Summer Reading - 2013 Edition (2)

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 paranormal recommendations.

- Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout - If you're plugged in to the blog world at all, you will have heard of this series at some point in the last year. So here's the deal, the Lux series is about aliens. Yes, you read that right, aliens. And not only that, but they are absolutely addicting. Once you start reading these books, you will just fly through them and keep wanting more. Though you'll probably question your addiction to these books at time, they are the perfect read when you are looking for romance and action.

- Embrace series by Jessica Shirvington - This series deals with angels--fallen angels and half-angels. But here's the thing, the first book might not have you hooked, but keep reading. If you do, you'll find that the story just keeps getting better and more complex. But beyond that, the Embrace series is different from other angel books out there. And like any good paranormal these, days the Embrace series comes with a good dose of romance. And swoon-worthy boys.

- Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer - The Elemental series is very much unlike anything else that's out there in paranormal YA. This story deals with four brothers who can each control different elements. And the thing about those brothers is that they're quite the dreamy bunch. But of course there's also a lot more going on. So far there are two books out, with the third one coming out at the end of the month, so it's the perfect time to pick up this series.

- Personal Demons trilogy by Lisa Desrochers - This is one of those really underrated series. I have absolutely loved this series and every time there was a new book I just devoured it. As the name suggests, this is a story about demons and angels--some pretty swoon-worthy ones at that. But in all seriousness, you should really read this trilogy if you are looking for a story with not only two hot boys and one kick-ass heroine, then pick up Personal Demons. Bonus: all three books are already out so none of that annoying waiting between books.

- Starcrossed trilogy Josephine Angelini - You will be hearing me talk about this series a lot in the next few weeks because I absolutely adore this trilogy. This is a story about love, and demigods and you might see a few parallels with the Trojan War. And it's just a fantastic story that is so complex and layered, something I realized while reading the final book. But seriously, if you haven't already, you need to read this series. Plus the last book comes out at the end of the month so you won't have too long to wait if you decide to read these.

This is not an extensive list. If I wanted to, I could probably keep going on for days with paranormal recommendations. These are just a few of my favorites from the last year that I strongly recommend. If you are looking for paranormal recommendations, you can check out last year's post. And if paranormal is not your cup of tea, you can come back next week for some sci-fi and fantasy recommendations.

Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Title: Emblaze (Violet Eden Chapters #3)

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 5, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice…and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was. 

Now Violet has something Phoenix--the exiled angel who betrayed her--will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs to do.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greence without knowing if she will have a home to return to…

I feel like with every book I read in Jessica Shirvington's series, the series just keeps getting better and better. If I though things were intense in Entice, it was taken up a notch once again in Emblaze. This time around, the story was filled with action, romance and just the right amount of intrigue. 

Now that Phoenix has the Grigori Scriptures, there is no telling to what extent he will go to get his hands on the Exile Scriptures and bring Lilith back from Hell. But he can't seem to do that without Violet. Except Violet and the Grigori are determined to stop Phoenix from doing that and killing thousands of innocents in the process. If only Phoenix were the only thing Violet had to deal with. On top of everything else, her dad is becoming increasingly suspicious, her crazy emotions any time Lincoln is around and Grigori from the Academy coming to investigate her. There is only so much Violet can handle at once.

Like I've said, it feels like with every book I pick up in this series, the story just keeps getting better and better. While I wasn't so sure about the series when I first read Embrace, after having now read both Entice and Emblaze I can now say that this series has become one that I highly enjoy reading. Jessica Shirvington has crafted a story that just seems to keep getting more and more complex. With Emblaze, it just felt like there was so much going on. While I was reading, I knew what was happening right in front of me, knew whatever Violet knew. But at the same time, it felt like there was so much more going on than what I could see. At times it even felt Violet knew more and that she just wasn't letting on. And that twist at the end, I didn't see it coming. At all. And it makes me want the next book that much more.

I have loved Violet ever since I first started reading this series. The thing about Violet, is that there is so much more to her than I originally thought. Much like the story keeps getting better and more complex, Violet is much the same. It feels like with every page I read, the more I discover about her and most of those discoveries only serve to make me like her that much more. She's just such an interesting and layered character: she can be both completely selfless and completely selfish at the same time, and her selfishness isn't one that rubs me the wrong way. Because her selfishness has everything to do with Lincoln and I would be selfish about him too. There were so many amazing Lincoln moments in Emblaze. If there were any doubts about how much I liked Lincoln before, Emblaze just solidified my love for him. But what I loved about Emblaze is how much of the other characters were present and how I got to now more about some of them. I can only hope this trend will continue in the future.

As much as I had my doubts about the first book in this series, Jessica Shirvington's Emblaze has convinced me that I really need to stick with this series. With every book, it just seems to get better and I just find myself loving it more and more. If you're not sure what to think about Jessica Shirvington's books, just keep reading, it gets better.

Series Catch Up Challenge Month 5!

Another month has gone by, and it is officially the 5th month of our Series Catch Up Challenge. As usual, link up your reviews below to show everyone how you're doing catching up on those series! And like for every other month, links you post here will also appear at Lost At Midnight so no need to post them twice!

Summer Reading - 2013 Edition (1)

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--her on the blog as well. First up, some contemporary recommendations.

- Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally - Last year I recommended Catching Jordan and I would still stand by that recommendation for anyone looking for a great contemporary read. But this year I read Things I Can't Forget and I have to admit I loved it even more. Like Kenneally's other books, Things I Can't Forget is different from other YA contemporaries out there, so if that's what you're looking for then I strongly recommend this one.

- Just One Day by Gayle Forman - Everyone has been raving about Gayle Forman's Just One Day and that is totally warranted. If you're an older YA reader, then I would strongly recommend Just One Day. The story will pull at your heartstrings and take you on a crazy emotional ride. Be prepared to scream at the characters and want to throw your book across the room at certain parts. But it's totally worth it.

- Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach - Once again, if you are looking for a contemporary that is completely different from any other out there, than give Geoff Herbach's Stupid Fast a try. This one can also appeal to male readers as the story is very much boy-centric, with the may character being a slightly socially awkward teenage boy. And if you pick up this book, I can guarantee you will be in for a laugh.

- Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - Second Chance Summer is one of those books that will pull at your heartstrings. There is no way you can read this book and not tear up at least a little. But it's not necessarily a depressing story, just a very emotional one. But be prepared to be greatly surprised by this story, because I was. But it's completely worth your time.

- Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry took me completely by surprise. This is an incredibly touching and surprisingly deep story that may or may not keep you up reading half the night. This is definitely one of those less happy contemps though, so be warned. But it's still a fantastic one.

This is by far not an extensive list of contemporary recommendations. There are just so many fantastic contemps out there and this list could go on forever. You can always check out last year's post for more contemporary recommendations. And be sure to come back next week for some paranormal recommendations.

Blog Tour - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Before I say anything else, I will say this: this review is going to be different from the way I normally write reviews. With Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave there is so much going on, and the way I normally review books would simply reveal too much of the story. So bear with me.

Here's the thing about The 5th Wave, until I had a copy of the book in my hands all I really knew about the book was that everyone was freaking out about it, saying how amazing it was and how everyone needed to read it. Typically with books like that, I will sort of avoid them like the plague because by the time I get around to reading them, I'm always afraid they won't live up to what everyone has been saying or I've just become sick of hearing everyone gush about them. But with The 5th Wave all that hyping and gushing and screaming on rooftops that this book is amazing is completely warranted. Heck, at this point I'm joining in.

Going in, I knew based on what everyone had been saying that The 5th Wave was good. And it was, there is no doubt about it. What surprised me though, was just how affected I was by the story. Despite it revolving around an alien invasion of sorts, the story felt incredibly real. The different waves of the invasion and attack that are described in the story are completely realistic--who knows when a massive electromagnetic wave is going to shut down all power and networks or when earthquakes are going to cause massive tsunamis world wide? In this sense, the book really resonated with me. I could really believe in the story and in what the characters were going through. I won't lie, a good 90% of the time I was reading, I was thinking about how all of this could just as easily have been happening to me.

Just like the story resonated with me what, what the different characters went through affected me in much the same way. Without saying too much for fear of spoiling it for anyone, all the main characters in the book are put in extremely difficult situations where you almost need to re-evaluate your moral code. It felt to me like any moral code that might have existed before this whole thing started had to be thrown out the window if you wanted to have any chance of surviving. Because of that, I questioned a lot of the characters' actions while at the same time thinking that I probably wouldn't react the same way if I were ever in their position. And once it was revealed what the 5th wave actually was? Well I started questioning everything again, because there was no other way around it.

Just to clear the doubt, Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave is just as amazing as everyone has been saying it is. This is the kind of story that just affects you and resonates with you, and the characters will make you want to question everything you have ever known about the human race. This is not a light book by any stretch of the imagination. But it's a book that will have you thinking for a long time after you finish reading.