A Fourth of July Update

To those in the US, happy Fourth of July! I'm sorry for so much radio silence recently! That said, you still have a chance to enter the big UtopYA Con giveaway I'm running! It's only a couple posts back, but here's a link as well. Hopefully the blog will be more active soon. I am going on multiple family vacations, so any posting will be spotty. But, I will attempt to be better!

I've been reading tons of books lately, and have lots of feelings about them, hopefully I'll get some reviews up soon!

If there's anything you want to see on the blog, let me know in the comments, on Facebook, or Twitter! I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Book Bingo Wrap-Up: New Year's Edition

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Book Bingo, hosted by the amazing Great Imaginations! Here was the original card:

Welcome to Book Bingo Round Up: New Years Edition! Here are all the books I read!

Start A Series

Switched by Amanda Hocking. I also happened to finish this series, and it was AMAZING!

2015 Debut

None of The Above by I.W. Gregorio. This was originally in my LGBTQIA section, but I moved things around a bit.

Magical Realism

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen. The long-awaited sequel to Garden Spells! It was not a disappointment!

Fairy Tale Retelling

This one goes to Fairest by Marissa Meyer! Not as good as the other books, but still good!

"Pretty Dress" Cover

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski. I actually got this a couple days early and DEVOURED it! So good!

White Cover

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking. Notice a pattern? I decided to dive in to a bunch of her books these past few months, and boy are they good!

LGBTQIA

Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman. This book was amazing! I felt that the character was a little young for a couple of the events that occurred, but I read it in an hour and a half!

Blue Cover

Torn by Amanda Hocking. One of the books in the Trylle series!

Mystery or Thriller

Deadfall by Anna Carey. I've gotten both books in this series as ARCs, and they are so good! I love the second person writing, and while this didn't feel as strong as the first, I really did enjoy it.

Over 400 Pages

That goes to the Trylle trilogy bind-up. I know I'm breaking some rules, but *sticks tongue out*.

PoC MC (Person of Color Main Character)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I did not want to read this book. I hated it. Take it away.

Mental Illness

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. This book killed me. After I finished, I am not kidding you, I went and cried for at least half and hour.

Romance

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead. I hadn't really been enjoying this series, but the twists and turns in this novel finished it off with a bang!

2014 Release You Missed

Landry Park by Bethany Hagan. This was so good! I bought it on a whim in January, and it did not disappoint. That said, TALK CHARACTERS, TALK!

Based on Mythology

The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This was the first New Adult book I've read. Also the only.

Gold Lettering

Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios. The title is gold!

Fairies of Fae

All That Burns by Ryan Graudin. I love these books so much and wish I had more of them!

Male POV

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. I've tried to get into some of her other books and haven't been able to, but Emmy & Oliver sucked me right in! Until the Beginning by Amy Plum is another book that works.

Super Powers

Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole. I just want to snuggle these books. I want more NOW!

Pink Cover

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West. This was a combination of infuriating and adorable!

Free

Crash by Eve Silver. This series ends fairly well. I was satisfied with the ending.

Book Bingo Wrap-Up: Holiday Edition

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Book Bingo, hosted by the amazing Great Imaginations! Here was the original card:

Not quite as complete as I hope, but pretty good! I have five bingos, which good be worse!

Reread

I reread All That Glows by Ryan Graudin for the millionth time! All That Glows is just made of awesome!

Read the original review here.

Green Cover

Heir of Fire Sarah J. Maas is made of awesome! Read the entire series rejoice!

Read the review here.

Historical

I read Reminiscence by Sara V. Zook. This was more of a flashback novel, but it was set in the 1800s, give or take!

Horror

Two Tales Dark and Grim by Julie Kagawa and Rachel Hawkins. These were insanely creepy!

Romance

How to Love by Katie Cotugno. I've been wanting to read this for a while and finally read it this fall. It was made of awesome!

"Ice", "Snow", or "Frost" in Title

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis. This was super awesome!

Creature on Cover

Scorched by Mari Mancusi. There's a dragon on the cover and it's gorgeous!

Native American MC

One of the main characters in The Blood of Olympus was Native American. I disliked the previous two books, but this one was definitely better!

Red Cover

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This was so amazingly good! This is one of the most anticipated books of 2015, and it definitely lives up to it!

Read the full review here.

Set on Halloween

A Hard Day's Night by Elizabeth Eulberg. I read this recently, and it was a super fun read!

Snow on Cover

From Me to you by Elizabeth Eulberg. I was going through my recent reads trying to fill this in and saw this in my recently read list!

Black Cover

Redeemed by P.C. and Kristin Cast. This series has been going downhill, but it was a satisfied ending!

Serial Killers

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. A surprising ending, but super good!

Birds on Cover

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. I was so excited when I got an ARC of this and loved every moment of it!

Mystery

They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire. A little iffy at first, but a good and exciting read!

Set During Christmas Time

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. I'm actually reading this for my book club this month! If you're in the NC area, make sure to check it out! This was super fun for sure!

Witches

The Runaway Queen by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson. This was only so-so, but it was interesting.

Set in Autumn

Embers by Karen Ann Hopkins. I wasn't expecting much from this, but it was good!

Read the full review here.

Orange Cover

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan. It started out slow, but was definitely a satisfying ending, with lots of drama!

Fall or Winter Release

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This was so amazing! I can't believe I have to wait until July to read the last book!

As always, this was super fun! I can't wait to participate in the one for the next three months!

Happy New Year! Blogger Round-Up, Games, Giveaways, and More!

So, this post will consist of A) the blogger end-of-year survey, B) a book puzzle that I made that you can download! C) a giveaway partway related to the puzzle. Trust me when I say each part is worth it! Also, for the survey, I'm stealing The YA Book Butterfly's outline.

Number of Books I Read: 200
Number of Rereads: I have no idea, I've reread so many books.
Genre I Read the Most Of: Definitely YA paranormal!

1. Best Book of 2014

Anthology: I have no idea. I believe I've started two this year and haven't finished either of them.
Contemporary: On the Fence by Kasie West, Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg, and Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour.
Historical Fiction: The fact that I can't remember if I read any historical books this year.
High Fantasy: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Paranormal: The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter, City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, and Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins
Dystopian: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

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

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo was a major disappoint.

3. Most Surprising Book You Read in 2014

Definitely The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski. I really thought I wouldn't enjoy it but ended up loving it!

4. Book You Pushed at People the Most in 2014

Either White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout or A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall.

5. Best Series You Started, Sequel, and Series Enders of 2014

Starter: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout and All That Glows by Ryan Graudin
Sequel: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout or Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
Ender: The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter, The One by Kiera Cass, or Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

6. Favorite Author You Discovered This Year

Kasie West for sure!

7. Best Book From a Genre You Don't Typically Read

The genre I don't typically read is historical and I can't remember any.

8. Most Unputdownable Book of the Year

Either White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout, All That Glows by Ryan Graudin, or Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

9. Book You Read This Year That You Are Most Likely to Reread Next Year

All That Glows by Ryan Graudin. Considering I reread it about ten times this year, there's no doubt in my mind.

10. Favorite Book Cover

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

11. Most Memorable Character of 2014

Celeana Sardothian from Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. Yeah, I can't get her out of my head.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book You Read

Does a reread of The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak count? Seriously, you can open that book to any page and it is beautiful.

13. Most Thought Provoking/Life Changing Book of 2014

Every Day by David Levithan. I hated the end of the book, but it definitely made me thing.

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2014 to Read

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. So much fun!

15. Favorite Quote From a Book You Read in 2014

Both are from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi, but here they are:

“Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures.
No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh.”

“And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose.”

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read in 2014

Shortest: Blackbird by Anna Carey

Longest: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

17. Book That Shocked You the Most

Lailah by Nikki Kelly or The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

18. OTP of the Year

Anna and Kaiden from Sweet Reckoning! Or Laila and Roth from White Hot Kiss!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Couple of the Year

Kat and Alice from The Queen of Zombie Hearts! *cries a little bit*

20. Favorite Book From An Author You've Read Previously

Okay, that's enough people. Stop making me choose!

21. Best Book You Read Solely on a Recommendation

Considering that EVERYONE recommended The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski to me, that one!

22. Newest Fictional Crush From a Book You Read in 2014

Rowan from Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. I've read all of her other books, but Rowan is a new character and ROCKS! If he doesn't end up with Celeana, I want him.

23. Best 2014 Debut

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, or All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting

Do I really need to keep repeating Heir of Fire and Red Queen? :D

25. Most Fun Book to Read

Either Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg, The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, or All That Glows by Elizabeth Eulberg!

26. Book That Made You Cry

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. There was another book that made me cry, but I kinda hated it.

27. Hidden Gem of the Year

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. A super adorable book told from various different points of view (including a squirrel), but not the main couple.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul

Not many crushed my soul, but the wait for all the 2015 books sure will! That said, Unhinged by A.G. Howard.

29. Most Unique Book You Read

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater or The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

30. Book That Made Me the Most Mad

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor. Definitely a good book, but had a, what I felt, unnecessary ending.

Puzzle Time!

So, the other day, I saw a puzzle in a magazine where you use hints to fill in the blank, then use certain letters from the blank to make a word or sentence. So I stayed up until 11:00 the other night putting it together and ended up very happy. So here are the rules!

Rules:

Print out the sheets (or use in some other form)

Look at the clue for the first fill-in-the-blank

If you can't figure it out, go to the internet for help! (But do try to figure it out yourself first)

Repeat for each fill-in-the-blank

Once you've filled them all in, take the letters that are above numbers and fill them in at the top

If you think you've figured out the code, DON'T PUT IT IN THE COMMENTS! The answers are part of the giveaway, and I don't want to spoil it for them!

Feel the pride of knowing all about YA books

First, here's the easy one!

Now, here's the hard one! Hard, as in it's longer. ETA: THE LAST NUMBER OF THE FINAL WORD HAS BEEN CHANGED. I MADE A MISTAKE. IT IS 8 NOT 6!!!!!

Giveaway:

All done? Now, on to the giveaway! Enter and you can win any one of these books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So, how was your 2014? Remember, don't spoil the puzzle in the comments!

Book Bing Wrap Up: Summer Edition

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Book Bingo, hosted by the amazing Great Imaginations! Here was the original card:

And here's mine!

I have six book bingos! (That's more than I thought I would have) Now, here are the books I got for each one!

A Stand-Alone

Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell: I've been wanting to read this book for ages. Even before it came out. And the book did not disappoint. The book started off strong and was super fun.

Read the full review here.

Sky on the Cover

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini: This was a super fun, quick read. The romance was a little weird, but I can't wait for the next one!

MC is LGBTIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Asexual)

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall: This book has THIRTEEN points of view. THIRTEEN. One of them being a squirrel, another a park bench! The squirrel was my favorite. This takes place on a college campus, and one of the students is gay, and on of the professors is lesbian.

Set During Summer

Wake by Amanda Hocking: I enjoyed this book. It wasn't groundbreaking, and I didn't like the romance for the main character, but I liked it.

Pink Cover

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes: If this cover isn't pink, I don't know what is. I was going to write a review, but I don't think I ever got to it. It was fun, but Lainey was not my type of character.

Starts With S, U, M, E, or R

Snow Like Ashes by Sarah Raasch: Everyone, the second this book comes out, read it! It got me through having six mutant mosquito bites on my feet this summer. One might think it starts out slow, but trust me, it gets better. Get 1/4 of the way in, and you're a goner. Heck, I might go reread it right now.

A Thriller

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: I actually read this one for a book club. Notice how I said a, I'm part of three, and counting. I really enjoyed this book, but would have liked more elaboration, or a sequel, with the ending.

Set on a Boat

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway: I had to read this for class, and despite the fact that all the adults I know hated it, all my friends and I LOVED it! Hemmingway's writing style was amazing, and I definitely want to read more of his work.

Asian MC

Tithe by Holly Black: This one also started out slow, but once I got a little ways into it, I really enjoyed it. I liked the different takes on faeries. Now I need to go read the rest of the trilogy. Also, I managed to get this signed by the author at LeakyCon, so I feel pretty awesome.

A Middle Grade Novel

A Magic Within by Sara V. Zook: The story definitely had an interesting start. Riley lost her dog, and before she knows it, she's being sucked into another world. It was a beginning that left me wanting to read more, which I promptly did.

Read the full review here.

A Series Finale

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I really love Jennifer L. Armentrout. The book starts crazy weird. I won't say why due to spoilers, but crazy weird. People are dying, things are exploding (EXPLOSIONS), etc. Everything a reader loves.

You can read the full review here.

A Retelling

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa: This a very loose retelling, but bear with me. I've read the rest of her books, but could never get through this one. Now I have, and a lot more things later on make sense. That said, it was still kinda slow.

Blue Cover

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater: After years of pestering, I finally read the Shiver trilogy, well, the first two anyways. I really really liked this book. I would definitely recommend!

A Summer Release

Defector by Susanne Winnacker: So much better than the first one. That said, I don't like the guy she likes for most of the book. Heck, I want to stab him to tiny little pieces. That's why I did a little (okay, big) happy dance when other possible love interests were introduced.

Strong Sibling Relationship

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I liked Fangirl, but not as much as Eleanor & Park. That said, I liked a heck of a lot more than Landline, which I kinda hated. I wanted to strangle the sister character for a good amount of time, but she pulled through in the end and made me like her.

Featuring an Animal Companion

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater: Okay, this is technically a werewolf, but whatever! It's still an animal. I really enjoyed this book, and the cliffhanger ending, while expected, was cool. Now I really should go read Linger. Also, there's a character with my name, and she's super kick-butt!

Set on an Island

A Break of Day by Bella Forrest: This series definitely improved with each book. This was one of the best. I liked how the series ended. Also, this book is indie published if anyone's interested.

Music or Dance Themes

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor: If you are expecting a fun read (like I was) do not read this book. Just don't. It has broken my feels and I can't get back up.

Road Trip

Into the Wild by Jon Krakaur: Do not read this book. It was horrible, I hated it. The only reason I finished it, no, the only reason I started it, was because I had to read it for school.

Magical Realism

Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman: So, Month9Books, a local publisher, had an event in August, and I got to meet a bunch of authors they publish. Brynn Chapman is one of them. Her book is about Sherlock's daughter and Watson's son. Needless to say, it was amazing.

Set in Europe

All Fall Down by Ally Carter: Ally Carter is very special to me. Mainly because she and Rachel Hawkins were the first author event I ever went to. I love Ally's books, and was very sad that I wouldn't be getting one this year. So when I got this ARC, I was ecstatic. I really loved All Fall Down, and I think you will too.

Water on Cover

The Girl Who Never Was by Skylar Dorset: I loved this book. I discovered this book and bought it on a whim this summer. I read it while in Florida for LeakyCon, and absolutely adored it. I can't wait for The Boy With the Hidden Name!

And finally....

Free Space (AKA Favorite)

I've decided that the free space will be dedicated to my favorite book from the three month period. I'll put my favorite, and the runner-ups.

Speak by Laurie Halse Andeson: Laurie Halse Anderson really has a way with words. She took me in from page one, and I just couldn't stop flipping pages. There are tons of metaphors in the novel, but they are all simply part of Melinda's thought process.

Read the full review here.

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley and The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter are close follow-ups.

This was super fun, as always! Did you participate too? And here's next month's card! I know I'm doing it again!

To-Be-Read Tag

This tag was created by Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books and Dana from Dana Square. Thank you Jessica @ The YA Book Butterfly for tagging me!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

Basically, I don't. I have so many that I die just thinking about it.

Is your TBR mostly print or e-book?

Print all the way!

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Whichever book I either have to read next, or that calls to me for some reason or another. Usually it's one of the 500, yes I said 500, books on my shelf.

A Book That's Been on Your TBR List the Longest

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. I bought the book when it came out a year and a half ago, and all my friends have poked me to read it, but I just haven't.

A Book You Recently Added To Your TBR
Icons by Margaret Stohl. It's been in my peripheral vision for a while, but after meeting her last week, it's a must read.

A Book In Your TBR Strictly Because of Its Beautiful Cover

Find Me by Romily Bernard. I have no idea when I'll end up reading it, but the cover is BEAUTIFUL!

An Unpublished Book That You're Excited For

Definitely either The Retribution of Mara Dyer or Stone Cold Touch. Considering the previous Mara Dyer book came out two years ago, I'm getting a little antsy, but I HAVE to know how it ends.

A Book On Your TBR That Basically Everyone's 

Read But You

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. Okay, not even close to everyone, but it feels like it. I want to read the book NOW NOW NOW but since I should get it in the mail in a couple of weeks, my mom won't let me buy it.

A Book On Your TBR That Everyone Recommends To You

The School for Good and Evil again, simply because everyone I see in day to day life has and CONSTANTLY bug me to read it.

A Book On Your TBR That You're Dying To Read

Okay, here goes. Don't say I didn't warn you. Heir of Fire, Sweet Temptation, Winter, Stone Cold Touch, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, All That Burns, A Cold Legacy, Blue Lily, Lily Blue; Ensnared, Eternal, The Boy With the Hidden Name, The Queen of Zombie Hearts, The Ruby Circle, The Shadow Cabinet, The Heir, The Wicked Will Rise, Unmade, Trust Me I'm Lying.

How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

Did you really just ask that question? Okay, I'll admit it, 1,760.

I tag Nova @ Out of Time
Jessica @ Fly to Fiction
and Nikki @ Fiction Freak!