[R] Betrayals, by: Lili St. Crow

Betrayals
(Strange Angels #2)
by: Lili St. Crow

★★★☆☆

She’s no angel...

Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)

Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England Schola for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem—she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide...

Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?

[R] Strange Angels, by: Lili St. Crow

Strange Angels
(Strange Angels #1)
by: Lili St. Crow

★★★☆☆

In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

Ice Study - By: Maria V. Snyder

Ice Study (Study #3.6)
by: Maria V. Snyder

5 of 5 stars

This is a short story about Yelena and Valek as they race to keep the powerful Ice Moon from a rogue magician.

Power Study - By: Maria V. Snyder

Power Study (Study #3.5)
by: Maria V. Snyder

5 of 5 stars

Ari and Janco deal with a Sandseed Story Weaver and a cocky young soldier while Valek is off helping Yelena.

Fire Study - By: Maria V. Snyder

Fire Study (Study #3)
by: Maria V. Snyder

4.5 of 5 stars

The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before....

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Pure - By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure (The Covenant #2)
by: Jennifer L. Armentrout

5 of 5 stars

There is need. And then there is Fate...
Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.
When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Magic Study - By: Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study (Study #2)
by: Maria V. Study

5 of 5 stars

A lesson in loyalty - A master class in intrigue

Yelena is a survivor. Kidnapped as a child, held prisoner as a teen, then released to act as a poison taster, she is now a student of magic. But these magic skills place her in imminent danger, and with an execution order on her head, she has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of birth. But nothing in Sitia is familiar. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her powers, a rogue magician emerges - and Yelena catches his eye. Suddenly she is embroiled in a situation not of her making. And once again her magical abilities will either save her life... or be her downfall.

Book Challenges 2013

Maybe you noticed, maybe not. But I finish my 2013 Reading Challenge of GoodReads, so I want to be in other challenges. I found the following ones:


This one is very simple! The challenge consist is reading 24 dystopian books or more. So I asked myself, why not? Here is my list to read or already read (which they are with a strike through line) and basically they are in order:

• Divergent, by: Veronica Roth* [review]
• Insurgent, by: Veronica Roth*
• Allegiant, by: Veronica Roth [review]
• Pandemonium, by: Lauren Oliver [review]
  
• Requiem, by: Lauren Oliver [review]
• Uglies, by: Scott Westerfeld [review]
• Pretties, by: Scot Westerfeld
• Specials, by: Scott Westerfeld
• Extras, by: Scott Westerfeld
• The Knife of Never Letting Go, by: Patrick Ness [review]
• The Ask and the Answer, by: Patrick Ness [review]
• Monsters of Men, by: Patrick Ness [review]
• Shatter Me, by: Tahereh Mafi [review]
• Unravel Me, by: Tahereh Mafi
• Legend, by: Marie Lu [review]
• Prodigy, by: Marie Lu [review]
• Champion, by: Marie Lu [review]
• Warm Bodies, by: Isaac Marion [review]
• Poison Study, by: Maria V. Snyder [review]
• Magic Study, by: Maria V. Snyder [review]
• Fire Study, by: Maria V. Snyder [review]
• Ready Player One, by: Ernest Cline [review]
• Eve, by: Anna Carey [review]
• Once, by: Anna Carey [review]
• Rise, by: Anna Carey [review]
• The Darkest Minds, by: Alexandra Bracken [review]
• Never Fade, by: Alexandra Bracken [review]
• Incarnate, by: Jodi Meadows [review]
• Asunder, by: Jodi Meadows [review]
• The Program, by: Suzanne Young [review]
• The Treatment, by: Suzanne Young [review]
• Panic, by: Lauren Oliver [review]
• The Selection, by: Kiera Cass [review]
• The Elite, by Kiera Cass [review]

*re-reads
this list do not contain the books that are .5 or something like that

Stand-Alone Reading Challenge! Consist in reading 15 or more stand alone books. YEY! Again, here is a list of my stand-alones books. The strike through ones are the ones that I aleady read and the not strike throught, well, you can guess. They are:

• It's Kind of a Funny Story, by: Nedd Vizzini [review]
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by: John Green & David Levithan [review]
• Attachments, by: Rainbow Rowell [review]
• Let it Snow, by: Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle
• Secret Letters, by: Leah Scheier [review]
• The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, by: Lauren Kate [review]
• Thirteen Reasons Why, by: Jay Asher [review]
• The Night Circus, by: Erin Morgenstern [review]
• Eleanor & Park, by: Rainbow Rowell [review]
• Ketchup Clouds, by: Annabel Pitcher
• Before I Fall, by: Lauren Oliver [review]
• Paper Towns, by: John Green [review]
• Ready Player One, by: Ernest Cline [review]
• 4 to 16 Characters, by Kelly Hourihan [review]
• Somebody Up There Hate Us, by: Hollis Seamon [review]
• Once Upon A Wallflower, by: Wendy Lyn Watson [review]
• The Pool Theory, by: Alexa Nazzaro [review]
• Decieved, by: Julie Ann Lindsey [review]
• Fangirl, by: Rainbow Rowell [review]
• Sia, by: Josh Grayson [review]
• Roomies, by: Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando [review]
• Panic, by: Lauren Oliver [review]

(not sure if all these were published in USA, but oh well!)

This Man Confessed - By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

This Man Confessed (This Man #3)
by: Jodi Ellen Malpas

5 of 5 stars

THE STUNNING CONCLUSION TO THE THIS MAN TRILOGY!

The Manor, the very place where their passionate love affair began, fills with guests on what should be the happiest day of Ava and Jesse's lives. She has accepted that she'll never tame the fierceness in Jesse-and she doesn't want to. Their love is profound, their connection powerful, but just when she thinks that she's finally gotten beneath his guarded exterior, more questions arise, leading Ava to believe that Jesse Ward may not be the man she thinks he is. He knows too well how to take her to a place beyond ecstasy . . . but will he also drive her to the brink of despair? It's time for this man to confess.

Beneath This Man - By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Beneath This Man (This Man #2)
by: Jodi Ellen Malpas

5 of 5 stars

She knew she was heading towards disaster. Every instinct told her to run, but Jesse Ward was a hard man to escape.

It has been five days’ since Ava O’Shea left Jesse drunk and raging at Lusso – left behind a man who drowned her in his intensity and blindsided her with his touch. Getting over this man was never going to be easy. And now he’s back in her life.

She has questions she needs answering, but her determination to get these answers will give the pleasure-seeking playboy the power to destroy her again. She needs to keep her eyes wide open and caution at the forefront of her mind, an ambitious intention when Jesse Ward is within touching distance. And he plans to be.

He’s dark, he’s broken – Ava knows this, but the only way to find out how dark and how broken is to get beneath the steely exterior of this man.

[R] City of Ashes, by: Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes
(Mortal Instruments #2)
by: Cassandra Clare

★★★★★

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

This Man - By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

This Man (This Man #1)
by: Jodi Ellen Malpas

4 of 5 stars

Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has an appointment for a first consultation at The Manor with the owner, Mr Jesse Ward. She is expecting nothing more than an overweight, cravat wearing, well-to-do countryman, and on arrival, nothing would suggest otherwise. How wrong could she be? This Man is devastatingly handsome, charming and confident. He is also a conceited, hedonistic playboy, who knows no boundaries. Ava desperately does not want to be attracted to him, but she can’t control the overwhelming affect he has on her. Every instinct is telling her to run, so she does, but Jesse Ward is not so willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her. She knows she is heading for heartbreak, but how can she run when he won’t let her?

Assassin Study - By: Maria V. Snyder

Assassin Study (Study #1.5)
by: Maria V. Snyder

3 of 5 stars

Yelena, the heroine of Maria V. Snyder's stunning debut novel Poison Study, is on her way to her ancestral homeland of Sitia to be reunited with her family and to learn more about her magical powers. An order of execution hangs over her head should she ever return to Ixia. But her true love, Valek, quickly learns that an assassin has taken it upon himself to make sure Yelena doesn't reach her destination.

As Ixia's chief of security, and a highly skilled assassin himself, can Valek track down the killer in time to save Yelena's life?

Frostbite - By: Richelle Mead

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)
by: Richelle Mead

5 of 5 stars

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

[R] Hush Hush, by: Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush Hush
(Hush Hush #1)
by: Becca Fitzpatrick

★★★★★

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study (Study #1)
by: Maria V. Snyder

4.5 of 5 stars

Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...

The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2)
by: Patrick Ness

5 of 5 stars

We were in the square, in the square where I'd run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren't no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men...

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Nedd Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story
by: Nedd Vizzini

5 of 5 stars

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.

At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story.