Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Hyperion

Goodreads Summary

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

This book series is really big right now and it seems everyone who has read it has loved it to infinity and beyond. However, It took me a long while to gather up the courage to read this one because the premise sounded interesting, but often when I read really hyped up books I get really disappointed. That is why I was putting off reading this and now that I've read it I wish I read it sooner. This book was really great and I wasn't disappointed at all! The characters were great and relateable, the growth of these characters throughout the book was beautifully done, the world was very interesting, and the plot kept you on your toes the whole time.

This book starts out with our main character Ruby in what is basically a concentration camp and she's been in it for (I think) 6 years. She like many other children were affect by this disease that went through America. This disease only affected children and any child that didn't die from it got these powers, some could move objects, some could control fire, ect.  The government were afraid of these children so they gathered up most of them and brought them to these camps were they are basically prisoners. It is a lot more complicated then that because the government says these camps are to "cure" these children so most of the population doesn't know how horrible these camps are and some parents didn't allow the government to take their children but the government did anyway.

So one of the first things I noticed about this book was the fact that the world isn't black and white. Not everyone "fighting" for the children are good, not every child is good, and some people do horrible things just to survive. There isn't a clear line of whose bad and whose good, all there is is the fact that most of the children aren't horrible, merciless human beings the government thinks they are. I love this fact because it makes you think about it and makes you support these kids even more since it seems no one is really advocating for these children.

The characters were beautifully written! They had flaws and sometimes they acted without thinking and they felt human and real. They had depth to them and they seemed like a real life person. The character development was also incredible! I didn't realize this until the end when I noticed how different Ruby was. If you compared Ruby from the beginning to this book to Ruby at the end they are almost completely different. And the fact that I didn't noticed that until the end is a testament to how subtly and fabulously it was done.

With that being said, for some reason it took me quite a while to get connected to this story and the characters. At the start I didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters, I admired them (especially Ruby) but I didn't have an attachment to them. However, as the book wore on the more and more I did get connected and attached. By the end of the book I was crying for the characters (You know which one) because I didn't want them to die and to keep on being in pain. Gah!! Feelings!

The plot in this book coincided with my connection with the characters. At first I wasn't invested in the plot, even though it kept up a good pace. I wasn't at the edge of my seat, I didn't stay up late reading it. However, the more I read and got connected to the characters the more invested I was in this story and, again, by the end I couldn't stop reading it!

Now that I've ranted about how much I enjoyed this book I need to explain why this book is only getting 4 Butterflies. Toward the end of this book I was in love, with the characters, the writing, the plot, almost everything. However, after finishing this book I realized I wasn't blown away by it. My thoughts didn't obsesses over it after finishing it, I didn't immediately go buy the sequel. I thought it was great and highly enjoyed reading it but I didn't love it.

Even with that being said I would highly recommend this book. It was great first book with fantastic characters and a fast paced, keep-you-on-your-toes plot, and a very unique and interesting world.

This book got...

 4 Butterflies

Beloved; it a really good book!

Happy Reading

Review: The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: Fire and Thorns #3 (Final)
Author: Rae Carson
Author: Rae Carson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Warning: The rest of this post does have SPOILERS for the first two books in this series. Do Not read any father unless you want to be spoiled.

Goodreads Summary

The champion must not waver.
The champion must not fear.
The gate of darkness closes.

Elisa is a fugitive.

Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy's kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.

But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.

Even of those who hate her most.

So me and the Fire and Thorns series have a solid relationship. I've never disliked any of the books, but I was never blown away by them. They were enjoyable and I liked them. I went into this last one expecting an enjoyable book and a good conclusion to the series and that is exactly what I got from this book. It was enjoyable all the way through and it tied up the series nicely.

 This book starts a few weeks after the events at the end Crown of Embers. Elisa and her gang are going after Hector. What I thought was really well done in this book was the recapping that it had for the events of the last book. I went into this one remembering very little of what happened in the end of CoE but subtly throughout the beginning of this book the author recapped what happened. It was subtle enough so it wouldn't bother you if you remembered but enough so you could remember. I would have liked if she didn't spread the recapping out has much as she did, but in the end that didn't bother me all that much.

The plot in this book was very enjoyable; it kept me interested throughout the whole book. I thought it was a very good plot for an ending of a series; it tied up all the loose ends well. However, while I really enjoyed what happened in the plot, I didn't appreciate how it was led out. There were many things happening in this book along with many aspects. There was the civil war, Hector, the Invorians in general, and her Godstone/destiny and how the author chose to write all these aspects was a little disappointing to me. Instead of writing them into one interconnecting plot that was complex and intricate the author wrote each aspect one by one. First she dealt with the Hector aspect and and then the rest one by one. This not only disappointed me (because it would have been epic if it was all intertwined), but it made the pacing feel choppy and the book to feel more as a collection of novellas instead of one book. Each aspect itself were called a book (book 1, book 2, ect...) and they felt like actual books with rising action, a climax, and falling action. This really ruined the reading experience for me.

The characters in this book were really great! I liked them all and the new characters that were introduced in this one, Hector was the best though. However, I didn't feel connected to them at all. They were just characters to me, I didn't feel very invested in their stories. Although I didn't take any stars away for this, because this has been an ongoing problem throughout this series.

The thing I loved the best in this book was the world and magical aspect. I just love this fantasy world so much!! I love the cultures, the societies, the political intrigue. I also love the magical element this book and I really, really loved how the religious aspect was toned down in this book. I didn't like the religious aspect that was in the other books and I am so glad it was toned down a bit in this one.

This review seems to be getting more and more negative as it goes on, but I did enjoy this book. I thought it was solid ending to this series and really enjoyed reading it, even with the choppy pacing. I liked what happened in the plot, not so much how it was set out, but I enjoyed reading about the events that occurred.

This Book got..

 4 Butterflies

Beloved, This is a really good book.

Recommended if you like: Fantasy, Magical abilities, and Court intrigue 

Discussion Time: DNFing, Yes or No

Its been a long time since I've done a discussion post and I really miss doing it. I missed discussing things with everyone. So, I've decided to start doing them again.

Today's topic is about DNFing books and whether or not you DNF books.

So, DNF stand for 'D'id 'N'ot 'F'inish and its where you give up on a book, putting it down with no intentions to ever finish it.

The basic argument for not DNFing a book is that a person doesn't like to give up on a book because they've already invested time into that book, so why not push through it and finish it? Another argument is that they are pushing through with the hope that the book will get better. They are the optimists that believe the book will get better. 

Those are the only two arguments on that side of the discussion I know because I stand on the other side of the discussion, the approval of DNFing. I don't often DNF books, but I do DNF them. Why it is so rare is because it takes a lot to make me DNF a book even though I'm fine with DNFing. Either the main character has to be really annoying, the plot all but nonexistent, or the writing to be that of a five year old. 

I'd DNF a lot more is you count just putting down a book, but with the intention that I'll pick it up later and finish it. I'm a mood reader so sometimes I'll start reading a book that I'm not in the mood and I'll put it down and start a book that I am in the mood for. But I don't count those as DNF because I do intend tom finish them, just not right then.

Why I DNF books is because there are so many other books I want to read or need to read that I don't want to waste time reading something I don't like when I could be reading something I do like. Also, I don't enjoy reading books that I don't like. I don't understand why I would keep reading a book that I wasn't enjoying or even hated. I wasn't enjoying reading it, so why would I keep reading it. 

So, what are your thoughts on DNFing? Do you DNF or do you hate DNFing?

Happy reading

Harry Potter Moment (4)

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! To get more information or upcoming topics click Here

Biggest betrayal in the series?

It has to be Snape's betrayal to Voldemort. Snape was so close to Volemort and was probably his most trusted Death Eater and when I learned that Snape was a double agent I could barely believe it! I was just baffled at how someone so close to him could actually be good. I also chose this because at how good an actor Snape had to be to pull it off. He had to be perfect when pretending to be on Voldemort's side, no one could doubt him, no would could even think for a second Snape was anything but a Death Eater. And the fact that he pulled that off so flawlessly amazes me. 

Also, maybe the moment when we are told about Lily and Snape's falling out and what happened. I just can never really understand why Snape called her a "filthy Moodblood". She was defending him and he repaid her by embarrassing her in front of their peers.

Happy reading

Predictions and Hopes: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

In honor of the release date of Brandon Sanderson's new book, Firefight, the sequel to Steelheart I have written a P & H post. I know in technicality this post is late, but I still wanted to post it and so I am.

Warning, Don't read any farther if you haven't read Steelheart. There will be spoilers!!!

Release Date: January 6th 2015

Series: The Reckoners #2

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Goodreads Summary 

They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. 

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. 

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

The summary makes me think this book's plot will be heavily driven by the romance that occurred in Steelheart since it basically said David is "willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her.". So, the main Prediction for this book is that the plot will be driven and focused on the romance that bloomed in the first book. That everything David does will be with the intention to find Firefight. 

The summary also makes it seem like David will find out more about the Calmity and what, how, why it happened. This would be really interesting to learn, because you as a reader has seen the devastating effects of the Calmity and it would be really interesting to learn why it happened. It would also be very interesting to learn about why the people become horrible when they use their powers, but that kind of ties in with learning about Calmity.

It also seems like we'll see more of the world and Sanderson's amazing world building and I can't wait! One of the reasons I love Sanderson's books is because of his brilliant ability of world building. It will also be very interesting to see the rest of this world and society.

Okay, so I hope my first prediction will not be right. I really, really hope that the main focus in this book will not be the romance and David pining for Firefight. I don't want this to happened because that romance was the only thing in Steelheart that I didn't like. I thought it was shallow and that they didn't really 'love' each other and was really baffled when Fiefight and David were making such a big deal about it. So, I'm really nervous that it will be about the romance and that I won't like the book as much as I like Steelheart. 

What I really hopes happen is that we are introduced to more characters. It seems like we will, obviously since it's a new book, but I hope we are introduced to more people who have powers that don't want to use them. I really liked that aspect with the Professor and I really hope we get to see more of it in this book. 

So, those are my predictions and hopes for this book, what do you think/hope will happen?
Happy reading

Bout of Books Sign-Up & Goal Post

I am participating in the Bout of Books 12 Read-A-Thon. It goes between Monday, January 5th to Sunday, January 11th. 

Here's the official blurb 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

-My Goals-

I know there isn't an official goal post this year, but I'm still doing a goal

I want to read 4 books.

-Books-

172 Hour on the Moon by Johan Harstad
The Ring and The Crown by Melissa De La Cruz
Talon by Julie Kagawa
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Are you participating in the Bout of Books 12 Read-A-Thon?

Happy reading

Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Ruthkoski

Grade: 4.5 Butterflies
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Author: Marie Ruthkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Girour

Goodreads Summary

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.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book when it came out. The buzz was filled with mixed things, some people loved this book while others were very disappointed in it. I, personally, loved this book. I thought it was beautifully written, I connected so much with the characters, and I loved the plot!! However, I can see how people could get disappointed in this.

This book is set in a fantasy land were the Valorian, who are warlike people, have taken over the land of the Herrani's and have enslaved them. It is set in the time were the Herrani's are gearing up a revolution to break free from the Valorians. The two main characters are Kestrel, the daughter to a Valorian general, and Arin, a Herrani slave with a very interesting past. One of the things I loved about this book was the world. I really loved learning about this world! It had its parallels in our world, it reminded me of the Roman Empire with its architecture and society, but it also had its own feel to it. I also loved reading about the history of the Valorians and the Herranies. You could tell that the author really thought about the world and history a lot and that makes fantasy books so much better.

The writing in this book was just outstanding! It was beautiful and in some places downright poetic. I just loved this woman's writing! And she could writing some characters too. All of the characters in this book were so fleshed out and had so much depth! She also put in great characters arcs for both of the main characters and I loved seeing them grow!

What really made this book for me was the theme that the author did a great job weaving into this story. The author put the theme that there are never clear lines on who is bad and who is good. Just because your race of people enslaved doesn't mean you had anything to do with it, doesn't mean you deserve the same fate the slaves got. And just because you got enslaved by a race of people doesn't mean you have the right to murder everyone. I just loved how she blurred the lines between right and wrong and how that wreaked havoc on Kestrel's judgement and consequence.

I also loved the romance in this book. It was so well done!! The author gradually built on their relationship so they slowly fell for one another and that made it feel so realistic! Added to the fact that the romance was actually done right was the that Kestrel and Arin just worked together. They just fit each other and that made it so much harder to not get obsessed when I read this and I did get obsessed while reading this. I just loved reading their relationship developed and savored every scene that did just that.

This book was great in my eyes.The plot never lost my interest, the characters were great, and the love story was amazing. However, I can understand why some people would get disappointed. This book's plot is very politically based. The Herrani revolution is coming up and Kestrel has to chose which side she is on. However, even though the plot is politically driven, it is not politically focused. This book was more about the love affair between Kestrel and Arin and how the situation between their two races affect their relationship instead of the opposite. If you go into this thinking you'll get this great book about political intrigue and revolutions you'll be half right, since those factors are in this book, but Kestrel and Arin's relationship takes center stage. I wasn't bothered by this because I love love stories and their relationship was just so well done, but if you read this book because you want a political intrigue story you will be greatly disappointed with how little that aspect is highlighted.

Overall I loved this book! It was perfectly written and kept my attention the whole way! I loved the characters and got so invested in their stories and I fell in love with Kestrel's and Arin's relationship and love story! And with that ending I can not wait to get my hands on the sequel!! I would recommend to anyone who likes Fantasy and love stories, but to avoid being disappointed do not go into this one expecting a huge story of political intrigue.

This book got...

4.5 Butterflies

Beautiful, this is a great book. 

Recommended if you like:

Fantasy, Love stories, and The Kiss of Deception. 

Happy Reading

2015 Reading Challenges

I thought I wasn't going to do many Reading Challenges this year, because I don't often succeed with them. However, I kept finding more and more Reading Challenges that I wanted to do so here we are.



Sign up and more info HERE. This challenge is where you set a goal number of TBR pile books you want to read that year and try and read them all.

-The levels-

1-10 A Firm Handshake

11-20 A Friendly Hug

21-30 First Kiss

31-40 Sweet Summer Fling

41-50 Could This Be Love?

50+ Married with Children

-My level-

A Friendly Hug

-Books I Might Read-

1. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

2. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

4. Hereafter by Tara Hudson

5. Inside by Maria V. Snyder

6. Easy by Tammara Webber

7. Rapture by Lauren Kate

8. Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

9. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

10. Spellbound by Heather Brewer

11. Unhinged by A. G. Howard

12. Slated by Teri Terry

13. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

14. Elentris by Brandon Sanderson

Sign up and more info HERE. The Hosts are Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love. 

This challenge is where you set number of open series that you want to finish and read the final book.

-Levels: (how many series enders you are planning to read)-

Level 1: 1 – 5 
Level 2: 5 – 10 
Level 3: 10 – 15 
Level 4: 15+

-My Level-

Level 4 

-The Books-

These are not just the final books, but the rest of the books I need to read to finish the series. 

1. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
2. Rapture by Lauren Kate
3. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephenie Perkins
4. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

5. The Last Council, Prince of Elves &Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi 

6. Shadow Bound and Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent

7. Perfect Scoundrels and Untitled by Ally Carter 

8. Lion Heart by A. C. Gaughen

9. Tatiana and Alexander & The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons

10. Dead of Winter by Kresly Cole

11. Sweet Reckoning & Sweet Temptation  by Wendy Higgins

12. Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

13. The Edge of Always by J. A. Redmerski

14. Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

15. Override & Shutdown by Heather Anastasiu

16. Mortal Heart by Robin LeFevers

17. Of Neptune by Anna Banks

18. Eternally You by Cate Tiernan 

19. The Ask and the Answer & Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

20. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 

21. Evertrue by Brodi Aston 

22. The Essence & the Offering by Kimberly Derting

23. Asunder & Infinate by Jodi Meadows

24. Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

25. Scent of Magic & Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder

26. Sentinal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

27. Covet, Consume, & Capture by Mellisa Darnell

Sign up and more info HERE. The host is The Daily Prophecy.
This challenge is where the goal is to read fairy tale retelling.

-Levels-
-Prince Charming: 1 – 4 books.
-Magic mirror: 5 - 9 books.
-Big bad wolf: 10 – 15 books.
-The wise princess: 16 – 20 books.
-Wicked fairy Godmother: 21 – 25 books.
-Bluebeard: you are killing it! 26+ books.

-My Level-
Magic Mirror

-Some Books-
I don't know if all of these counts, but I'm still putting them on.
1. Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen
2. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer
4. Cress by Marissa Meyer
5. The Eye of the Beholder by Elizabeth Darcy
6. The Scarecrow King by Jill Myes
7. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

Those are my reading challenges for 2015.

Did you join any of these, what are your reading challenges for 2015?

Happy reading