December 2014

December 2014 Book Haul / Wrap Up / January TBR

December 2014 Book Haul 

This book haul consists of the books that I received for Christmas!!!!

• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
• The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
• The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
• Crwon of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
• The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
• The Elites by Kiera Cass
• A Storm of Swords Part 1 by George R. R . Martin
• A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
• A Dance With Dragons Part 2 by George R. R. Martin

December 2014 Wrap Up

Here's the recap for December!!!! :D

What Was Read:

• The Turning by Jennifer Armentrout
• The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• Die For Me by Amy Plum
• The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

I also finished my Goodreads challenge!!! yay!!!! I actually thought I wouldn't get it completed but I did :D

Project 10 Book:

I have decided to stop doing this until the 1st of January 2015 (which is today or tomorrow or even yesterday, depending where you live) because of the fact that I got books for Christmas and my TBR is currently back to where it was when I started so....

At the moment I currently have 133 physical books on my TBR in my room.....

January TBR:

For January I know I want to read the following:

• Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
• Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
• Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

If I get to read anything else I will decide it on the spot, possibly from the list of books I have for the reading challenges I am participating in in 2015. For more information on this and my resolution, follow the link.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon Day 12

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon Day 12

Today is the last day of the read-a-thon!!! Where did the time go???

Today you can use this post to tell us what and how much you read, whether you met your goal or not and so on.

I've read 4 books and hope to finish my 5th one before the day is out :) 

I read:

• The Assassin and The Underworld
• The Assassin and The Empire
• Die For Me
• The Infinite Sea

And I'm hoping to finish The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton!!

Today we also have our final game!! And our final game is all about looking back at 2014. That's right it's the '2014 Gems'. Just simply make a list of your 2014 Gems!!! :)

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone & Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
2. The 5th Wave & The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
4. Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
6. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
7. Prodigy & Champion by Marie Lu
8. Throne of Glass & The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
9. Feed by Mira Grant
10. Partials by Dan Wells

Yes! Yes! I cheated!! I'm sworry.... But I had to, there wasn't enough in 10 spaces :P

Anyhoo comment below your own 2014 Gems along with the final update of your progress for the read-a-thon!!! :)

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon Day 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon Day 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11

Hey!!! My scheduling process, all my plans and everything associated with what I was supposed to do over the holidays has fallen apart, for no apparent reason either only my utter laziness and how time slips away too quickly.... That is why I am so late with these posts, late with reviews that should have been up days ago and also behind in my college work which means I now have to cram everything that was scheduled in a 2 week period into 1. Wish me luck :P

But now here's a little update on how I'm going on with the read-a-thon. Somehow this is the only thing I kept schedule with and this is the best I've ever done in a read-a-thon!!!! As you've read before my planned reads were as follows: 

1. The Assassin and The Underworld by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Assassin and The Empire by Sarah J. Maas
3. Resist by Sarah Crossan
4. Die For Me by Amy Plum 
5. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

As of right now I have read and finished - The Assassin and The Underworld, The Assassin and The Empire and The Infinite Sea. I started Die For Me, realised it just wasn't a book for me and DNF it halfway through, but I am now also currently halfway through The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, which I hadn't planned for the read-a-ton. Currently I have read a total of 757 pages :)

Now here are the games in which I missed the last couple of days and today's game!!! :)

Day 7's game - Tell Me A Story - was hosted by Jayne. What you had to do was create a story using book titles and author's names. Sue me on this one, I'm just making this up here and now as I go along...

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender started when The Messenger of Fear travelled alone along The Infinite Sea. Little did Ava know she was playing The Forbidden Game in which A Clash of Kings was inevitable. 

Ava had to travel the land of Monsters and brave the Sea of Shadows to find The One that would help her. The Clockwork Princess held the key for the Revolution that could save the City of Lost Souls, where Ava was from. 

But luck was not with Ava as the Dreams of Gods and Monsters approached, disguising themselves as both Allies & Assassin's. They turned the land to Ashes. On the final day the last battle began and with a swoop The Assassin's Blade ripped through the chest of Ava like a Knife Edge sharpened to point.

As she lay bleeding, her heart ripped in two, she thought 'There has to be More Than This.'

Charlotte was the host for Day 8 and the game was called Building Blocks. I am no good with building structures so I'm going to give this one a pass to save your eyes, my mind and my books.

Day 9 was hosted by Once Upon A Time and it invovled a Scavenger Hunt!! I'm not sure what happened with the post or if anyone did this but that's ok :P

Day 10 was again hosted by Charlotte and involved the game Shake It Up, where you 'shaked up' a cover for a book, by changing the cover, making your own edition so on and so forth. Again I ain't good with that stuff :P

Day 11 was hosted by Jayne and here you were to list out your top 10 most anticipated books of 2015!!!
Here are mine in no particular order :P

1. The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
2. The Fifth Wave #3 by Rick Yancey
3. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
4. Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong
5. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
7. Throne of Glass #4 by Sarah J. Maas
8. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headly
9. The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
10. Messenger of Fear #2 by Michael Grant

Yay!! I'm so sorry these were so late :/

2015 Challenges Detailed Post

2015 Challenges Detailed Post

I was asked to put up a post of the books that I'm reading for the challenges in which I am participating in in 2015. The Level Challenge books will be decided as I progress through each level so I have nothing for them yet.

A- Z Challenge

Here's the books I'm reading for the A - Z Challenge!!! (Not all letters have a book yet :P)

A - Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper

B- Birthmarked by Caragh M O' Brian

C - Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

D - Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

E - Eden by Keary Taylor

F - Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

G - Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

H - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

I - Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

J - Jonas by Eden Maguire

K - Kitty Hawk and the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

L - Long Reach by Peter Cocks

M - More Than This by Patrick Ness

N - Nocturne by Syrie James

O - Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

P - Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Q - The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

R - Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

S - Slated by Teri Terry

T - Touch by Jus Accardo

U - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

V - VIII by H.M. Castor

W - What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang

X

Y - The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Z

10 From The List Challenge

This was a challenge where there were a list of books and you had to choose 10 (Some of these books overlap with the A-Z Challenge :P)

1. More Than This by Patrick Ness
2. Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper
3. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
4. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
5. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
6. Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
7. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johnasen
8. Talon by Julie Kagawa
9. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
10. Say Her Name by James Dawson

There are all the books that I have scheduled for challenges so far :)

Book Review - The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade

(Throne of Glass  #0.1 - #0.5)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Mystery

Published: March 13 2014

Pages: 430 pages (Paperback Edition) (Bloomsbury Childrens)

Read: December 2014

Rating: 5 Star

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever...

This book consists of 5 novellas - The Assassin and The Pirate Lord, The Assassin and The Healer, The Assassin and The Desert, The Assassin and The Underworld & The Assassin and The Empire. In the following review I have reviewed, expressed my thoughts and rated the novellas individually.

The Assassin and The Pirate Lord: - 79 pages

A Throne of Glass novella.

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.

I enjoyed this novella very much as we were introduced to the life before Throne of Glass. We got to see the Assassin's Keep along with some major characters like Arobynn and Sam. I also enjoyed being able to see the character of Celaena before she endured the Salt Mines of Endovier. This was a nice opening to the book of novellas and lead me straight back to how much I loved Sarah J. Maas's writing style and of course my love for Throne of Glass.

Rating - 5 Stars

The Assassin and The Healer: - 40 pages

Meet the Assassin: beautiful, defiant, destined for greatness. Celaena Sardothien has challenged her master. Now she must pay the price. Her journey to the Red Desert will be an arduous one, but it may change the fate of her cursed world forever...

This novella was a bit on the short side but that did nothing to deter the rating on which I gave it. I enjoyed this novella so much and the way it was told from two point of views just completed the whole story as we got to see Celaena from someone else's eyes. This book got me so wrapped up that even when I was finished I was still wondering what happened afterwards.

Rating - 5 Stars

The Assassin and The Desert: - 106 pages

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive.

I really, really enjoyed this novella. I even think it was the best of the three that I've read so far. From the previous novella there was a topic that was continuously mentioned by Celaena but never fully addressed and this topic was addressed in this novella and I was shocked by the revelation. Truly, I was. I had thought before that this wasn't going to be explained fully and then I was delighted to understand that each novella is connected!! Unlike some which are just a series of unconnected short stories, these little stories practically tell a full one!! I also got so many answers from this novella and we see the start of a love relationship.....awwwww....just a gorgeous novella!!

Rating - 5 Stars

The Assassin and The Underworld: - 106 pages

When the King of the Assassins gives Celaena Sardothien a special assignment that will help fight slavery in the kingdom, she jumps at the chance to strike a blow against an evil practice. The misson is a dark and deadly affair which takes Celaena from the rooftops of the city to the bottom of the sewer--and she doesn't like what she finds there.

I very much enjoyed this novella!!! Ohh I love the love interest!!!! But by damn such betrayal!! I won't say much in case I spoil anything. 

Rating - 5 Stars

The Assassin and The Empire: - 99 pages

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. Yet, she won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel; Celaena must take one last daring assignment that will liberate her forever. But having it all, means you have a lot to lose . . . 

Dear God, the feels fromthis novella. I felt happy, sad, rage, despair, hope, hopeless, betrayal, everything. Damn this novella. I shall not say any more....

Rating - 5 Stars

2015 Goals, Challenges & Resolutions

2015 Goals, Challenges & Resolutions

It's that time of year again where you set yourself goals and aspirations for the following year. I actually love sitting down and planning these things out but....every year I plan them but never really stick to them.....This year will be different!!!

My Goodreads Reading Goal for this year is going to be set as 60. For the past two years I've had the goal at 50 so I decided to push it up 10 to 60 for 2015.

I have only decided to participate in a small few challenges all which are being held on my Goodreads group YA Book Gang!!. Last year I joined a load of challenges and ended up not completing one of them so I decided to lessen the load and hopefully complete them all.
The challenges I am doing are:

1. A-Z Challenge (Suggestions for U,X,Y and Z would be appreciated!!)
2. 10 From The List
3. Level Challenge

As for my resolutions, they are:

1. I want to bring my current TBR down to 80!!
2. I want to comment more on the blog posts I read.
3. I want to write more posts on my blog here (at least 3 posts a week)
4. I want to continue on with Project 10 Book and not give up.

More will probably be added but I just can't think of any yet :P

2015 Memes

2015 Memes

For 2015, I am going to participate in 3 memes. They are:

• Top Ten Tuesday
• Wishlist Wednesday
• Best of the Bunch

I was slightly over enthusiastic last year when I'd said I'd participate in a load of memes and then I realised I didn't have the time and then ended up doing none of them so these are the two I will stick to in 2015 and perhaps I might add more if I can cope :P

Top Ten Tuesday

#1 - Top Ten Most Anticipated Novels of 2015
#2 - Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To
#3 - Freebie - Top Ten Series I Need To Finish Or Catch Up On!!
#4 - Top Ten Books I'd Love To Read With My Book Club
#5 - Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have
#6 - Top Ten YA Heroines
#7 - Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR
#8 - Top Ten Books Recently Added To My TBR
#9 - Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Rest of 2015
#10 - Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR
#11 - Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015
#12 - Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read
#13 - Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession
#14 - Top Ten Fairy Retellings I've Read / Want To Read
#15 - Top Ten Authors I've Read The Most Books From
#16 - Top Ten Of My Auto-Buy Authors
#17 - Top Ten Books That Would Be On My Syllabus If I Taught YA 101
#18 - Ten Characters You Just Didn't Click With
#19 - Ten Finished Series I Have Yet To Finish
#20 - Freebie - Top Ten Authors I Want To Meet
#21 - Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR
#22 - Ten Books To Read If You Like I'll Give You The Sun
#23 - Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel
#24 - Top Ten 2016 Debut Novels I Am Looking Forward To
#25 - Top Ten New-To-Me Favourite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015
#26 - Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015
#27 - Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year
#28 - Top Ten Most Anticipated Released For The First Half of 2016

Wishlist Wednesday

#1 - Shadow of The Wolf by Tim Hall
#2 - Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
#3 - Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
#4 - This Is Where The World Ends by Amy Zhang
#5 - The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen by Katherine Howe
#6 - Winter by Marissa Meyer
#7 - Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
#8 - Rook by Sharon Cameron
#9 - Crank by Ellen Hopkins
#10 - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
#11 - Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
#12 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
#13 - Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 
#14 - Confess by Colleen Hoover
#15 - November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Best of the Bunch
June 2015 - I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
July 2015 - The Young Elites by Marie Lu
August 2015 - Conversion by Katherine Howe
September 2015 - Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
October 2015 - The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
November 2015 - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
December 2015 - All My 5 Star Reads of December

2014 Meme Post List

Memes

Top Ten Tuesday - hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

#1 - Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read For Various Reasons
#2 - Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet
#3 - Top Ten Characters Who I Would Totally Want To Be For Halloween.

Wishlist Wednesday - hosted by Pen to Paper

#1 - Wishlist Wednesday - Parasite by Mira Grant

#2 - Wishlist Wednesday - Talon by Julie Kagawa
#3 - Wishlist Wednesday - Wool by Hugh Howey
#4 - Wishlist Wednesday - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
#5 - Wishlist Wednesday - Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
#6 - Wishlist Wednesday - Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
#7 - Wishlist Wednesday - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
#8 - Wishlist Wednesday - The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
#9 - Wishlist Wednesday - The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
#10 - Wishlist Wednesday - The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons
#11 - Wishlist Wednesday - A Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas

No Longer Participating In!!!

No Longer Participating In

Shelf Candy Saturday - hosted by A Night's Dream of Books

#1 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/05/shelf-candy-saturday-1.html
#2 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/shelf-candy-saturday-2.html
#3 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/shelf-candy-saturday-3.html
#4 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/shelf-candy-saturday-4.html

Sunday Bought, Borrowed and Bagged - hosted by Talk Supe

#1 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/05/sunday-bought-borrowed-and-bagged-1.html

#2 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/bought-borrowed-and-bagged-2.html
#3 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/bought-borrowed-and-bagged-3.html

Teaser Tuesday - hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading

#1 - Teaser Tuesday - The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

#2 - Teaser Tuesday - Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
#3 - Teaser Tuesday - The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead
#4 - Teaser Tuesday - Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
#5 - Teaser Tuesday - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
#6 - Teaser Tuesday - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
#7 - Teaser Tuesday - Prodigy by Marie Lu
#8 - Teaser Tuesday - All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
#9 - Teaser Tuesday - Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

On My Shelves
#1 - On My Shelves - Partials by Dan Wells
#2 - On My Shelves - Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
#3 - On My Shelves - Forsaken by Jana Oliver
#4 - On My Shelves - Feed by Mira Grant
#5 - On My Shelves - Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
#6 - On My Shelves - Starters by Lissa Price
#7 - On My Shelves - Birthmarked by Caragh M. O' Brien
#8 - On My Shelves - Eden by Keary Taylor
#9 - On My Shelves - Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London
#10 - On My Shelves - Poison Study by Maria V. Synder
#11 - On My Shelves - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Friday Finds - hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading

#1 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/05/friday-finds-1.html

#2 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/friday-find-2.html
#3 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/friday-finds-3.html
#4 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/06/friday-finds-4.html
#5 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/07/friday-finds-5.html
#6 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/07/friday-finds-6.html
#7 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/08/friday-finds-7.html
#8 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/08/friday-finds-8.html
#9 - http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.ie/2014/08/friday-finds-9.html

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 6

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 6

Hey everyone!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to those who do not celebrate Christmas. I am back being the host for today's game and what is today's game you may ask. It is......

Winter Wonderland - You have to create a winter / christmas scene either by using objects around your house or by going outside :P 

My picture is just a simple one, with the Christmas Tree in the background and featured are the books that I had the pleasure of opening this morning!!! :D So here it is!!!!

Comment below what you've done and send it on twitter too @Read_Endof2014

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 4 & 5

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 4 & 5

Hey guys!!! I've started my third book but unfortunately I'm liking it so much and am really considering just giving up on it. It's predictable that I know what is going to happen, I don't like any of the characters and there's practically no world to it at all, not really. So, yes, there is my dilemma for now.....

So the game for Day 4 was Psychic or Not.... It was hosted by Charlotte over at Bookmarks and Blogging. For this game you have to predict what is going to happen in your book.

So ya I predict that:

• There will be an argument between Kate and Vincent
• The bad guys will show up
• Kate and Vincent will realize they are madly in love with each other

As for the game for Day 5. This game is hosted by Once Upon A Time at Once Upon A Time A Review. For thisgame you have to let us know what movies you want to be made into a movie. You list your top 5 and the game is called Movie Marathon.

I would love to see the following as a movie:

1. Throne of Glass
2. Legend
3. All Our Yesterdays
4. Shadow and Bone
5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 2 & 3

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 2 & 3

Hey everyone!!! It's now Day 4 and I know I'm extremely late posting these but I'm back on track now!! So, yup it's day 4 and Day's 4 Game is going to be up and running soon!! Just keep a look out for it :P

My progress so far is that I've finished 2 of my proposed 5 reads that I planned which I'm extremely happy about!! I've also just completed my Goodreads Challenge!!! YAY!! I've finished 'The Assassin and The Underworld' and 'The Assassin and The Empire' both by Sarah J. Maas. And both were unbelievable!!! I loved them so much!!! And they hurt me sooo bad!! Book Hangover 3 people!! I've just got 3 books left and hopefully I'll get them read. I'm starting Die For Me by Amy Plum today and the plan is to get it finished before Christmas Day :P 

And back to the Games!! Day 2 was hosted by Jayne over at Booking Awesome and the game was Colour The Rainbow. Jayne also picked a winner for this game so congrats to Emily Schroeder, Emma and Melissa!! And well done to everyone who participated also :P

Without further delay, here is my rainbow :P

The game for Day 3 was hosted by Once Upon A Time over at Once Upon A Time A Review. The game is Spell It Out and you have to spell out a christmassy / winter word!! 

My word is SANTA!!

• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 1

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - Day 1

It's finally that time where the read-a-thon begins!!! I was so looking forward to this so so much because I have read hardly nothing since the start of December and I just plan to read, read, read for these last days of 2014.

Today, I am your game host!!! But there are also sprints being held on Goodreads Group and Twitter if you follow @Read_Endof2014. But it is here on the individual blogs that we are having the games!!!

Today's game is simple, all you have to do is write out your TBR, if you don't have a set TBR tell us how many books you'd like to get read for the read-a-thon..

Here is mine!! I'm hoping to get at least 4 books read but I might get 5 who knows :)

1. The Assassin and The Underworld by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Assassin and The Empire by Sarah J. Maas
3. Resist by Sarah Crossan
4. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
5. Die For Me by Amy Plum

Comment below the link to your TBR post guys and happy reading!!! :D

Secret Santa Has ARRIVED!!!!!

Secret Santa Has ARRIVED!!!!!

Oh my, my, my, today was just going to be a very usual day on the first day of my Christmas holidays but damn my whole day has completely changed!! Completely!! A pink box arrived at my door and all I could think was Oh My God, that box is huge!!! Then I saw who it was from and where it was from and I jumped around the place, with a big smile saying it's my Secret Santa!!! I'm still smiling now :P

Anyhoo, I was spoiled rotten by my Secret Santa and I mean spoilt rotten. My Secret Santa was so good, so amazing to me and I really can't thank her enough for everything she got me. Seriously, my breath just went and I was gob smacked. I can't thank you enough my secret santa!! Just so you all know my secret santa was @tabi91 and I love her so so much!! :P She is just amazing!!!

Here is what she sent me!!! :)

Secret Santa Goodies!!!

 Isn't it just amazing????? Yes it is!! It is so much more than amazing!! I was just shocked and awed and I loved every single bit of my parcel!!!

Here's a breakdown of what I got, if you can't really see from the above picture :P

SOCKS!!!

Here are a gorgeous pair of penguin socks!! I've never had penguin socks before :p and it just so christmassy :P Now I can wear these with my christmas jumper and pants :D

Goodies!!!

Sorry about the picture being sideways. Don't know why that happened but here we have pictured some fabulous smelling spray. I know because I am just after spraying myself with it :P I also got body lotion and a fabulous foxy purse!! I'm using the purse for my new Project 10 Book bank!! These all came wrapped in a little type of gift thing with a ribbon (I'm sorry I don't know what it's called :/)

Sweets!! Yum!!

I got sweets!!! I love sweets :P I got a chocolate penguin!! So cute, I don't know how I'll eat it :P, A Skittles Christmas Tree which is so cool!! And my little brother took it but that's ok :P I also got a cookie in a penguin tin. I love cookies!!! I am such a cookie monster. Literally.... And lastly, in the sweet department, I got a hershey's kisses. I have never had one of these before so Imma going to wait till Christmas and have it as my Christmas treat :P

Books!!!!!

I got 3 books!!!! I have to thank you so so so so much for them too. I've been wanting to read these for ages and none can be found in book stores where I live so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The books are: 

• The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (I never knew that this cover was on the paperback edition!! I'm so happy it is!!! :D)
• The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (such an amazing edition too, the back is such a bright gold and the pages are textured amazingly, it's like nothing I've ever seen before!!)
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Yeh!! Can't wait to read this!!!)

The Card!!!

And lastly there was a gorgeous card with a lovely message that was written by my secret santa :)

Again, I don't know how to thank you enough for all this and you'll probably be sick of me by the time I'm finished :P

2014 End of Year Book Survey

2014 End of Year Survey

Hey guys this is my first time ever doing this survey and the survey is created by The Perpetual Page-Turner.

So what this is all about is that you reflect on your year of reading and look ahead to the next year as well. Literally I am so excited to fill this out!!! :D

Just so everyone knows, this survey is for all the books you read in 2014 not just books that you read which were published in 2014.

Number of Books Read: 44 (13/12/14)

Number or Rereads: 0

Most Read Genre: Young Adult 

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

Such a hard question so I'm going to split it up into genres - just keep in mind they're all young adult books :P

2. Fantasy - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas / Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

6. Science Fiction - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

7. Dystopia - All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

8. Horror - Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?

I was really really looking forward to reading Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck. I had bought the book last year or the year before and I was just captivated by the blurb as well as the cover but once I started the book, my excitement fell as I started to realize that I wasn't enjoying it at all. I actually hated the book and DNF it with a rating of 1 star.

3. Most Surprising (Good or Bad Way) Book You Read In 2014?

The most surprising book I would have to say would be All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill and this was a surprise in a good way. I had started the book earlier on in the year and had put it down again after a few pages, but, then I decided to read it again and found it unputdownable. The book was amazing!!!

4. Book You 'Pushed' The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

The book I pushed the most people to read was Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong.

5. Best Series You Started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

Best Series Started - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass 

Best Sequel - Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Best Series Ender - Champion by Marie Lu / City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

6. Favourite New Author You Discovered in 2014?

Ohhhhhh, I discovered a load of new authors this year!!!!! There was Laini Taylor, Leigh Bardugo, Rick Yancey, Sarah J. Maas, Mira Grant, and many more... So who was my favourite, I can't even choose, am, am, am...... all of the above mentioned :) I cheated!!! ha.....

7. Best Book From A Genre You Don't Typically Read/Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone?

Hmmmmm, the genre I don't typically read is Contemporary so the best book from there that Iread in 2014 was Where She Went by Gayle Forman.

8. Most Action-Packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year?

Again, not a fair question but it was either All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey or Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

9. Book You Read in 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. I remeber just finishing that book and wanting to read it straight away again so it's definitely a contender for a re-read next year :)

10. Favourite Cover of a Book You Read in 2014?

The Sea of Shadows book cover was absolutely awesome!!! It was the first thing that led me to that book and I have raved about it over here. But there were other awesome book covers as well soooo Imma pick my top 5!!!

In no particular order......

11. Most Memorable Character of 2014?

Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2014?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2014?

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant - This is certainly a book that will make you think!!!

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2014 to Finally Read?

There's quite a few on this list actually, but I'm going to go with the most hyped book - Divergent by Veronica Roth, What was I doing till 2014 to read this?????

15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read in 2014?

Aww man I don't go through quotes but I'll go find one now or at some point ;p

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read in 2014?

Shortest Book - The Meeting by Richelle Mead (3 pages)

Longest Book - City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (733 pages)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most?

The book that shocked me the most was Feed by Mira Grant. I really, really, enjoyed this book and the aspects that made you really think. Then the ending truly shocked me as I wasn't expecting it at all and literally this was the only book that left me with a true book hangover in 2014.

18. OTP of the Year?

There isn't just one!!!

19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year?

I loved the relationship between Mara and The Messenger in Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant or the relationship between Shaun and Georgia Mason in Feed by Mira Grant.

20. Favourite Book You Read in 2014 From an Author You've Read Previously?

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. If I had to pick a book from that either City of Glass or City of Heavenly Fire.

21. Best Book You Read in 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure?

That would have to be Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass. A lot of people for months had to recommend that book to me before I cracked and bought it and then read it. Did not regret it though :P

22. Newest Fictional Crush From A Book You Read in 2014?

Gavril from Sea of Shadows, Chaol & Dorian from Throne of Glass, Sam form The Assassin's Blade, The Darkling from Shadow and Bone, Four from Divergent, will I continue???

23. Best 2014 Debut You Read?

Debut Published in 2014??? - Popular: A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen

Debut Read in 2014?? - All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

I'd have to say that it's too hard to pick but I loved the world building in  Shadow and Bone by Leight Bardugo, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Daughter of Smoke and Bone and All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most Fun To Read?

Popular: A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen was the book that I smiled the most at in 2014. All of the other books I read had a more serious note to them :P

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

I can't remember O.o, but I know I cried when reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Feed by Mira Grant. A good few nearly made me cry but I was more shocked than anything else. 

27. Hidden Gem of the Year?

These questions are killing me.... It's gonna be.....The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey :P 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

It would have to be Feed by Mira Grant. As I said previous I got a book hangover over this one!!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

They were all unique really. Yes I read a few books from the same genre but they all had a unique aspect.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn't necessarily mean you didn't like it)?

The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout. I just got so angry when I even thought about reading that book because I hated it so much so then I DNF it.

1. New Favourite Book Blog You Discovered in 2014?
All of the people I follow on bloglovin, cause well I just started blogging this year so I love everyone :P

2. Favourite Review That You Wrote in 2014?
The review for Feed by Mira Grant. If you want to see it, go find it :P

3. Best Discussion/Non-Review Post You Had On Your Blog?
I loved doing all the tags if that counts....

4. Best Event That You Participated in?
That I participated in???? Well I'm looking into the future for this one and it's going to be the 'It's The End of 2014' Read-a-thon!!

5. Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2014?
Just starting blogging was a great blogging life moment!! Going to London to get City of Heavenly Fire was my best bookish moment!! :)

6. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog?
It was the one about the read-a-thon mentioned above :P

7. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
I can't really answer that one :P
8. Best Bookish Discovery?
Blogging!!!!

9. Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals That You Had Set For Yourself At The Beginning of This Year?
Nope!! That is why I'm determined to stick to the challenges that I have set myself next year!! I've only set 4 so I should be able to complete them! I have the A-Z Challenge, Top 10 Challenge, Level Challenge and then the Goodreads Challenge. Wish me luck guys :P

1. One Book You Didn't Get To in 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?
There is a load of them.....Will I just make a list????? Hey, why not :P

1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
3. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
4. Allies and Assassin's by Justin Somper
5. Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
6. More Than This by Patrick Ness
7. The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

2. Book You Are Most-Anticipating For 2015 (Non-Debut)?
Ohhh there are so many but my most anticipated is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. Series Ending / A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead. I can't wait!!!! :D

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading / Blogging Life in 2015?
I want to get my physical TBR down to 80!!! It's on something like 130 at the minute.....

6. A 2015 Release You've Read & Recommend To Anyone?
I haven't read any.....