, or always make stupid but brave choices, it just makes the character a little bit unbelievable. She needs to show some vulnerable sides to herself, in my opinion. But as of right now I am digging her.

I gave this book:

Now on to my TBR list for august. This isn't going to be a list that is set in stone, because I may change my mind throughout the month. But these are the books that I am thinking about reading and that I am hoping to get through this month. 

I am gonna have 3 weeks of vacation from work in august, plus I am gonna participate in the Bout-of-books read a thon this month as well, so I am hoping to get through a good amount of books in august.

First of all I will be reading The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty. I am currently reading this book, and is about half way through it. Really liking it so far, and I will do a book review once I am finished with it.

synopsis here

Then I would like to finish the rest of the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. That means I am hoping to read Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice.

synopsis here

synopsis here

synopsis here

synopsis here.

In between these books, and also if I finish the VA series, I would like to pick up some of the stand alone novels that I just hauled in my July Book Haul HERE.

Hopefully August will be a great reading month for me, with a lot of time to read, and a lot of good books to read :)

….

Elin