End of 2012 Book Survey

This survey was created by The Perpetual Page - Turner, and I know that I'm more than a week late, but hey... I get credit for doing it. Right?

I may skip a few questions here and there because unfortunately, I didn't read as much as I wish I had this year and I can't just name every book I've read for every question. :-P

Anyways, here we go.

1. Best book you read in 2012?
   Wow. It's hard to pick just one. And even with the 4 that I think are tied for first, there are a bunch more that could be right up there with them. But right now I'm going to have to go with Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev, and Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

2. Best series you discovered in 2012?
   Well, not necessarily that I discovered it, but I didn't start reading it until this year. But I read book one in The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck and even though the main character is irritatingly ridiculous at times, I enjoyed it enough to want to read the rest of the series. Although I can tell by reviews written by other people that it's going to infuriate me almost as much as book one did.

3. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
   Hmmm... this one is probably an easy one. There are LOTS of gorgeous (and some not so gorgeous but equally as awesome) covers... but I'd have to say that it's a tie between Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore and Mark of Betrayal by A.M. Hudson.

4. Most memorable character in 2012?
   Hands down, Cole St. Clair from the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater.  He was my hero from the moment I finished Linger and I loved him even more in Forever. It also helps that I adore listening to this man narrate his part. ::cough:: Wow. Dan Bittner is just.... ::sigh:: I may also have to go with Jason Knight from The Dark Secret Series. He had a rough start in the series but he completely redeemed himself and he's just wonderful.

Moving on...

5. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
   Oh geez. This one isn't steamy or anything like that. But War Horse by Michael Morpurgo literally had me so frustrated I threw my book across the room. It was basically one of those "anything that can go wrong will go wrong" type of books and I just felt SO bad for that poor horse and the good people involved with him (just the good people... the bad ones can go and.... ::ahem:: nevermind). I'm the type of person where if I watch a movie and a person dies, it's sad. But if I'm watching a movie and an animal gets hurt or dies.... it ruins my WHOLE week. And I'm sobbing like an idiot.

6. Favorite relationship from a book in 2012?
   Ooh ooh. Nate and Bertie from the Theatre Illuminata trilogy by Lisa Mantchev. I love Nate. He's a strong and handsome pirate who's completely smitten with Bertie. And Bertie is a strong and independent woman who has a heart the size of the world. They balance each other out nicely and he gets her. And he's a pirate. Did I mention that?

That's about all I think I'm gonna answer for now. I know it's only 6 questions, but I figure that's enough. And again, sorry I'm late. But better late than never! Word. Now get to reading!

Review - Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Finally was able to get on the Tiger Saga train. Finished Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck today. I've wanted to read them for a while but until they were on sale for next to nothing at a bargain outlet I couldn't justify the purchase at the time. I'm glad I bought this one though. And I'm also glad there are 3 other books in the series already out... because that means that I don't have to wait to read them.

On to my review.

I loved the story. I loved the legend and the mystery behind everything. I also appreciated that we got the story behind the whole ordeal before anything else. A lot of authors sometimes stick it in the middle or try and have one of the main characters explain the back story. And unortunately a lot of times, at least for me, that leads to confusion then irritation, because of the choppiness of going back and forth between past and present.

Kelsey was a decent main character. She adapted quickly to the situations handed to her and took them with the grace of someone much older. However, I thought a lot of her dialogue was unbelievable. I've never heard an 18 year old use the term "Wily rascal" ever. A lot of the time she spoke like a normal teenager, but then there were just words here and there thrown in that made her seem.... off.

Mr. Kadam was kind and cared a great deal for both Kelsey and Ren. He was like a substitute father  for Kelsey AND for Ren.

Ren, however, was my favorite character. Maybe it was because of the heartbreak of being betrayed by his own brother (however, even Kishan grew on me after a while) over something that wasn't even his fault.

He was strong and sure of himself. He was extremely grateful for what Kelsey was doing for him, not entitled like he could have been being royalty and being that he knew she'd help him no matter what. He paid her back by caring for her and keeping her safe. Always standing by her even when she was being difficult.

I was sad about the kind of person Kelsey turned in to. Just once I would like a confident main female character in a story like this. Not one who doubts herself and then tries to push away someone who obviously cares for her. It felt like the change in her was forced. Put there as a filler or because there really were no "conflicts" aside from the curse itself. It didn't need to be there and it made absolutely no sense.

I will read the next book in the series, definitely. Kelsey's turn at the end didn't turn me off to the rest of the books. The action and suspense, especially once they were on their way in to Kishkinda, is enough for me to want to find out what happens next. I only hope that this unnecessary tantrum she's throwing doesn't follow her through the rest of the series.

This book is a great fantasy novel. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good read... one that's not cookie cutter "love triangle" fantasy.

Cover Reveal - Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck

With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling "Tiger's Curse" series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

The cover is gorgeous. Just like all the previous in the series. What do you guys think?

Desperately Waiting Wednesday: Books I Want to Buy but Keep Putting Back on the Shelf

I do it every time I go to the store. I spend at least 10-15 minutes in the book aisle, looking at all the books I don't have that I want. I pick them up, marvel at the covers, flip through the pages, and then put them back on the shelf. It's the same books every time. It's always a battle between just piling up my cart with books and the knowledge that I have to buy groceries instead.

The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

 

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

What about you? Which books do you want?