Top Ten Tuesday #5: Top eight authors I own the most books of

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Top eight authors I own the most books of

I'm not going to include digital copies here, or else I'd never finish counting. Only physical copies count on my list. 

               1. Marc Levy

He is one of my favorite authors of all time, actually. I own 13 of his books and I hope he'll keep on writing for a long time to come. He's one of the authors I rely on to make me laugh and cry and also teach me something with every book. He's also one of the few authors I don't get tired of rereading, even if I already know his books by heart.

               2. Sophie Kinsella

Another amazing author. I own 12 of her books and they actually have a special shelf that no other author's books is "allowed" to sit on. Yeah, it might seem strange, but the publisher I got them from made the smart choice to print all of her books with matching covers, so my OCD is tickled ten times more than it's used to :P 

               3. Charlaine Harris

For those who don't know she wrote the Southern Vampires Mysteries, the first big series I ever read and the one that introduced me to the magical world of urban fantasy. It was also the very first series I read in which many of my hopes came true when it came about vampires (if you're wondering, all of the vampires I've previously read about couldn't have sex. Poor guys, right?) I own the entire series (13 books). I don't see myself finishing it (because I heard how the series ended and honestly I've been rooting for that Viking vampire for so long, I can't bring myself to read anything else than a HEA for him), but this series will always hold a special place in my heart.

               4. J. R. R. Tolkien

I can't not mention another of my favorite authors. I own 7 of his books and I am anxiously waiting to get my hands on his other books. 

               5. Anne Rice

This is the author that started my love for vampires. I picked up one of her books out of curiosity and her vampires made me love them and fear them at the same time. It's also why I love these creatures so much. I own 7 of her books. Unfortunately I don't have her entire Vampire Chronicles series, but I hope one day I'll own the ones that I'm missing.

               6. J. K. Rowling

I think it's only natural Rowling is on this list. I own 8 of her books and I'm starting to warm up to the idea of getting the newer books as well. I hope I'll like them, I don't know yet. I'm also one of those people that still hope she'll one day return to Hogwarts :D

               7. William Shakespeare

These are actually my grandmother's books and they're actually older than me. I think they're older than my Mom, too. They're on a big shelf in my hallway and they're taking up an entire row. I have no idea how many books there are, really. But they're old and they smell like heaven to me :D

               8.  Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ok, I think I flooded Twitter with my love for The Caster Chronicles series, but I do. I love it so much. I own the entire series and I'm now waiting for the nice people working at the post office to deliver me the Dangerous Creatures book.

What authors take up the most shelf space in your house?

Book Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #1
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: September 19th 2011
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem—staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I've had this book on my TBR for so long, it's actually slightly embarrassing. I told myself it was time to read it when that's what Random Generator chose when I did the January Random Reads hosted by the awesome Sarah. I'm very glad I read this book.

If you know me, you know I'm pretty obsessed with Armentrout's books. Not only are the heroes incredibly hot (and let's be honest here, some of her villains too) but they are really, really good. The one reason I tried to stay away from this series is that it has ancient gods and their offspring. I love ancient mythology and there are few authors that managed to write about the amazing creatures the ancient people believed in. It's a difficult task, when you think about it, or so it seems to me, and I've had a few disappointments along the way. Granted, I've read some very good books that I'll probably reread until I'm old and wrinkly, but those are few. I'm happy to tell you that the series Covenant is now part of that "very good books" list.

I have to mention that I loved this book so much, I could not help myself from binge reading the entire series. I read it in like a week and obviously I regretted my decision when I realized there's a certain character that gets his own book, so I basically wanted to smack myself because I now have to *gasp* wait for it's release. I mention this because I'll try really hard not to give away anything from the next books, so my review might seem a little...weird. Anyway, back to the review.

I loved Alex. She's the type of character that I love reading about. She has a big mouth and that sometimes gets her into a lot more trouble than she expects, she rarely has a filter so basically she just blurts out whatever it is that she has on her mind. She's also brave and she'd do a lot of things for the people she loves. And as the story goes on I just liked her more and more and more. She has a temper and that also gets her into a lot of trouble. But she's loyal and she rarely backs down from a fight, even though it might be what she should do at times.

Aiden is interesting as well. He's easy to like, even though he plays hard to get. I understood his reasons very well though, and in the books that follow the reasons for why he's so cold at times will be explained in detail (sometimes painfully so). He's strong and daring, but he's cautious and sometimes he's the voice of reason. He is a really good character and he grows on you the more you read the book.

And then there's Seth. I'm afraid I can't give you a description of this character without sounding like a lunatic baboon trying to pass on as a human. But he was... he was amazing. He's the kind of anti-hero you just have to love. You can realize he'll have a huge role to play in this series early on. And it's obvious he's tortured and he's hiding stuff, but he just gets under your skin so fast, you just can't help but love the guy.

Before I end this review, I have to talk about something. I noticed there are a lot of  readers that talked about the similarities between Half-Blood and another book, namely Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Did I notice any similarities? Yes, there were a few moments. The story takes place at a school for special people and the heroine falls for the wrong guy and there are a few other details as well. However, Alexandra had her own voice and I never actually even thought about Rose while reading this book. And let me tell you, I didn't notice anything similar between Aiden and Dimitri, aside from the fact that both are trying really hard to be cautious when it comes to the heroines. And they're both men (d'oh). Other than that I did not see other similarities, or I was able to get over them, because the story developed in ways I did not expect at all. I just noticed the fact that I loved the book so much I just had to read the rest of the series and that I had to read it fast.

All in all, I adored this book and I would definitely recommend this to anyone that: 1) loves Jennifer L. Armentrout's books and 2) loves smart-mouthed heroines and silent, sexy heroes and lots of adventures and danger and lots of twists and turns of events that will leave you open-mouthed and on the edge of your seat.

Book Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #4
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 19th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

You know, I was waiting for this book with my heart in my throat. I was almost scared to pick it up. I was sure at least one of the main characters will have a hard time during this book (because let's face it here, we are talking about a Richelle Mead book here). The ending wasn't surprising, what was a major surprise though was the person who caused the ending to be the way it was. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I loved being in Adrian's head and seeing things from his POV. It was a fantastic change and I thought he sounded just the way I imagined he would. He saw the world the exact same way I believed he did. If possible, this book made me love him more. I also have to say I was very proud of him. I've seen a lot of readers angry at Rose when she broke his heart and I do understand their opinion, I really do. While I wasn't happy with the way things ended between them, because of Rose's actions, I think in the end, it helped him get to the point he is in this book. There's a scene that is stuck in my head, when he shocks everyone, including Lissa, his cousin, and Sydney that made me feel so damn proud of him. And it shows how much he's grown and it shows that not only did he want to change for Sydney, the woman he loves, but also for himself. 

Sydney also gave me a very good impression. There's such a huge change from when she was at the beginning of this series. She's more mature, she manages to think beyond what the Alchemists told her all her life. And I thought that was a great thing. Her only flaw? Her sister. I cannot stand Zoe. I would've been able to forgive her annoying attitude and just her entire presence in the story, but the ending and the role she played in it killed me. Now I'm 100% against her and I'd like to step inside the book and slap her into the next century if I could. Alas, I cannot do that *unhappy sigh*

It's weird, because after The Indigo Spell, I thought this book would be worth more than just 5 stars. I was sure it was going to require an entire galaxy for it's rating. Instead it left me a little... how do I put this? I feel like disappointed is too harsh. Maybe waiting for more? I was in shock by the ending, yes, but also, when I got to the ending  and to the very last page, it didn't exactly feel like the book gave me everything I wanted it to give me. Maybe I just got used to each book having more big moments. There were a few, but not enough for me to give it 5 stars. 

I'm also a little worried. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the gang will be able to rescue Sydney before any real damage is done to her mind and spirit, but I also have to wonder what will happen if they don't and if she'll have enough time to recover from this. I am excited for new adventures and for being able to see things from Adrian's POV again. Also, I'm already stocking up on Kleenex, because I'm sure I'll start bawling like a baby once I read those chapters and seeing him hurting and struggling to find the love of his life.