Fall Into Reading 2012

I remembered, I remembered! I'm actually proud of myself, since I had a very weird week and my internet connection wasn't working very well. Anyway, I really do want to be a good reader and manage to read all the books in my list. I know I said no more lists, but I was looking at my TBR pile last week and I thought that poor pile (ha! mountain is more like it) needs a little change. Fall Into Reading is hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. Before I share my list, here are the guidelines:

To participate, here’s what you need to do:

• Create a list of books you’d like to read or finish this fall. This is the only real requirement for participating in the challenge.

• Feel free to set some additional reading goals (such as reading to your kids two hours per week, getting through your pile of magazines, etc.). However, this is not required; setting additional goals is completely optional.

• Write a blog post that includes the list of books you want to read (and any additional goals you’ve set), and get ready to post it on your blog on September 22nd.

• Visit Callapidder Days on September 22nd to sign up for the challenge. I’ll have an official launch post up that morning, complete with an area for you to submit a link to your personal Fall Into Reading post, where it will be added to the master list of participants.

• Read! Work on your goals throughout Fall 2012.

• Report your results. Write another blog post in December to let everyone know how you did. (I’ll post an official wrap-up to the challenge on December 22nd, where you’ll be able to share your results.)

• Have fun! Visit other participants to see what they’re reading. Write reviews if you’re so inclined. But most of all, enjoy your fall reading!

So, here are a few of the books that I hope I'll read during this challenge:

1. The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
2. Hell On Wheels by Julie Ann Walker
3. First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
4. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
5. The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
6. The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair
7. The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
8. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
9. Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon
10. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

That's my list. Now, before you think I'm going soft, I have to tell you that I do plan to read more. But I'm trying to keep my goals simple.

If you want to participate, click on the button at the start of this post and read the guidelines. 

Re-read Book Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Series: Anita Blake #1
Publisher: Jove
Release Date: September 24th 2002
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law—as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees—with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting—to help figure out who and why.

Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along—yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters—both dead and alive.

The first time I read Guilty Pleasures was about 5 years ago. I remember I was still a newbie to urban fantasy and paranormal and I wasn't quite sure what I should be expecting. A lot of the elements in this book were new to me at the time I first read it.

I liked Guilty Pleasures the first time I read it and I liked it more now. Anita Blake is a strong character and it was easy to like her. She's calculated, or so I saw her. I thought she was pretty judgmental towards anything concerning vampires, from the creatures themselves to the humans that liked, loved and/or served them. I'd like to know what makes her hate them so. I get the fact that they are evil creatures and that she's a vampire slayer and she's been through some violent moments because of vampires, but I'd like to know what the starting point was.

There was a thing that bugged me a little about her. The book starts with a scared Anita. I know that being a warrior or a vampire slayer or an assassin doesn't mean you're not allowed to be afraid. I also know that not being scared of them would've been stupid. But for some reason I was hoping she'd be more like Edward, the other vampire slayer. He's colder, he's able to detach himself more and he can control his emotions and his reactions a lot better than Anita. I would've wanted Anita to be more like that. She has the reputation of a fearless vampire slayer, why not act like one?

If you're waiting for some steamy sex scenes, let me tell you there are none. That was one of the things that left me a little disappointed the first time I read the book. Even now, I still wished to see Jean-Claude naked, but I must have a little more patience for that *sigh*

Anyway, the book was a very good read. Fast paced, with some mystery, drama, suspense and action. The only thing I'm hoping for is that Anita and Jean-Claude do get to the naked part soon in the upcoming books :)

Book Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: April 10th 2008
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

In my opinion, Frostbite was just as good as the first book in this series.

The first thing that I loved and adored and made me sigh with relief was that there weren't too many "remember what happened in the previous book" moments. And those that did mention past events were waaay too short to bother me. That's one of the things that always scare me a little when it comes to series.

Rose is still as impulsive and sarcastic as she was in Vampire Academy. She'd still do anything to protect Mia and her friends. What was interesting in this book was that we get to see her interact with her mother, Janine Hathaway. Janine is a very interesting character. At first I have to say I didn't like her that much. But, seeing how acts and talks to Rose and also how she comforts her daughter at the end of the book made me completely change my opinion about Janine. Also, Dimitri's insight helped. There's this scene when he talks to Rose about her mother and the things he said helped me see Janine in a different light, so thanks Dimitri!

In Frostbite we meed another character, Adrian. Adrian is unique, sort of like the bad boy of the series. He grows on you as the story progresses. He's very funny and sarcastic. And he seems like he's always up to something. The one thing that he needs, in my opinion (and it's a constant thing until the end of the series) is maturity. He really needs to grow up a little. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy a lot, but he's a little too immature at times.

I liked the feeling of normality brought by Lissa and Christian's relationship. It's one of those "boy meets girl" kind of love story, without the unnecessary drama. Lissa changed since the events in Vampire Academy. She seems she's getting better, she's not as angry as she was then. And with each book she learns more about her powers and it's really fun to see that. I think Christian helped too, he has a good influence on her.

Dimitri is... well, Dimitri. He's still just as cute, sexy, strong, silent and powerful as before. He still loves the 80s music (and every time I think about that I love him a little bit more). We get to see a little of his control snap at a certain point and I thought he was very... sexy in that scene.

There's more drama and more heartbreak in Frostbite. The ending made me want to cry a little. I thought it was a bit unfair for one of the characters and also very tragic. I realize it was necessary to show how evil Strigoi are, but it was still heartbreaking. There's a lot of action, mostly towards the end of the book, a lot of suspense, humor, romance and some family drama.

If you're still waiting to read this series, do it now! Trust me!

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA)

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 1st 2010
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Bought
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

This is one of those slightly painful to write reviews.  Ever since I read The Immortal Rules I've been dying to read this series. I loved Kagawa's writing style and, since I've heard so much about The Iron Fey series, I thought I'd give it a try.

I loved the world in this series, the mythology and the whole "believe and it will exist" theme of the series. It was also interesting to see so may new creatures and the different interactions between them and the different rules and customs of the two courts.

The characters where great too. I especially liked Robbie. I wouldn't say I'm on his team, but I really enjoyed reading about him. He's very funny, charming and very, very mischievous. I was surprised to learn his real name and who he really is. I had a very different idea.

Then there's Ash. I did like his character, though at times he seemed a little too serious. But I liked that in the end he helps Meghan on her quest and that he tries to get along with Robbie.

Here comes the hard part of my review. While I liked Meghan a lot, I didn't understand her at all. I couldn't exactly figure out if she really loved Ash. I didn't feel that emotion for some reason. Yes, she was attracted to him (who wouldn't be?) but I didn't feel the love that much.

Then there's the ending. I would've wanted a little more drama, like we get in The Immortal Rules. Something big, something that leaves me staring at the computer and go "WTF? What just happened?". I don't know, something. Instead, I felt the book ended too easy, given what Meghan and Ash and Robbie had to go through to get to that point. Throughout the book there's this very nice pacing and a sense of danger and mystery and suspense and action, but right at the end it was stopped too fast in my opinion.

Even so, I did enjoy the books and I will be reading the next ones in the series.

Book Review: The Brotherhood of Piaxia by Michael Drakich

Author: Michael Drakich
Series: N/A
Release Date: March 15th 2012
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: review copy received from the author
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Years have passed since the overthrow of the monarchy by the Brotherhood of Warlocks and they rule Piaxia in peaceful accord. But now forces are at work to disrupt this rule from outside the Brotherhood as well as within! Follow Tarlok, Savan and Tessia as their paths intertwine, with the Brotherhood in pursuit and the powerful merchant’s guild manipulating the populace for their own end.

Every once in a while I read a fantasy book that reminds me why I love fantasy. The Brotherhood of Piaxia is one of those books. Warlocks, magic, corruption, war.

I thought the book started a bit slow. But it wasn't that "nothing's happening, when is the action starting?" kind of slow. Before the big turning point and before the big changes, we get to meet the main characters and see them evolve, grow up or turn into a better version of themselves. Also, during this time, we see how magic can corrupt, how power can change a person, turning them into tyrants or evil people, capable of anything - even murder.

There are a lot of twists and turns and some of them where really unexpected to me. Some were good, some not so good. There were a few characters that died and it really broke my heart. I know that they needed to die in order to show how much damage too much power can do, but it still made me sad.

I liked the writing style. And I very much enjoyed the world in this book, the history and the characters. And I loved the battle scenes. There weren't that many, but I loved the strategies they used and the action in those scenes.

If you like fantasy you should give The Brotherhood of Piaxia a try. You won't be sorry ;)

Waiting on Wednesday #10

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My pick this week:

Inferno - Sherrilyn Kenyon

I didn't get to read Infamous yet (and I'm mad at myself for that, but I promise to rectify that as soon as I finish reading the books I received for reviewing). BUT. I love the Dark Hunters (I bet you knew that) and the Chronicles of Nick is such a cool addition to the entire world. (Though to be honest, if the world ends before Nick gets his Dark Hunter book, I'll be one pissed off ghost. No, really! I need that book.)









Anyway, that's my WOW this week. What's yours?