Showing posts with label may 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label may 2014. Show all posts

Monday, June 9, 2014

Monthly Wrap Up - May 2014

What I Read...
Sekret (Sekret, #1)Sekret by Lindsay Smith
I read this along with Cassi of My Thoughts... Literally!
4 Stars

3.5 Stars


4 Stars

3 Stars

No Rating Given


5 Stars

3 Stars

No Rating Given

3.5 Stars

3.5 Stars

3 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

5 Stars

4 Stars

That's a total of 15 books read this month! I ended up reading quite a few books back-to-back, and there were a variety of books this month. Some I loved, some I liked, and a few were not favorites, but I still managed to read through. There were quite a few goodreads reviews posted, but I'll get to those in the next section. I was so happy to finish two books from my DNF pile- Abandon by Meg Cabot and Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd. Abandon I had been reading and wanted to start another book, so it was simply put aside temporarily. I was really annoyed with some of the characters in Her Dark Curiosity when I was first reading it, so I had set it aside and finished it this month.

What I Reviewed...








What I Posted...




...and more! Check out the archive in the sidebar for a full list of last month's posts!

Challenge Check In!

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
19 Reviews posted for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge!

DAC20143

1 Review posted for the 2014 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Books Devoured and That Artsy Reader Girl.


10 Reviews posted for the 2014 Prequel & Sequel Challenge!
26 Points

summer-reading-logo-clear-background
4 Reviews posted for the 2014 Summer Reading Program.



How did your month go? I hope everyone who went to BEA had a fantastic time, and in general I hope you had a lovely month!

From the paper world,
V





Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: ,

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Reading Review - Sekret by Lindsay Smith


An empty mind is a safe mind.

Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

Find Sekret on Goodreads         Visit the Author's Website
Today I am so excited to be reviewing another 2014 Debut for you all! Sekret by Lindsay Smith is a book that I thought was interesting, but then when I saw Mac Teen Books post some quotes from the book on their blog, I just had to pick up this book. Cassi from My Thoughts Literally and I read this together, and it was so much fun to do a readalong together, and her thoughts on the book made me appreciate it even more, and I really loved it! 

What really makes Sekret so unique is the setting- Cold War era Russia. I haven't read any books from this time period before, and I don't think I've ever heard of a YA paranormal set there before! Yulia is a character hardened by her circumstances- she's tough, self sufficient, and resilient. However, she's not brusque or unlikeable, and there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. I thought her character was, on the whole, really well done. She was interesting and an excellent narrator. The group seemed to balance each other out well- there were the obnoxious characters, the ones you can't figure out, and overall this ensemble worked beautifully together and each character felt unique as well as an essential piece of the group dynamic.

I did give this four stars, and I had two main concerns with the book. Firstly, some of the character development was lacking for me, mainly in a few of the supporting characters. Also, the ending felt abrupt to me after all of the build up and mystery. However, those were minor qualms that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. This really is fantastic, and the setting and background make it unique. It actually reminds me a lot of The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which is a modern day story and a five star read of mine. Both books are some of my favorites, so if you like one you might want to check out the other!

Have you read Sekret? Share your thoughts down below!

From the paper world,
V
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

What I'm Looking Forward To - Most Anticipated Book Releases of May 2014

Bout of Books

Bout of Books! One of the day's mini challenges is books you're looking forward to, and I thought what better timing could it be? So, I'm sharing my monthly 'What I'm Looking Forward To'! Who's ready for a lot of new releases? I know I'm excited for a lot of these, and so without further ado, here are some books I'm excited about that are releasing this month! These all come from my to-read section of Goodreads, and there are some excellent new titles this month. Take a look!

 May 1, 2014

 Camelot Burning (Metal & Lace, #1)Camelot Burning by Kathryn Rose

May 6, 2014




May 13, 2014


The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah StrohmeyerThe Secrets of Lily Graves





May 20, 2014



May 27, 2014



May 29, 2014


Some of these new releases are for series I've yet to start, but hope to marathon with this new release. For example, The Steampunk Chronicles is a series I've wanted to read for a really long time, and I finally have the first book. So, hopefully I'll be able to pick up the other books in the series and start it. 

Also, City of Heavenly Fire. Oh. Wow. I am so excited, and so nervous, and it's a lot of feels! What are some of your can't wait book releases?

From the paper world,
V

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Bout of Books 10.0 - The Sign Up & The Goals



Bout of Books

I can't believe time has gone by so quickly, but I'm excited for the next Bout of Books! This is my second B.O.B. and I really enjoyed participating last time, even though I got sick partway through. Regardless, this time I'm getting my sign up posted and preparing for another week of reading fun!
I also decided to include my goals on here as well. Last Bout, I had a page number goal, and I don't think I'm going to do that this time. Honestly, since I got sick during the past Bout of Books, I was really disappointed that I couldn't meet that goal. So, my goal is to just read books that I really enjoy, and try not to force myself to read anything if I'm not loving it. 

 However, I do want to have some goals for the read-a-thon, and so for 10.0 I'm really hoping to do a lot more of the mini-challenges. They look like a ton of fun and I was sad I didn't get to participate in them last time. So, there's my sign up and goals for Bout of Books 10.0! I'm super excited. Here's the official info so you can sign up too!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
From the paper world,
V
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)