CoHF was AMAZING!!!

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dear Lord, this book was sweet sweet perfection! So sad it's over!

ALL THE TID FEELS THOUGH, SERIOUSLY
Everytime anything from TID was brought up I was in freakin tears!

I'm just gonna review this by discussing the amazingness of the characters...

Clary I really don't understand the people who hate Clary. I get she's made some rash decisions, especially starting out in the series, but I always respected her decisions because they were ones that she made with good intentions, to help the people she loved. I have always loved Clary and she did not disappoint in this book.

Jace I have always loved Jace, and my love for him only grew stronger with CoHF. (spoiler) I'm so glad he decided to be a Herondale, because the Herondales are nothing short of perfect. (end spoiler) NOTE!! I was weirded out by the condom thing...but I'm sure there's some good explanation somewhere as to how and why he had one on him in a DEMON REALM...HA!

Simon *gross sobbing* we all know and love Simon for his sarcasm and overall adorableness, but he was so brave and wonderful in this book and I couldn't believe it when (spoiler) he gave up his memories to save his friends I mean, of course I believed it to be something Simon would do without question to save them, but I just couldn't actually believe Cassandra Clare could do that to us...my fEELS!!!AND THE WHOLE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS THING OMG. AND HE'S GONNA BE A SHADOWHUNTER!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH! (end spoiler)

Izzy Bold brave beautiful and badass as always, this woman is perfect and I loved seeing a more vulnerable side to her in this book. That is all that needs to be said about Izzy :)

Alec man this book really made me change my entire view of Alec. I know everyone has been all about the Malec, but as much as I adored/love/worship (and still adore/love/worship) Magnus, I have had a very hard time liking Alec. He was so angry and grumpy and may have had his reasons but I could not get myself to like him. but THIS BOOK. I found myself laughing out loud to many things he said and though it took me til book 6, I have officially fallen in love with Alec :)

TDA characters I will admit, after seeing that Clare was going to write another series (TDA) I was worried. I was worried it wouldn't be as amazing as TMI or TID, but after CoHF, any concerns I've had have shot out the window. I fell in love with every single future TDA character in the friggin prologue. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Also, if Tessa and Zachariah are going to be in TDA at all, I may very well die...

Speaking of Tessa and Zachariah, I'm gonna throw Magnus in this group here and discuss quickly how much I love these three. They are all so wise and so strong and just so wonderful that I can't convey even into my usual mediocre words how I feel about these three, so I'm not gonna even try!

I also wanna make a quick note about Maia. Is it just me, or was anyone else really bothered by Maia in this book? I really liked her but after the (spoiler) whole Jordan dying and Maia was gonna dump him (end spoiler) thing, she just really irritated me. I mean, I appreciate her for the role she played in the book but at the same time I was pretty mad at her and I think I still kind of am...but idk I may just be overreacting!

ALSO I FEEL I NEED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO JESSAMINE FREAKIN LOVELACE OMG JUST I CAN'T EVEN WITH THAT WHOLE PROTECTION THING I CRIED LIKE A BITCH I LOVE MY TID BABIES MORE THAN I WILL EVER LOVE ANY OTHER SHADOWHUNTERS EVER! If there is anyone out there reading this review who hasn't read TID, you're gonna need to get on that right away because it made CoHF THAT much better when it was referenced

And here's another shout out for Mr. Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. I may not have been as upset (spoiler) about your death as others seemed to be, but I am sad he went through what he did. I was not expecting him to return to his real (should have been) self after being stabbed with heavenly fire (end spoiler)

So in conclusion, this book was wonderful. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I died (see what I did there?)

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My Utterly Pitiful March/April Wrap-Up!

Damn it's been a disappointing March and April! (reading-wise of course). I been working my butt of for finals and now I'm going through a bit of a slump. I've started many books, but haven't been able to get past page 20 on any of them. My newfound obsession with Supernatural may be a big contributor! No, I did not binge all 8 seasons on Netflix in under a month and get up to date on season 9! And no I have not gotten my entire family obsessed with it as well and I am not re-watching all the episodes again with them...Sheesh!

 

Aaaaanyways I will be doing a two month wrap-up because it would be pitiful to separate this, it's even pitiful now! I barely got 6 books done & one was a novella :(

The AMAZING books I've read:

 I was SO afraid this book wouldn't live up to all the hype that I saw online, but man, it did! The writing was beautiful, the world building was perfect, and I adored Kestrel and Arin. I neeed more!

  Along with The Winner's Curse, this book lived up to it's hype. I loved all the characters, the badassery, and I bought Crown of Midnight immediately after and will be reading it very soon!

 My sister had be read this in exchange for her reading (and loving) Divergent. I was skeptical of this book because Karen Kingsbury is a Christian author, and though I believe in God, I was worried this book would be preachy, and I can't do preachy. BUT! This was not the case. Oh my goodness this book was so sweet, so fun, so sad, so EVERYTHING & I adored it!

 "For fans of The Hunger Games"! Ha, this is one of those series that has that on the cover but this has NOTHING in common with THG. For one, the conclusion, Horde, was so unbelievably good and I was 110% satisfied with this ending.

The MEH books I've read:

 Now, I did give this book 4 stars because I really did enjoy everything about it, but it just wasn't one of those novellas that stuck out at me like Destroy Me and In Time
 This book was fascinating, but the characters drove me nuts! Over and over again Kate claimed she wasn't in love with Vincent, but the writing and actions of the characters said otherwise and it really annoyed me. I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads.

So now, I have about 5 or 6 books that have at least 20 pages read, but right now I'm hooked on Attachments by Rainbow Rowell & this is gonna be the book to pull me outta the slump! It's such a fun read :) 

So overall, I've read 3 "real" books (don't judge!)

So hopefully I will get more than a pitiful 6 books read this month since I'm done with school!

Happy Reading!

Erin

5 Stars to an Amazing Series Finale! Horde by Ann Aguirre

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

My Thoughts

I am currently  kicking myself for forgetting how amazing this series is. I should have picked up Horde as soon as it came out in October, but for some reason, I never got around to it. 

Ann Aguirre writes beautifully. I can picture everything in complete detail as if I am watching a film. She writes her characters well, and makes them so perfectly real and lovable. Things moved along quickly and there was never a dull moment! The only reason I took so long to finish it was because of school.

DEUCE OAKS <333 is one of my all-time favorite heroines. There are way too many adjectives I can give this woman so I’ll just say a few. Deuce was: brave, selfless, intelligent, open-minded, determined, dedicated and loving. She was also a badass leader who didn’t take shit from anyone. It was interesting to see Deuce not go from weak to strong physically but from weak to strong emotionally. What I loved about her most was how she stuck with Fade even with his troubles and she never stopped loving and fighting for him. Another thing was no matter how naïve and uneducated Deuce was from living in the enclave, she learned and accepted things easily and she always kept an open mind.

'Because I love you.' It was easy to say it this time now that I understood what it meant. Then I quoted his own words back to him. 'Not just when it's easy. All the time.

FADE is such a sweetheart. So many terrible things happened to him and he fought through his PTSD in order to be whole for Deuce. Much swoon for Fade!

Fade pressed two fingers to my mouth. “Stop. There is nothing I want more than your hands on me, anywhere you care to put them.”

There’s not much I can say about STALKER without spoiling anything (which is probably a spoiler within itself) or ranting but I love Stalker. I get that people were upset about him being somewhat of a love interest because of the awful things he did, but I’m sorry this is the freaking apocalypse. He wasn’t raised like us to understand what’s right and wrong. Even if that isn’t the case, this is a new world, it is damn near impossible to live on your own and make it to the age of 20. Stalker did what he needed to survive. And while there is no justification for what was done to Tegan and countless other girls by Stalker’s gang, there also has to be some understanding of this world they are living in, it is nothing like our own.

I loved watching TEGAN grow and learn and become stronger. I could relate to her because she loved learning and I am the same way. I love her for forgiving Stalker and for being strong when Deuce wasn’t able to be.  

MOMMA OAKS  was perfect. This woman was strong in ways Deuce couldn’t understand at first. She taught Deuce so many things about love and bravery that she didn’t learn with Fade or fighting Muties. I think every scene with Momma Oaks and Deuce left me teary-eyed and loving Momma Oaks even more.

That looked like love to me, when you put a brave face on your heart breaking because it was what the other person needed

EDMUND & REX: I adored these two and I love how they all accepted Deuce as family with no problem whatsoever. The protectiveness Rex had for Deuce was very endearing

I’m not one who complains about a lack of WORLD-BUILDING in a book, so long as the other components (characters, plot, etc.) are strong. I will say though, there could never be any complaints about the world Ms. Aguirre creates for us. Questions about how this world became what it is now were all answered perfectly! I found it extremely interesting how each town had its different ways of dealing with the Muties.

And finally, the ENDING

Oh my goodness this book gave me more than I could ask for! The final battle was so intense I couldn't stop reading. Special shout out to Vince Howe and his brilliant blackmailing! I also need to make a comment about the epilogue. In all honesty, this was the most perfect Epilogue I have ever encountered in my readings…it was just beautiful. That cherry tree? So sweet! And Morrows title for his story? PERFECTION!

**SPOILERY**

These are things that I NEED to mention!

I was soo happy to see Stone and Thimble, I knew we weren’t seeing the last of them in Enclave.

We didn’t leave them on good terms but it was nice to know Deuce’s friends were alive and well, and felt terrible about what happened. ALL IS FORGIVEN!!

Stalker…Oh man, I was in tears when Stalker sacrificed himself for Tegan. I thought maybe he’d be a love interest but I get how that would have been impossible. As devastated as I am over his death, it was written beautifully, and Stalker has redeemed himself 100% in my eyes.

“You said I could never make it right…but this helps doesn’t it? The world’s getting the better deal, her for me.”

It was crazy how the Muties had memories from their ancestors, I can't even comprehend what that would be like if humans had it as well. 

I recommend this series to anyone and everyone! You will NOT regret reading these books. But if you do regret it...

Some favorite quotes:

But wishes were empty thoughts, cast down a dark hole. They didn’t come true unless you worked for them. I’d learned that about the world, if nothing more.

It was better to be warm than pretty

“They serve alcohol.” He forestalled my next question by explaining, “It makes you stupid, loud, and removes a good half of your coordination.”

The tale that followed was wild and improbable—about a boy wizard who lived in a cupboard, then a giant came to him to a magical school, thus commencing a bunch of adventures...Love it! You can’t have a character with a collection of stories from the Old World and not have the Potter J

                    

5 "Horde"s

February: Monthly Wrap-up!

Books I Read in February

So I've had a bit of a slump this month and will probably keep having it until May when I am done with school! 

"Real" books I've read
        

     

Ebooks
           
    


ABC Challenge

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Most favorite book(s) I read this month (Yeah, I'm not choosing just one!):
    

Least favorite book I read this month:
      

Total books in February: 5 books
Avg. Rating for February: 4.60

Some books I plan to read/finish in March:





Happy Reading! :)

3 Stars: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own. 

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

My Thoughs:

Let me start by saying this: Fire & Flood is NOT The Hunger Games...

Yes, the MC is a girl (what's the percentage of female MCs in YA right now? It's gotta be in the 80s)
Yes, this is a competition (not uncommon)
And yes, there are monkeys (and they're not terrifying, they're territorial and present for about a page & a half)

That's about as similar to THG as Fire & Flood gets

For one, this isn't a dystopian
Contenders don't have to play
Contenders don't have to die
Contenders get these interesting things called Pandoras

So yeah, if you're worried about reading this because of the similarities people are claiming it has to THG don't listen to that and just read it

I have severely mixed emotions about this book

It was very plot driven, but lacked everything else that would have allowed me to give this book a four or five star rating

For one, I do not like our MC, Tella. She was shallow and vain, and I didn't like being in her head in this book
Some of her thoughts made no sense and contradicted themselves.
I did like all of the other characters though

There was a bit of humor but I did no laughing out loud
Bad things happened but I felt emotionally detached
There was no relationship development between Tella and Guy. It felt like Insta-love to me and even though I really did like Guy, I didn't like how they fell for each other with no development except her seeing him before the race and following him in the jungle
Also, I would have liked to see more development with Tells and her brother because at this point I don't really care what happens to him I just want to see what happens with the race. Some flashbacks with the siblings I think would have been extremely helpful and would have made me care about Tella winning the race and curing her brother (this did not happen in this book so it's not a spoiler!)

The writing in the beginning was off to me. It felt rushed and choppy and I had a hard time staying focused. Also, about two or so pages in, I REALLY didn't like Tella. Towards the end, I felt less annoyed with her, but I still am not a fan. I'm hoping that she was made to be unlikeable, so I can watch her develop and learn to love her in the next book, I'd be okay with that

The last 75 or so pages of this book were amazing, they are the only reason I will be picking the next book up AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT! I don't mind that we had to wait until the end to get the story behind the Brimstone Bleed and I though it was great!

The twist with Dink was COMPLETELY unpredictable
I actually gasped when I read it!

All in all, I liked this book. Maybe enough to give it a 3.5 but because of Tella, I won't round it up to a four star.
If the second book can be more than just a story, I know I will love the crap out of it because I am very intrigued with the last 3rd of the book and I've gotta know what happens!

        

3 "Fire & Flood"s

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Top Ten Debuts I'm looking forward to in 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Since I have started blogging, I've seen a lot of bloggers reading ARCs and their reviews have gotten me excited for their release! So I listed the top 10 debuts I am looking forward to getting my hands on!

1. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Why I will be reading it:Aside from the fact that this is one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever laid eyes on, the story looks great. I've seen some mixed reviews but I am definitely going to give it a try!

2. Fates (Fates, #1) by Lanie Bross

Why I will be reading it: The synopsis is quite different and I am intrigued!

3. Dream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg

Why I will be reading it:  In this book, we are able to see from the point of view of the antagonist. How cool is that?! I always like to see how the same story can be told in many different ways! 

4. Alienated (Alienated, #1) by Melissa Landers

Why I will be reading it: I've read great reviews and I haven't read many novels with aliens

5. Defy (Defy, #1) by Sara B. Larson

Why I will be reading it: Epic fantasy in a jungle? Sign me up!

 

6. Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog, #1) by Anne Blankman

Why I will be reading it: I have read a one historical fiction novel and I loved it. I would love to read more! Along with this catchy title comes a fascinating story that takes place in 1930's Munich.

7. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

 Why I will be reading it: This book looks like it will be soul shredding and beautiful. Am I ready for that? Probably not but I will still be picking this one up!

8. Killer Instinct by S.E. Green 

Why I will be reading it: The synopsis for this book reminds me a lot of the show Dexter. Which I enjoy. I'd like to see how this plays out and if Green can make it original

9. The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare, #1) by M.G. Buehrlen

Why I will be reading it: "Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories." 

10. Control (Control, #1) by Lydia Kang 

Why I will be reading it: For fans of the Uglies series...While I am not the number one fan of the Uglies series, I did enjoy it very much and I haven't read dystopia in too long!

Happy Reading! :)