Best Books of 2015

Hey! 

It’s that time of year again! 

IT’S ME LOOKING BACK AT 2015 AND DECIDING WHICH 10 BOOKS WERE AMAZING!!

And here they are (in no particular order):

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard ••• My Review ● Goodreads

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani ••• My Review ● Goodreads

The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Every Day by David Levithan ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Shutter by Courtney Alameda ••• My Review ● Goodreads

Journey by Aaron Becker ••• My Review ● Goodreads

There’s definitely quite an array of books here–so many genres, and even a picture book! I would definitely have to say though that my favourite book from last year was Grasshopper Jungle. Andrew Smith’s writing is absolutely BOMB and this book was so different from anything I’ve ever read.

Check out all the books I read in 2015 HERE.

Well, that’s all from me. Hope your reading was amazing in 2015, and here’s to another year of amazing books! Feel free to share your top books of 2015 blog posts or picks down below.

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 153

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s to spotlight upcoming reads that I’m DYING to get my hands on!

This week’s WoW is:
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

**WARNING: Contains spoilers from Book 1, Red Queen**

The thrilling second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen trilogy follows Mare Barrow on her mission to defeat the traitorous Maven.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever? 

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness of her own heart.

February 9, 2015 ● Goodreads

MY EXCITEMENT FOR THIS BOOK HAS NO BOUNDS. After the gorgeousness that was Red Queen (read my review HERE), I can’t wait for this one! And I love how close it’s release date is to my birthday...maybe an early birthday present for moi? I shall have to see. If you haven’t picked up the first one, I highly suggest you do.

What are you waiting on?

Red Queen Blog Tour: Review + Interview

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Red Queen, Book 1

Rated: YA 14+

Format: ARC

Source: Publisher

Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository

Goodreads ● Website

Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

When I saw the title for Victoria Aveyard’s debut, the first thing that popped into my mind was Alice in Wonderland. I mean, of course I would think that because, hello, the RED QUEEN aka Queen of Hearts? A little disappointed that it wasn’t a retelling from her point of view, but nonetheless the gorgeous and eerie cover and the premise caught my attention. When I was contacted to be a part of the blog tour and to read an advanced copy of the book, I immediately agreed to it. I knew I had to read this book, and that I had to read it soon.

Oh my gosh: WOW. Red Queen was amazing! I seriously couldn’t tear my eyes away from this book. It was like X-Men meets The Selection meets Shadow and Bone. It was such a fantastic blend of the supernatural, fantasy, and dystopia – brilliantly executed. It was a long read (especially since I read it in one sitting) but SO WORTH IT. The world building was phenomenal; I really felt like I understood the world that the story took place in. The writing was absolutely wonderful and there never seemed to be a dull moment. 

The characters were amazing. I loved learning about this world through Mare’s world. Of course, she reminds me of so many dystopian and fantasy heroines, so that sort of originality was somewhat lacking, but the familiarity of the character type definitely made this an engaging read. And oh gods above, the LOVE TRIANGLE. Or square? I seriously don’t know at this point. Two princes and a friend (not featured very much though) made sure that there was plenty of romance in the story. If you know me, you know that I can’t resist a good romance. However, I just felt that there was a lack of actual chemistry...no sizzle at all. While I’m torn because I my stomach flip-flops at scenes of romance in a book, I thought it was really interesting that the book didn’t actually focus on the developing feelings between characters and was more about the actual events. Feeling a bit half-and-half on this one, but more towards the fact that I’m FOR the somewhat underplayed passion in this novel.

Holy moly the amount of twists in this book. I had to cover up the ends of chapters just to make my eyes stop wandering and accidentally spoiling things for me. SO MUCH SHIZZ HAPPENS AND IT’S WORTHY OF DROPPED JAWS. The end was a stab to the stomach, because no way in a million years did I see that coming. I predicted an earlier twist but I never actually thought that the book would end the way it did. I’m seriously sad that I’m going to have to a while until the next book comes out because 2015 practically just started and the sequel comes out in 20-frickin-16.

An exceptional debut, Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen is gripping from the first page to the last. Absolutely spellbinding, this story of blood, magic, and revolution will have readers begging for more. The start of a terrific trilogy, I’m looking forward to what’s coming next. Can’t wait!

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Megan at HarperCollins International and Tiffany at MPH for sending a copy for review and for having me on the blog tour! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• The Selection by Kiera Cass ● Goodreads
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ● Goodreads
• Pawn by Aimée Carter ● Goodreads

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VICTORIA AVEYARD

Victoria Aveyard was born and raised in East Longmeadow, MA, a small town known only for the worst traffic rotary in the continental United States. She moved to Los Angeles to earn a BFA in screenwriting at the University of Southern California, and stayed there despite the lack of seasons. She is currently an author and screenwriter. You can find her at www.victoriaaveyard.com.

Website ● Twitter ● Facebook ● Goodreads ● Tumblr

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EXCERPT
Read the first 7 chapters below!

  Sneak Peek: RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

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And now... for an exclusive Q&A!

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Follow the rest of the tour!

2/2 http://amaterasureads.blogspot.com (Philippines)

2/3 http://staybookish.net/ (Philippines)

2/4 http://ghostgrrrl.wordpress.com (Malaysia)

2/5 http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com (Singapore)

2/6 http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.com (the Netherlands)

2/8 http://spellsaab.juice.ph/ (Philippines)

2/8 http://defiantlydeviant.blogspot.com (Philippines)

2/9 www.carinabooks.blogspot.com (Norway)

2/12 http://www.booksloveme.com/​ (Malaysia)

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 122

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s to spotlight upcoming books that I’m DYING to get my hands on!

This week’s WoW is:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own--an ability she didn't know she had. Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard--the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince--and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

February 10, 2015 ● Goodreads

Whenever I see the words “red” and “queen” next to each other, I go on high alert because it either means that a) it’s an Alice in Wonderland retelling (which this is unfortunately not) and b) it’s a high fantasy. This one looks absolutely amazing and I’ve heard wonderful things about the world-building. The cover is beautiful as well– seems pretty symbolic! Can’t wait to get my hands on this one – it’s on Edelweiss so I foresee another download in the near future :D

What are you waiting on?