Top Ten Surprise Reads of 2013

One thing I've started noticing about the books that I read is that there are some I can tell right away I'm going to love. Others, I don't realize how much I enjoy it until I've reached the end. For whatever reason, the build-up, the overall story, there's just something there that pulls me in and I find myself falling in love with a story even more.

Those are the biggest surprises to me, and sometimes my favorites. So, to start off this years Top Ten list I have:

TOP TEN SURPRISES

10.  

This one was a big surprise to me because it took me a bit of time to get into. The premise that Lenore created sounded so interesting to me, but it just felt so slow moving in the beginning. Once I got past that though, I couldn't put this book down and loved it!

9.  

Poison sounded so cute and like a fun read, but I wasn't sure if I was really going to like it. Oh man was I wrong. Bridget created such a great story and really pulled me into this world. Little pig and all.

8.  

The Rules has a bit of a typical high school teen feel to it, but the more I read the more I realized that was a pretty important element to the story. In the end I found myself tearing up in a lot of places and really feeling for Ariane.

7.  

Again, I wasn't really sure where this story was going to go, but Sara Walsh blew me away. This story was so much more than I thought it was going to be and made me want more from this world. I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get to write more.

6.  

Writing about dance is not an easy thing to do, so I was a bit skeptical about this one. In the end though, Yelena really brought the pieces and movements described to life. I felt as though I was seeing it and experiencing it along with the characters.

5.  

I tend to like thrillers more as movies, but I found myself really like this one. Debra Driza kept Mila 2.0 fast paced, but intriguing. Plus it had sci-fi elements and a cyborg. Enough said.

4.  

Considering the fact that The Program dealt with suicide, I wasn't sure if this would be for me. But, I truly loved how Suzanne handled it. Especially when her characters went through the Program, some pretty scary stuff.

3.  

This one took me a bit to get into as well, but once I did I didn't want to stop reading. Sherry Thomas did a phenomenal job in creating this world. By the time I finished I was already looking for book 2.

2.  

I'm not really a full-out sci-fi book reader, but I'll admit this book won me over. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are geniuses.

1.

I just don't even have words for how absolutely amazing this book was. Elizabeth Wein weaved this together phenomenally. Brilliant!

 

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

Arclight

Arclight 1

Author: Josin L. McQuein
Pages: 400 pgs
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopia
Release Date: April 23rd 2013
Review Source: Publisher

No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?

I was greatly intrigued about this book when I first found the description, even more so when I saw the cover. It sounds dark and mysterious, and the light refractions on the cover only add to it. And I'm glad I got to add it to my debut challenge reads.

Josin used light in a very interesting in this book. It was like its own character and helped to create some pretty interesting and intense scenes. I found myself wishing that I could watch some of the scenes up close just so I could see what she was describing.

Marina started off not knowing who she was, almost like a blank slate, and we got to follow her on her journey to find what happened. Though Marina couldn't see it, it was clear that she was different than the others, you just don't know why.

I loved the discovery and the whole new world that was opened up in this debut. I can't wait for more and find out what else is in store.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity

Author: Elizabeth Wein
Pages: 343 pgs
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Release Date: May 15th 2012
Review Source: Borrowed

Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.

For the book club meeting that I joined, my sister chose this particular book. It was one that I'd heard about, but had never really been sure I'd want to read. World War II and the Holocaust are very difficult topics, but I decided to give this one a chance.

And I am so glad that I did.

Elizabeth Wein did such an incredible job with the details and historical aspects that I knew I wanted to know more. I had been unaware of female pilots during World War II, or even their enlistments in the military, so getting to read story with two characters who'd done just that was so much fun.

The two main characters, Verity and Maddie, were probably the best part of this for me though. Verity started off the book and I loved her voice. Though she was in a horrible situation, she maintained a snarky attitude and kept me intrigued throughout. When it switched to Maddie's perspective, I wasn't too happy at first, but I quickly understood why.

I don't want to give anything away for anyone who hasn't had the chance to read this. All I will add is that Elizabeth brilliantly weaved the threads of this story together. She gave us two very strong characters, and showed the bonds of a friendship and how far they were willing to go for one another.

It was beautiful and sad and a wonderful read. One that I'm glad I gave a chance.

Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Shadows in the Silence

Angelfire 3

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Pages: 469 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantsay
Release Date: January 29th 2013
Review Source: Publisher

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

I fell in love with this series from the very beginning and have patiently waited for this final installment. Now that it's finally come I'll admit that I'm sad, but couldn't have asked for a better ending to a series.

Everything that happened in the first two books led up to the final battle. Ellie's struggles in understanding who she was and who she had been. Answers to questions that you'd never expected. And loss on both sides.

Though there were some tough moments and moments that made me want to cry, there were also some pretty perfect ones for Ellie and Will that I'd been waiting for. Courtney did a great job of not only creating a fabulous story, but also bringing her characters to the places that they needed to be. Their growth throughout the series was probably the best part.

I was very satisfied with the ending to this book and series. Courtney honored her characters and her readers with the best conclusion for them. I definitely can't wait to read more from her.

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered

Splintered 1

Author: A.G. Howard
Pages: 371 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantsay
Release Date: January 1st 2013
Review Source: Publisher

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Mentioning this cover first points out not only how amazing it is, but also perfectly it fits with this particular book. Whoever created this cover, captured A.G. story perfectly and really ensured that (at least for me) this would be read.

Alice in Wonderland has been a pretty popular story for people to re-tell over the years, and I really enjoyed this particular look into the story. A.G. put her own darker twist on the fun tale with her own character, Alyssa Gardner. I loved the familiar elements that we've come to know and love over the years, along with Alyssa's struggle with sanity.

A.G. also did a wonderful job with descriptions and bringing her particular wonderland to life. Taking something so well established and making it your own isn't easy, but she did and I really enjoyed it. Including Alyssa's friend Jeb and his determination to help her throughout her journey.

If you're looking for a story with adventure and struggles, with hint of insanity, then this would be for you. Plus, it's the first in a new trilogy so there will be more to these character's journey's.

Top Tens of 2013

Just  like last year I want to put up a list of my favorite books from over this past year. There have been some truly phenomenal ones, so it won't be an easy task, but I hope you guys will have fun recapping it with me.

My plan is to post one a day, leading up to New Years. If there are any others that you would like to see, then please let me know. Here's the list I'm considering:

• Top Ten Surpises
• Top Ten Best Series Ends
• Top Ten Covers
• Top Ten Debuts
• Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2013
• Top Ten Releases of 2014 I want to Read

I hope that everyone has been enjoying their holidays with their families, and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Starting Over by Savannah Yarbrough

Starting Over

The Shephard Series 1

Author: Savannah Yarbrough
Pages: - pgs
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: December 17th 2013
Review Source: Author

After her husband’s death in Afghanistan,
Brianna Daniels finds herself left alone to care for their chronically ill daughter. With the remnants of her family by her side, Brianna begins slowly to piece her life back together. 

Jeremiah Bartlett is at the peak of his professional career. Scarred and more than a little jaded after a bitter divorce, Jeremiah has resigned himself to never having a marriage like the one his parents shared. When a devastating call from his sister sends Jeremiah racing to her side Jeremiah finds himself face to face with a woman who’s just as damaged and frightened by the thought of opening her heart. 

Can time truly heal all wounds? Will Brianna and Jeremiah risk everything for the possibility of starting over? Or will they allow the fear of past pain tear them apart? 

Starting Over is a story of loss, healing, family, and the courage it takes to find love again.

I got to read a very early copy of this particular story before it was ready for ARCs and publication, so I was beyond excited to be asked to read and review this for her.

One of the main things I can say about Savannah's writing is that she knows how to bring in the emotions and really stomp on your heart. I think it's difficult to get into any story, but especially a romance, if you don't feel for the characters. That isn't a problem here and I love how delicately and sweetly Savannah handled it.

We also got to see the story from both Brianna's perspective and Jeremiah's, which I think can add just a little something extra to the overall feel. They both struggle with loss and the difficult circumstances ahead of them throughout, but find a way to move forward with the hope of something more.

I truly enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading what else Savannah has in store for her other characters in this series. I know that it will be wonderful, if not a little heartbreaking along the way.