2014 End of Year Book Survey

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 2014 Reading Stats

Number of books I read: 30

Number of re-reads: 0 I think

Genre I read the most from: fantasy

Best in Books

1. Best book you read in 2014?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't?

 Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston because I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did) in 2014?
Probably The Raven Boys

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best series ender of 2014?
Start: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Sequel: Cress by Marissa Meyer
Ender: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?
Rainboy Rowell

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Eleanor and Park

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Sinner

9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
The Forever Song

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

 
11. Most memorable character of 2014?
Cole from Sinner

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
Dreams of Gods & Monsters

13. Most thought-provoking/life changing book of 2014?
The Poisonwood Bible

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2014 to finally read?
Eleanor and Park

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2014?
"Don't try to make life a mathematics problem with yourself in the center and everything coming out equal. When you're good, bad things can still happen. And if you're bad, you can still be lucky."
-The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2014?
Shortest: The Great Gatsby
Longest: City of Heavenly Fire

17. Book that shocked you the most?
 Their Eyes Were Watching God

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)
Isabel & Cole from Sinner and Kami & Jared from Unmade  

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year
 Kami and Angela from Unmade

20. Favorite book you read in 2014 from an author you've read previously?
 The Forever Song

21.  Best book you read in 2014 that you read based solely on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure?
Eleanor and Park

22. Newest fictional crush?
Bishop from Panic

23. Best 2014 debut you read?
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutoski

24. Best world building/most vivid setting you read this year?
The Bone Season

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read?
Eleanor and Park

26. Book you made you cry or nearly cry in 2014?
Cress, Evertrue, and City of Heavenly Fire

27. Hidden gem of the year?
The Bone Season

28. Book that crushed your soul?
Eleanor and Park

29. Most unique book you read in 2014?
Cress

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn't necessarily mean you didn't like it)?
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog?

This is going to sound bad, but I haven't really been looking at new blogs. Oops...

2. Favorite review that you wrote?

The review of Evertrue

3. Best discussion/non-review post?

The one on love triangles 

4. Best event that you participated in?

I'm not sure. I've been pretty absent this year.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life?

Knowing that I still have readers even though I haven't been posting as much as I used. (sorry about that!)

6. Most popular post this year?

My review of Panic

7. Post you wished got a little more love?

My review of Just One Year

8. Best bookish discover?

I found this site called thriftbooks

9. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals?

I completed the Goodreads one

Looking Ahead

1. One book you didn't get to in 2014 but will be your number 1 priority in 2015?

I own Blue Lily, Lily Blue and have been meaning to read it for at least a month now, but I just haven't had the time. Hopefully I'll have more time to read it this year.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

3. 2015 debut you are most anticipating?

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. Series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating?

Winter by Marissa Meyer

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?

I definitely want to blog more and read a lot more than I did this year. I really miss blogging, but I just haven't had the time due to college applications and school work, but I should get more of break when second semester starts.

6. A 2015 release you've already read & recommend to everyone:

I'm currently reading The Mime Order and so far I love it so unless it goes downhill later I definitely recommend it.

Review: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
Published: September 16, 2013
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
Series: The Fifth Wave #2
Source: Bought
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Review: Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 384 (Hardcover)
Series: The Lynburn Legacy #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who will be the sacrifice?

Kami has lost the boy she loves, is tied to a boy she does not, and faces an enemy more powerful than ever before. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her new magical link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town.

Rob Lynburn is now the master of Sorry-in-the-Vale, and he demands a death. Kami will use every tool at her disposal to stop him. Together with Rusty, Angela, and Holly, she uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility—and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami’s life, but also the lives of those she loves most.
 
Set against a centuries-old legacy of blood, power, and vengeance, the truth does not seem like much of a weapon. But it is all Kami has.

Review: Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 367 (Paperback)
Series: The Lynburn Legacy #2
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's time to choose sides.... 

On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

A darkly humorous take on Gothic romance, Sarah Rees Brennan's Lynburn Legacy weaves together the tale of a heroine desperate to protect those she loves, two boys hoping to be saved, and the magical forces that will shape their destiny.

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Published: April 12, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead
Published: November 19, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 420 (Paperback)
Series: Bloodlines #4
Source: Bought
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

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.

Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Published: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 422 (Hardcover)
Series: The Grisha #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 2 of 5 stars

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Published: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 357 (Hardcover)
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3.5
Source: Bought
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

 A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy. 

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?

Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Published: March 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 408 (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Published: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 355 (Hardcover)
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Published: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 725 (Hardcover)
Series: The Mortal Instruments #6
Source: Bought
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alex must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the world in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Published: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 480 (Paperback)
Series: The Bone Season #1
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others' minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city - Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly - as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine - a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces and extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

Review: Pawn by Aimée Carter

Pawn by Aimée Carter
Published: November 26, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 343 (Hardcover)
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #1
Source: Harelquin Teen Panel
My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked - surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed, and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Review: Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Published: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 613 (Hardcover)
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.  

Common enemy, common cause. 

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky? 

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
Published: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Harelquin Teen
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
Series: Blood of Eden #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

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.