Top Ten Tuesday: Fall 2013 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Books on my fall TBR list.

I will preface this post by saying that some of these books have already been published, others are books that will be published at some point in the next few months. Regardless of if the book has been published or not, I am looking forward to reading all of these in the coming months.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - There is a strong likelihood that Allegiant is on just about everyone's list and I totally understand why. After everything that went down in Insurgent, I can't wait to see how it will all come together. Plus we get Four's point of view.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - I found myself liking Falling Kingdoms last year so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I've had an ARC of Rebel Spring sitting on my bookshelf for a few months and now that the release date is getting closer, I have the perfect excuse to read it.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead - Richelle Mead. Adrian Ivashkov. Enough said.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano - The premise of Perfect Ruin is that it takes place in a utopian world. And it's written by Lauren DeStefano. That's pretty much all I need to know in order to know I will want to read this book.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - My heart broke a little in Dare You To with what happened to Isaiah so I can't wait to finally read his story in Crash Into You. Plus, as far as I'm concerned, Katie McGarry can do no wrong.

How to Love by Katie Cotugno - I was lucky enough to get an ARC of How to Love while at BEA and I proceeded to read it on the bus ride back from NYC. But it's one of those books that I really, desperately want to reread. So since it's coming out soon, I'll most likely be doing just that.

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White - So far I have loved everything I have read by Kiersten WHite. And now she writes a book about mythology? Count me in.

Resist by Sarah Crossan - I loved Breathe. I want to know what happens next (though I may need a refresher between now and then). And that's all that really needs to be said about Resist.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - Vampires and Holly Black. Do I really need to explain this any further?

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - I only just recently read The Raven Boys but the moment I finished, I wanted the sequel. And now I have it. So you can bet I'll be reading The Dream Thieves and Ronan's story quite soon.

What books are on your fall TBR list?

Summer Reading - 2013 Edition (3)

Among my friends, I'm known as the book person. As a result, whenever someone is looking for a book recommendation they come to me. This time of the year, this happens a lot since summer is fast approaching and a lot of my friends are typically seasonal readers--as in they read when they have time to do so and that time is often summer. Like I did last year, I thought I would post these recommendations--by genre--here on the blog as well. Up this week, some fantasy and science fiction recommendations.

- The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - If you haven't heard of Cinder and Scarlet, you are seriously missing out. The Lunar Chronicles are fairytale retellings set in a futuristic world where humans, cyborgs and androids co-exist. Believe me, it's just as awesome as it sounds. Cinderella is Cinder, a cyborg and Little Red Riding Hood is Scarlet, a girl who runs a farm with her grandmother. With the Lunar Chronicles, be prepared to rethink a lot of what you know about fairytales and that's what makes them so awesome.

- Unremembered by Jessica Brody - When I read it, Unremembered wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. But it turned out to be quite the sci-fi read. If you choose to read Unremembered, be prepared to be surprised because for much of the book it doesn't feel like you're reading a sci-fi story. So if you're looking to read some sci-fi that doesn't feel too much like a sci-fi story, then Unremembered is a good option. The only downside is that it's the first in a trilogy and the two sequels aren't out just yet.

- Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - Even if you aren't a particularly big fan of fantasy, you should still read Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms. I can't really say whether or not this is a valid comparison or not, but this book has been compared to Game of Thrones. Though I can say that it is a truly fantastic story (no pun intended). Falling Kingdoms is the kind of book that will grab your attention right from the beginning. Though a word of warning, characters have a tendency to die…especially the ones you get attached to.

- The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus - Again, even if you aren't that into fantasy, The Gyspy King by Maureen Fergus is s story that will grab your attention right away, or at least it did for me. The story was very different from what I thought it would be and from other fantasy stories I've read (not that I've read all that many). And if you still need some convincing that The Gypsy King is a book to pick up, the sequel is coming out this fall, so you won't have to wait that long to find out what happens next. Though if you are outside of Canada, it might be a little trickier to get a copy of this book.

- Witchlanders by Lena Coakley - Witchlanders was one of my summer reading recommendations last year and I still stand behind that recommendation. The story in this book felt incredibly real despite the clear high fantasy elements and the characters were memorable. And for a nice change in YA, the two main characters are boys. Even though Witchlanders is not quite as recent as some of the other recommendations on this list, it's still a great fantasy read if that's what you are in the mood for.

So these are just a few fantasy and sci-fi recommendations and is not an extensive list. If sci-fi/fantasy isn't what you are looking for you can always check out my contemporary and paranormal recommendations or come back next week for some post-apocalyptic and dystopian recommendations.

Blog Tour: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: December 11, 2012

Source: Borrowed from fellow blogger

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power--brutally transforming their subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined.

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished--and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past--and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword…

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

Though I tend to enjoy it when I read it, I don't actually read all that much high fantasy. There's not real reason why, it's just not something that I will go and pick up on my own. But with how much I had heard about Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms, I figured I should probably read it. And I turned out to be just as good as everything I had heard about it.

For thousands of years, the three kingdoms of Auranos, Paelsia and Limeros have lived side by side without much conflict. But that doesn't mean that everyone is happy with the way things are. The Auranians have had no shortage of riches while the Paelsians are struggling to put food on the table and the Limerians are in the cold lands in the north. But things are about to change. Jonas wants to avenge his brother's death and take back what Auranos has been taking from Paelsia for hundreds of years. Prince Magnus has been trained to fight and wants nothing more than to help his father take over Auranos. And through it all Princess Cleo has to find a way to escape an arrange marriage all the while helping protect the fate of Auranos.

LIke I've said, high fantasy doesn't really tend to be my cup of tea. Typically it's not something I will pick up on my own but when it's recommended to me enough times I will pick up a high fantasy book. And Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes had come highly recommended by a number of people. And so I started reading, and it didn't take too long for me to get wrapped up in the story. Fantasy stories rely heavily on world building, and with Falling Kingdoms I could see it. All the time while reading, I could picture the world Morgan Rhodes was describing, whether it was the trend lawns of Auranos, the dry lands of Paelsia or the frozen ones of Limeros. The focus of the story itself was war but it felt like there was a lot more to it. There was also a strong focus on family and loyalty, even a little bit of romance, no matter how disturbing that romance could be at times. But primarily, this story was about the characters.

Like I've said this story was primarily about all the characters. At least those who didn't get killed. Because let me warn you if you plan on reading Falling Kingdoms there are characters dying left, right and center. Usually right as I started getting attached to a character, it got killed off, it almost got to the point where I started expecting characters to die. But for the characters that actually stayed alive for the duration of the book. They all had something that they were willing to fight for, whether it was their family, love or just something bigger and that was what kind of brought them all together in my mind. Though there were no clear alliances and the main characters by far did not all like each other, they were still all connected by what they were going through, and each of them was more than they let on. Jonas was more than just a young man trying to avenge his brother's death. Cleo was more than just a princess looking for love, and Magnus was more than the fighter his father had trained him to be. But no one really realized there was more to the people they were so dead set on hating and that just made the story more interesting for me.

Overall, Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms ended up being a fantastic read. Though I am not typically a big fantasy reader, you can be sure that I will be picking up the sequel, if only to see what happens to everyone after the major events of this first installment.