Stacking the Shelves #72

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week. All links are to Goodreads.

Another busy week comes to an end *sigh*  This one was full of a lot of work, but also awesome fun!  On Wednesday, "B" and I went to the HarperTeen's Pitch Dark Tour and it was, well, Epic :)  Here are my new goodies this week (trying to control myself and save for BEA):

Purchased for Kindle 

Fall For Me by K.A. Last - I say this book last week in someone's STS and I couldn't resist this cover.

Purchased Physical Books

Signed pretties! Into the Still Blue, Ignite Me and In The Shadows

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi - I LOVE this series!  Into the Still Blue was such a good ending for an amazing series (see my review here.)

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi - I have to confess that I haven't read the Shatter Me series (I do have the first book), but I will start it soon.  

A brief note about the event:  I take my hat off these ladies (never mind that I'm not actually wearing one), they are such strong, wonderful women.  Their roads to becoming authors is different, but they have the same inner strength and resiliency in common.  I could have easily listen to them talk for at least a couple more hours :) I also got my ARC of In the Shadows signed by Kiersten White (and couldn't get Uninvited signed since I bought it in audiobook :(

High five to the YADC group and all the other authors that attended the event! 

For Review

My Life from Hell by Tellulah Darling - This is the last book of the Blooming Goddess trilogy and I can't wait to know the ending!  

Searching for Beautiful by Nyrae Dawn - This one is for a blog tour and it sounds really good (obviously!) 

What's stacking your shelves this week?

Best Book Boyfriends of 2013

Top 10 of 2013 is hosted by a group of fabulous bloggers and you can find more information here

Arianne’s List

There are so many things I could say about the beautiful boys on this list! But I think I may lose all coherency if I do, so I'll just let them speak for themselves using some of my favourite quotes from their books :)

1. Isaiah from Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

“I can’t give you the world, Rachel, but I’ll give you all I got.”

2. Hale from Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

“I'm too close.”

“You don't get it, do you? Being close is good. Caring is good. I love that you're emotional and passionate and can't turn these things off.”

“It makes me a bad thief.”

“It makes you a good person.”

3. Graham from This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

“He hadn't realized how much it could mean, having someone to talk to like that; he hadn't realized that it could be a kind of lifeline, and that without it, there would be nobody to save you if you started to drown.”

4. Warden from The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

“I do not know what I can do for this world, but I will not let any harm come to you.”

5. Emilio from The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

“Don't settle, okay? Not for anything. I mean it. You only get this one chance at life, far as I know. Take it. Even if its not with me.”

6. Day from Prodigy by Marie Lu

“You know, sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I just ... met you one day. Like normal people do. If I just walked by you on some street one sunny morning and thought you were cute, stopped, shook your hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Daniel.”

7. Ezra from The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

“She tasted like buried treasure and swing sets and coffee. She tasted the way fireworks felt, like something you could get close to but never really have just for yourself.”

8. Jesse from Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

“You like me, Josie Moraine. You just don't know it yet.”

9. Lucas from Goddess by Josephine Angelini

"I never expected you to think I was perfect. I know I'm not."

"You are to me."

"That's all I care about," Lucas said quietly. "Not-my-cousin Helen.”

10. Four from Allegiant by Veronica Roth

"I love you, too," he says. "I'll see you soon.”

Liza’s List

Arianne, I hope you don’t mind that I followed your lead and used quotes to let these awesome YA Book Boyfriends talk for themselves!

1.  Dante from The Collector / The Liberator by Victoria Scott

“I will protect this girls with everything I have, because if something happens to her, I will lose myself. I will cease to exist.

And I will take everyone with me.”

2. Hector from The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

“I love you, too," he whispers in my ear. "Wholly. Madly."

"Does that mean you'll marry me?"

"I suppose.”

3.  Isaiah from Crash into You by Katie McGarry

“I love you, Rachel. So this will work. No matter what or who stands in our way.”

4.  Josh from The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

“I don't know how to say it - after all this time, I'm not even sure that I can - but I have to break her last rule, because if she knows nothing else, I need her to know this one thing.

'I love you, Sunshine,' I tell her, before I lose my nerve. 'And I don't give a shit whether you want me to or not.”

5.  Willem from Just One Year by Gayle Forman

“By that point, it’ll have been more than year since I met Lulu. Any sane person would say it’s too late. It already felt too late that first day, when I woke up in the hospital.

But even so, I’ve kept looking.

I’m still looking.”

6.  Perry from Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

“It didn't matter if Aria was hundreds of miles away, or whether she'd hurt him, or said goodbye, or anything else. Nothing would change the way he felt. The moment Aria had taken his hand on the roof at Marron's, she'd changed everything. No matter what happened, she'd always be the one.”

7.  Kaidan from Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

“I was more myself with you during those three days than I’ve ever been with anyone in my life. It’d be easier if I could be fake with you, but you bring out everything in me, little Ann. All of it.”

8.  Cam from Wait for You by J. Lynn

“I want to be here with you, Avery. You don't have to worry about impressing me or wowing me. You've already done that.”

9.  Henry from The Goddess Inheritance by Aimée Carter

“I see the sunrise now," he said. "Because of you, the days have color. Eternity has meaning once more. You found every broken piece of me and put me back together, even though I hurt you too many times for me to deserve it. You are the glue that holds me together. If I lose you, it will be the end of me. The end of everything good in this world.”

10.  Vincent from If I Should Die by Amy Plum

“Whatever happens, remember that I will love you forever,” he says. “Even if my spirit is dispersed and my consciousness released to the universe... whatever is left of me will never stop loving you.”

What do you think about our choices?  Do you have some of the same book boy friends?  Be warned that we will fight for some of these!

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky #3)

Title: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Release date: January 28^th, 2013 by Harper Collins

Source: ARC from Harper Collins and Edelweiss

Format: eBook

Genre: Dystopian | Paranormal | Romance

Age group: Young adult

Challenge(s): Finish the Series 2013, Dystopia Challenge

Grade rate: A+

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world. The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together. Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost. Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most. In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

My Review

Amazing?  Wonderful? Marvelous?  I wish I could find the right words to describe, not only how good this book is, but how good the series is.  Into the Still Blue is the perfect ending for what has been a worthy addition to the YA dystopian genre. 

Into the Still Blue starts right were Through the Ever Night ended and finds Perry planning a rescue mission for Cinder.   The Dwellers and the Outsiders are having a really difficult time getting along and getting past their views and prejudices about each other.  An unlikely group is pulled together and off they go.  Everything that could go wrong probably does, and the Tides and the Outsiders that escape band together in an attempt to survive the worsening ether storms.

Aria and Perry are a perfect example of a couple that not only complements each other, but they make each other better.  There is no love triangle, there’s no unreasonable jealously; just love, understanding and absolute trust in each other.  I can really appreciate this.  They keep growing as individual and leaders as well and don’t strangle each other.

The road to the Still Blue doesn’t come without sacrifices and many give their lives (some unwillingly and some not) for the good of the tribe.  What happens next is a combination of war, scare tactics, strategy and stealth.  Sable is one of the best villains that I ever encountered in literature.  Like a typical dictator, he forces his will unto others, all the while pretending that it’s for their own good. 

Roar remains one of my favorite characters; he still mourning, but by the end I saw a semblance of his old self and I’m happy for it.  Brooke, Cinder, Hess, Sorren, characters old and new join our beloved couple.  I have to say that the characterization is phenomenal.  I felt so close to these characters. Aria and Sorren go through one of the best character growth that I’ve read about lately.

The plot can make you dizzy because it’s so full of twist and turns!  Really, the unexpected seemed to always be happening and I just enjoyed the ride and went with the flow.  The writing is fluid, easy to read and understand, even if we are reading about a dystopian world.

Veronica Rossi has become one of the best author in my list and I will read anything she writes for sure!  Into the Still Blue is the perfect end to one of my favorite series.  I hope you give it a try.

About the cover: Perfect. Just like everything else about this book :)

Top Ten Character Names I Love or Top Ten Unusual Character Names

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish 

Hi there gorgeous people!  This Top Ten wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be when I first started; I guess there are a lot of unusual names in books ;)

1.  Akiva and Karou from the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series by Laini Taylor - These name are very pretty.  Karou means 'hope' in the chimera language.  This series is nothing short of amazing. 

2.  Peregrine and Aria from the Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi - Perry is named after a bird and Aria due to her musical nature, unusual and beautiful names.

3.  Gansey from The Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater - This isn't his true name, but I can't think of Gansey on any other way now.  Love him!

4.  Tana from The Coldest Girl in Goldtown by Holly Black - This is a really cool character from a pretty awesome book.

5.  Amaryllis and Phin from Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore - Phin is short for something, but I can't remember the whole name now. I think these sisters are both named after flowers.  The family is very unusual and unique to say the least, so the names have to be the same way :)

6.  Caymen and Xander from The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - Caymen is a strange name for sure; Xander is short for Alexander.

7.  Celeana and Chaol from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - Another beautiful series for sure!  It's full of unusual names, although I imagine Celeana sounds like Selena. What do you think?

8.  Sybella from Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers - Pretty name for an assassin, right?

9.  Saba, DeMalo, and Lugh from the Dust Lands series by Moira Young - Another dystopian full of strange names (not necessarily pretty either)

10. Pellinore Warthorpe from the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey - Pellinore is very weird (just like the man!)

Technically, there are more than ten here, but most of these turned out to be characters from the same book, so it's the same difference, right?

What's in your Top Ten this week?  Have you read any of these?

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky #2)

Title: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Published: January 13^th, 2013 by HarperCollins

Source: Purchased for Kindle

Format: eBook

Genre: Dystopian | Romance

Age group: Young adult

Challenge(s): Finish the Series

Grade rate: A+

It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at first. Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure-and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

My Review

I fell in love with Under the Never Sky (see my review here).  It wasn’t love at first sight, the first chapters were very strange to read, but once Perry and Aria were together, it all fell into place for me.  Through the Ever Night does not suffer from the second book syndrome at all. On the contrary, it’s a fascinating story that sets the events for the conclusion of the series.

As the nice blurb for the book states, the book starts after the winter, when Aria travels to the Tides to meet Perry.  Aria is not exactly welcomed with open arms into their mist and things start to get very difficult for Perry. 

The story is once again told from Aria and Perry’s point of view.  This is a good thing since Aria and Perry are not together for most of the book.  I know, I know, but don’t despair, because the book is still awesome. Aria is a great character that has come a long way from the ignorant dweller that she was in the first book.  She is loyal, loving, courageous, and tries to do her best to find the Still Blue for Perry.

Perry is a man of few words, but when he talks all listen.  He is a romantic at heart and his heart belongs to Aria.  Well done Ms. Rossi *insert applause here* I’m so happy that our couple did not fall in a bizarre love triangle.  It would have been so easy to have them fall for someone else and I’m so glad you didn’t take that road. Perry has learned a lot about being a leader and I’m glad the Tides know that he wants to do the best by them.

Oh, Roar! My heart bleeds for you.  I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I won’t. Roar is a handsome, easygoing, funny devil. He’s like Perry’s brother and Aria’s sister.  We get to be a little more familiar with other characters from the Tides, like Molly, Willow, Bear and with ‘The Six’.  Can I tell you how I despise Sable. He’s cunning manipulative, and too smart (you know, like the evil sort of smart). The In general, the Horns tribe is awful.

It is a true testament to Rossi’s writing that the story manages to grab the reader and not let go, especially when, for most of it Perry and Aria are not together.  The plot is so incredibly good.  It’s complicated by politics, leaders, followers, storms, fire, love, and hate.  The writing is a gem, beautiful, and easy to read.  The ending left a lot of unsaid words and open issues, but at least it was not a big cliffhanger.

Through the Ever Night is a sequel to be reckoned with, an addition to the series and to the story, and no a ‘filler’ book.  I love this series and I cannot wait for Into the Still Blue.

Some quotes for you:

“Love was like the waves in the sea, gentle and good sometimes, rough and terrible at others, but that it was endless and stronger than the sky and earth and everything in between.”

“It didn't matter if Aria was hundreds of miles away, or whether she'd hurt him, or said goodbye, or anything else. Nothing would change the way he felt. The moment Aria had taken his hand on the roof at Marron's, she'd changed everything. No matter what happened, she'd always be the one”

“The Aether flowed, corded and angry, giving the night a blue, marbled glow. After the storm, the calm skies had only held for a day. Now there was little difference between day and night anymore. Days were darkened by clouds and the blue cast of Aether. Nights were brightened by the same. They flowed together, the edges blurring into an endless day. An ever night.”

About the cover: These covers are so beautiful and this one is no exception. 

Have you read this series?  What did you think? Do you like dystopians? 

Top Ten Best / Worst Series Endings

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish 

When I started gathering my answers I found out two things: First, that I'm hopelessly behind in a LOT of series (aka unfinished!), and second, that fortunately I have more 'Best' endings than 'Worst'

BEST

1. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series) - I don't have to explain, do I?

2.  Timeless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) - This series is steampunk at its best.  I'm very happy with the ending, even if there is wide open for much more and I think I read somewhere that there will be a companion series soon. 

3.  Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky series) - I just finished this one yesterday and this book is AMAZING!  If you haven't read this series, you really should. 

4.  The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (Fire and Thorns series) - Another beloved series that ended recently.  I'm so happy for Hector and Elisa and their kingdom. An epic ending :)

5.  The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey series) - A book from Ash's point of view, a quest, and Puck to boot. What else could you ask for?

6.  Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy series) - Dimitri, Rose... You get the idea, right?

7.  Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles (Leaving Paradise series) - This is a duet and it's so good!  I love this series, the ending was perfection!

Worst

8. Gone by Lisa McMann (Wake series) - I really enjoyed the series, up until this book actually.  Janie turned into an indecisive mess and the ending was so open that it drove me crazy.

9. Sever by Lauren DeStefano (The Chemical Garden series) - Honestly, this series redemption is DeStefano's writing.  The magic of Wither was gone in the second book and this one was a hot mess. And everything got fixed and honky dory in the last chapter :(

10. We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (The Summer series) - What was that? Belly wanting to get married at 18?  Everyone falling in place for the weirdest wedding in history?  And then we get a sort of epilogue for an ending?  What happened in between?!

What is in your top ten this week? Have you read any of these? Do you agree or disagree with me?

Stacking the Shelves #59

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week. All links are to Goodreads.

Hi there gorgeous people!  This is two weeks worth of books; last week I was busy attending the Baltimore Book Festival which was a lot of fun :) Also my PC was at the computer hospital and sadly, after I brought it home it still has the same problems and I'm going to have to take it back ;(  Anyway, here's what I got in the past two weeks:

Purchased Physical Books

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I've heard great things about this one. Have you read it?

Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer - *Sigh* The Merrick brothers!  I Brigid signed it for me at the festival!

Purchased (or Free) for Kindle

Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi - No need to explain, right?

Her Sudden Groom by Rose Gordon - A nice romance (for a change).

In This Moment by Autumn Doughton - Sound really good.

Gift 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - Hannah from The Irish Banana was kind enough to gift me with this book and the one below.  Thanks!

Eat, Brains, Love by Jeff Hart - See above.  I heard good things about this one. 

The Arrangement by Mary Balogh - This one is from hubby :) Does he knows me or what?

Review

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi - I already started reading this one and I wish I could read faster!!  Thanks to Harper Teen.

Pawn by Aimee Carter - I adore the Goddess Test series by Carter and I can't wait to dig into her next series.  Thanks to Harlequin Teen.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - This one is for a blog tour and it's another winner!  Thanks to Harlequin Teen.

Made of Stars by Kelley York - I got a copy of this mystery for a blog tour as well.  Thanks to Entangled Teen.

Nightmare City by Andrew Klavan - This one sounds amazing and it's for an upcoming blog tour too.  Thanks to Thomas Nelson.

An Incurable Insanity by Simi K. Rao - For a blog tour as well. Thanks to the author for the copy :)

That's it for me!  What's stacking your shelves this week?

Also, congrats to Francis C. the winner of the "Name my Car" contest! I already email you :)  By the way, the name of my new car is Jem, from Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices.  Thanks!

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

This list (as most Top Ten lists) can be huge, although I am hopelessly behind in so many series that's not even funny!  Well, here it goes:

1.  The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson - It is difficult to decide on just one book of this trilogy, but I'm going with it's conclusion.  Outstanding! 

2.  Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi - I'm about 60% done with this book (just reading it while I walk on the treadmill), but it's even better than Under the Never Sky and that's saying a lot!

3.  Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins - My goodness, this one was SO good!  I love Kai and Anna and the sequel was just plain hot awesomeness.

4.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - I liked this book better than Mockingjay, although I'm a big fan of the series, this book was my favorite.  Such an amazing way to continue the goodness of The Hunger Games. 

5.  Spark by Brigid Kemmerer - Really good sequel to Storm. The Merrick brothers *sigh* need I say more?

6.  The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa - I'm a big fan of the Iron Fey series and this one is my favorite book because it's from Ash's point of view. 

7.  Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling - Yes, I'm aware that this is more than one book, but honestly, I cannot choose just one.  

8.  The Liberator by Victoria Scott - This one did not suffer from the second book syndrome at all.  So, so good. How could it now if it's about Dante?

9.  Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - It's incredible to believe, but this book might be even better than Throne of Glass.  So incredibly good!

10. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - This is my favorite (book #3) of the series.  I just love Colin and Penelope :)

What's in your list of Top Ten best sequels?