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

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines

Top Ten Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines

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. 

Hello, everyone! This week's Top Ten is about your favorite heroines. So here are mine:

1. KATNISS EVERDEEN (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) This is probably self-explanatory :)

2. CELAENA SARDOTHIEN (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas) Being considered as the deadliest assassin in all of Adarlan, and at such a young age, that says a lot for Celaena

3. MEGHAN CHASE (The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa) From being a damsel in distress needing Ash and Puck at her side at all times, Meghan is now a certified queen and swordswoman. And how gorgeous is her teacher, huh? Ash! *faints*

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite YA Fantasy Authors

Top Ten Favorite YA Fantasy Authors

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. 

Hello, fellow readers! This week's Top Ten is about your favorite authors from a specific genre. So I went for Fantasy, since that has always been the love of my life when it comes to books. 

So here's my list:

1. SHANNON HALE  
Shannon Hale is the author that introduced me to the YA genre. Even though she doesn’t know it, I owe her for the kind of love and passion that I have known and felt over all the books that I have read and will be reading in the future.   

2. JULIE KAGAWA
Who doesn’t love her? She’s awesome! Stories about the fare folk has always been something I love to read about, and the unique way she created the Iron Fey (for the Iron Fey series) was really commendable. Plus I love Ash, just saying. LOL.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read Because Of Another Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books I Read Because of Another Blogger

    

    

1. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

          - Found this from numerous blogs giving it high ratings; and since Faeries are one of my weaknesses, I just had to read it.

2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

          - I saw it on one of my friends on GoodReads and when I managed to find a copy at a nearby bookstore, I read it greedily.

3. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

          - I first caught sight of it from Kristi of The Story Siren. I fell in love with the entire series since then.

4. XVI by Julia Karr

          - Maria of Bookchilla: Reading is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac and a friend of mine from Goodreads put this on her TBR, and so did I.

5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

          - I didn't bother to check this book out when I saw tons of copies of it on every bookstore I go to. But entering The Young Adult Book Club and other GoodReads groups that have a ton of girls giggling and ogling over Jace made me want to see what the fuss was all about.

6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

          - There was a rave about this book all over the net so I decided to check it out too.

7. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

          - The same with Wicked Lovely, I saw this on Kristi's site. Basically, her blog was the first one I followed so most of the books I started reading were those that I saw there.

8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

          - It had gone viral... and I got infected.

9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

          - Definitely eye-catching so I understand why I saw it all over different blogs, sadly it didn't capture my heart.

10. Matched by Ally Condie

          - This had positive feedback from my Goodreads friends so I decided to read it too. I'm still bummed that I didn't feel the same about it as they did.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

        

Mockingjay
(The Hunger Games #3)
by Suzanne Collins

Summary from Goodreads:

"Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. 


The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding."

Rating:

I finished this book with a heavy heart. It’s not as exciting as the first 2 books but that’s not what got me into such a gloomy state. Mockingjay is depressing for me. It makes me see so much of what wars can do to the world and to people; and as much as we’d like to forget the horrors, even though you’ve healed and moved on, you’ll have scars to remind you of it.

I was sad to find the state of the characters I love go senseless. It’s as if I’m looking at real people who have literally gone crazy from haunting past experiences. But that’s one of the things that I love about this book, the characters are not flawless, they’re as imperfect as anyone and that’s what makes them memorable. I do hate to see some of even the most innocent minor characters die, but I do understand that given the exact event in the book, we are reading the inevitable. 

The epilogue didn’t seem necessary (or appropriate, maybe) for me since I’m still baffled about Katniss’ real feeling for Gale and Peeta. I'd love to see Peeta be with Katniss but up until the end I still see that Katniss isn’t worthy of Peeta after all that’s happened. And it’s as if she just settled for Peeta just because Gale has chosen to take another road. I guess I’ll have to reread Mockingjay again to clear that part out. 

Mockingjay is an intense book. Yes, it is slow at the beginning and it does drag on a bit but the plot is incredibly solid and profound. It provided readers with an ending that reflects a lesson in real life: You win. You lose. You rise. You fall. You grieve. You move on. You get scarred. You’re haunted. And yet in spite of it all, you learn live again.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

        

Catching Fire
(The Hunger Games #2)
by Suzanne Collins

Summary from Goodreads:

"Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch."

Rating:

One word to perfectly describe Catching Fire for me – GENIUS! Make that two words – PURE GENIUS! The plot was marvelous. I didn’t expect the turnabout that has occurred on this book. 

I love the new characters that appeared on Catching Fire, despite not knowing who they were during Hunger Games, Collins has given them distinct and remarkable personalities that the reader would definitely not forget. Aside from that, I also love seeing Katniss develop her character even more. On the love triangle issue, it seems Peeta already had a good start from the first book on being the readers’ bet for Katniss. But on the second book, it’s nice to see Gale tip the scale a bit.

I can’t quite decipher how I feel about the ending. Of course, I’m excited to read Mockingjay after it but somehow I feel like it’s such a major cliffhanger. It’s great to hold readers when opening another book that would continue the tale but a sad and questionable ending if it stands alone. Anyhow, like I said, I really can’t wait to read Mockingjay!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

        

The Hunger Games
(The Hunger Games #1)
by Suzanne Collins

Summary from Goodreads:

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

Rating:

I wasn’t planning to read this book because I hated to feel the regret of books widely popular but turn out to be disappointing for the readers. But curiosity has taken its toll on me so I ended up buying the Hunger Games box set. And now I know what the fuss is all about! 

At the first few pages, I was immediately at awe with Collins’ writing. The plot was something I rarely encountered in books, although it seems to remind me of a movie that had the same killing game agenda. I just totally forgot the movie title and the actors’ names but I foggily remember that they were convicts and big, brawny, wrestler-type of men fighting for their lives and their freedom on some island. 

Anyway going back to Hunger Games, as I said, the plot was rare and I found it to be incredibly detailed and well-thought off. Usually, books would have their fair share of slowness; either to let the readers brace for what comes next or just to give them time to get to know the characters. But this doesn’t, it leaps you immediately into action (which I love so much!), getting you hyped and in spite of the many busy adventures occurring throughout the book, Collins gives the reader enough time and detail throughout the book to understand Katniss’ personality and know her history. She’s a very strong character with solid qualities. I love that she’s no damsel-in-distress. I love that her relationship with Peeta is conspired differently and is being moulded into something true and unyielding. 

Despite the cliff-hanger at the ending, the Hunger Games is unquestionably a great book to read and I look forward to know what comes next!