Well, hasn't it been a hot minute?
2016 was the last time I posted a review on this blog! Yikes. I haven't stopped writing reviews--I write a review 99% of the time when I finish reading a book, I just don't do content-breakdown reviews, and I post them on Goodreads. However, I like the idea of being able to catalogue by month (and year) what I read, and not have to go to a seperate page to see what my review was and all that rot. So...here's me, attempting to be at least semi-consistent on this blog. Forgive me if I'm not. So, without furthur ado, let's kick off my thirteen favourite reads of 2018!
1) The Progeny \\ Tosca Lee \\ 5 Stars
What a ride! What a plot! Can't wait for the second book!! I loved the tone of the book, the way the author described settings and people, and the varied characters. I love how emotion packed The Progency was--that is totally up my alley. And Luka? Yes. Go Luka go.
Now onto book two!
2) My Promise \\ Noah Bolinder \\ 5 Stars
A beautiful tale of epistemology, set in a scenic college campus. What a mysterious read! There's the writing that fills 99% of the market, and then there's that 1% that is just different. Just weird (in a good way) that makes you think and want to (metaphorically) go out to sea to fish for mysteries.
My Promise was spellbinding, entertaining and thought-provoking. Definitely not a fly-through-the-pages type of book, because of all the intense thought behind it, though I still managed to finish it in just over a day! I was really hoping an ACTUAL romance romance, though...considering how the plot all worked out, I understand why it all happened as it did.
And now I'm going to go back through the chapters and listen to the soundtrack pieces picked for each chapter--I didn't get to on my first read through because I wasn't around my computer, but...now I have my second batch of work cut out for me, and I'm excited to see how they pair!
3) Whisper \\ Lynette Noni \\ 5 Stars
How much power do our words hold? A lot more than you realize.
Whoa. What a book. I'm only slightly groaning over here because book 2 is not out yet, and I need it, like--yesterday!
When I started Whisper I didn't know it was going to turn into mutants or people with special powers, but hey, I didn't mind it when it happened. I was like--hey, cool. I'm digging this.
I loved the plot--I was surprised by all the twists and turns and gaping like a codfish for others. The characters--check. Loved them and their different relationships with J.D.
I very much enjoyed the foray into showing just how much power our words truly have. When I started reading I was thinking to myself "wouldn't it be interesting if someone wrote a book showcasing how powerful our words are?" and then bam. That's what the book is about. I loved how it was written and executed and how it played out. Now I really need to get my hands on book 2!
4) Daddy-Long-Legs \\ Jean Webster \\ 5 Stars
A true classic! What a heartwarming, beautiful little book! I love the twists and turns and how the ending came to be. And the writing was so clever and witty--like I said--TOTAL CLASSIC STATUS. Everyone should read this book in their childhood/teen years.
5) Secrets \\ Kristen Heitzmann \\ 4 Stars
I enjoyed how many strains this story held. Very complex, with a good mystery, some romance and a fabulous setting.
6) The Remnant Chronicles \\ Mary E. Pearson
Book 1 \\ Kiss of Deception: I enjoyed how many strains this story held. Very complex, with a good mystery, some romance and a fabulous setting.
5 Stars
Book 2 \\ The Heart of Betrayal: Book 2 in 'The Remnant Chronicles', The Heart Of Betrayal, picks up right where Kiss Of Deception left off. The intricately woven suspense, ample danger and sparks of romance, had me devouring this book in no time flat.
PLOT:
As I mentioned above, it began where book 1 left off, and it never lagged for a moment. There were always nuggets of information being shared, little by little, or dangerous suspenseful moments where it was near impossible to put this one down once I began. The plot was masterminded, and while I knew it was complex in book 1, I was able to more fully comprehend and appreciate how intricate it really was. As the dots were connecting, there were so many "aha!" lightbulb moments. I personally love those.
CHARACTERS:
In book 2, they become more vibrant and complex than in book 1. These characters really did jump off the page, and didn't feel even for a moment like they were any less real than if they were standing in the room with me.
I have come by few authors who create such lifelike paper people, and Pearson did so, quite superbly in this series.
5 Stars
Book 3 \\ The Beauty of Darkness :
WAHHHHHH!!!!! Second time reading The Beauty of Darkness and all the feels hath gripped me!!What a sad book! It just rips your heart out and stomps on it again and again and again! But oh so good. What an epic conclusion to an epic saga. Wow. So many weepy feels, cause the heartrending just...never...ends.
Although tragic, the character arcs and growth were so real. Broke my little reader heart.
I wish Kaden had have tried more with Lia in a romantic capacity, especially considering how he felt about her in book 2...but alas. I wasn't so much a fan of the abrupt ending, but...that's that.
All in all, a marvellous book. Pearson's world-creating skills gobbled me whole, and I loved being able to spend...what is it, like 1,600 pages in total, in the Remnant universe and with SUCH A STUNNING LINEUP OF CHARACTERS! Now I'll just go cry in a corner because the feels were just...so...real. **if you want to watch a little chatty video, I did a booktube of the series, which you can watch right here**
7) Price of Priviledge \\ Jessica Dotta \\ 4 Stars
What an intricately woven tale. I am somewhat gobsmacked, to be honest. The way Dotta writes is...unlike any author I've read before. The way she creates her characters and reveals a story, piece by piece--it's an art form. While I wasn't so much a fan of the pervasive sensuality creep factor that came with Mr. Macy, he was a well-done villian-sociopath-psychopath-narcissist character, lol. A veritable head-trip, that one is, as the scariest villains always seem to be.
I wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers or readers who want to steer clear of more sensual characters who go around seducing young innocent women, but the writing was phenomenal. I can totally see why readers draw the correlation between Austin and the Bronte sisters in Dotta's writing.
While I rather squirmed my way through much of this book, it was written superbly--hence the three stars. I'm not so much a fan in general of gothic, darker tales, but this one is quite brilliantly written, if not a tad creepy and tragic.
8) If I Run series \\ Terri Blackstock \\ 5 Stars
What a series. I. Tell. You.
If you like a series similar to Harrison Ford's movie 'The Fugative' & really any movies/books with plots involving someone who has been framed and is fleeing from the law while they try to prove their innocence. What an amazing series!
9) Six Months Later \\ Natalie Richards \\ 4 Stars
Apart from the rather (excessive) language, Six Months Later gobbled this reader right up. I didn't know if Six Months Later was a suspense book or not, but whoa--hello suspense!! It kinda reminded me of the Bourne series, but with a YA twist to it.
It was annoying that Chloe started almost every thought with "God, XYZ this" or "God, XYZ that" or "Hell, XYZ this or that". I know that high school kids swear and I can slog through a great deal of language in my reading, but honestly, 99% of the swearing felt like sloppy filler words that didn't even fit. They felt lazy and ill-placed. The sheer amount--and distinctly lazy use of profanity irked me. That, and I had a bit of a hard time getting through the first few chapters because of the tone of narration--but I eventually got the swing of things. Apart from those two details--great book. Read it in two sittings.
Although it says this book is for 13+, it just seems a bit too mature for most thirteen-year-olds? I'd probably recommend it for 16 minimum--but then again, it changes from reader to reader.
10) Life After \\ Katie Ganshert \\ 5 Stars
I LOVED Life After. The first paragraph's diatribe about death had me cringing and I was like, um...maybe not this book, but wow--this novel just blessed my heart. It was oddly cathartic to read.
I loved Katie's writing style. It felt quite unique compared to most author's I've read and I really enjoyed it. The characters were top-notch, seriously. I loved Paul & Autumn's relationship. What a pairing they made.
I felt the healing journey depicted for all the characters was honouring and beautiful--refreshingly not all about that platitude life like most stories that involve loss and grief. I was impressed. Am impressed.
The unravelling mysteries kept me turning the pages, waiting to get around the bend and discover "the thing" and I was shocked and surprised and I loved every minute of it. While a heavier read because it focuses so much on grief following a traumatic event and loss, it was refreshing to read a book on the subject, when so many--even inspirational fiction books just don't "go there".
11) The Secret History of Us \\ Jessica Kirby \\ 3 Stars
So yes, things felt woefully cut short. Walker's character got almost NO airtime, and for this book being called "The Secret History of US" not "ME", I was hoping for a bit more US, cause as I said, we got three very short "US" related scenes.
Personally, I'd be into a book written from Walker's perspective and then how they pieced together their relationship after the accident or some such--but without a follow-up book, or some extra content between Walker & Olivia--things felt stunted and cut short. And not tastefully. To me, it felt like a gaping void that wasn't done right.
12) Wolfsbane \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 5 Stars
One of my FAVOURITE suspense books of all time. Geez. So jam-packed with gritty emotions and circumstances and characters that feel so real and relatable. Every minute I was on the edge of my seat--cheering, then wailing "noo!" from scene to scene.
What a feast for the reading senses.
The romance--what even.
The characters--yes, please. Canyon & Dani--like opposites attract in THE BEST WAY. Their relationship. SWOON. I feel like I could read five books all about them and never get bored.
The plot--it's basically the perfect storm.
IT WILL HAVE YOU ON TENTERHOOKS THE WHOLE TIME, YO. Just do yourself a favour and if you even remotely like romantic suspense or military fiction--go buy and read this book. Do it. Do it now. Righttt nowwwww. Gooooooooooooo!!! #FragOut
I wouldn't recommend this one for younger readers as it has some pretty intense mature themes, including rape, suicide, sex and some other things--it's just better for adult readers, methinks.
13) Operation Zulu \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 5 Stars
An amazing, pulse-pounding series with a plethora of beautiful, strong, lady soldiers. And I'm not a feminist, and to be honest, the way most people describe "strong women" or women in combat roles--it just drives me nuts. However...I felt like Kendig really depicted women in combat beautifully. Not trying to be men. Not trying to be brash and hulking and something they're not. Not wearing an ill-fitting jacket, but something glorious, fiercely unique and incredibly strong.
This is also a whopper of a book, coming in at almost 600 pages. So...you gotta be in for the long haul, but it is SO worth it. So much action and intensity. So many character interactions that were just so...yummy--that sounds weird, but it's true, haha.
All of Ronie Kendig's work is steller, top notch spec-ops stuff, so, in all seriousness, if you like suspense, or military fiction, go check out her stuff. I don't know how my reading life survived before I discovered her work half a decade ago!
That is all for now!
I cannot promise I will be regular in posting blog posts, but...I do want to attempt doing a monthly roundup of the books I've read, and bring my Goodreads reviews and combine them all on here. Savvy? Alright then!
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