Juhina's favorite books of 2014

It is the end of the year again! it is the third one since Farah and I started blogging so another favorite books of the year post is needed. I have read a total of 134 books this year. Not as good as the previous year but I did start graduate school so I am quite happy with this number. Several of these have made it into my favorites list and I will be dividing them up based on the genre. There will be 4 total divisions: Contemporary/mystery, dystopian/apocalyptic, paranormal, and fantasy/sci-fi. Let the fangirling and squealing begin!

Definitely the year of contemporaries! I've had so much fun with these contemporaries. I loved To All the Boys I've Loved Before's plot line as well as Lara Jean's voice. #Scandal's contemporary/mystery combo was superb. Since You've Been Gone's discover yourself theme with the bucket list was so sweet. Rites of Passage's military themed plot is a home run. 

I love Jennifer Echols' books. Biggest Flirts, (book 1 in the superlatives series) is no exception. Nearly Gone took me by surprise with its dark mystery and smart plot line. Breathe, Annie, Breathe was heartbreaking and beautiful. Don't Look Back's mystery was fantastic and it's JLA, how could she ever write anything less than amazing?

Then comes Jojo Moyes' One Plus One. As well as The Woman Who Stole my Life by Marian Keyes (the only 4.5 star book on this list! rest all 5 stars). I unfrotunetly only read 13 adult books this year. It is a shame because out of the thirteen, two are on this list. I loved One Plus One so so much and I already own Me Before You and am planning on picking it up in January. As for The Woman Who Stole my Life.. this book was a whirlwind. I can't wait to read more Marian Keyes books.

Surprisingly, paranormal books crept up on me! I am not a paranormal fan but these books, I actually devoured them all. The Dispossessed series (The Beautiful and the Cursed, The Lovely and the Lost) are just so freaking addicting. I can't recommend them enough. Sinner won over its predecessor (Shiver, Linger, Forever) in that St. Cole is one heck of a main protagonist! Unmarked is the sequel to Unbreakable and it did not disappoint one bit. 

Shadows and Haze are another series (The Rephaim) that took me by surprise. I was so obsessed (and still am) with these books. I can't wait for book 3 and 4. Sister's Fate is the last book in The Cahill Witch Chronicles and it blew me away. It is definitely a worthy conclusion to this amazing magical trilogy. 

Three amazing and mind blowing trilogies. Starting with Blue Lily, Lily Blue and it was perfect. So engrossing and enthralling. Shadow and Bone was my first real fantasy book and I fell in love with it (I already completed the trilogy but this was my favorite). The Retirbution of Mara Dyer *cries* I love this trilogy so much and this book killed me in every possible way (in a good way).

Seems every year, my dysotpian favorites list drops. However these two are worthy contenders against any book. You guys know how much I love the Shatter Me trilogy and this book, it is actually my favorite book of 2014, hands down. The Immortal Rules was so unique and addicting, I couldn't help but binge read the whole trilogy and I loved it.

Farah's favorite books of 2014

2014 is finally coming to an end you guys!! Although I barely read any books (about 40 books) due to university (ugh), I still read a lot of books that have become favourites of mine! 

To All the Boys I've Loved was a book full of laughs and giggles, It was a great book, much expected from the great Jenny Han! Since You've Been Gone was a beautiful book about friendship! We Were Liars was absolutely an unexpected favourite!! It's so different and unique! If you Find me was a sad but lovely book. 

Positive was my first memoir, and is definitely a book I will never forget. Maybe One Day, another heart-wrenching book about friendship, is another one that is dear to my heart. The Beginning of Everything (thanks to Lauren) is a book I never expected to love as much!! Nearly Gone is a mystery that will leave you wanting more. I enjoyed every single bit of it!

Divergent, enough said. The Treatment, the sequel to The Program, was a roller coaster ride for me. I was absolutely sad that it ended, but I loved how it wrapped up! Ignite Me, the last book in the trilogy, was just full of so many FEELS!!! You guys know what I'm talking about ;)

Double Reviews: All Fall Down by Ally Carter & Little White Lies by Katie Dale

Title: All Fall Down (Embassy Row, #1)
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Publication date: January 27, 2015

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Mystery)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 320

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Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her–so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door who is keeping an eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace–no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do.

Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world all stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

I have always enjoyed Ally Carter's writing, so when I received All Fall Down in the mail, I was excited to pick it up. However, I feel that I might have grown out of Carter's writing? All Fall Down felt slightly childish in writing and might appeal to people younger than me. It has an air of mystery, especially surround the main lead, Grace's, mother's death. I thought Grace was such a rebel but sometimes it felt a bit too excessive? She's a military brat who witnessed something tragic so she obviously has many scars to deal with, however I wished the method of dealing wasn't as one dimensional and obvious as in this book. I have to point out that I loved that this whole book is set in an embassy and in the embassy area. All the embassy kids were a ton of fun especially Noah and Rosie. I also liked Alexei. If you are looking for a romance, it is pretty non existent in All Fall Down (but hints at a possibility in the upcoming books). 

The mystery aspect of the novel, even though I was able to predict part of it, was surprising to me in some other parts. I was delighted to see that I didn't predict it all and the mystery was able to surprise me. That is always a plus for mystery novels. This book is 320 pages but I feel that the content didn't have to necessarily be this long. I wish we got more information on the culture and city of Adrian (a fictional european country). It felt like all Grace did was figure out the mystery. I wished there was more contemporary in it. However, overall, I do think All Fall Down will be a hit for younger teens, especially with a very interesting mystery. I just wasn't completely invested in the story as well as all the characters. 

Title: Little White Lies

Author: Katie Dale

Publisher: Random House Canada

Publication date: December 9, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Mystery)

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished copy

Pages: 384

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The first time Lou meets mysterious Christian, she knows he is The One. But Christian is hiding a terrible secret. Why does he clam up every time Lou asks about his past? Why doesn’t he have any family photos, and why does he dye his blond hair black? When Christian’s house goes up in flames, his tires are slashed, and he flees for his life, Lou insists on going with him. But as Christian’s secret is unveiled in front of the whole world, it seems everything he’s ever told Lou is a lie. Can what the media are saying about him really be true? Should Lou trust him? Or is she in grave danger? And what if their accidental meeting wasn’t an accident at all...?

I am very disappointed in Little White Lies. Have you seen the ratings on goodreads? I am definitely in the minority when it comes to how I rate and feel about Little White Lies. Bottom line, I disliked it and thought half of what went on in the book to be completely ridiculous. It is a mystery contemporary but all I got was full on romance until the last 100 pages or so. Lou starts university, which is only mentioned very briefly at the beginning. Don't you think a university student would spend the majority of their time at university? that wasn't the case for Lou. Also, she has a 'best friend' who she literally met two weeks ago. Wow, they sure jump to best friend status fast. Then we've got the Christian infatuation (which is justified later one). However, I just couldn't get into his character especially since I knew something was up with him (and predicted 100% correctly). It was too much of a soap opera for me. When finally, I actually gasp at a revelation, immediately taints that fantastic twist by the most cliche plot line ever. I know I am being vague but I can't spoil anything. Which is why 90% of my frustration can only be told in coded sentences. 

As for the characters, the only person I actually liked was Kenny. He was typical rich kid but I found him really endearing and wanted more scenes with him.. plus he's a hacker, how cool is that? unfortunately I can't say the same about the other flat characters, including Lou. A last thing I disliked is the use of heavy hinting. It was done in such a n obvious way that I would have preferred the revelation to happen early on. I was rolling my eyes thinking if the author thinks the readers are that clueless to not guess everything from the beginning. I just really wasn't impressed. I only recommend it to fans of light mysteries and heavy romance readers (if you can get over the cliches).  

 

Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless - Fun and lighthearted!

Title: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless 

Author: Liz Czukas
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: December 9, 2014 

Genre(s): Young Audult (Contemporary)

Source: Edelweiss

Format: eARC

Pages: 304

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Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market
4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi
3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm
2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)
1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

This book was all kinds of cute! I read Ask Again Later early this year and really enjoyed it so I had to pick up Czukas' sophomore novel, Top Ten Clues You're Clueless. The synopsis sounded hilarious! locked in work jail? having all the supermarket to yourself? and with a couple of people you don't know and one is your crush? It was a load of fun!

I loved the main protagonist, Chloe. She really stands out in terms of contemporary main characters for me. She is diabetic (and Czukas really knew her stuff, trust me, I've done research on diabetes and artificial pancreas systems for a while). She is also a notorious list maker.. i mean she is pretty obsessed with it. I loved how each chapter began with a list she either literally wrote down or made in her head. Some of those lists were hilarious and I ended up sending to my friend for some good laughter. The one I liked the most was "Top Ten Worst Mom Phrases". More than one of those applied to my mother. 

The mystery element in this book, even though it was very light, was also very entertaining. I really wanted to know who stole the money and didn't suspect anyone too much. It was a great addition to a romantic contemporary. I think the whole novel centers more around the friendship forged between the six teens than the romance or the mystery. It really warmed my heart. Each character was very unique and I totally was able to tell them apart from the beginning (you know how that's sometimes hard to do?). I definitely recommend it to all contemporary fans and fans who want a light hearted read that centers more on friendship.

November Book Haul: the one with all the bargain books

Hello fellow readers! We haven't done a book haul in a while and I thought I would show the past several books that we received. These are all november books so I will definitely make another haul for December. Making monthly hauls is much better than weekly, easier to manage too!

I received My True Love Gave To Me as a birthday gift from Lobna. I went to a couple of thrift and used book stores and acquired some books for cheap! They include Allegiant (for my sister), Reached, and Covet. I also received my black friday book outlet order and got Maybe One Day, Not A Drop to Drink, Uninvited, How to Love, Find Me, and Into the Darkest Corner. I've read How to Love as an ARC and needed to own a finished copy for my collection. 

Two review books, a book outlet book, and the rest are thrift buys. The review books include The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. This is the third book in the series and I loved the first two! Little White Lies by Katie Dale. I love mysteries and the publicist really raved about this one. I bought Through the Ever Night from book outlet, unfortunately my copy of Under the Never Sky is an international edition so the heights don't match *cries*. The rest are thrift buys. I had to buy second copies of Can You Keep A Secret? and Anna and the French Kiss because they are two of my favorite books. I also bought Lock and Key as well as The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen. Those two are my favorite books by her. I got The Rosie Project for $3 and it is in perfect condition! Lastly are my two chick lit books by Carole Matthews. I am so excited for all these books! 

What did you guys get in your last book haul? I'll try to do those more frequently! I have a ton of books I already accumulated in December and can't wait to show them! Be sure to follow me on instagram through mcjaybooks. It is book heaven. 

Review: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Miss Pereg. #2)

Title: Hollow City

Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publication date: January 14, 2014

Genre(s): Paranormal/Mystery

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished Copy

Pages: 400

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Hollow City. Hollow City. Where do I begin with you? After finishing Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I had such high hopes for this book. The first book ended with such a dramatic cliff hanger that I immediately started Hollow City right after to find out what happens. And I did. Except it wasn't as epic as I was hoping it to be.   

On average, it takes me about a week to finish a book (I'm a slow reader), a couple of days if it's a really good book, and usually no more than two weeks if the book isn't that great. It took me a month to finish Hollow City. Every time I'd pick it up it was a dreaded session. Had I not loved the first book so much, I think I would've dropped this book from the first 100 pages.

This book was slow. Like turtle-speed slow. I found a lot of events that occurred were irrelevant and took too long to explain. In a book where romance isn't a big priority, I do appreciate there being more action or something else to grab the reader. This book had nothing. The entirety of the book was revolved around this one specific goal that at the end, was never accomplished because guess what? There's a third book. To me, I felt as if Hollow City was simply a filler novel. Out of the total 400 pages of the book, it wasn't until around halfway through that I felt somewhat interested in what was happening. Probably in the last 50 pages is when I really wanted to know what happens because it was this big build up to find out if what the characters were trying to accomplish was going to work.

By the time I finally managed to finish this book, I was extremely disappointed with the outcome. I was looking for more and I didn't get any. With all of this, I don't think I'll be picking up the third book when it comes out (some time next year?). Sorry Ransom!