December 2, 2011

November Favorites!


Hello everyone!


I love books and I read a lot (duh!), but I can't write reviews for all the books I read.:( And I started this book blog mainly because I wanted to talk about books I really enjoyed with fellow book lovers, so here's what I thought: at the end of each month, I'd do a little post to talk about the books I read and loved that month and I didn't have the time to write full length reviews for them (but I still thought they were worth mentioning).
* I should mention that this post was inspired by Farrah's vlogs (from I Eat Words). But if someone has a feature or meme or anything like this, let me know to give them credit.
** All links send to Goodreads

Sooo... here's what I read in November. I was a very lucky reader, I loved all the books I got to read - though most of them were very powerful and emotional and they even made me cry - when I wasn't gripping the edges of my seat because of all the tension or, you know, just swooning. LOL

Twisted (Intertwined #3) by Gena Showalter

I actually got this one from audible.com. I LOVE this series and I think the narrator is simply amazing! (if I hadn't listened to it, I probably wouldn't have loved this series so much; it has a big cast of characters and the narrator did a great job at catching all the accents, nuances, emotions, pauses and everything a perfect storytelling requires. The story itself was brilliant, but heart wrenching. A lot of things happened in this book; it's twisted (ha!), dark, emotional, complicated, unpredictable... There's love, loss, pain, danger, action, dark humor... Simply put, it's a powerful book. And that cliffhanger at the end... Gah! I get goose bumps and teary-eyed just thinking about it. *shudders* Gena Showalter broke my heart with it - and then stomped on the pieces when she mentioned the next book was coming out in the summer of 2013. I'll pull all my hair out by then. LOL
I gave Twisted 4.5 stars. (not a perfect 5 because Mary Ann's whining and some of Aden's actions really bothered me, they didn't seem necessary for the story).

***


I love the unique and interesting world Kristen Painter created in this series! Her take on vampires is quite original (and we have Vlad Tepes and a few other Romanian personalities and even locations in it, so I can't not love this series, hehe). Still, I enjoyed the first book in the series much more. With this one, I felt like there was something missing - maybe because there are a few new characters in it and with all the various POV's in 3rd person, I found it difficult to connect with the characters and just to stick with someone. Adding a new love interest for Crysabelle might have something to do with that too. I love Malkolm and I really felt for him! :( But it's a very promising and intriguing series and I'll keep reading the next books!:D
3.5 starts

***

Head Rush (The Disillusionists Trilogy #3) by Carolyn Crane

Again, I got this on audio. I've been waiting for this book the whole year! The previous book in the series had one of the most frustrating cliffhangers I ever read! So of course my expectations for this final installment in the series were very high - which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. *sigh* There were a few things that just didn't seem right to me - but this might actually have something to do with the narrator, not with the story itself. (she made Justine sound too whiny and clingy for my liking). And then there was Justine and her obsession with Otto's 'perfection'! Grr! I wanted to reach into the book her shake her and eventually strangle him and be done with it.LOL. Thankfully, she got over it quickly (maybe too quickly?IDK) Anyway, I can't wait to read the e-book when it comes out next week, I'm sure there are things I missed and things I'll see differently.
***Don't get me wrong here: I still loved the book; I loved how the story ended and I still think Ms Crane is a genius! Packard is definitely of my favorite male leads of all time and he had some super awesome, knees-buckling, toes-curling, tear-jerker's lines and heart melting moments in this book. Oh my!***
4.5 stars - This remains one of my favorite series!

***


I got the audiobooks as well. You know I love magic and witches in my books and this one seemed like a perfect fit for me. And it was! Actually, I might consider it one of my new favorite UF series! The word building is unique and very interesting, the pace is fast, the writing flows and all the characters are realistic, complex and easy to relate to. Alex is a sassy, strong, smart girl and I really liked her as a main character. Even if she got herself in all kinds of trouble! LOL And don't get me started on the love interests - oh my! There are some pretty kick butt, swoon worthy male characters you just love to hate! And there's a lot of banter and sexual tension in this series! *swoon* Price's take on magic and Faeries is very refreshing. So, we have magic, action, romance, suspense, mystery, witches, faeries and the Grim Reaper (LOVE him!). Seriously, what else could you ask from a good UF series? Kalayna Price's writing style is quite addictive, I can't wait to get lost in her a wonderful world again!
4.5 stars

***

Dragon Bound (Elder Races #1) by Thea Harrison

Also audiobook. I'm very picky when it comes to PNR books, but some of my Goodreads friends kept recommending this series, so I wanted to give it a try. It was surprisingly good - good plot, interesting back story, fun secondary characters, lots of action and twists, and, most importantly, strong and very likebale main character (I hate it when the male lead character is super badass, alpha male, yada yadar and his soulmate is just a whiny, shallow, damsel in distress. *head desk* Balance people, balance!) So the main characters were super awesome and they completed each other perfectly. Also, the paranormal elements were super cool - a breath of fresh air after all the vamps, witches and werewolves on the PNR scene. Oh, and another aspect I should mention - no infuriating insta-love!
4 stars

***

Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) by Jennifer Estep

I wasn't planning on starting this series anytime soon (not until the next book in the series comes out in February next year, anyway) but I went on a trip last weekend and I needed a fun, fast read and a small book to carry around and this is what I ended up grabbing from the TBR pile. I can see why this series has so many fans - it's amazing and really addictive! Gin is one though girl! I loved her snarky attitude, the sarcasm, the humor, the sexy characters, the tension and all the kick ass scenes in this book! Unputdownable!
4 stars

***


The only YA books I actually read last month are Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Everneath by Brodi Ashton and I absolutely LOVED them, but I won't get into any details here, I'll post my reviews in the next few days.




That's it, I guess. I could say it was a slow month, but I also re-read 3 of my all times favorites (I went into a reading flunk and they always get me back on track).


What books did you read in November? Which one was your favorite? Have you read any of the books I mentioned?

Have a wonderful weekend!;)
xoxo
Deea

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