Llterary Junkies: February Edition

If you love to read, this is one link up you don't want to miss out on. I love answering these book related questions each month.

 

1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it!
I'm currently reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano. It's another dystopian YA trilogy. In this one, some genetic mistake has made it where all females only live to be 20 and all males only live to be 25. There are some people still alive who were around before this death sentence happened. The rich ones are trying to find a way to keep people alive longer and young girls are taken to be brides and bear children. The main character, Rhine, has been taken away from her twin brother to be a bride and she wants to find a way to escape. That's about all I know so far...

2. What books are on your bedside table at the moment?
By my bedside is George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans and Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement which are two nonfiction books I'm working my way through. I also have 3 copies of the Bible on my bedside table. One is my large study Bible NIV translation. Then, I also have 2 smaller Bibles in different translations. Lastly, I have several Bible study workbooks (too many to list here). Although, I will list my favorite one- By His Wounds You are Healed which is a study through the book of Ephesians.

3. Amazon recently released the 100 books to read in a lifetime.  What did they miss that you would add?
I definitely saw some on there that I wouldn't have included. Not that they're bad books, but I don't necessarily think they're the "top 100." The books I would add are coming more from a perspective of my beliefs. I would add the Bible, Kisses from Katie, Orphan Justice, and 7: an experimental mutiny against excess simply because those are books that have had a tremendous impact on my life. Outside of my beliefs, I would add Wonder. I think it is a book that everyone should read-children through adults. 

4. Are there any books being published in 2014 that you are anxiously awaiting?  If so, what are they?
I wouldn't say I'm "anxiously" awaiting any releases. I do want to read City of Heavenly Fire since I've read the previous 5 books in the Mortal Instruments series. Unless I'm reading an incomplete series, I'm not really one of those people who's up on the upcoming books. I usually find out about them after their already released.

5. Name the next 3 books in your To Be Read List (the ones you will be reading next on your list.)
I'm waiting on Serena and Labor Day to come in at the library, so I'm hoping to read those next. I also will be wanting to read the book that comes after Wither, called Fever.

Are you reading anything good right now? Are you waiting on something good to read next? 

Book Review: My Name is Memory

Synopsis:
Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short. Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

Book synopsis and image via Goodreads

My Review:

Characters:
I didn't really connect with the characters. When I'm reading a romantic book, I want to fall in love with the man too. Unfortunately, Daniel just didn't make me swoon. I enjoyed the romanticism of what he was doing, but I didn't connect with him. I also didn't understand why Daniel had to come on so strongly. Why didn't he just make Lucy fall in love with him the good ole' fashion way instead of going right in with the "I've been in love with you in all my past lives" angle? There were some other things the characters did that didn't completely make sense, but I don't want to spoil anything by talking about those things too. 

Plot:
This book has so much potential and I really wanted to love it. I loved the idea of someone remembering their past lives and being in love with the same girl for over a thousand years and every life he tries to find her. Yet, for all of their lives things couldn't match up. Either one of them died too soon or one was a child while the other was an adult. However, I don't feel like it was done the best it could have been in this book. It took me a while to get into the plot as it was written. The first half was kind of boring and picked up for me in the last half.

Resolution:
What resolution?!? This book just ENDED! There was no kind of resolution. Do they end up together? Was everything they went through to get together worth it? Hope was hinted at for a happy ending, but we don't know. Something I read suggested that there might be a sequel and I sure hope so. This ending didn't set well with me.

My Grade:

I give it a B. Even though it didn't live up to its full potential, I still feel like it was a great love story.

Book Review: City of Fallen Angels & City of Lost Souls

 City of Fallen Angels Synopsis:

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

synopsis and image via Goodreads

City of Lost Souls Synopsis:
What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

synopsis and image via Goodreads

My Review:

These are books 4 and 5 in The Mortal Instruments series. I reviewed the first 3 here. From my understanding, this series was originally a trilogy. Then, the author decided to extend it with 3 more books. The last one will be released in May. Since the story is continuous, I decided to review them together.

Characters:
I don't really have feelings about the main character Clary one way or the other. Undying, all consuming love always creeps me out. I don't think it's realistic for two people to meet and be head over heels madly in love with each other instantly. That's called infatuation, not love. I'm still also creeped out by the whole I still wanted you even though I thought you were my brother thing. I liked Jace better in the first 3 books. He was very funny with his snarky one liners. However, in these two books I found him annoying (particularly when he was with Clary). I liked Jace the best when he was with Simon. Speaking of Simon, he definitely wins the my favorite character from these books award. I like his loyalty to his friends and I found him the most relate-able. I enjoyed these stories the best when it was Simon's storyline. The villain in these books is Sebastian who I actually like as a villain. He was a much better and more interesting villain than Valentine (who was the villain in the first 3 books).

Plot:
You can definitely tell that there's a disconnect between the first 3 books and these 2. At the end of the 3rd book, there was resolution. The bad guys were dead and everyone was living happily ever after. Then for some reason, the author decided to extend the series. So, a new bad guy has to come along and things can't be as happily ever after as they seemed. In my mind, it's almost like reading 2 different trilogies. I think these books have good potential and would have been better if the author had planned out 6 books from the beginning and they all flowed. At times it felt like she was stretching for something to fill the pages of the books. Overall, they were entertaining which is mainly what I want a book to be.

Resolution:
There technically hasn't been a resolution yet. Each book ended with a little cliffhanger. I'm curious to see how it will all end in the last (unless she decides to extend it more) book. One thing they always bring up is how shadow hunters die young, yet no one important has died in the 5 books I've read so far. So, I'm curious if there will be any deaths in the final book.

My Grade:

I give them both a B.

**I've created an updated page about my book reviews and book challenges. Be sure to check it out to understand my grading system.**