Book Haul #2: November 2014

Hellooooooooo Everyone!

First of all, I would just like to thank all of those who have followed me, clicked the ‘like’ button or commented on any of my posts – it means the world to me! I also apologise for the irregularity of my updates, I’m on holidays again so hopefully I’ll be updating more frequently.

 

Last week it was my birthday so I had a brilliant book haul! I’m so excited!! 🙂

 

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

The Divergent box set by Veronica Roth (featuring Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four and an exclusive guide to the World of Divergent)

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

 

 

Plus 50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know by Adrian Furnham

 

*squeal* I can’t wait to dive into these books! I managed to get only one duplicate and five books that I’d already read (but I wanted to have my own copy of, so that’s all good).

Please let me know what you think of this book haul, my reviews, or just stop by and have a chat. 🙂

Shadows (Lux #0.5)

Finished on 29th December, 2014

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

5 Stars

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The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

 

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

 

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

 

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

 

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself. 

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First of all, I would like to commend Jennifer L. Armed trout on creating such a beautiful, enthralling, captivating, well-written series. Lux is and will forever be one of my favourite series.

Shadows was the perfect prequel – another Armentrout gem. We finally got to see what Dawson and Beth we’re like before everything went to hell with the DOD – and they are so cute together!! We also got to see a lot of Adam and the Black family dynamics – and yes, I still love Daemon even though he’s a total ass. Daemon’s love for Dee and Dawson touched my heart so much.Though, I still wanted to bash Andrew and Ash over the head – multiple times – with a shovel – or just stick Daemon on them (like that was going to happen but I can dream, can’t I?)

I love how there was a heck of a lot of links and foreshadowing incorporated. There was so many times when I just wanted to scream at Dawson, Dee and Daemon that everything would be fine, they would find love and the DOD would go to hell.

Along with Ash and Andrew, I SO wanted to murder Will – more so, actually. Knowing what happened, what was going to happen and the unnecessary pain that everyone would have to go though just broke my heart – all because of that pathetic excuse of a human being.

Shadows was an absolutely brilliant read and I highly recommend it. Whether you read it before Obsidian, after Opposition (like I did) or somewhere in between, you certainly won’t regret it.

Awesome Quotes

Give up, young one, the Arum taunted, rising into the dark sky. You can’t defeat me. I promissse to make it painlesss.

Dawson gave a mental eye roll. Sure the Arum would. As painless as eating the last ice cream in the house and facing down his sister.

Bethany:

Glancing down at the table of paints, she frowned, knowing there was no way she’d get that hue of green right.

Yep, not obsessed at all.

Dawson:

He was obsessed.

Unable to remember the last time he had been this close to hyperventilating, which was amazing, since he didn’t really need to breathe, he glanced down at his phone. Again.

“What?” he demanded.

“Did you just…clean a dish?” Dee backed away slowly, blinking. She glanced at Daemon. “The world is going to end. And I’m still a vir—”

“No!” both the brothers yelled in unison.

Daemon looked like he was actually going to vomit. “Jesus, don’t ever finish that statement. Actually, don’t ever change that. Thank you.”

Her mouth dropped open.”You expect me to never have—”

“This isn’t a conversation I want to start my morning with.” Dawson grabbed his book bag off the kitchen table. “I’m so leaving for school before this gets more detailed.”

Then Ash twisted toward Daemon, her cheeks flushed. “I can’t believe you’re allowing him to do this. Next thing we know, you’ll be dating a human.”

Adam’s laugh followed. “Someone needed to put Andrew in his place. I always figured it would be Daemon. Who knew.”

“You’re my brother. The only one I have, so I am stuck with you.” He hugged Dawson back. “I do want you happy. And if Bethany makes you happy, then so be it. I’m not going to lose you over some girl.”

Opposition (Lux #5)

Read from 10-13th November, 2014

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

5 Stars

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Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can’t believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wow. Jennifer L. Armentrout never disappoints, and Opposition was no exception. Fast, action-packed, sassy, smooth, sexy, ripe with anticipation, plot twists and characters we all know and love, Opposition was the perfect finale to this absolutely stunning series. (Not to mention, the cover actually looks good! Seriously, you have no idea how glad I am that she’s had the covers redone.)

Jennifer has the amazing ability to draw you in and have each and every one of her characters either capture your heart or make it cold as stone. They’re all so relatable, amazing and real. Not to mention, I would kill to have a relationship like Katy and Daemon – they are just brilliant and so in love it’s crazy. Even Beth and Dawson & Archer and Dee have brilliant relationships – I want some of that! Their strength in each other, unconditional love and support, compatibility, taking the other a they are and loving all of them – every flaw and personality trait, physically, emotionally, mentally… It’s truly awe-inspiring.

The plot was brilliant, with great developments, unseen surprises, heart-renching discoveries, light-hearted moments and new friends. Opposition truly has nothing in it for me to criticise (except for a typo on page 308, but that’s beside the point). Well, that and the fact that I have to re-read Obsidian to find out what on Earth Daemon told Katy on the last page! Gee, thanks Jennifer. Thanks a lot.

Recommended to mid to late teens and older, the series finale of Lux is a truly worthwhile read that will whole-heartedly suck you in.

 

“I broke every rule of my kind to heal you and keep you with me. I married you and burned down an entire city to keep you safe. I’ve killed for you. Did you think I’d forget what you mean to me? That anything in this world – in any world – would be stronger than my love for you?

– Page 77

 

“And we are trying to fix it,” General Eaton responded. “Unless you all have something we haven’t thought of, then there is no other option.”

“I don’t know.” I pressed my fingers to my temples. “We could really use the Avengers right about now.”

“Screw that. We need Loki,” Daemon retorted.

– Page 170

 

“You’d get jealous if she hugged a tree,” Archer tossed out.

“Maybe.” Daemon coasted to a stop in a parking space behind the car. “I’m needy like that.”

– Page 208

 

Taken out. Deal with. I was starting to sound like a mobster.

Or Luc.

– Page 276

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you so much to Pearl Angeli from Bibliopearl for nominating me for the “One Lovely Blog Award”. I feel so honoured! Be sure to check her out – not only are her book reviews amazing, but she is such a lovely person to talk to!

After receiving this award, I was tasked to do some things, which include posting these rules:

• You must thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
• You must list the rules and display the award.
• You must add 7 facts about yourself.
• You must nominate 5-15 other bloggers and comment on one of their posts to let them know they’ve been nominated.
• You must display the award logo and follow the blogger who nominated you.

Now here are the seven facts about myself:

1. I have only recently become a fan of Doctor Who.
2. During the holidays, I plan to watch seasons 5-8 of Doctor Who, 1-8 of Supernatural, 1-2 of Torchwood, 1-6 of Vampire Diaries and season 3 of BBC Sherlock.
3. I want to be a psychologist when I’m out of school.
4. I’m a Christian.
5. During university (probably my under-graduate) I plan on spending a year in England.
6. I’ve been obsessed with going to England for who-knows-how-long and I really want an English accent.
7. Although I am a complete and utter bookworm, I hated reading until the end of year four.

Now I’m nominating these lovely blogs (In no particular order):

1. Wordsweetheart
2. Lynette Noni
3. Bibliopearl (can you nominate someone once they’ve already been nominated? I don’t know but oh well ^_^)
4. Shannon A Thompson
5. Bookmark’d in Bankok
6. Littleonionwrites
7. Alysha Kaye

Once again, thank you to Pearl for nominating me! It really made my day 🙂

Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods

Finished on 8th November, 2014

Author: Rick Riordan

5 Stars

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If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on…

Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod? In this whirlwind tour of Greek mythology, Percy Jackson gives his personal take on the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece – and reveals the truth about how they came to rule the world.

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Pre-reading, I was expecting this book to be interesting, but sorely dry – like  a textbook. Thankfully, “Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods” surpassed my expectations by miles – the Greek myths and legends were totally Percyfied. (Which is totally epic!)

Reading this was like sinking into the embrace of an old friend. The writing was familiar, the backgrounds for so many characters were finally explained (there were a lot of “OH” moments when reading this) and, since this is Percy narrating, there was quite a lot of laughter in inappropriate moments.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I would recommend reading this before or after you’ve read the Percy Jackson books (or maybe in-between?) but either way, it is a great look into the history and make-up of the Percy Jackson universe. A well deserved five stars, “Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods” is a great, easy read that you can pick up at any time.

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Before I go, I have to make a quick note on the cover – is it just me or is this the worst Pj/HOO cover yet? Because as much as I love Logan Lerman, the cover is absolutely hideous! The other version is slightly better, but unfortunately that only comes in hardcover… *sigh*.

What are your thoughts? Am I the only one who dislikes the cover? Be sure to let me know, I’d love to discuss it with you!