Top 10 Tuesday (18). Dying to read.

Hosted by: The broke and the bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND.

 I'm going to pick:

Top Ten Books I'm Dying to Read.

I'm trying to feature books I haven't featured in WoW yet.

I don't have to think hard about my first book. I. Need. This. One.

1. A.G Howard - Splintered.

Just look at it? The cover is definitely one of my favorite covers out there. I'm in love with it. And have you read the blurb already? Part of it that really fascinates me:

Here, 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.

2. Juliet Marillier - Flame of Sevenwaters. 
This is part six of Seven Waters. This story will be about Maeve, the girl who was badly burned during book three. Some of my favorite characters will return.

Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son, who is married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish.

3. Stefan Bachmann - The peculiar 2. Not title yet.
I liked the first book: The peculiar. I can't wait to see how this is going to continue.

4. Melanie Dickerson - The fairest beauty.
Snow white retelling? Count me in.

A daring rescue. A difficult choice. Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom---but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

5. Emily McKay - The farm.
One of the main characters is called 'Mel' so that's great!

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

6. Daniel Waters - Break my heart a 1,000 times.
This concept is scary and fascinating. I can't wait to see how this will work out.

One of Veronica's high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he's haunted by the possibility that she's waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he's wrong, what's the harm in creating one more ghost?

7. Miriam Forster - City of a thousand dolls. 
 Look at the cover? Isn't it gorgeous. I love books about assassins.

The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins.

8. Marissa Meyer - Scarlet.
After the magnificent Cinder I have to find out how this story is going to unravel.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

9. Veronica Roth - Untitled Divergent 3.
After the amazing Divergent and the slight disappointing Insurgent, I'm looking forward to see how this story is going to end. I hope it's just as good as Divergent.

10. Jessica Brody - Unremembered.
Exciting! I like books about losing your memory.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

This list was actually harder than expected. When you have a huge list that's never-ending, it's almost impossible to pick out the ones you are dying for. Number 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 are definitely books I would like to have right now. The others sound fantastic, but there were so many of them, I just picked them out from the 'can't-wait' Goodreads shelve.

Link me up with your reward list!

Review 83. Michelle Diener - Keeper of the King's secret.

Title:Keeper of the King's secret.
Author: Michelle Diener.
Pages: 304.
Published: April 3rd 2012.
Publisher: Gallery Books
Sort: Part two of 'Susanna Horenbout and John Parker.'
Review Part 1: In a treacherous court.
Source: I received a copy from the author for a honest review.

A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high.. The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prison—and then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.

Rating:

After my first meeting with Diener's work, I couldn't wait to dive into this book. I wasn't disappointed. From the first page I was hooked to Susanna's story and there is more than enough action to keep it fast-paced and interesting 'till the end.

Fans of the first book, like me, will love this continuing story about Susanna and Parker. I like Susanna's spirit. She won't shy away from some action and she will do anything to keep Parker safe. It's nice to see a heroin who can act smart and she has a nice temper. Parker is protective over Susanna, but it's great that he also needs her. He is intelligent and strong. The King has chosen a great man in him. He is trustworthy.

The side characters in this book are well-done. Wolsey plays a big role and he was exactly as I imagined him. Always trying to keep the King's love in order to gain more power; to achieve his ambition to become a Pope some day.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly suggest you read them in order. It's easy to follow, but you would miss the development of their relationship. There are also certain people they hate and that's because of some events in the first book.

Review 12. Mette Ivie Harrison - The princess and the bear.

Title: The princess and the bear.
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison.
Pages: 327.
Published: April 28th 2009 (first published April 17th 2009)
Publisher: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 006155314X (ISBN13: 9780061553141)
Sort: Part two of “Princess”
Review part 1: The princess and the hound.

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds. She was a once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.  Wary companions, they are sent - in human form - back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power--if only they can find a way to trust each other. But even as each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force--or risk losing each other forever.

Rating:

So, the first book wasn’t totally what I expected, but I disliked this one. It was a bit boring and it kept dragging on, while nothing spectacular happened. In the end, there wasn’t so much going on and it was fixed in a rather easy way.

This story is told from the POV of the dog and the bear; every chapter switched between them. The story picks up where the first one left. They are staying together and after a while, there is a friendship between the two. When they find ‘Unmagic’ in the woods, they visit the wild man. He transforms the bear back into his real shape: the human king Richoun. The dog takes also a human body and she will go by the name Chala. They must travel back to his kingdom to stop a war and they must find a solution for the one who is using his ‘Unmagic’.

Opinion.
I felt disconnected from both of these characters. Chala is very distant and she keeps longing for her dog appearance. After a couple of times mentioning how it felt to be a dog, I get the point. There were some interesting things about her. The clever way she sees certain situations and how she stays loyal to the king (due to her dog feelings) But I never got to know her enough. It was slightly better with the king, but I don’t know.. He lacked of something.

The story was, like I said, a bit boring. Especially in the beginning when they are in their animal form. There is nothing going on, they just go on with their life and I kept waiting for something to happen. When they took their human form, I expected the story to pick up, but instead it went down hill. They travel a long time to his kingdom and again, nothing happens. There is some treat of Unmagic, but it stays too much on the background. The last couple of pages had a bit of action, but that wasn’t enough for me. I also missed the magical feeling and I’m really started to wonder if I’m going to read the next one. Perhaps just to finish this series, but I'm not sure.

Review 82. Alex Flinn – Beastly.

Title:Beastly.
Author: Alex Flinn.
Pages: 304.
Published: October 2nd 2007.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Sort: Part one ‘Kendra Chronicles.’

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright--a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever--ruined--unless I can break the spell. Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly.. beastly.

Rating:

I was really scared to read this book. I’ve seen the book trailer and I hated the look from the boy (it wasn’t beastly at all..), but I decided that I wanted to try it anyway. I liked A kiss in time and I’m so glad I went for it, because it was a good book.

Summary. 
“A beautiful thing is precious, no matter the price. Those who do not know how to see the precious things in life will never be happy.”

Kyle has everything at first sight: he has a rich father, he is handsome, he is popular and he is doing fine in school, but he is mean against people who are ‘less’ in his eyes. The people who aren’t incredibly pretty, who aren’t popular and who study hard for their grades. Like the real Beauty and the beast story, Kyle is ‘spoiled and unkind.’

Kendra arrives at his school and he immediately thinks she is a freak. He finds her ugly and strange, so it should be fun to make a joke out of her, right? With that action, he seals his faith. Kendra puts a spell on him and he takes the appearance of a beast. He has two years to change; to fall in love and let someone fall in love with him.

“You are ugly now, on the inside, where it matters most...you are beastly.”
 
Kyle undergoes a huge transformation. He finds out that his life wasn’t as perfect as he thought and he understand his nasty behavior. When Lindy comes crashing into his life, will he be able to make her fall in love with him before it is too late?

Opinion.
“People make such a big deal about looks, but after a while, when you know someone, you don´t even notice anymore...”
 
I love the concept of this story, that is why Beauty and the beast is my favorite tale. We all judge people based on their appearance, even if we don't want to. I really started to like Kyle. He changes and I loved to see his development throughout the story. It’s written from his POV, so that is great!

Lindy is lovely. She is a huge fan of reading and she has a hard life. Despite all, she never gave up and she does everything to pursue her dreams. She has a nice personality and I thought they were perfect for each other. The only critic I have, is that Lindy feels a bit distant. The other side characters are a great addition to the story, like his blind tutor Will.

If you are a fan of fairytales, you will love this one. Alex didn’t ruin the story, but gave a nice twist to the original story.

WoW 24. 'Til the world ends & The eternity cure.

Hosted by: Breaking the spine.

Title: 'til the world ends.

Author: Julie Kagawa.

Expected publication: January 29th 2013 by Harlequin Luna.

Series: Blood of Eden 0.5

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden—as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What’s worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she’s beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems...

Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre

After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside—in the Red Zone—is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they’ll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside... for good.

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall

Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms—in the cosmos and beyond. And she’s not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She’ll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends. 

The immortal rules is one of my favorite books this year, so I can't wait for this book. Everything that has to do with this world is great! That's why I also have to feature part 2:

The eternity cure.

Expected publication: April 1st 2013 by Harlequin Teen.

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

I can't wait to meet Allison and the attractive Kanin again. Link me up with your WoW pick :)

Top 10 Tuesday (17). Older books.

Hosted by: The Broke and the bookish.

Top 10 "older books" you don't want people to forget about.

I will list some of my favorite books. The ones that could be forgotten with all these amazing new releases every time.

1. Markus Zusak - The book thief. Like always, I have to point this one out. This story is touching. I've read it four times now and every time, I get blown away by his wonderful, flowing writing style.

2. Juliet Marillier - The seven waters series. Luckily, there is coming a new book! Part 6 and it will tell the story of Maeve. I can't wait. These books are.. magical. I always get a warm feeling when I read these books. Everything feels right and her words feel so natural. All her other books are great as well.

3. A.C Gaughen - Scarlet. I expected more publicity for this book, but I'm disappointed. I thought it was great! A Robin Hood retelling, how awesome is that? Scarlet is a kick ass girl and the side characters are well-done. Add a fast writing style and that's all you need, right?

4. Adam Gidwitz - A tale dark and Grimm. Part two is coming up, called In a glass Grimmly. This was an original twist to a not-so-popular fairytale. I loved it.

5. Anna Sheehan - A long, long sleep. I was so touched by this story. It was emotional and the main character really grew onto me.

6. Carrie Ryan - The forest of hands and teeth, The dead-tossed waves and The dark and hollow places. My first zombie books and they blew me away.

7. Heather Dixon - Entwined. Dark twist on The twelve dancing princess.

8. Janet Lee Carey - Dragonswood. Magical, sweet and some great characters all in one.

9. Jodi Lynn Anderson - Tiger Lily. Definitely in my top 3 favorite reads this year. Heartbreaking story.

10. Victoria Schwab - The near witch. I haven't heard many things about this book and I thought it was quite decent. This book managed to enjoy me and I'm looking forward to her new book.

And of course, I don't want to see J.K Rowling - Harry Potter disappearing from the reading world. This series always has a special place in my heart. They never get boring. 
& Also very important: fairytales.

I could go on for a while, because there are so many great books out there, but I will keep it on these 10. Link me up with your list!