What Are You Reading Monday #15

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Book Journey, where us bloggers highlight our book reading week. 

What I Read this week

My Review of Ten

My Review of If I Stay

My Review of A Million Suns

My Review of Shades of Earth

My Review of Pushing the Limits

My Review of The Raven Boys

My Reading List for next week

Blog Schedule

Monday--What Are You Reading Monday

Review of Article 5

Review of Crown of Embers

Tuesday--Review of Clarity

Review of The Diviners

Wednesday--Wishlist Wednesday

Review of Breathe

Thursday--Any other reviews to catch up on

Friday--Feed My Reader Friday

Fire Country Book Blitz

Saturday--IMM

Any reviews to catch up on

Cocoa and Hype Make Every Book Nice Read A Thon Wrap Up

My Reading List:

Gates of Pardise by Melissa De La Cruz--Finished! My Review
What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang--Finished! My Review
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark--on page 80--I don't think I'll finish this one.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil--Finished! My Review
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry--Finished! My Review
Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison--Finished!  My Review
The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater--Finished! My Review
Clairty by Kim Harrington--Finished! Review Coming Soon
If I Stay by Gayle Forman--Finished!  My Review
Breathe by Sarah Crossan--Finished! Review Coming Soon
The Diviners by Libby Bray--Finished! Review Coming soon
A Million Suns by Beth Revis--Finished!  My Review
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis--Finished! My Review

So, I was able to finish all the books on my list but one, which I abandoned!  It was a very productive week, and I had lots of fun doing this read a thon!   

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Goodreads
409 pages, YA Paranormal (Ghosts & Magic)
The Raven Cycle #1
My Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

My 2 cents

This book was an odd duck!  I really liked the magical and paranormal elements to it, and the mystery of the ley lines.  The parts of the story where the group was uncovering the mysteries were the best parts of the story for me.  The characters themselves were definitely strange though!

So the way the synopsis read, I assumed that Gansey and Blue would be the couple of the book.  But not so!  It was actually Adam and Blue that were a sort-of couple in the book.  Although I think Gansey was drawn to Blue--but Blue really didn't like Gansey all that much.  After the ending though, I'm thinking Blue and Gansey may be drawn together in future novels.  

The group of friends was interesting and fun to read about.  Gansey is definitely the leader of the group--charismatic, rich, and in charge.  Ronan is his best friend, and they are like brothers.  Ronan has a major attitude problem.  Adam was my favorite of the boys.  He was the kid who was strong and sure, but suffered immensely for a hard knock kind of life.  He actually seemed the most normal.  Noah was always on the fringes of things,  and I didn't really get to know him that well until about two thirds of the way through the story.

Blue was an awesome heroine.  But it almost didn't feel like her story.  It really felt more like Adam and Gansey's story through most of the book.  Blue was just kind of there to lend support to the cause.  She was also the only one who knew Gansey's fate.  I am thinking her part to play must come later in the series.    

This was a great paranormal read with interesting characters and an interesting new concept of psychics  and magic.  I can't wait to read the next one!

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Goodreads
369 pages, YA Dystopian
Across the Universe #3
My Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceshipGodspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

My 2 cents

This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year.  Its beyond amazing, and I'm not sure how to really write a review for it without giving too much away!  Be forewarned, if you haven't read the first two books, there will be spoilers, so you might not want to read this review yet!

Here we go.  Elder and Amy manage to crash land the ship.  And immediately, neither one of them is on the same page.  As soon as they land there is strife.  Some of the passengers have been hurt badly ( a few killed) and Elder wants to take care of them first.  Amy, meanwhile, starts the unfreeze process of the Frozens.  She is anxious to see her parents, but Elder is really not happy with her.  When the Frozens wake up, we realize that Amy's dad is in charge.  And he reminds Elder a lot of Eldest.  

Colonel Martin (Amy's dad) does not recognize the leadership role of Elder.  Its immediate from the start that he is in control, and the Shipborn people do not matter to him at all.  There isn't a lot of time for a debate, though, because survival is all anyone has time for.  They are not sure what's on this planet, but people start dying horribly.  

I'm not giving away too much here, this all happens within 50 pages.  So the theme of a controlling dictator continues in this story.  It seemed amazing to me that Elder and Amy had come so far, to have to start all over again.  Elder does not trust Colonel Martin, and sets out to find out what he's hiding.  Amy stays mostly loyal to her dad, but she does question his orders a few times.  She doesn't like the way he looks at Elder and the shipborns, like they are cattle and not people. 

I took away so much from this series, but one thing really stands out to me.  Amy.  She is the only character in the entire story who is a part of every group of people represented in the series.  So she is the only one who is also sympathetic to everyone.  She's from Sol-Earth; She lived with the Shipborns so she feels she understands them and what its like to live on a ship; And she becomes part of the group of people on the new planet.  Amy is the only character who can bring these groups together and fix things.  It made the whole thing very believable, and kudos to Beth Revis for writing it that way!

The ending was amazing.  Something really bad happens here, and I was so upset that it wasn't going to be a happy ever after, but I was satisfied with the way things ended.   We finally realize all the secrets, and nothing is what we thought.  I was surprised yet again--I thought I knew what was happening, but I was wrong!  Everything finally made sense.  It was exactly like watching The Sixth Sense, and it made me want to reread all the books again!

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Revis does a spin off series, because there is so much story left to this new planet.  I also think this sci-fi dystopian adventure would make some great movies!  I hope you get a chance to read this series.  It is one of the most gripping dytopians I have read!

Cocoa and Hype Make Every Book Nice Read A Thon Update--Day 8

My Reading List:

Gates of Pardise by Melissa De La Cruz--Finished! My Review
What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang--Finished! My Review
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark--on page 80--I don't think I'll finish this one.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil--Finished! My Review
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry--Finished! My Review
Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison--Finished!  My Review
The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater--starting soon!
Clairty by Kim Harrington--Finished! Review Coming Soon
If I Stay by Gayle Forman--Finished!  My Review
Breathe by Sarah Crossan--Finished! Review Coming Soon
The Diviners by Libby Bray--on page 461
A Million Suns by Beth Revis--Finished!  My Review
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis--Finished! Review coming soon

If you'd like to join the Read A Thon, click HERE

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Goodreads
392 pages, YA Contemporary Romance
Pushing the Limits #1
My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

My 2 cents

This book was hot, sexy, and dangerous all rolled up into one!  I loved the story between Noah and Echo. Noah is exactly the kind of guy I would have fallen for when I was younger.  While I was reading, I liked to think I was Echo, since I also have red hair, although I'm not nearly as hot as her!   

After I was about 100 pages in, I could see immediately why this is such a popular book.  Its all about two misunderstood teens trying to find their place in the world.  I think everyone can relate to this! Every teen has been misunderstood at one time or another!  I hope that most of us didn't have to deal with all that Echo and Noah did, though.

Noah and Echo's worlds are so different, I want to spend a moment talking about them.  Noah's world--unsafe, unstable, unhealthy, and no one to trust.  He's been moved around from foster home to foster home for two years.  The first home he was in, the father was abusive to Noah and his own kids, so Noah hit him, and has been labeled as "emotionally unstable."  So he doesn't trust hardly anyone.  He has two best friends--Isaiah and Beth.  Both have had the hard knocks as well.  Beth is a really big smart ass, and I really didn't like her.  But she does come through when it counts.  Noah has two much younger brothers--Jacob and Tyler.  He loves them more than anything in the world, but he only gets to see them supervised for 2 hours a month.

Echo's world--full of secrets, no one can say what they really feel, unhappy, and unloved.  Her father is the ultimate control freak, and doesn't let Echo do anything she really wants to do, like paint.  Her stepmother Ashley doesn't seem like a bad person, just very flaky and immature.  Considering she used to be Echo's babysitter when she was little, this makes sense.  Echo's friends--UGH.  Her best friend Lila I think does care about her, but she goes about things the wrong way.  Her other friends are only her friends when they are not in public.  We don't know much about Echo's mother, except she is bipolar, and has a restraining order, and Echo's older brother, Aires, her best friend, died while serving in Afghanistan.  

What do these worlds have in common? No one to trust, no one looks out for these two, and no one understands them.  In fact, the only person in the entire book who seems to really have these kids best interests at heart, is their therapist, Mrs. Collins.  Without her, I think both Noah and Echo would have been screwed!

The romance aspects between them was so HOT!  Even before they started even talking to each other, you could feel the sexual tension between them!  I loved it!  It was a great contemporary romance, and I really liked the dark and dangerous side to the book!  I can't wait to read more from this author!

In My Mailbox # 19

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.  Us bloggers feature any new books we've received in the past week, either bought, borrowed, or received for review. 

Another great week in my mailbox!  I definitely have no shortage of reading material!

ebooks I bought

ebooks from Netgalley

 ebooks for review

 Borrowed from the library

Bought

Books I won!

I won Ironskin from The Starry Eyed Revue and Timepiece from Jen Ryland/YA Romantics!

Thanks to both of you guys, I will enjoy these!

AND

The Book n Bloggers Swap!

 I received some handmade bookmarks, some beautiful notes about the books and

A Feast for Crows, Fried Green Tomatoes and the Whistle Stop Cafe, and The Twitter Diaries!

What did you receive in your mailbox?