May 2015 Recap: The One With So Many Vampires

My gosh, how quickly is this year going? It just feels like yesterday that Christmas was upon us, and now I have only 6 weeks until it's my birthday! Crazy. Anyway, I had a great time on the blog this month, with double weekly reviews, as well as a lot of discussion posts and some fun book tags! I also decided to stick with the Top Ten Tuesday meme as I think it's awesome for recommendations.

The This Or That Book Tag

I'm here today with a tag that I found here. Unfortunately, I don't know who created the tag, so leave a comment if you know where it started! This tag consists of a series of "this or that" questions, completely relating to books.

My Thoughts On Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

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THE BOOK -

Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead
Bk. #1 of Vampire Academy
First published in 2007 by Razorbill
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 332 pages
Published in 2007 by Razorbill
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from the Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger... and the Strigoi are always close by. Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever...

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Vampire Academy is one of those novels that pulls you in and doesn't let you go. Starting from the off with Rose and Lissa being found after two years of running away from St. Vladimir's Academy - a school for Moroi vampires and their guardians - following an accident that sent Lissa on a downward spiral after losing both her parents and her brother. Now, Lissa feels the need to make up for lost time and represent the Dragomir name in a way that would make her family proud. Nothing is ever that simple, of course, and when Lissa starts spiralling once again, Rose must figure out a way to keep Lissa safe not only from outside threats, but also from herself.

Why I Don't Use Bloglovin'

Back in 2013, the entire blogosphere blew up with the demise of Google Reader, and people quickly began searching for an alternative method of following their favourite blogs. Thus, Bloglovin' quickly rose in popularity. By creating an account, you can follow essentially any blog that exists, regardless of the platform, and regardless of whether the owner of said blog has actually signed up. That's right, you don't have to have signed up for Bloglovin' in order for people to follow your blog. Strike one.

Ten Books On My Summer Wishlist

WHAT IS TOP TEN TUESDAY? (CLICK HERE) 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish in which we can spotlight our favourite books according to the topic of the week. If you want a full list of upcoming topics, check out this page.

This week's topic is books we want to read this summer. Summer is the season for cute contemporary novels and since I haven't actually read a whole bunch, I decided to feature books that I want to read this summer, rather than focus on recommendations. I'm not particularly far into my contemporary challenge of the year so hopefully writing this list will inspire me to stock up on novels to enjoy in the sun.

My Thoughts On If I Should Die by Amy Plum

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THE BOOK -

If I Should Die
by Amy Plum
Bk. #3 of Revenants
First published in 2013 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 408 pages
Published in 2013 by Atom
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant, our future together has been shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend and I lost him. It shouldn't be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is out there somewhere, I know he's not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we've already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying - to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others - so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

There's a common theme in YA literature that I've chosen to ignore over the last couple of years, and that's the whole boy meets girl, they fall in love, they then break up for whatever reason, but eventually they overcome their problems and get their happily ever after. I've kind of gotten used to this being the rule rather than the exception, but sometimes it's nice to find a series that breaks the mold. The Revenants trilogy is one of those series'. Though the romance is the largest part of the book, and the couple did break up, there's so much more going on in the story, including an ancient war with the numa - evil revenants whose sole purpose in life is to take human lives. These books have been like a breath of fresh air to me and I'm definitely sad to say goodbye to this world.

The A-Z Bookish Survey

I'm here today with a tag created by The Perpetual Page Turner. This tag is an A-Z survey of various bookish related subjects. This is going to be a long one, folks, so settle in and enjoy! Since there are 26 categories, I'm going to try and get through these as quickly as possible, so I probably won't give any major explanations for my choices. Sorry about that!

My Thoughts On Until I Die by Amy Plum

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THE BOOK -

Until I Die
by Amy Plum
Bk. #2 of Revenants
First published in 2012 by HarperCollins
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 357 pages
Published in 2012 by Atom
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

I wish there was only today, just right now, and no forever. It seems fitting that I fell in love in Paris, the most beautiful city in the world. And if I pretend, I can almost believe that my life is normal and everyone I care about is safe. But as long as I’m with Vincent, “normal” doesn’t exist. Gorgeous, charming, and witty, he’s everything you could ask for in a boyfriend - but his destiny is so much more.

Even more terrifying than his destiny are his dangerous enemies, enemies who will kill for immortality. How are Vincent and I supposed to be together forever if we’re always in danger? I know I’ll do whatever it takes - even if it means lying to the people I love - to fight against a fate that is trying to tear us apart.

Amy Plum exceeded all of my expectations when it came to the first novel in this trilogy, Die For Me, and I'm happy to report that this sequel was just as good. Focusing on the events after Kate and Vincent destroyed Lucien, the leader of the numa, as well as the search Vincent and the others are undertaking for a way to free him from his compulsion to die, Plum has woven together a tale of danger and romance and created something unique and beautifully written.

How Do You Review Books You've Read Before?

Reading novels again is a fantastic way to rediscover old favourites, and really remind you of why you loved reading in the first place. A lot of bloggers feel as though they don't have the time to re-read novels just for fun, but what about re-reading novels so you can finally review them? I, personally, absolutely love reading books multiple times, and sometimes it means that I can finally write that elusive review that's been missing from my archive. As it stands, I'm currently working my way through all the novels I've read before (hence all the 4 and 5 star reviews on this blog), and while I'm enjoying every minute of it, writing reviews of these books is hard work.

My Top Ten Favourite Debut Novels

WHAT IS TOP TEN TUESDAY? (CLICK HERE)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish in which we can spotlight our favourite books according to the topic of the week. If you want a full list of upcoming topics, check out this page.

This week's topic is a freebie, so I chose to showcase my favourite debut novels. The majority of this list will consist of authors that haven't actually written anything else, but they're all awesome just the same.

My Thoughts On Die For Me by Amy Plum

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THE BOOK -

Die For Me
by Amy Plum
Bk. #1 of Revenants
First published in 2011 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 341 pages
Published in 2011 by Atom
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were moving to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my life would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, he put me in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen... until I realized that Vincent Delacroix is no normal human - that he has a terrifying destiny and enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

Can I risk everything for love?

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Die For Me is a novel that I went into without knowing anything about it, other than what's written on the blurb. Having had no previous experience with revenants, I had no idea what to expect, but I'm happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, that's a slight understatement... truth is, I absolutely loved this book from start to finish.

The Reader Problems Book Tag

I'm here today with a tag created by Youtube user About To Read. This tag is all about reader problems, so it should be fun to see what comes up, and what I can relate to. Please note, I have removed some questions for time management purposes, so if you want to see the full set of questions, head on over to the creator's page.

My Thoughts On Amelia Anne Is Dead & Gone by Kat Rosenfield

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THE BOOK -

Amelia Anne Is Dead & Gone
by Kat Rosenfield
This book is not part of a series
First published in 2012 by Dutton Juvenile
Genre: YA Mystery
Avg. Rating: 3/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 288 pages
Published in 2013 by Speak
My Rating: 4/5 stars

THE PLOT -

Becca has always longed to break free. Free from her backwater hometown. Free from its small-town gossip and dead-end lives. But the horrifying discovery of a dead body - an outsider, Amelia Anna, battered and broken - on the morning after graduation sends Becca into an unexpected tailspin. As the violence of the real world creeps close to home, Becca retreats, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life, as Becca's and Amelia's parallel stories twist closer and closer to the horrifying truth.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Amelia Anne Is Dead & Gone is a novel that has received many mixed reviews but I, personally, believe that this is a must-read for YA mystery fans. With a story that grabs your attention from the very beginning and refuses to let go until the last page, I found myself completely absorbe in the parallel stories of Becca and Amelia, waiting for the tragic moment when their lives would inevitably collide. Who was the dead girl on the side of the road? Why was she in Bridgeton? Who killed her... and why? These are the questions that kept me turning the pages late into the night.

4 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Blogging

I don't consider myself to be an expert on blogging by any means, but there are definitely a handful of things I wish I'd known before I started my journey. I don't think any of these things would have put me off starting a blog, but a little notice would have been nice. Today, I'm sharing those things I wish I'd known in the hopes that I can help future bloggers decide whether or not a blog is the right path for them.

Ten Authors I Would Love To Meet

WHAT IS TOP TEN TUESDAY? (CLICK HERE) 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish in which we can spotlight our favourite books according to the topic of the week. If you want a full list of upcoming topics, check out this page.

This week's topic is authors we really want to meet. In all honesty, I'm one of these people who believes firmly that you should never meet your hero, so while there are a ton of authors I would love to meet, I highly doubt I will ever go out of my way to make it happen. I'm not going to give a reason behind these choices, due simply to the fact that I just think they're amazing authors, but I will share my favourite book/series by each author.

My Thoughts On Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

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THE BOOK -

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling
Bk. #3 of Harry Potter
First published in 1999 by Bloomsbury
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 435 pages
Published in 2013 by Scholastic
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

For twelve long years, the dreaded fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be a dedicated follower of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he's escaped. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts." Is he coming for Harry?

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may be a traitor in their midst.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban is definitely my favourite installment in the Harry Potter series. With the introduction of a couple new characters, as well as new dangers lurking around every corner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione's third year at Hogwarts proves to be just as much of a whirlwind as the previous two. Emotions run high as stubbornness overtakes logic, and the rollercoaster that Rowling takes her characters on this time around is bordering on cruel. This novel is, in a lot of ways, darker than the previous installments, and it's from here that the series starts encroaching onto YA territory, rather than being middle grade fiction.

The Reading Habits Book Tag

I'm here today with a tag created by Youtube user The Book Jazz. This tag is all about our reading habits, and while I like to think that my habits are pretty normal, I know there are people out there who do some weird and wonderful things whilst reading. Please note that I have removed some of the questions for the sake of time management, so be sure to head on over to the creator's page for the full list of questions.

My Thoughts On Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

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THE BOOK -

Kill Me Softly
by Sarah Cross
Bk. #1 of Beau Rivage
First published in 2012 by Egmont USA
Genre: YA Retellings
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I WON -

Hardcover, 336 pages
Published in 2012 by Egmont USA
My Rating: 4/5 stars

THE PLOT -

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday - and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems - the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairytales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairytales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairytale curses of their own... brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairytales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

When it comes to fairytale retellings, I'm always a little wary. I've had a few bad experiences in the past, so to find out that Kill Me Softly doesn't just focus on one tale made me nervous. I wasn't sure how Cross was going to combine a dozen different stories into one and it was with some trepadition that I opened the first page. That feeling didn't last long, however, and I soon found myself lost in the world that Cross created, and loving every minute of it.

My Kindle Experience

Back in February 2013, after nearly a year of blogging, I discovered NetGalley. I thought this was an absolutely fantastic feature for a relatively new blogger with little to no connection with publishers/authors and I immediately signed up. Little did I realise that reading from a computer screen would kill my eyes, making me blind and unable to read ever again (okay, that's a bit of an overstatement, considering I'm still here two years later, but you get the gist). It was torture! Here I was, with nearly unlimited access to some of the hottest new releases, and my eyes were slowly dying whilst reading them. I was heartbroken.

Ten (Mostly Classic) Books I'll Probably Never Read

WHAT IS TOP TEN TUESDAY? (CLICK HERE) 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish in which we can spotlight our favourite books according to the topic of the week. If you want a full list of upcoming topics, check out this page.

This week's topic is books we'll probably never read. My list this week consists mostly of classics that I really want to read one day, but will probably always be too intimidated by. Most people say nothing but good things about these novels, but they're so intimidating!

My Thoughts On Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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THE BOOK -

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling
Bk. #2 of Harry Potter
First published in 1998 by Bloomsbury
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Avg. Rating: 4/5 stars

EDITION I PURCHASED -

Paperback, 341 pages
Published in 2013 by Scholastic
My Rating: 5/5 stars

THE PLOT -

Harry's second year at Hogwarts is rife with fresh torments and horrors, including an outrageously stuck up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But these seem minor when the real trouble begins, and someone - or something - starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally revealed? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself?

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Ever since I was a child, this has always been my least favourite Harry Potter book, and yet I still cannot give a genuine answer as to why that is. Don't get me wrong, this entire series is easily 5 stars throughout, but there's always been something about this second installment that doesn't sit right with me. Nevertheless, Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets is filled with mystery and suspense that keeps you guessing until the very end as you slowly unveil some of the secrets shrouding Lord Voldemort's past.