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December 31, 2013

The Offering by Kimberly Derting - The Much Anticipated Finale

The Offering (The Pledge, #3)
Title: The Offering (The Pledge, #3)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher:
 Simon & Schuster Canada
Publication date: December 31, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Dystopian/Fantasy)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 336
True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.
Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost
This trilogy was a solid one. The first book, The Pledge left such a big impression on me that till now, two years after reading it, I was still able to recall some details. When I received The Offering for review, I went ahead and picked up The Essence (which I enjoyed) and then The Offering. I have to point out that The Pledge is my favorite by far. It is mainly because the world build up was so fascinating. This of course doesn't mean the other two books weren't great, because they both were. The Offering was a great way to end this trilogy. I initially had some concerns on how the book will end and how everything will be resolved and wrapped up (can you blame me? from all the last books in a dystopian trilogy I read). However all my questions and concerns were answered and all the situations and plot lines were wrapped up without ripping my heart out, always a bonus for final books in a dystopian series. 
Charlie is now the queen, not only that, Sabara is buried deep within her with no idea of how to get rid of her. I felt so bad for Charlie because all she has wanted is to make her country better, and even after all the sacrifices she still gets handed the crappiest end of any deal. I loved how Max didn't begrudge her or treat her differently, even knowing Sabara was within her. Max is such a great love interest and character, my only complaint is that he didn't show up enough times in this book! Other than him, we have some other amazing secondary characters including Eden (Charlie's younger sister's overprotective bodyguard), Zafer (Charlie's AWESOME bodyguard), Xander (Max's brother), Brook (Charlie's best friend and commander of the armed forces), along with another handful. All of them added so much to the story and I loved how effortless all their bond and ties were. Derting really is a fantastic character creator (does that even make sense?) 
As for the plot, I have to say that Charlie's need to always self sacrifice got to me. I really don't like it when a character thinks he/she is doing everyone a favor by sacrificing themselves when in reality their actions are what creates chaos. Still, Charlie was still endearing and I loved how much she loved her younger sister and her country. This book and trilogy is definitely one I would recommend to any YA fans, especially ones that want to read a unique dystopian world. 
        

December 29, 2013

Review: Othersphere by Nina Berry


Title: Othersphere (Otherkin, #3)
Author: Nina Berry
Publisher:
 K-Teen
Publication date: December 31, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Fantasy)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 320
Dez thought she knew who her mother was, who she was. Thought she had friends, a boy who loved her, and a school where she finally fit in.

But across the veil linking our world and the next lurks a monster which can annihilate. . .or liberate her. Now she must confront it there with help from one boy who loves her and one who can't stand the sight of her.

Dez thought she understood her tiger form, her deepest self. But in this treacherous place, she'll have to choose between the two halves of her soul--and determine which world survives.

Othersphere is the third and final installment in Nina Berry's acclaimed young adult Otherkin series, which blends romance, fantasy, and action in a powerful story of friendship and self-acceptance.
This is the final book in the Otherkin trilogy, and I'm sad to say that this was actually my least favorite of the three. I was pretty excited to start yet another adventure with all the shape-shifters, but I just did not enjoy the plot of the book! I felt like it dragged on too much, and I just didn't care for the plot that much compared to the characters themselves. If you've read my reviews of the first two, you would already know how much I really love the characters here. Dez, the tiger shifter, is a great protagonist, though she kind of annoyed me at some points here. I think another reason for not enjoying this book as much is because there wasn't much of the shape shifters all together. I loved reading about their adventures together, and them not spending much time together here bothered me. 
To be honest, I actually hated the plot. It felt boring for me, and there wasn't much humor in the book. I felt like it was all too serious. I wanted more friendship, more romance, and more humor. All I ended up getting was just too much action. I guess there was just a problem with the balance here. The world building was great as always, and we really did learn a lot of Dez in this final installment. I also really wanted to slap November here. She pissed me off so much, and I actually remember her being nice in the two previous books. I was a bit sad to see the series over, but I was glad it still ended in a good way. 
Overall, the Otherkin trilogy was a great trilogy full of friendship, romance, and action. The writing is great, and the world building is constructed very well. If you are a fan of paranormal, fantasy, and romance, I really do recommend this trilogy as it contains a mix of all three! I really did hope that I would have enjoyed the last book a bit more, but I still really enjoyed this trilogy. I will definitely be looking out for Nina Berry's future books! 

Other books by Nina Berry:

December 28, 2013

Stacking The Shelves (17) - All the Review Books

Meme Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Our final book haul of 2013! This is the review edition because 99% of the books were for review. So many fantastic titles including Three, The Impossible Knife of Memory, and all the rest! Special thanks to Penguin Canada, Random House Canada, Harper Collins Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada, HarlequinTeen, and Raincoast! 




Books received for Review 
(Except for Fangirl which was a gift from Raincoast and Champion)
The Sound of Letting Go | Teardrop | Heartbeat | The Rule of Three | See Jane Run | Anything to Have You | Three | The Eye of Minds | BZRK Reloaded

Fangirl (Personalized signature to ME! - Juhina) | Champion | The Eye of Minds | Loud Awake and Lost | Blues For Zoey | The Offering | Othersphere | Cress | The Impossible Knife of Memory | Before My Eyes

Books bought off BookOutlet 
Gone | Angelfire | A Need so Beautiful | Unbreakable | Unraveling | Dark Triumph | Ditched: A Love Story | Saving Francesca | 52 Reasons to Hate My Father 

Digital Galley Haul
The Murder Complex | (Don't You) Forget About Me | Wicked Games | Guy in Real Life | Life by Committee 

After The End | Tease | Exile | GREAT | Dear Killer 

Panic | 16 Things I Thought Were True | Flame | Birthright | Uninvited

Elusion | Ask Again Later | Hung Up | Faking Normal | Maybe One Day 

_________________________________________________________________

Our recent three book hauls cover most of the books already spotlighted in this whole post! That is if you're interested in watching us go crazy over all the awesome books

What did you get in your book haul? leave your links below!


 

December 27, 2013

Empower (Violet Eden Chapters #5) by Jessica Shirvington Cover and Sneak Peek

Empower is the final installment in Jessica’s darkly romantic paranormal series that Entertainment Weekly calls“addictive” and a “must read.” Spence is gone, and Violet knows she is the best person to go after him. But doing so means facing her past and her soulmate, Lincoln. It has all come down to this, the final battle. But who will Violet surrender to?


AAH! This is SO EXCITING! I LOVE The Violet Eden Chapters series! It is one of my favorite paranormal, specifically angel, series. I've read and reviewed the first four which I will link to below but right now I can't wait to get my hands on the last book, the final showdown, the end to this fantastic series! 

Embrace (#1)  - 3.5 stars
Entice (#2) - 4 stars
Emblaze (#3) - 4.5 stars
Endless (#4) - 5 stars


Do the ratings give you an indication on how my love for this series progressed by every new book?



Want a sneak peek at the next book, EMPOWER? Well today is your lucky day! Check out the gorgeous cover first and read the first chapter in the final book of The Violet Eden Chapters series!





December 26, 2013

Juhina's Top 25 Books of 2013 - Sequels, Contemporaries, & Unexpected Surprises

This year had its ups and downs. I discovered some fantastic new authors, finishing more than half a dozen series (accomplishment!) as well as read some books that became dear to my heart ever since then. In total I managed to read 158 books. This is a big jump from last year where I read 139 books. Anyways, I have several all time favorites and some that I would definitely re-read again and also some honorable mentions. Let's get down to it!
The sequels! So many fantastic ones. Unravel Me just.. I can fangirl for hours about this book. Where is my Warner in this world? Prodigy was amazing. Wasn't wowed by Legend but Prodigy sealed the deal. Apollyon is the fourth in the covenant series and my favorite in the whole series. Just so many feels in this book! Aiden St.Delphi, you are perfect. Star Cursed was another sequel that was surprisingly better than its predecessor. I read it in a single day and cried so much. sigh. Lastly, the book that also has a claim on my heart, The Evolution of Mara Dyer. This book is just too complicated for words. A total beautiful disaster. I cry a little bit inside every time I think of how many months the final book was pushed back.  Note: I wanted to include Into the Still Blue but it is a 2014 release. Still. That book was PERFECTION.


My contemporary haven. sigh.. all these books, I can never tire of re-reading them. First we've got The Sea of Tranquility, this is the only New Adult book. Just so… heartbreakingly beautiful. Around 500 pages and read it in a single day. Stayed up all night. Beautiful. Fangirl was on the lighter side but still left its mark in my heart. So sweet, and honest, and real. All readers and Potter fans can relate to it. The Distance Between Us gave me all kinds of happy feels. Just Perfect. Another Rowell book, Eleanor & Park. This is on the darker and heartbreaking side. My emotions were all over the place. I loved it. Lastly is How to Love. I hope more people read it because I need to pour my heart out about it. So real and achingly sad but full of love. 


This is definitely the surprising edition. Another Little Piece is a book I got into thinking it was a normal mystery but wow, I was wrong. So twisted, so mind melting. Just, wow. Control was a sci-fi done right. Loved every second of it. A Matter of Days was an addicting survival novel with a great female protagonist voice. Pivot Point. Read this as an eARC.. time traveling is something I don't generally like. I loved it here and it truly was a Perfect book. Went out and bought my own copy because I loved it so much. Truly Madly Deadly is very short, but so very creepy! Restored my love for mystery novels.


No real tag here, but they're books that are a favorite for a reason or two. Requiem. Such a good ending. I know many people were disappointed but I loved the way Oliver ended it. Of course, I'm not commenting on the romance. sigh. Thornhill is such a solid sequel to Hemlock. New setting, new plan, same old fantastic people! Mac, Jason, Kyle *swoon*. Love them. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is another quick mystery with such a creepy cover. Fast but memorable read. Allegiant of course.. it isn't an all time favorite because of the ending, but it is still a favorite. Love Tris and Four. Unbreakable should be in the unexpected surprises but I loved the friendship in this book and how it could be fun even with them trying to save the world.


Last batch of books and they're contemporaries. You probably knew this was coming since I love contemporaries so much. Riptide is underrated and I wish more people read it. Deals with abuse and it broke my heart. Pushing the Limits. Another dark and gritty contemporary. The more I think about it, the more I want to read it. Out of the Easy is set in the mid 1900s but I loved it so much. surprising but I did. Very likable protagonist and story had me hooked. The Boys of Summer.. I want to reread this book so bad. Set in Australia, in the 1990s, in the summer.. what more can you ask? Lastly is This Song Will Save Your Life. Wow. I just finished reading this today (the day I wrote this post). Wow. So powerful, heartbreaking. I am sad at how kids go around bullying other kids. I felt for the main protagonist. I loved her. This is powerful people. Read it.


Series/Trilogies I managed to finish in 2013:
1. The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout (2,3,4,5)
2. The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting (2,3)
3. Under the Never sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi (2,3)
4. The Lying Game Series by Sara Shepard (4,5,6)
5. Hourglass Trilogy by Myra McEntire (2,3)
6. The Fury Trilogy by Elizabeth Miles (3)
7. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (1,2,3) 
8. The chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano (2,3)
9. Goddess Test Trilogy by Aimee Carter (3)
10. Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (3)
11. Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu (2,3)
12. The Assassin's Curve Duology by Cassandra Rose Clarke (2)

Yes! I have reached and exceeded my goal of finishing 10 series in one year! I actually wasn't keeping track so this is fantastic. However I have started around 28 series (boo!) but many of them are ones I am dropping. 

Series/Trilogies I started in 2013 and will continue with:
1. Pivot Point by Kasie West*
2. Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
3. Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
5. The Ward by Jordana Frankel
6. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer*
7. Fox & O'Hare by Janet Evanovich
8. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry*
9. Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz
10. The Legion by Kami Garcia*
11. Elusion by Claudia Gabel* (2014 release)
12. Control by Lydia Kang*
13. Starstruck by Rachel Shukert*
14. The Rule of Three by Eric Walters* (2014 release)

Wow.. almost half of the series I started. Some series I might pick up if I hear the sequel is better. I'm, however, sticking to those 14 for now. The ones with the * at the end are the books that I will be continuing with for sure, 100%. The rest are ones I am hoping to continue with, though it isn't set in stone. So what about you guys? what are some of your favorite books in 2013? 

December 24, 2013

Review: Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin - Memory Loss & Mysteries

Loud Awake and Lost

Title: Loud Awake and Lost
Author: Adele Griffin
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publication date: November 12, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Mystery/Memory Loss)
Source: Publisher
Format: Finished Copy
Pages: 304
LOUD. There was an accident. Ember knows at least that much. She was driving. The car was totaled. She suffered back injuries and brain trauma. But she is alive. That's the only thing left she can cling to.

AWAKE. Eight months later, Ember feels broken. The pieces of her former self no longer fit together. She can't even remember the six weeks of her life leading up to the accident. Where was she going? Who was she with? And what happened during those six weeks that her friends and family won't talk about?

LOST. One by one, Ember discovers the answers to these questions, like a twisted game of dominos. And little by little, the person she used to be slips further and further away.
Loud Awake and Lost delivers what it promises.. a spooky thrilling contemporary read that has you questioning everything. Ember, the main protagonist has just been released from a rehabilitation center, 8 months after a car accident that led to multiple breaks, fractures, and near death surgeries, as well as a black whole in the six weeks prior to her accident. When Ember gets back home and back to school, what people are saying as well as what her room looks like don't add up. She seems to be into new music, hanging out with a different crowd her school friends don't know about, as well as a mysterious guy that she can't even remember. This book follows Ember dealing with her PTSD, her memory loss, and everyone's expectation of her going back to the Ember before her change.  
I personally loved this book. There is a big twist in the end that I sort of knew was coming (when I had a hunch I stupidly checked the last couple of pages and confirmed my theory) however that didn't deter me from reading and enjoying Loud Awake and Lost. I really sympathized with Ember and what she was going through, especially after finding out more forgotten memories that caused her even more pain. I loved how Griffin so easily made me connect with Ember. I love characters that I could share their pain and hurt, their happiness and hopes; that was Ember for me. 
If you are expecting a murder mystery or a villain, then I suggest you rearrange your expectations because this one is free of that. I couldn't put the book down and wanted to read more, not just more of Ember but also of her best friend's life, her ex-boyfriend who just came back into her life, as well as her parents. At only 300 pages, this one was a quick read with a thrilling plot line, likable main protagonist, and great secondary characters. I recommend it to any YA contemporary readers, especially ones that love a little mystery in their stories.