Sunday Post #142

  

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer (image above belongs to @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer). It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where bloggers discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics.

Life

Phew, this busy and exhausting week finally came to an end, with two grandparents having to be admitted in the hospital and some medical mistakes made (which I'm hoping will not be permanent, but might end up being so). It's hard to stay positive at times. Luckily one of them got to return home and didn't end up going back to hospital the next day. On top of that, in the very same hospital a fire broke out today and one patient died not far from the area my grandfather stayed yesterday.

Blog and books

I didn't read much this week but hope next week will be better, I at least have one hour of reading planned as I am supervising our schools book club on Tuesday on which the only rule is to read. I have seen students read some great books last year, some even reading Jane Austen in English (not their native language) which made me quite proud of them. I will be reading Siddhartha there.

Movies and TV Shows

I've finished Alchemy of Souls, which was quite fun and perfect for some needed escapism. Not sure what to watch next, so do you have any recommendations?

What did you watch or read recently?

As always please leave some recommendations on what I should read or watch next! 

If you enjoyed this review, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram, TVShowTime and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breath-taking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

-- Goodreads.com description --

Warning this review contains spoilers of the previous books in the series!

Winter by Marissa Meyer was my most anticipated book this year, if not of all time. I simply love this series! My favourite book in the series still remains Cress. I just LOVE Cress and Thorne. They're so cute. My least favourite characters are still Scarlet and Wolf, I don't know why, but I just find their story a little boring. But man, Winter was an amazing conclusion to the series but I still want MORE. I NEED MORE! So now Stars Above is my most anticipated book of 2016. I'm actually considering buying it in hardback because I would get it a month sooner!

I can see why some people thought it was too long, I didn't mind because I just didn't want it to be over, however, some parts did feel a little dragged out. I did think that Wolf and Scarlet got too much attention in the book while the others were not yet established as a couple that was a bit of a shame. I would have preferred to see a lot more of Thorne and Cress, Kai and Cinder and Winter and Jacin. 

We were briefly introduced to Winter in Cress and Fairest. I wasn't that impressed by her character then and I was afraid I wouldn't like her. However, Marissa Meyer is a pro at creating amazing characters that you can't help loving! Winter might actually one of the most interesting characters of the whole series. Not using her lunar gift makes her unpredictable, which I loved. Cress is quite unpredictable as well in some parts of the books at least. But like I said, Winter gives things a nice and unpredictable twist.

I can't get over the fact that this was the last actual book in the series. Thank God for the epilogue in Stars Above! I really hope I won't be disappointed with that one! I need more Cress and Thorne and more Cinder and Kai.

I'm secretly hoping that Marissa Meyer will write a spin-off series in which these characters return. I don't think it would be hard to write an adventure for Cress and Thorne or even Winter and Jacin involving some new characters!

Winter is definitely a satisfying ending to a beloved series. This series is definitely worth your time and if you read Cinder and are still not convinced, I would suggest continuing on with the series if you liked the characters, because the books definitely get better! It is not really necessary to read Fairest, however if you do plan on it, read it before Winter. It does give you a little bit more insight into Levana and Winter's father as well.

5 out of 5 stars! This is quite possibly one of my favourite young adult series of all time. I cannot recommend it enough!

September 2015 Wrap Up

I've read 7 books and 3 novellas last month. I'm quite pleased with that number, in fact I actually read a few extra texts for my Hispano American literature class but I'm not going to discuss those, so I'm not adding them to my wrap up.

I've been in quite the urban fantasy mood lately and as you will find out from this wrap up, I mostly read books by Ilona Andrews and I loved them! I'm hoping to write a series review of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews very soon!

Without further ado, here is my September wrap up (in reading order):

1. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews -- 4 stars
2. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews -- 5 stars
3. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews -- 5 stars

4. Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels 3.5) by Ilona Andrews -- 3 stars
5. Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels 4.5 by Ilona Andrews -- 4 stars
These are two novella's in the Kate Daniels universe.

6. Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews -- 5 stars

7. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella -- 5 stars
I wrote a review for this book and you can view it here.

8. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews -- 4 stars

This is a spin-off novel from the Kate Daniels series written in the point of view from Andrea. This book is set between the events of the fifth and sixth Kate Daniels novels.

9. Magic gifts (Kate Daniels 5.4) by Ilona Andrews -- 4 stars

My copy of Gunmetal Magic actually contained this novella as bonus content.

10. The Martian by Andy Weir -- 5 stars
If you want to know my thoughts on this book, here is my review.


In the first part of the month, I was really into the Kate Daniels series, I'm know going to take a little break from the series although I do own book six and seven. Ultimately, my favourite book of the month was The Martian, just because I didn't expect to like it so much. Maybe I should say it was the surprise of the month.

So this was my belated September wrap up! Let me know what you read in September down below! And if there are books on this list that you want to see a review of, just let me now!

Also, this is the first time I ever posted a wrap up and I would like some feedback on it. So if you have thoughts on my wrap up, don't hesitate to let me know!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten books to read if you like these popular books/authors

This week Top Ten Tuesday is about the theme: if you like this book, I recommend that book to you.  I found this a rather difficult topic. It's not easy to compare authors or stories, so unfortunately I didn't get to ten recommendations. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. If you like Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen

you will like North And South by Elizabeth Gaskell

2. If you like These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

you might like the Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

3. If you liked Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

you might like Uprooted by Naomi Novik


4. If you like The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

you might like The Gardella Vampire Hunters series by Colleen Gleason

5. If you like The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

you might like the comic series Fables by Bill Willingham

6. If you like All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

then you will like Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

7. If you like the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris,

I recommend the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

Let me know which books are on your list! Don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I missed a few weeks but now I'm back. So without further ado, here is my top ten:

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer

2. Dumplin by Julie Murphy

3. The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

4. Roaring Shadows by Colleen Gleason

5. The Martian by Andy Weir

6. Chew Vol. 5. Major League

7. End of Days by Susan Ee

8. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

9. Carrie by Stephen King

10. Four by Veronica Roth

I am most excited to read the first 5 books on this list. The other ones I just need to get to, so hopefully this list will guide me to read those books I should already have read.

Which books are on your TBR? And which ones are you most excited about? Let me know in a comment below!

Top Ten Series I Haven't Finished Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is created by The Broke and the Bookish. This list features the series that I have started but still need to finish.

1. The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

I will review this series when I've read most of the books in the series. I'm currently reading the fourth book and I'm absolutely in love with this urban fantasy series!

2. Penryn & the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee

I have read Angelfall and World After but I have yet to finish End of Days. Somehow, all the hype around this series made me somewhat disappointed in this series. When I finish this book, I will write a series review.

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

I've only read the first one in this trilogy but I own the second one, and I plan to continue this series. However, at the moment I'm not really in a young adult mood which is why I won't finish this series any time soon. But it will happen!

4. Enchanted Inc. series by Shanna Swendson

I've read the first five books in the series and I absolutely loved them! Two books remain. I've started the sixth book in the series but I've put it down. Part of me does not want this series to end and makes me hesitant to read on. However, I'm hoping to finish this series this year!

5. Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

I expected way more of this series, and I was ready to give up on it after reading the second book in the series. However, at the end, something unexpected happened which made me read the third book. I do own the entire series so I probably will finish it.

6.  Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors although her Shopaholic series was not quite my thing. However, I can't seem to stop buying the shopaholic books. I'm planning to reread the series and to read the rest of the books I own but it probably won't be in the near future.

7. Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead

I'm halfway through the series and I do really want to finish it but as I mentioned before, I'm not in a young adult mood lately.

8. Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead

I've only read the first book in the series but it blew me away! I was gripped from the first page till the last and I simply could not put it down. I frequently stay up late to read books but this one was the worst. I ended up skipping my class because I was too exhausted and sleep deprived to attend. I then decided to take a break from Richelle Mead to give myself some sleep.

9. Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver

I didn't really like the first book but the second book was better in my opinion. However, I've heard some spoilers which I didn't like, so now I'm hesitant to read the last book. If I do, it really won't be in the near future.

10. All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

I've read the first book in this trilogy a few years ago and I absolutely loved it! However, when I ordered the second book it came in a huge heavy paperback which I don't like to read (or own). I much prefer pocket paperbacks. However, I'm planning to finish the series but I will have to reread A Discovery of Witches first.

What are your unfinished series? I would love to know! Don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. 

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

-- Goodreads.com description --

This book is all over Booktube, so I decided to buy the entire series, which wasn't an easy thing to do, I might add. I have mixed feelings about this book, at first, I had to get used to the writing style and then I had some trouble getting invested in the book. It definitely wasn't bad, but I somehow expected way more of it. I'm writing this review after finishing the second and third book in the series as well. I'm going to continue the series but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. If you want to read it, you should borrow it from the library or from a friend rather than buying the entire series. 3 stars.

Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins - one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

-- Goodreads.com description -- 

This series was very entertaining! I loved every part of it! Alanna is such a good role model for girls and women everywhere. At first, I was hesitant to read this series by Tamora Pierce because I thought I was too old already. But I didn't bother me at all. I believe that if you're interested in this book you should read it no matter how old you are, just go for it! This doesn't mean, however, that I didn't have problems with this series. Most books I gave 3 out of 5 stars, the second and my favourite book got 5 stars and the last one only got 3 stars. But still, this is an amazing series everyone needs to read! The main problem with the last book was its length, by then, I was ready to be done with the series although it did need an end like this, I still felt it dragged a little. This might be because the other books were very short. Still, I definitely recommend this series!