Wednesday, January 28, 2015

the dreadful pain of to-be-released books

We all have that book this year. 
That book that we really want.

Bleh, who am I trying to kid. We got tons. 

In 2015 a LOT of great books are being released. How do I know that, you ask? Well, I have a freakish sixth sense so I know certain things. Like how much you're going to love these books. See? I just know. 

A few weeks ago I took part in a challenge on Instagram called the #hello2015bookchallenge which was created by @bookoverlooksx (Instagram page HERE). One of the challenges was to post a list or a collage of the books you're most excited to read in 2015. It was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done. There are so many books I want to read in 2015, it's ridiculous! (you can check out the list HERE)

But since I like to challenge myself I thought I'd do a SMALL list of some releases that are in the near future (January-March). So no november-releases this time. 

So, the book cover, a blurb from Goodreads, the release date and at last, the excitement level etc. 

I really need to get going or else I'll be sitting here, avoiding this altogether. cough

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares


Release date: 1st of January
Series: Stand-alone
Excitement level: yes, yes, yes, yes!
Blurb from Goodreads:
There are rules.
Never reveal where you’re from.Never be intimate with anyone outside the community.And never interfere with history. 
Seventeen-year-old Prenna James emigrated to New York when she was twelve. But Prenna didn't come from a different country, she came from a different time - a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules. Prenna does as she's told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth and take the lives of her younger brothers. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan. 
She might be able to save the world ... if she lets go of the one thing she's found to hold on to.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Release date: January 27th 
Series: stand-alone
Excitement level: HOLY SHIT!
Blurb from Goodreads: 
Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.
 
When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
 
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Release date: January 27th
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5
Excitement level: I need to read Scarlet and Cress...
Blurb from Goodreads:
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?


Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Release date: January 27th
Series: The Bone Season, #2
Excitement level: HOLY CRAP!
Blurb from Goodreads: 
Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

Red Queen  by Victoria Aveyard

Release date: February 10th
Series: Red Queen, #1
Excitement level: I've already read it... but still!
Blurb from Goodreads:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Release date: Februaru 24th
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic, #1
Excitement level: Is it getting hot in here?
Blurb from Goodreads: 
Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski


Release date: March, 3rd
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #2
Excitement level: I'm currently reading The Winner's Curse but still, YES! 
Blurb from Goodreads: 
The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.


Keep the Ends Loose by Molly D. Campbell


Release date; March 3rd
Series: stand-alone
Excitement level: YASYASYAS AND I GOT AN eARC
Blurb from Goodreads:
Miranda Heath is a quirky fifteen-year-old with cinematic dreams and a safe, predictable family. That is until she decides to pull at the loose end that is the estranged husband her aunt never divorced. What seemed like the best way to allow her aunt to get on with her life sets off a series of events that threaten to turn Mandy’s world upside down. Suddenly, she’s embarking on adventurous road trips, becoming the center of an increasingly unstable household, meeting surprising strangers, and seeing everyone she knows in new ways. Sometimes loose ends just want to stay loose. But what happens if they want to unravel completely?

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh


Release date: March 3rd
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1
Excitement level; HOLY CRAP NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Blurb from Goodreads: 
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.


Half Wild by Sally Green

Release date: March 24th
Series: The Half Bad Trilogy #2
Excitement level: HOTHOTHOTHOT
Blurb from Goodreads:
"You will have a powerful Gift, but it’s how you use it that will show you to be good or bad."

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he's on the run--but the Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.

So, those are a few of the books I'm looking forward to reading this year. Some of them I already have eARC's of for review purposes. 

Are some of these titles on your TBR? Or will you be adding them? Which books are you excited for this year? Let me know by commenting, tweet me, email me, you do whatever and we'll talk! 

The Book Depository links:

The Here & Now
I Was Here 
Fairest
The Mime Order
Red Queen
A Darker Shade of Magic
The Winner's Crime
Keep the Ends Loose
The Wrath & the Dawn
Half Wild


Contact me:

Goodreads: @forbiddenbooks
Mail: crystalshit@outlook.com
Thank you so much for reading, I'll talk to you next time. BYEEE

sofia

Monday, January 26, 2015

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

My rating: ★★★★
Genre: New adult, romance
Series: Slammed (Slammed #1)

Blurb from Goodreads:
Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.


My review:


Regret is counterproductive. It's looking back on a past that

you can't change. Questioning things as they occur can
prevent regret in the future.

Know this. Feelings toward this book are not negotiable. 

A phenomenal book. Even counting the annyoing and frustrating parts. It was phenomenal. 

This is the second Colleen Hoover book I read (the first one being Ugly Love) and boy, did I fall in love all over again. I don't what it is about her books, but I have a tendancy to finish them in less than 24 hours. I cried in both. I got out-of-this-world frustrated by both. And I loved them both. 

Colleen Hoover writes contemporary-romance books. The books are inspiring and teaching and at the same time incredibly, incredibly touching and fun. You don't walk away from reading a Colleen Hoover book without a lighter and eased mind (unless you're a serial killer, but I really don't see how a person who takes joy in killing people would like to read about teenagers and adults with relationsship problems. And also you won't like it if you really, really, really despise romance novels.). 

***SPOILERS! SO IF NOT READ THEN GO DO***

Right in the beginning of Slammed when Lake's and Will's relationship starts off I was really happy. Will had this aurora around him that just screamed good intentions, so falling in love with him wasn't a problem. But often when a relationship starts off as early in a book, such as Isla & the Happily Ever After, something bad will happen later on. And it did. When they had their little encounter at the school and I couldn't come to terms with that that would be their problem. I was not prepared either. My friend who sat beside me at the moment became terrified when I started wailing about how unfair it was since they loved each other and deserved to be together, no matter if he was her teacher or not. It took me some time to get over that. 

And oh God damn, the poetry! I loved it! I'm not usually not a big fan of poetry. Never have and probably never will be. But in this book, you could not do else but love it. 
In the beginning of the book, when Will and Lake are going on their date and he performs his slam at Club N9NE, I cried. Big time.

Death
Copyright. Slammed, Colleen Hoover 2011.


Death. The only thing inevitable in life.
People don't like to talk about death because
it makes them sad.

They don't want to imagine how
 life go on without them,
all the people they love will briefly 
grieve
but continue to breath

They don't want to imagine how
life go on without them,
Their children will still grow
Get married
Get old...

They don't want to imagine how
 life will continue to go on without 
them,

Their material things will be sold
Their medical files stamped 'closed'
Their name becoming a memory to 
everyone they know.

They don't want to imagine how 
life will go on without them, so
instead of accepting it head on, they
avoid the subject altogether,
hoping and praying it will
somehow
pass them by. 

Forget about them,
moving on to the next one in line.

No, they didn't want to imagine
how life would continue to go on...
without them. 

But death
didn't 
forget. 

Instead they were met head-on by
death,
disguised as an eighteen-wheeler 
behing a could of fog. 

No,
Death didn't forget about them. 

If they only would have been
prepared, accepted the inevitable,
laid out their plans, understood that
it wasn't just their lives at hand.

I may have leagally been considered
an adult at the age of nineteen, but I
still felt very much
all
of just nineteen. 

Unprepared
and overwhelmed
to suddenlt have the enitre life of a
seven-year-old
In my realm.

Death. The only thing inevitable in
life.

If that's not perfection, I really do not know what is. There are several more pieces of poetry like this throughout the book and they're all touching in their own way. Especially the one that Joel (Eddie's foster dad) wrote to Eddie. 
When I read that part my eyes were drowned by tears and I just had to put my Kindle away so I wouldn't cry all over it. 
When Gavin told them all to bring a pink balloon each I thought they were doing something to "tease" her. But when Lake got there and Joel came up to her and introduced himself and Gavin started reading the speech Joel had prepared I was too busy drowning myself in tears to even think about teasing her with the pink balloons. When they let go of all the pink balloons with the names of all her foster- siblings and parents and Joel walked up to her and gave her the pink balloon with "DAD" written over it and asked if she wanted to become his daughter, I was, no kidding, dying. 

I, did not, as many many others did, expect Lake's mother to have cancer. I did not see that one coming and boy, was I chocked. I can truly admit that I believed in the whole thing about her having a boyfriend and that being the reason of them moving to Michigan. So when her mom told her the truth I was devastated (my grandma had breast cancer a few years back so I take those kind of things a bit personal). In the part of the book when her mom tells them that she's coming down with something, I know that a lot of people had suspicions about her being sick. I didn't though, so surprise surprise, kids, I have a lung cancer. 

I feel kind of bad about this but when Will resigned after the incident with Javi I was happy. 'Cause I finally allowed myself to feel a bit of hope for their relationship but then it all came crashing down onto them and I could not see a single bright thing. 

In the end, when Lake slammed and she realized that Will wasn't present to hear her confession I started crying. I thought, "that's it. It's over. Their relationship will remain as it is." Boy, was I wrong. So when "that's not a good idea" was heard over the speakers the tears falling down my cheeks were happy tears. After he performed his slam and he kissed her we got a well-needed epilogue. 


BUT THERE'S A SEQUEL?! AND A THIRD ONE?! BOTH YES AND NO! 
A TRILOGY?! 

5 brilliant stars. 

Push your boundaries, that's what they're there for. 

!!!BUY THE BOOK HERE!!!

Contact me:

Twitter: @sofiiarytters_
Goodreads: @forbiddenbooks
Mail: crystalshit@outlook.com
Thank you so much for reading, I'll talk to you next time. BYEEE

sofia

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Wattpad & Nico Forrest Problems

I am not okay. 

The reason for me not being okay is something I'm planning on revealing to you soon, but not yet. 

You all surely know what Wattpad is. I'd be shocked if you didn't. 
And if you now belong to that small majority that has no fning idea what it's all about; Wattpad is basically a website/app where you read books. It's self-published books to read for free and the whole thing is just completely wonderful. I love it.

Blurb about bleh
So yesterday I came across a YA contemporary novel called Mail Boy by Yasmin Osman (read it here). Just the title sounds amazing and this cover (!!!!!!!) is so maddening beautiful. 

If you want to know what it's about you have to get your ass over at Wattpad because if I try to explain this book I will end up spoiling the whole thing in pure excitement. All I can say is wow. She really did it. Yasmin Osman is hereby one of the few authors that have mentally moved me. Once I finished the published chapters I felt sick. 

So, now on to the part of me not being okay. She has not finished this book. She's written, I believe, 28 chapters (??) and is not done yet. Which means that I will not know what will happen to Zoey and Nico unil she publishes another chapter. And that could be anytime, really. 

And as much as I love Wattpad, that's also what I hate about it. Waiting for another chapter to be published is like waiting for the sequel to one of your favorite books. It. Is. Painful. 

Actual book discussion
(since the whole book has not actually been published this will not count as a book review. One will be coming once the whole book is published, though.)

Let's start of with talking about this novel. 
This wonderful author puts song quotes in the beginning of every chapter (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, SOULMATE?) 

There's:

  • A mean, annoying stuck up character and obviously, he's completely stunning and you can not help but fall in love with him. Nico Forrest.
  • A main character who is witty and can, at the same time, be very serious and understanding. Zoey Hunter. 
  •  Two guy friends who are not stuck up bitches (excuse me). James & Joel.
  • A lot of kissing (hrm, hrm, not one bit spoilery). 
  • A completely wonderful and heart-warming story. 
I mean, what more could you ask of a book? 

I seriously considered screaming out my pain and frustration when I finished the latest chapter. That last sentence really hurt me. It. Was. Painful. 

Remember the stuff I said about her being one out of few authors to mentally move me? Bullshit. I don't care that the book's written on Wattpad and that it actually shouldn't be considered a book. Yasmin Osman is one of my favorite authors. Yes, author. Becuase she is an author. A very, very, very great author and she deserves whatever hype is about to come, which I can promise everyone, will come. 

With that said, GO READ THIS GOD DAMNED BOOK! 


Contact me:

Twitter: @sofiiarytters_
Goodreads: @forbiddenbooks
Mail: crystalshit@outlook.com
Thank you so much for reading, I'll talk to you next time. BYEEE

sofia

Legend by Marie Lu

My rating: ★★★+0,5
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Series: Legend (Legend #1)


Blurb from Goodreads: 
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.


My review:

Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.

In general, I thought this books was really good. I believe I expected more from this with all the hype it's been getting, but the only reason I pulled through was because of Day and that my friend says that the story buildes with the books. I did like it, I just didn't love it, which is sad because I really wanted to. 

And you wonder that if I thought this was good why did it only get four stars? I had some troubles with one of the main character; June which I did not get over. I'm currently read Prodigy and I could not dislike her more. I don't know what's up with it but I just really can not agree with her on ANYTHING! Day (the other main character) on the other hand I loved. I don't know why I loved him, I just did. I really don't need to explain myself further. 
So if you like a dystopian story - a bit similar to Divergent and The Hunger Games - I really think you should read this book. It really deserves all the hype everybody gives it, but it does not get all of my hype.

ON TO THE SPOILERY PART SO IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK, GO READ IT AND THEN YOU CAN COME BACK AND WE'LL DISCUSS IT

Okay, let's get down for realsies. I got so, so mad at June when she betrayed Day and Tess. You should've seen me. It was one of those WHAT THE F ARE YOU DOING YOU UNGRATEFUL LIL SHIT moments. That's how I felt about it. I think that's the moment I started disliking June. 

At first, nothing made sense. Everything exploded in my face which made it hard to continue reading. When you've read around seventy pages everything start to make sense, thank god. 
Explaining my love-hatred toward this book is not something I want to get into. 

But, just know, that I liked this book enough to actually start the sequel! 


The memory fades, and I'm left hanging on to the ghosts of his words.


Contact me:

Twitter: @sofiiarytters_
Goodreads: @forbiddenbooks
Mail: crystalshit@outlook.com
NetGalley: Sofia Rytters (reviewer) 

Thank you so much for reading, I'll talk to you next time. BYEEE

sofia

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Hello. Hi

I'm actually doing this. That's sick.

I never thought I'd actually do this.

So, hi. I'm Sofia. I live in Sweden.

                                                             this is me>>>>>>  









I don't know if you get my nervous vibes. If you don't than c'mon man, what's up with ye?

*takes a deep breath*

Hi. I'm Sofia and I live in Sweden. One of my greatest passions are books and that is a passion that I carry with me, proudly.

And on with the blogging part. I'm not that old (I'm not so comfortable with sharing my age 'cause people often have a tendency to judge me because of my age) so I'm still in school, which means that for now, I won't be able to post something everyday and I won't be able to create a weekly-blog-schedule. I'll post whenever I have time to, okay?

Yep, I think that's it for me.

I really don't know what to say right now. Probably somthing like: thanks for reading, I'm Sofia and I'll talk to you next time. BYEEE