Ascend by Amanda Hocking (#3 of the Trylle Trilogy)

Original Title: Ascend          

Year Published: 2012

Published By: St Martin’s Press, New York

Number of Pages: 295

First Sentence: “I had my back to the room as I stared out the window.”

Goodreads Rating: 4/5

Plot (taken from Goodreads):

Wendy Everly can barely remember what it was like to feel like a normal girl. She'd wished for her life to be different but everything is so much more complicated than she'd expected. And she certainly hadn't dreamt she'd be getting married at 18 to man she didn't love - all for the sake of duty.

My thoughts:

I really liked this book. It was faster paced which enhanced the entertainment value by so much. 

Wendy goes through such an amazing character development which made me actually like her. Before she has appeared as bratty and slightly selfish but she gets redeemed in this final book. She comes to some difficult decisions that only serve to make her stronger in the end. She matures a lot from the first book which I thought was absolutely lovely and brought a lot to the story. Her biggest sacrifice is marrying Tove, who she cares about but does not love. 

Loki continues to prove to both the readers and Wendy that he might seem like a bad guy but in reality he isn't. Wendy continues to be confused over her feelings for Loki, which are both making her giddy and guilty since she is married to another man although she does not love him at all. It doesn't help that Wendy is also still confused over her relationship with Finn.

Finn gives of an air of douchebagedness in this book. Thanks to this, and many of the revelations Wendy has, made me realise why I didn't like the first book. It's the relationship between Wendy and Finn. It's uneven and that's not how a relationship should be.

Tove then. Oh my I love Tove so much. Both he and Wendy sacrifice so much by marrying each other although there is no love between them apart from friendship. It's heartbreaking seeing him slowly breaking under the influence of his own powers. Especially since he really is one of the true good guys in the book. So much love for Tove.

There are of course many other characters that make this book awesome. Elora aso get redeemed in this book, Duncan proves to be awesome just like Willa, and Matt, Rhys and Garret get to be quitely amazing in the background. 

The ending? It's a cliche but it still works. It doesn't take away from the story but I read it and was like: "why does it always have to end like this?". Still good though.

Do I recommend it?

Well, you wouldn't read this book if you hadn't read the two before. But I recommend all of them. It is a great trilogy so go ahead and read them if you haven't already. 

Torn by Amanda Hocking (#2 of the Trylle Trilogy)

Original Title: Torn

Year Published: 2012

Published By: St Martin’s Press, New York

Number of Pages: 291

First Sentence: “When Rhys and I showed up at my “brother” Matt’s house at eight in the morning, he was happy… in the sense that he was glad I was alive and hadn’t disappeared forever.”

Goodreads Rating: 4/5

Plot (taken from Goodreads):

Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn't difficult for Wendy, she'd always felt like an outsider. But a new world and family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she's left won't let her go that easily.

My thoughts:

I know I said when I reviewed Switched that there was something that I didn't like but couldn't put my finger on. There were no such thing in Torn. I really enjoyed this book and was entertained pretty much the whole way through, 

All the characters we got introduced to during the first book(Wendy, Finn, Willa,Tove, Elora, Matt, Rhys and so on) make a reappearance in the second, and we also get introduced to many new brilliant characters. 

We get to meet Loki, a vittra Markis who is sassy and brilliant in so many ways. He brings a lot more humour and life to the book, and maybe he was one of the things missing in the first book. He becomes a love interest for Wendy. A clumsy yet great tracker named Duncan is introduced. He is like a little brother that you just can't help but love and is officially one of my favourite characters alongside Tove. Oren is our newly introduced antagonist. He is the King of the Vittra and and overall bad guy. He is determined to take control over the Trylle-kingdom. 

We get to see Wendy slowly grow into her future role as Queen of the Trylle. In this book she makes many decisions that she thinks are the best for the kingdom, often having to sacrifice her personal life, wants and wishes. Her relationship with both Elora and Finn continues to be strained although for different reasons. Tove proves to be an amazing person and does many things in order to help Wendy become the Queen the Trylle both needs and deserves.  

Do I recommend it?

Yes, Although the first book might not be the best, the second (and I will already now say the third) definitely makes it worth it. 

Switched by Amanda Hocking (#1 of the Trylle Trilogy)

(Kattla's nose makes an appearance)

Original Title: Switched

Year Published: 2012

Published by: St Martin's Press, New York

Number of Pages: 293

First Sentence: "A couple of things made that day stand out more than any other: it was my sixth birthday, and my mother was wielding a knife."

Goodreads Rating: 3/5

Plot:

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might have been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

My thoughts:

I really wanted to love this book but it was just missing that little extra that would have made it great. I can't really put my finger on exactly it is that is either missing or wrong but it is something. 

The main character is Wendy, a 17-year-old girl, who feels like she has never belonged anywhere. She lives with her brother Matt and aunt Maggie, since her mother is locked up in a mental institution after she tried to kill Wendy when she was a little girl. Wendy is headstrong which comes of as bratty and spoilt at times. I liked Wendy, although there were parts of her personality that hit a wrong chord with me. I think it is the brattiness, I always have a problem with people like that.

When Wendy is found by a "tracker" named Finn she is reluctantly convinced of following him back to "Förening", the Trylle kingdom. Finn is a complicated dude, who gives a namn to the "hot and cold" personality. Sparks are soon flying between the two.

In Förening things don't turn out as Wendy was hoping. She though she would find a loving family but just finds more coldness, and that people are holding back so much information from her. 

The world in Switched is fascinating and really interesting. I loved the fact that this is not just another book about vampires, but about a mythical being that not many authors write about. It's a new take on the world of trolls and it was really fun learning things about this new world. It was however frustrating that things were being kept from Wendy as it meant that things were being kept from you as a reader as well. 

I think that one of the main issues I had with this book is that it is filled with the typical YA clichés. The star-crossed lovers, the girl who finds out she is not what/who she thinks she is, the danger that follow her like a shadow and smaller elements of triangle love dramas. Still, it is a good book and worth reading if you like YA books, and it was great fun exploring a new world. Definitely reading the other two books (already started #2).

(Extra kudos on the fact that parts in the Trylle world used Swedish words, which I found hilarious and great since I am Swedish myself)

Do I recommend it?

Yes I do. Although there was something in it that was either lacking or whatever for me, it was still a good book and definitely worth readin

The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings

Original Title: The Redemption of Althalus

Published by: Ballantine Books, Inc

Year Published: 2001

Number of pages: 791

First Sentence: "Now before the Beginning, there was no Time, and all was Chaos and Darkness."

Goodreads Rating: 4/5

Plot (taken from Goodreads):

Althalus is a young thief and occasional killer known for his skill and incredible luck. A number of capers end without much monetary reward for him, until he stumbles into a shrine built to the fertility goddess Dweia. Soon afterward he meets with the wizard Ghend, who hires him to steal the Book, a magical tome that can be found in the bizarre House at the End of the World. There, Althalus discovers Dweia in the form of a black cat and learns that she has chosen him to aid her in a war against Ghend and her evil brother, the destroyer god Daeva. Together Althalus and Dweia use the power of the Book and gather together a small team of questionable heroes who must battle Ghend's supernatural forces and armies. The thief Althalus can only hope his luck holds out for this one last task, since the very fate of humanity is at stake.

My thoughts:

I loved David & Leigh Eddings as a child and their two series about Belgarion (The Belgariad and The Mallorean) were the first long fantasy series I ever read. Me and a friend realised we both loved the series and she demanded that I read The Redemption of Althalus and I do not regret that. It is a good fantasy book with many great twists and turns. 

We get to tag along with the thief Althalus, as he after finding himself extremely unlucky in his endeavours of thieving takes a quest of finding and retreiving a book. We meet several other amazing characters such as Eliar, Andine, Bheid, Leitha and Gher. The dynamic between all of these is really great and its fun to read.

The negative thing I have to say about this book is that it is quite slow from time to time, This means that sections of the book actually get quite boring which in turn meant that it took a lot longer getting through then I first thought. Overall though, it is a good book well worth reading if you like fantasy books.

Do I recommend it?

Yes I do, especially if you already like David and Leigh Eddings. However, if you have never read their works before then I would recommend that you start with The Belgariad. 

Take control of your bookshelf!

First of all, I'm so sorry for not posting for such a long time but life has been super busy. In february I'm going to join a little challenge/competition by Fantastiska berättelser (original idea by Caffeinated Book Reviewer).

The idea is very simple. For February you pick out a number of books that have been in your bookshelf since before December 2014. You score a percentage point for every book you read, but the amount of books is not the important bit. I picked five books, three that have been on the shelf for more than a year and two that have been there since before last summer (so almost a year).

They are:

1. David & Leigh Eddings "Äldre Gudar" (Book 1 of 2)
2. David & Leigh Eddings "Den Vördade" (Book 2 of 2)
3. JRR Tolkien "Bilbo (Hobbit)"
4. Wendy Higgins "Sweet Reckoning"
5. Evan Wright "Generation Kill"

Hopefully I'll manage getting through them all and hopefully I'll be better at posting from now on. There are some reviews coming your way, I just need the time to finish the books first :)

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 books released in 2014 I never go round to reading

This is a book meme from The Broke and the Bookish, that I've seen many people do and wanted to do myself.

This tuesday it's ten releases from 2014 that I meant to read but did not get to. Here are mine and I hope that I do get around to reading them in 2015. 

 

1. Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins
2. The King by J.R. Ward
3. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
4. The Blood of Olympus Rick Riordan
5. Howling for you by Chloe Neill
6. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
7. Of Neptune by Anna Banks
8. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
9. Blood Games by Chloe Neills
10. Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Like I said, I really hope I get round to reading them in 2015 because they all just seem so good!

Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Original Fire: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Year Published: 2009

Published by: Scholastic Inc

Number of Pages: 439

First Sentence: "I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air."

Goodreads rating: 4/5

Plot:

Katniss Everdeen survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.

My thoughts:

I did not love this book as much as I loved the first one. I think it is because it's slower in pace and that much of the plot takes place outside of the arena. It's still a very good book, and I still loved it. It is slower though and the real story don't start until you are just over 1/3 into the book. However, the first bit is still interesting and you learn a lot about several of the characters.

I have a friend who says that she does not like Katniss. Until I read this book I didn't understand why. Don't get me wrong, she is still a great character. However, in this book she is selfish, irrational and don't really care about the consequences her actions will have on others. At the same time, we are talking about a 17-year-old girl who has survived a very traumatic experience. If that is the reason why Collins have written Katniss as she has in the book, then I suppose we can overlook it. If not, then it reflects very badly on Katniss character (not that I was a saint at 17, and I didn't have the exusce of competing in a Hunger Games scenario). 

Maybe she has written it to show exactly how good and selfless Peeta is. If this book did anything, it made my love for Peeta grow. He makes sure to help everyone, he knows how Katniss feels about him and still love her and at the same time respect her. He is more than willing to sacrifice himself for the people around him, especially Katniss. Peeta is the true hero of these books in my opinion.

I liked the fact that we got to learn more about the background characters. Gale, Prim, Haymitch and Katniss mother were all given more space, alongside several of the victors. Finnick and Johanna are as amazing as one might think, and some of the other victors add little special things to the story.

The actual story then? At the same time as I thought  it was a little difficult to read, the plot that was located in District 12 was very interesting. Here we get more proof of how slimy and disgusting President Snow really is and the development of several of the characters that we met in the first book. Same thing with the Victors tour. Here we got to see the relationship of Katniss and Peeta, and also the stirrings of rebellion throughout all of Panem. 

*SPOILER ALERT* (unless you've seen the film)

I was however relieved when we returned to the arena. When the Quarter Quell was announced I was almost relieved. Finally the tempo would increase. I was not dissappointed. Here we got to meet several of the victors of which there were some interesting characters. I loved the fact that you could see the friendship between them, and the fact that at least before the games started they tried to work together to stop it. It of course falls apart in the arena. But we do see some bonds and promises being kept and the willingness to work together. The fact that you can easily tell that there are a group of them determined to keep both Katniss and Peeta alive.

*END OF SPOILER*

The book then ends with the biggest cliffhanger to ever cliffhang. It's cruel. But I love it. 

Do I recommend it?

Hell yeah I do. I recommend people to read the whole series since it's a very important subject it deals with. It is a contemporary problem in several of the countries in the world, that people are being oppressed by their government, and some have been so brainwashed by propaganda that they can't see anything wrong with their situation and those who do are taken care of. The books are very important to read I think, especially if you can avoid viewing them as media do, who are focusing most of their attention on the "love-triangle". Don't do that and the message of the books is amazing. 

New Books

I got new books today :D So happy. Getting new books is one of the best things I know.

Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Strangely enough, I have not read the first book in the trilogy but still decided to buy the other two. They are book two and three of the Infernal Devices Trilogy. Looking forward to reading them.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I fell in love with the concept of this book when I first read about it. I really hope it will live up to my expectations, and after reading Fangirl, they are quite high.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

This book was recommended to me, and although I didn't get super excited about the book when reading the sleave, I still think it will be worth reading. Like I said, I loved Fangirl and if it's anything like it then I'm sure to love this one as well.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Original Title: The Help

Year Published: 2010

Published by: Penguin Books

Number of Pages: 444

First Sentence: "Mae Mobly was born on a early Sunday morning in August, 1960."

Goodreads rating: 4/5

Plot:

Enter a vanished world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver...

There's Aibileen raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends: fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

My thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book. It is on of three that I had to read for UNI and I never expected to like any of them. But I do love them all. This book is fantastic. It deals with a really important subject, the enslavement of black people and the way they have been seen as inferior by white people for many many years (and sadly enough still are in certain parts of the world). It is written from the viewpoints of two coloured maids and a priveliged white woman who has seen they way the maids are treated and want's it to change. 

Aibileen is the character who starts us off, and can probably be seen as the main main character. She is in her 50's and raising her seventeenth white child, Mae Mobly. In the beginning she is very apprehensive about trying to change the situation for the black maids. But as several tragic things befall the black population of America, she both agrees to help Skeeter with writing a book and secretly try to show Mae Mobly that there is nothing wrong with black people. She is the books hero, and rightly so. Her bravery is what ensures that the book is written. 

Minny is a very self-assured and sassy maid, who suddenly finds herself without a job. She has five children and an abusive husband. She finally finds employment with Miss Celia Foote, who turns out to have a few secrets of her own. Their relationship in this book was amazing to take part of, and is a great example of how you should treat people who work for you (or people overall), which is as human beings.

Skeeter is the white girl who grew up on a cotton-picking farm. The family is well of, and at the beginning of the book she has just returned from College. She is the one who comes up with the idea of writing the book, after seeing how badly several of the maids are treated. Skeeter does a lot of growing during the book, both from a personal point of view and a point of view of the society.

The book itself is a very good critical view of how Jackson, Mississippi and all other cities in the US (and parts of the world) treated their black maids and black people overall. It discusses human rights and several of the important events that took place in the 1960's that involved the fight for equality for the African-American population of the US. It also shows us relationsships between women and how you can find a friend in the most unlikely place, how sometimes the society is wrong and that in order to find peace within you have to take a stand no matter how scary it might be.

Do I recommend it?

Yes I really do. It's an amazing book with amazing characters. Stockett did a fantastic job. The movie does the book justice, so if you can't be arsed reading the book at least watch the movie.

Finish That Series Challenge 2015 (updated version)

The rules are fairly simple:

1.     The series has to be COMPLETELY FINISHED for it to count in the challenge.

2.     If the series is not completed (as in the author is not done writing it) you have to read up until the book that was published last.

3.     You don't need to read the novellas in a series for the series to count, just the main books.

4.     You don't need to start the series in 2015, just finish it. So if you started a series in 2008 now is your chance to finish it.

5.     The series has to have at least 2 books already published for it to count. 

Alright, all I have to do now is pick the series I want to finish. If you watch the video you'll find that you get points for the amount of series you finish. I'm not sure how many series I want to read but I'm thinking about finishing at least 14. This beacause I have a few series in which I only have one more book to read to complete it.

My series:

The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks

• Of Poseidon
• Of Triton
• Of Neptune

The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

• The Maze Runner
• The Scorch Trials
• The Death Cure

The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins

• Sweet Evil
• Sweet Peril
• Sweet Reckoning
• Sweet Temptation

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

• The Hunger Games
• Catching Fire
• Mockingjay

Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan's Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Last Olympian

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

• A Game of Thrones
• A Clash of Kings
• A Storm of Swords
• A Feast for Crows
• A Dance with Dragons

The Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot

• Abandon
• Underworld
• Awaken

Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot

• Size 12 is Not Fat
• Size 14 is Not Fat Either
• Big Boned
• Size 12 and Ready to Rock
• The Bride Wore Size 12

Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward

• Dark Lover
• Lover Eternal
• Lover Awakened
• Lover Revealed
• Lover Unbound
• Lover Enshrined
• Lover Avenged
• Lover Mine
• Lover Unleashed
• Lover Reborn
• Lover at Last
• The King

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

• Clockwork Angel
• Clockwork Prince
• Clockwork Princess

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

•  Switched
• Torn
• Ascend

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

• Divergent
• Insurgent
• Allegiant
• (possibly Four)

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J.Maas

• Throne of Glass
• Crown of Midnight
• Heir of Fire

Ruby Red Trilogy by Kirstin Geir

• Ruby Red
• Sapphire Blue
• Emerald Green

Wowiee. Get a little stressed looking at that list now... Good thing I will have a whole year to read them. As you can see, in some of the series I've only got 1 or 2 more books to read in order to complete them. The only one that'll probably be difficult to finish is the A Song of Ice and Fire, since I've tried to start the first book so many times without success. 

That is the updated list. I might add more, depending on how reading the ones I've got on the list goes. I'm not gonna go crazy though and my goal is to at least finish half of them.  I've got other series I want to read but some of them are extremely long, like 12 or 14 books, and that might be a little to ambitious.

2015 Challenges!

2015 is finally here! With a new year it's time to start some new challenges. Challenges are fun and will probably make it so much easier for me to pick out books to read. Yay me! I'm going to officially start three challenges today, but knowing me there will probably be some more challenges during the year (I'm extremely competitive, you have been warned). 

The first challenge is the 2015 Reading Challenge from Popsugar.com.

 (if you can't read the picture just click the link).

Several of the things in the challenge will be quite easy, all but a book from a pulitzer price winner and a book from my hometown will be super easy to finish. I live in a smallish town in Sweden so not many people have written books about where I live, but when me and my friend looked it up there was one book that takes place in my hometown. Not sure if it's good though... Ah well, that's the first challenge,

The second challenge is Finish That Series Challenge!

Guide lines:

1. Series must be FINISHED in order for them to count.
2. If the series isn't complete yet, you must read up to the most recent book in said series.
3. Novellas are optional.
4. You do not have to start the series in 2015, just finish it.
5. The series has to have at least 2 books out prior to December of 2015.

I've already made a post where I've added the books I'm aiming to read during the challenge. There are however book series that have been added since I've made that list so I will post an updated list in a new blog post. 

The third challenge is my goodreads challenge, which is my goal for 2015. I aim to read at least 70 books this year, and since I have so many series to finish I doubt that it will be a problem to reach and surpass that goal. 

So, that's my goals and challenges for 2015. Do you have any challenges you aim to do during 2015? Are you joining any of the ones I'm doing?