Top Ten Books of 2014!

Hey all! I know I said I would be doing my Top Ten Books of 2014 tomorrow, but it turns out I'm going over to a friend's house from 1-6 so I'll be busy there. So I have to admit that I cheated a bit. I did some that are the whole series of books because it was just too hard to choose one from the series. Remember the books go from my least favorite to my absolute favorite! I read a lot, and I mean A LOT of really good books this year, so it was really hard for me to choose only ten books. I hope you enjoy this!

Number 10: The Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi

The reason this series is so low on my list is because the main character is really, really annoying. In the first book she was okay, but in the second book every time she opened her mouth I wanted to punch her in the face. She was always moping around in the second book about her powers and how she was killing her boyfriend with every touch. Boo hoo. I don't really care anymore. You've told me the same thing like fifteen times in the last twenty chapters. Maybe I'm judging this series a little harshly because I've only read the first two books, but can't Julliet think of something new to say? The first book was so good but the second book disappointed me completely. I will have to read the rest of the books soon, but I first have to recover from Unravel Me.
Number Nine: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

I just found out right now that the sequel is out so that book might bump this up on my list. I have this thing with leading female characters where I either love them to death, or I hate them. Take Annabeth Chase. In the Percy Jackson series, I loved her. But in the Heroes of Olympus series, I absolutely abhorred her. That goes with the female character in this book. I'm not going to spoil it for you guys, but she has this really dark secret, and she scolds people for doing what they think is right and trusting their gut. One of the main characters does something he know will work in favor for them (and it does), but after she goes nuts on him and they get into an argument about it. It worked in your favor, lady! Get over yourself! Geez! I really dislike her. On top of that, she's a bragger and doesn't know when to stop. I read Mull's other series Beyonders and I really liked it. The female character in that series was so much better than the one in this one. The plot line was pretty good and the ending left me hungry for more. When I get my hands on the sequel, I'll let you guys know if it changed the way I think about this series.
Number Eight: The Gone Series by Michael Grant

I read all the books in this series except for the last one, but that shouldn't affect this. This series doesn't get nearly enough credit. It has it all: disabled heroes, and most of the heroes of females. They are strong, and know how to kick some serious butt. There are no useless characters in this series; each person plays a part in these six books. Everytime I pick up the next book in the series I always say to myself: This is going to be just like the previous book, don't do it. But of course I read it anyway and they always turn out to be much better than I expected. Each book shows character growth and has a new, exciting story. The only reason these books are so far back on the list is because I didn't read all the books this year and when I did they were spread out during the year and it took a while to remember what happened in the previous books. But it's a wonderful series that I enjoyed greatly.
Number Seven: The Red Necklace/The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner 

Number seven is The Red Necklace and its sequel The Silver Blade. These books take place in the French Revolution where everyone is getting their heads cut off willy nilly. I learned a lot about the French Revolution from these books considering that I knew nothing about it before. There is a cast of interesting and surprising characters that Gardner describes with her amazing weave of words that she spins with these two books. The amount of detail and research that went into this book is amazing! I wish these two books were nearer to number 1, but there are so many good books I read! I highly suggest you read these books! They are amazing and perfect! What are you still doing here? GO READ IT!

Number Six: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 

Okay haters, open fire. I loved this book! It was well written and there was a definite plot line. It was also surprisingly funny. People let the movies define this series, but the books are so much better! READ THE BOOKS HATERS! Sorry, I just get really upset when people hate on my fandoms. We're all fangirls here people! Would you like me to hate on Divergent and the Fault in Our Stars, my two least favorite books? No, no you wouldn't. Anyway, I highly recommend this book to people who judge the fandom by its members and movies. So before you judge, read the books. 

Number Five: Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

I read this series a little while back and fell in love with it! It was the first in a long line of dystopian series I would read and it set my standards pretty high. The mix of new technology and advances on what we already have made me wonder what was in store for our future and if people would really turn to having everyone becoming "pretty" on their 16th birthday. At first I was a little hesitant to read the final book in the series because it introduces a completely new character and the main character of the previous books doesn't show up until more than halfway through the book, but I'm sure glad I did! If you're thinking of starting to read dystopian books, start with reading this series because it shows all the greatest elements of the genre. 

Number Four: While We Run/When We Wake by Karen Healey

These books are sick! I loved reading these! However, the first book was better than the second. It is yet another dystopian series that is set in Australia. It's set a little of 100 years in the future where people have donated their body to science and have been received from the dead. I fell in love with the sassy main character Tegan and her journey around a almost foreign land that is so familiar, but so different. I loved reading these, and I highly recommend them.  

Number Three: The Book Thief by Markus Zasak

I loved this book! My friend had told me that the beginning of this book was boring and hard to get into, but the book narrated by Death sucked me in like a vice. I didn't know a whole lot about the Holocaust era and this book was able to explain it fully to me. The ending was so sad though! And the movie adaptation made me feel like my heart had been ripped out of my body! But I can't express my love for this book because it was so good! Go read it! DO IT NOW! You're missing out!

Number Two: The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner 

 

Wow this series was good! It was better than good! It was amazing! And the movie was great as well! My favorite character is Brenda and I totally ship her and Thomas! And my poor Newt! I love you shuck-face! I love to use slang from these books at school and make people wonder what the heck I'm saying! Only a few girls at my school have read these books, so it gives me an excuse to talk to boys about books! That's always a plus! And the imagines on Tumblr written for this story are so good! AHH! I just love this series so much! 

Before I tell you my Number One read of this year, let's go with some honorable mentions that I totally forgot about but totally deserve to on this list!

Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore 

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer 

Without Warning by Dennis Hamley

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Number One: The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper

Okay. I cannot even right now! These books are the single most amazing thing I read all year! Which is saying something for the girl who read 20+ books in the last few months. These books were well written and researched, and I learned more about the World War II era than ever before! I actually tear up when I think about this series! I grew attached to the characters and I was so sad to see them go! I really wish Cooper would write another book in the series, or that I would be able to find another great book series as great as this one. It was amazing to read and I wish that there was something I could do to be sent back to this time period. This is making me sad to write right now, so I have to wrap it up. Please read this book series! I am begging you! After you read it, tell me what you think of it. 

And so ends our journey through my Top Ten Books of 2014! What did you think of my list? What were some great books you read this year? Tell me in the comments! I hope you enjoyed this list! Maybe my admin will post her list too! (That may be wishful thinking...) I'll see you all next year with the Top Ten Books of 2015! Please R&R!

Bar Code Tattoo Trilogy

Hey all! This next review is on the Bar Code Tattoo trilogy by Suzanne Weyn. I thought this series was okay. It's another dystopian novel set in the year 2025. I finished the last book about an hour ago actually after getting it from the library. 

Here's a brief summary of the series. Basically it's the year 2025 and the government has become corrupted by the President who is working with this government organization called Global-1, or G-1 for short. The President has forced everyone 17 and older to get the Bar Code Tattoo, a tattoo that stores all your genetic and money information with nanobots. You no longer have to carry around a wallet or credit card. Sounds pretty great huh? No. Not at all. It is destroying people's lives! It won't let some people pay bills or even get into a store! 

17 year old Kayla Reed's life has exploded with the Bar Code. Everything in her life has fallen apart just because she choose not to get the Bar Code Tattoo. Kayla had joined a Bar Code resistance group called Decode that is against getting the Bar Code. She then falls in love with one of her fellow resisters and they run away together to the Adirondack Mountains after tragedy strikes within Kayla's family.

So I don't want to spoil too much of the series, but I just want to say that I was greatly disappointed by the second book. It was kind of a let down and it felt that that Weyn had a good idea, but it fell apart on paper. The final book, however, was so much like the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. Like the Uglies series book Extras, The Bar Code Prophecy starts out with a new character that has not been talked about in the previous books, and introduces a love interest for the new character. The main characters from the previous books also come back in the middle or near the end of the books. All in all, I think the first book was my favorite. It was the beginning and I think it showed the most character development for Kayla. It also showed the beginnings of the strong bond between Kayla and Mfumbe, her boyfriend.

To conclude, I thought this series was okay. It's definitely not going on my Top Ten List, but I think I would reread it given the chance. The reason I got the first book out was it was written by one of my favorite authors. Weyn also write the book Distant Waves, which I've read over three time! I love that book so much! I would totally recommend it over The Bar Code Tattoo series. Until next time!

Important!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to announce something. I, Carly Jensen, and hopefully my admin as well, will be doing our Top Ten Books of 2014 list December 22, the first day of our winter break and Thalia Grace's from PJO birthday! We will tell you them from 10 being the least favorite, to 1 being the best book we've read this year! I have read so many book this year so I don't know how I'll choose! I'll keep you posted on more details when they arise! I'm super excited! Are you? 

When We Wake

Hey all! I know! Sorry for not getting this review out earlier! This one is on the book When We Wake bye Karen Healey! I read this one a couple of weeks ago too and really enjoyed it! 

I bet you all are wonder what it's about, so here we go! Australian native Tegan Oglietti is dead. Or she was before scientist brought her back to life 100 years after she died. The future isn't what she (or anyone else) thought it would be. Dark and dangerous secrets arise, and Tegan must make a choice: fight for a better world, or ignore the horrors and live like a good little government puppet? Healey spins a tale of what she imagines the future like, and leaves it up to us to change it. 

This story is a lot like the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield. The main character has her main love interest at the beginning of the book go away or not like her back so she finds a new one who is completely different from her old flame. In this case, Tegan's boyfriend happens to be dead, and now she finds a boy who looks a lot like him in looks, but isn't like him in personality at all. It's also like the Bar Code Tattoo trilogy by Scott Blake, in the way that it's a dystopian novel that empowers a girl to choose between saving her country or bowing down to the government.

I honestly really, really liked this book. I thought it was well written and reminded me of those other books I read. This is a hard genre to write in, in the way that all of the books are very similar in plot base. But I thought Healey was able to spin this wonderful tale and make it stand out to me. Not that she wrote it specifically for me, but it seemed like that at times during the book! I got my hands on the sequel While We Run, and I'm really enjoying it! It was a bit more confusing than the beginning of When We Wake, but I was able to figure it out, and now I really love it!

My favorite character in this book had to be Tegan. Being the main character I felt I could really understand her better than any of the other characters. Healey really allowed me to connect with her in the form of music. Tegan really likes the band The Beatles, who I listen to all the time! Just check my iPod! I have an whole Greatest Hits album on there! She also likes to play guitar, which I really, really want to learn (but have no ambition)! She's also funny and has a very dry sense of humor. But thing I like most about her is her relationship with Abdi. He's this guy she meets in the future who looks exactly like the boy she had a crush on in the past. At first Abdi acted really cold and distant toward him, but after some time they slowly developed a friendship that turned into something more. I think they are one of the cutest book couples I've ever read about (which is saying something because I've read a lot of books!).

To sum this up, I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was well written and the characters were well developed. I can't wait to finish the sequel While We Run! Until next time!
~Carly

Icefall

Hey guys! Here is my next review on the book Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby! I read this book a couple of weeks ago after having it on my shelf for years. I finally picked it up after my English teacher put it on the summer reading list for this year. So I decided to pull it off my shelf and crack it open. 

So to start off, let's give you a summary. Princess Solveig, her beautiful sister, Asa, and her brother the heir to the throne, Harold. They have been sent to a hidden fortress for protection while their father fights in war. They are trapped there because the fjord has frozen. As winter drags on, it becomes clear that there is a traitor in their midst. No one is safe from accusation, except for the perfect villains... How long can the traitor stay hidden before they are found out?

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were developed well. The only thing I didn't particularly like about Solveig was how she was so insecure about herself, and it seemed like all the other characters needed to mollycoddle her. But after she overcomes this, she is a very strong character who tries her very hardest in every task she takes on. 

I also really like the character of Hake. He takes care of Solveig and her siblings like they were his own; in a guard type of way though. He would do anything for them, because he has nothing left to care about. He never had a wife or kids, and never talks about his family. He's very sweet, but is not afraid to put his foot down on some matter he deems will have bad or unsatisfactory results. He is by far my favorite character. 

I have always loved reading stories about Greek and Roman mythology, but this is my first heavy Norse story. I know a little bit about the Norse gods from Marvel movies and a presentation I did on a story about Loki and Baulder, but after that I don't know much. This helped me get familiar with some of the legends and myths before Rick Riordan's Norse mythology series comes out next year. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I really appreciate it! If you already read this book and liked the author's writing style, then check out another one of his books, The Clockwork Three! Please R&R! 

~Carly 

P.S My admin should have her next post up soon! Be on the lookout for that! 

The Rules for Disappearing

The Rules for Disappearing By Ashley Elston was an amazing book that I loved so much. It is a story  about a girl who was stuck in the Witness Protection Program. Don't let the cover fool you, she didn't run away by herself. 

"My eyes are larger, the angles are stronger, my face looks too thin. The woman was right-no one from my former life would ever recognize me. I am truly gone." 

Meg Rose Jones is always changing every month, eye color, hair color, style. I can't imagine bing in her shoes. Ethan, dreamy farm boy, had tried to help her, even if he didn't know her secret. He wanted to be her friend. Meg knows not to let anybody in, but can she help it? 

This book is full of suspense to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. The end is truly fascinating, and I enjoyed it, and it made me think how sad it is to be in the Witness Protection Program. I could never leave my friends behind. All in all, I really liked this book and I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading! 

Hi!

Hello people!
I'm a new admin at this blog for Carly! I am her best friend and she wanted me to help her do this. My name is Giselle and I love fantasy and mystery books. The scarier, the better. :) I love recommending books and reading them more. I hope you guys enjoy the books I recommend! Thank you guys so much, and thank you Carly for letting me do this! 

The Montmaray Journals

Hey guys! So this is a post that should have come out a while ago, but I haven't gotten around to it with school and volleyball etc. But I have been really busy reading books! My English teacher requires us to read for at least twenty minutes each night, so I've read four or five pretty long books to do reviews on! The first of which is the Montmaray by Michelle Cooper!

This series takes place before and in the middle of World War II. It is the diary of Princess Sophia FitzOsborne of the island of Montmaray. She is the middle child; her older brother Tobias (Toby) is away at school in London and her younger sister Henrietta (Henry) is refusing to grow up and become a proper lady. They live with their smart older cousin, Veronica, the old housekeeper Rebecca, and their faithful dog. Life is simple, and money is tight. The king of Montmaray is mad after traumatic incidents in the first Great War where almost all of the male citizens of Montmaray were killed. Simon Chester also pops into the island from time to time. The trilogy follows the family from living happily on Montmaray, to being forced into exile after Germans raid the island, to fighting in World War II.

I really enjoyed this series! It was heart breaking for sure, with unexpected plot twists and deaths, but I was able to rejoice and be happy along with Sophie and her family! There is a cast of funny and quirky characters, and there are a lot of real people from history in here as well!   Some examples are the Kennedy family, Winston Churchill, and Neville Chamberlain to just name a few. Cooper captures the emotions of our second World War and the historical hardships of the upper class in a way that I've only seen Downton Abbey accomplish.

My favorite book in the series was probably the second  book. It follows the events of the family being exiled to London and living with their aunt. They go to parties, partake in clubs, and get presented at court. I think the reason I like it so much is because I can relate Downton Abbey's characters and themes. Except while Downton Abbey focuses on both the upper and lower class, while the Montmaray Journals just captures the events of the upper class.

I really loved this series, and I recommend it to everyone who likes history and is in middle school and high school. I learned a whole lot about World War II and the politics involving it. The cast of characters taught me that no matter where you come from, you shouldn't let anyone get in the way of loving someone.

Please R&R my latest post! Have you read this series? What did you think of it? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for reading! The next post will be up later today or tomorrow!

The Red Necklace

Hey all! This next review is on a book I'm not quite done reading yet, but I'm going to give it my best shot. It's on The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner. This book takes place in France, 1789, right before the French Revolution.

To start off, let me just give a quick summary of the story. Yann Morgoza is young Gypsy boy with the gift of reading people's minds and being able to throw his voice. His gifts are put into action while working with a rather foolish magician. This chapter of his life is over when the magician dies. But on the magician's night of death, this is where Yann meets Sido, a shy heiress whose father only cares about himself and strongly dislikes her. A short conversation between these two will influence both their paths. And while a revolution is brewing in France, Sido is being used as a pawn by her father to try to repay his debt to the fearful Count Kalliovski who is not all he appears to be. Yann will be the only one to oppose him, but what change of fate will this bring our young hero?

So, hopefully that gives you all an idea of what the book is about. As I mentioned before, I'm not done with the book yet, but I'm 148 pages in and loving it! So far my favorite character is Sido. But if you choose to read this book: BEWARE OF FEELS! I'm not going to spoil anything, but wow, there's a lot of death! Also, BEWARE OF GORE! I mean, from what I've read, it doesn't go into too much detail, but if you get sick to your stomach easily, I wouldn't suggest reading it. And, as this book takes place in the French Revolution, you ought to know that aristocrats were beheaded, so I'm guessing that is going to appear in the book. Just a warning!

So let me now talk about the author's way of writing. Gardner writes like she was there, at that moment in time! It is so descriptive! Let me just give you the first sentence of the book. "This is Paris: here the winds of change are blowing, whispering their discontent into the very hearts of her citizens."  Wow! That just described the entirety of the years leading up to the French Revolution! Now here is Gardner describing Yann: "Yann had a sharp, intelligent face, olive skin, a mop of jet black hair, and eyes as dark as midnight, with two star shining in them. He was a solitary boy who enjoyed nothing better than being left alone to explore whatever city or town he was in, until it felt to him a second skin." Gardner makes us feel like she really does know him in real life. She sure made me feel like I wanted to be friends with him!

To conclude, I want to thank TheGuardian.com for giving me some inspiration on where to start this rewiew, and to you, the readers of my blog! You're amazing! Please R&R (read and review) my latest post! Thanks!
-Carly

Shiver!

Hey all! So this is my first review in a while, but here it goes!
The book, Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater is a wonderful tale about family, love, and the supernatural. It shares common traits with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, such as the romance between a werewolf and a human girl, and the fact that it even has werewolves in it, but that's where the similarities end. It is a lot more violent than the Twilight series, and revolves around only werewolves; no vampires included! This kind of wolf is bitten, and can change between human and wolf for about fifteen times each.

The story starts in the small town of Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Our heroine, seventeen year old Grace Brisbane is the perfect child. She has good grades, cooks for her parents, and tries not to get into trouble. But all is not well in her small town. One of the local boys, Jack Culpeper, has been recently killed by one of the wolves in the area. Everyone is in a state of panic, scared of the wolves. Everyone but Grace. She knows the wolves aren't bad, especially her wolf. The one with the yellow eyes that is always looking at her.

But the rest of the townspeople think the wolves are bad, and want to kill them, including Grace's father. After her father and the rest of his arranged hunting party shoots one of the wolves, she finds Sam, naked and alone in the middle of the woods bleeding. He has the same yellow eyes as her wolf! She brings him to the hospital where she discovers his unnatural healing abilities. Grace soon finds out that he is a werewolf, and they start a relationship.

 But their happy relationship is tested when winter comes. You see, Sam's kind of wolves only shift into their human forms in the summer, while in the winter, they revert back to their wolf forms. Sam's winter is especially hard. He wants to stay with Grace, but the wolf inside him is slowly creeping out. When Sam finally does shift, he knows he can never be human again. Sam is different. For some reason, Sam has fewer changes than a regular wolf.

Shiver is a simple, but powerful love story of two ordinary teenagers who have become extraordinary. I love this story because it is a taste of what is to come for me when I read Twilight next year. Be sure to catch the breath-taking sequels!

 

Thank you to Common Sense Media and Seacoast Blog!

Update!

Hey all! Sorry for the super long wait. I've pretty busy this past year! So look out for new posts!