Character Chat - Top Five Book Boyfriends of 2014

As it is February, the month of love, and the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon that recently happened included a love letter to your book boyfriend, I thought it appropriate to introduce this new segment to the blog. Character Chat is going to be my discussions about various wonderful characters I've encountered through the books. Also, this feature will be talking about books I've read this year, so that way it can be a continual feature that I revisit in the coming years. So, there will be a chat on book boyfriends for 2014, 2015, etc. Now, I know it's very early in the year, but I want to do this and start the series, so without further ado...

no. 5 - Raffe from Angelfall by Susan Ee

Raffe is hilarious, strong, and surprisingly tender throughout Angelfall. He has some really adorable moments, but he is also a tough warrior with a very sarcastic side. The banter between him and Penryn is probably one of my favorite aspects of this novel, and I would love to travel around with Raffe and trade wit. He's also got a soft side, and there are glimpses of that throughout the book that made me want to hug him. So, I think that Raffe would definitely have to be one of my book boyfriend picks thus far in 2014.

no. 4 - Sam from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Sam is completely adorable. He is so sweet, kind, and gentle! Also, he's very musical, and any scene involving him and an instrument was beautiful. Sam's a great character because he's amazing and understanding, but also flawed. He has his doubts and fears, but he is a strong person anyways, and his character is really admirable. Numerous times throughout this book, I have wanted to just give Sam a hug. 

no. 3 - Captain Thorne from Cress by Marissa Meyer

Ah, another hilarious and sarcastic one with a sweet side. Yes, Thorne made himself my favorite character in this book. He's got a very dry wit, yet also is capable of gentleness and compassion. Thorne is a character that I love because he's very funny and snarky, but also because he's more than what many people think of him. He's brave and intelligent, very resourceful, and even if he isn't the best at something he's determined to try. Thorne radiates charisma and charm, but beneath all the fluff he's also got a lot of strong qualities. I can't wait to read more about him in Winter!

no. 2 - Warner from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ok, so I'm reading this book now, and I'm only just over 50 pages in. But, Warner has been a favorite of mine since Shatter Me. Before Destroy Me even came out I wanted to know more about Warner because who Juliet thought he was didn't seem to match with some of what Warner said and did. He is passionate and complicated, but he's also got a sensitivity and understanding to him that makes him an even more amazing character. And yes, I'm loving him so far in this book and will continue to do so. Warner is a fantastic book boyfriend! Also, thus far in Ignite Me, he has stolen every scene he is in and definitely remained my favorite character in this series- Warner is absolutely wonderful!

no. 1 - Morpheus from Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Look who is number one on the book boyfriend list. Morpheus, you aren't even surprised, are you? If you look in some other blog posts, you'll see constant mentions of Splintered, Unhinged, The Moth in the Mirror, and general Morpheus love. I've even written a love letter to him as a challenge for the Love-A-Thon. Morpheus is witty, dark, mysterious, and yet is loving and loyal. One can never guess what Morpheus will do, but he has certainly swept me off my feet. He will probably be my number one book boyfriend for a long time to come, so Morpheus will certainly be staying around the blog and fluttering through more posts! Also, this cover features Morpheus!

There is the beginning of the character chat saga! Now, I want to hear from you. Have you read these books? Loved these guys? Who are your book boyfriends? Let me know!

From the paper world,

V

The Five Star Spotlight - Unhinged by A.G. Howard

It's always a good post when it's a Five Star Spotlight. After all, these are books that are favorites and wonderful, spectacular reads. This series showcases all of those books, and today we are talking about a series you've probably seen mentioned on this blog once...or twice...or every other post. Well, now I'm going to be adding another book from this series. That is Unhinged by A.G. Howard. Unhinged is the sequel to my favorite book from 2013, Splintered. Splintered is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and how generations later, Alice's descendant Alyssa finds herself drawn into Wonderland as she tries to help Wonderland after the destruction left by Alice. Alyssa is joined by her Wonderland guide Morpheus, who is probably smugly seated in the Top 10 or 5 of my favorite characters (let me know if you want a post on my favorite characters, by the way) and Jeb, Alyssa's best friend. If you haven't yet read Splintered, this review does contain spoilers for the first book. So, I'll link you to Splintered on Goodreads and you can start there and read that book. I would definitely recommend this series- it's one of my favorites in YA, and arguably my favorite YA series aside from The Mortal Instruments. So, definitely check out Splintered (it has an amazing cover!).

I'll include Splintered's info here before the rest so that if you haven't read the series, you can view it and add it on Goodreads. And see the pretty cover!

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

And now, if you've read Splintered, let's talk about Unhinged.

Bout of Books 9.0 - Update for Day no. 3

I am writing this just after a Bout of Books chat which was so fun and a great way to meet people! Speaking of, welcome back to another Bout of Books update! Let's get straight to the quick facts, shall we?

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun
Currently Reading - Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - 1
Pages Read Today - 170 pages
Total Page Count - 443 pages
Challenges - Reading Tactics by Sarah Says Read (this was yesterday's)

Thoughts - 
I did a bit more reading, but honestly, I'm not worried about page count. It's a very relaxed and positive readathon. I partially participated in a Twitter chat today, which was a lot of fun. Also, Kerrie and I are reading through Angelfall, and we're almost done (5 little chapters left!) and every time we stop it's a major cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to finishing this book tomorrow. Unhinged I'm not reading as quickly as I thought I would because we've been sprinting thorugh Angelfall, so I'll be able to give it some more attention soon. How are you liking your books?

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - Daily Update no. 2

Welcome back to another Bout of Books Update! Today was a pretty good reading day- busy, but I still found some time to devote to my wonderful reads. I also finished my first book today. Shadows by Amanda Sun, which is the prequel to Ink, was a novella I was about 55% through, and finished today. I also read more into my other two current reads. So, without further ado, let's get to the basic statistics.

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun
Currently Reading - Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - 1
Pages Read Today - 109 pages
Total Page Count - 273 pages
Challenges - Reading Tactics by Sarah Says Read

I'm hoping to read some more tomorrow, and I think I'll have some more free time. If you're participating in Bout of Books, let me know how you're doing. I hope you guys are having a lot of fun too, and let me know what you're reading and what you think of it! I'm really loving Unhinged and Angelfall still- it's been so much fun to talk to Kerrie (@KerrieSalsac on Twitter) about Angelfall! Hope you all are having a good time in the readathon!

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - Day no. 1 Update

It is Bout of Books time, and today I have an update for you guys. I'm not done reading for the day, but I have gotten some done so I thought I would share with you guys. Today, I had the enormous good fortune to get my copy of Unhinged early so, as you can imagine, I've been finding that one hard to put down. I have, however, set it down at points to start Angelfall by Susan Ee. I'm reading this over with Kerrie and so far I'm loving both of these books. I'm really happy about that, and I can't wait to read some more tonight. But for now, let's have a quick update...

Books Read - None completed yet
Currently Reading Book (s) - Angelfall by Susan Ee and Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - None completed yet
Pages Read Today - 164
Total Page Count - 164

So, it's a decent start to the readathon, and I still have some more time to finish up more. Let me know how your reading's going!

From the paper world,
V

The 5 Star Spotlight - Splintered by A.G. Howard

Today we are going to be talking about another book that I enjoyed. Splintered by A.G. Howard is an Alice in Wonderland retelling unlike any other I'd read. This darker interpretation is filled with magic, intrigue, and characters that you love and yet can't trust. This is my favorite book that I've read in 2013, and it definitely had some amazing competition for that. However, Splintered takes the cake, and read on to see why!

Waiting on Wednesday - Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Welcome to another weekly meme! This is Waiting on Wednesday, hosted over at Breaking the Spine. This is a weekly feature highlighting some upcoming books you just can't wait to dive into. This week's feature is probably one of my most anticipated sequels to come out next year and I can't wait to share it with you all!