Book Haul [38]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello, fellow book lovers! This is going to be more of a month long book haul than a weekly one.

November has been my no holds barred book splurge month, woohoo! My husband came home after a 5-month long business trip to Doha, and instead of asking for a "pasalubong" (souvenir), I asked for a book shopping spree instead. Priorities, right? LOL.

So here's what I got this past few weeks:

A MAD ZOMBIE PARTY by Gena Showalter
STUPID IS FOREVERMORE by Miriam Defensor Santiago
THE IRON WARRIOR by Julie Kagawa
QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas
SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo

Rogue by Julie Kagawa [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: Rogue (Talon Saga #2)
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
PUB DATE: Apr 28 2015

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

- Source: Goodreads

Rating:

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"Oh you know, a little burned, a little sore. Nearly died a couple of times. The usual."

The second installment of the Talon Saga packs quite a punch!

Julie Kagawa once again gives her readers another thrilling and adventurous sequel.

Rogue continues on to where it's predecessor, Talon, left off. Readers get to see Ember right in the middle of attempting to rescue Garrett. While I can see that Ember is a valiant protagonist, I can't seem to shake off my feelings of dislike. She hasn't really done anything wrong (other than the whole Garrett-Cobalt thing), but i can't find it in me to like her. Why? Maybe I've seen too much of her type [of character]?

The plot and flow of the story is as Julie Kagawa's style as ever. It smoothly goes through scene after scene, and you know you'll be getting somewhere exciting soon enough. Julie's writing style is a never failing one, as reader's will find themselves immersed in the story and nearing the end before they even realize it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

This is going to be quite a short list. And you have no idea how much that bothers me. My OC-self is nagging me to finish it but I just couldn't see any other books to fit in. So instead, I'll give honorable mentions at the end. That'll ease her up (I think).

Here are the Top Ten...err, Top Six Books I've Read So Far This Year:

CRESS by Marissa Meyer

I truly have nothing but praises for this book. Possibly the best book sequel I’ve read this year! A bit presumptuous when I said that around February of this year, but we are in June now and I don’t think there’s any sequel I’ve read that tops Cress. This book was a blast to read!

STOLEN SONGBIRD by Danielle L. Jensen

Normally I don’t buy the whole love-hate relationship, but this works. Such a gorgeously done romance. I just adore Cecile and Tristan!

SWEET RECKONING by Wendy Higgins

Ah… such a sweet, sweet conclusion (or so I thought) for our protagonists. Just when you think you can’t love Kaidan Rowe any more, there he goes, making him way yummier than he already was.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: The Forever Song
(The Blood of Eden #3)
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
PUB DATE: Apr 15 2014

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

- Source: Goodreads

Rating:

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“I promised someone I’d keep fighting, and I intend to do that, for however long it takes. No one gets to decide what kind of monster I am but me.”

Can you believe this is book three of The Blood of Eden series? It seems like only yesterday I was reading the first book, The Immortal Rules, when in fact it was two years ago. Not that this has anything to do with the book but – Damn! That makes me feel old!

Let’s get right to the review, shall we?

How does William Congreve’s famous quote from The Mourning Bride go again? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Okay that is the paraphrased one, and technically Allie wasn’t exactly deceived and rejected in love or anything but she did just lose the love of her life, reasonably enough for her to be angry and dangerous to come across. So it was no surprise to find her yearning to get rid of the pain and emptiness she feels within her, err... un-beating heart. Yet in spite of all that, Allie remains the ever strong and resilient self that she was from the start of this series.

Book Haul [34]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Woah! It's been 4 months since my last Book Haul post? Boy, have I been neglectful. Sheesh! Sorry about that.
It's been kind of hard to find time to blog during the past few months and I'm only recently trying to catch up on all my book review backlogs, I didn't have enough time to post book hauls.

So, I'm making up for lost time. I'll be posting all the books I got since my last post by batch. Without further ado, here is the first batch:

BOOK HAUL BATCH 1

NETGALLEY TITLES

DIGITAL ARCs [TO READ]:

DEEP BLUE by Jennifer Donnelly

THE KISS OF DECEPTION by Mary E. Pearson

THE WIZARD'S PROMISE by Cassandra Rose Clarke

THE BREAK-UP ARTIST by Philip Siegel

THE GIRL WITH THE WINDUP HEART by Kady Cross

GRIMM FAIRY TALES: OZ by Joe Brusha

NIL by Lynne Matson

ALPHA GODDESS by Amalie Howard

GRIM edited by Christine Johnson

THE HUNT by Stacey Kade

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

I absolutely love this topic!

I had my fair share of swoon moments over books in a variety of genres. I gushed, I squealed, I giggled and had my heart race over the sweet nothing exchanges of book couples I have learned to love over the course of their journeys and stories. So expect to see me cheat (a lot!) on this top ten.

I'm probably not going to make much sense if I divulge details so I'll add up some of my favorite quotes from the books instead.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book That Made Me Cry

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

So maybe this list is going to be biased since I cry over mostly anything heart-melting… *tries not to be bothered over being called a crybaby* whatever. LOL.

Anyway, in no particular order, here are the top ten books that really made me bawl out.

Book Haul [33] + A Message of Gratitude!

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello, everyone! Pardon the three-week absence of posts from my blog. One of the reasons why is that I am knee-deep in wedding preparations for most of my free time from work. I can't believe that in more or less six months from now, I am going to be married! It's exciting... and nerve-wrecking. I know I'm about to freak out or have a panic attack any moment now.

Anyway, here's my book haul, which has piled up for the weeks of not posting:

TITLES:

(from the Book Depository)
THE DESERT TALES by Melissa Marr
RENEGADE by J.A. Souders (read and reviewed)
THE IRON TRAITOR by Julie Kagawa (read and reviewed)
OUTPOST by Ann Aguirre (read and reviewed)
CREWEL by Gennifer Albin (read and reviewed)
ANTIGODDESS by Kendare Blake
MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama (read and reviewed)
ORIGIN by Jennifer L. Armentrout (read and reviewed)
 
(from Fully Booked)
A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford -Bargain Sale worth Php 100.00! roughly around $2-
CHAMPION by Marie Lu (read) -Signed Copy!-
ECLIPSE by Stephenie Meyer (read and reviewed) -Bargain Sale worth Php 50.00! roughly around $1-
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW by Cameron Dokey

(from National Bookstore)
ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth (read)
DECEPTION by C.J. Redwine
SERIOUSLY... I'M KIDDING by Ellen Degeneres (read and reviewed) 

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: The Iron Traitor
(Call of the Forgotten #2)
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
PUBLISHER: Harlequin TEEN
PUB DATE: Oct 29 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"IN THE REAL WORLD, WHEN YOU VANISH INTO THIN AIR FOR A WEEK, PEOPLE TEND TO NOTICE

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all."

Rating:


- Click HERE to see my review of The Lost Prince -

"Trouble? Me?" Puck gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look as we started after the cat. "I'm hurt, Furball. It's like you don't trust me or something."

Do you ever have one of those authors that you auto-click the to-read button on Goodreads whenever you see they have a new book coming up without any idea of what it’s about or that you didn’t even bother reading the summary provided? Julie Kagawa is one of those authors for me.

Having so much love for The Iron Fey series, the spin-off series, Call of the Forgotten, was something I looked forward to. After a very interesting first book, The Lost Prince, I expected The Iron Traitor to pick up the pace. Thankfully it did – although it did not end well…

While the introductions of our heroes in The Lost Prince made me a little weary, not to mention the sense of déjà vu that I felt over meeting them, but Ethan, Kenzie and Kierran did make a better show of themselves here in the second book. I said in my review of The Lost Prince that Ethan was too angst-y, Kenzie was annoying, and I hated that I didn’t get enough of Kierran then. Now at least, Ethan and Kenzie are kind of growing on me, Ethan in particular. I loved the scene where he was a bit embarrassed about telling his mom that he had a date, such normalcy in his life was a rare treat that it looked so cute!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

I'll be quoting my own reviews here. They pretty much sum up how I feel about these sequels. :)
So without further ado, I give you my list [in no particular order].

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EONA by Alison Goodman
Definitely better than the first book, albeit heftier.

"Alison Goodman’s world building skills were truly commendable. The action scenes were awesome as well and her writing, although long and descriptive in a way, was beautiful all the same. I have to say this was a very fitting ending to this duology. It was a little sad at some point but just like how Eona and Kygo had felt, I agree that their decision was the right thing to do even with all the sacrifices that had to be made." - from my review of Eona

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer
I LLLLOOOOOVVVVEEEE me some Wolf!

"He’s not the typical book boyfriend I’d giggle and ogle over. He’s shy and has a totally different persona but all the more swoon-worthy." - from my review of Scarlet

DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers
"While Grave Mercy was focused on Ismae’s life and how she came to be a handmaiden of death, Dark Triumph shows Sybella’s story. If I thought Ismae’s situation was dire when she took refuge with the Convent of St. Mortain, Sybella’s case was incomparable. Oh, how cruel life has been for this young lady. If I wanted to hug Ismae back when I was reading about her, I want to smother Sybella with all the love for all that she has been through." - from my review of Dark Triumph

Book Haul [31]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello lovelies! How have you all been? Did you get any interesting books to read this week?

I have a few ones to show you that I'm really excited about. Here they are:

(from Netgalley):

THE IRON TRAITOR by Julie Kagawa
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill
COUNTDOWN by Michelle Rowen
THE ART OF THE LAST OF US by Rachel Edidin (Editor)

(from the Book Depository):

SENSHI by Cole Gibsen (read & reviewed)
REPLICA by Jenna Black
CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas
REBOOT by Amy Tintera

(from Pinoy Book Tours):
THE OATHBREAKER'S SHADOW by Amy McCulloch (currently reading, for review)

I can't wait to start on Crown of Midnight, but since I have a some books for review scheduled for this month, I have to wait a little longer before I can start on that. Nevertheless, I'm so happy I got even before its release date! Weeee!!!

What do you think? Do you find any of these books interesting?
Also, let me know what you got and I'll be sure to check it out! Happy reading! :)