2013 Year in Review!!
So I recently completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2013! If you also participated in the challenge feel free to share! It was touch and go there as to whether or not I’d actually finish it, but I managed to get it done! I’m on vacation until the new year so I will likely not be reading any new books (heck I still need to review a few), but I’ve definitely got enough material for my Best of 2013 wrap up. Here are my top 10 favorites of 2013! Some books are probably rated better than others but I pretty much ranked these based on how much I enjoyed them and how much I am anticipating their sequels.
10.
The Night Prince Series by Jeaniene Frost
While I like Cat & Bones, I LOVE Vlad! He is my favorite character of the Night Huntress universe (yes, even over Bones) and I have been enjoying Frost treating him to his own series. I look forward to how she wraps up his trilogy. My reviews in case you missed them:
9.
The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
I plan to review this trilogy all together so that’s why I haven’t provided a review for this particular book yet. While there is a lot of world building, overall I really enjoyed the story. I loved the magic and I will absolutely read the sequels in January. I’ve only heard they get even better.
8.
The Immortal Circus by A. R. Kahler
This remains my favorite Amazon Prime freebie of the year! The circus theme and the magic totally rocked. I didn’t enjoy the sequel quite as much, but it was still a good read. My reviews:
The Immortal Circus
The Immortal Circus: Act Two
7.
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh
This is my favorite angel series and it all started with Raphael and Elena, so I was glad to see this book return to their storyline. Here’s hoping my favorites, Venom and Ilium, can get their own books soon! My review:
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6)
6.
Origins (Lux #4) and Obsession (Arum Novel) by Jennifer Armentrout
I lumped these together because they are from the same series. Obsession is not surprisingly an adult spinoff while Lux is filed under YA. These are my favorite novels of the series! My reviews:
Origin
Obsession
5.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
This was probably my favorite debut novel of the year! I enjoyed it from beginning to the end (well, almost), but all in all I am definitely hooked and plan to be back for more. And there WILL be more! My review:
4.
Unchained by J. Lynn (Jennifer Armentrout)
After finishing this book I realized I am clearly just a fan of Jennifer Armentrout’s writing. I think she chose a pen name because this was an earlier work and it kind of showed, but I was still invested from beginning to end. Making my top 10 with 2 series (three if you want to get technical) is definitely a clear sign if I ever needed one. I have decided to read all of her paranormal novels. That is not a guarantee for every author I enjoy, including some of my favorite authors, so I think she’s pretty special. My review:
Unchained (Nephilim Rising #1)
3.
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) by Ilona Andrews
This was a true game changer for the series and it is probably my favorite Kate Daniels book to date. I so love it when authors make their series STRONGER as the books go on. And better yet, there’s clearly a LOT more story to tell and I plan to be there for them to tell it! My review:
2.
Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead
If someone told me a year ago that I’d finish the Vampire Academy books and it’d be its spinoff that would end up being my favorite YA/NA series…yeah I’d have called the loony bin for said person. But here we are! Richelle Mead’s writing tends to polarize people and that’s why I’ve stayed away because I felt like I’d be more likely to side with the disgruntled bunch, but damn it if she doesn’t have me by the balls on this one! I adore the series and can’t wait to read Books 5 and 6. My reviews:
Bloodlines overview
The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4)
***1.***
The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
SHOCKER!!! Yeah, I’m j/k. If you’re a follower of this blog this series needs no introduction or my continued fangirling…but I’m going to do it anyway :P. The two books here really are the pièce de résistance of the series and I am so happy that this is my favorite of favorites! Next year I’ll likely place The Undead Pool and Hollows #13 in this slot for the last time and that makes me a little sad, but hey, it’ll go out on top! Below is my review for Ever After. I’m working up one for The Undead Pool so I’ll post my link to the teasers and quotes. I plan to re-read it this week to finalize my review and I will update this link:
Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) Cover Reveal! Ilona Andrews is Breaking into Hardcover Territory!
I was a bit shocked to see the hardcover ready and raring to go this early (it’s not due out until August 5th of 2014), but you’ll hear no complaints from me! I’m super excited to see a cover, but I’m even MORE excited that the series is now in hardcover! What a wonderful achievement for the Ilona Andrews team! I’m getting much more used to this new model now.
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) by Ilona Andrews - This series rises!
Synopsis: Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…
Review: Oh boy, what a ride! While this book wasn’t as quotable with the usual hilarious quips that make me love this series so much, it is definitely one of my favorite books of the series, if not my favorite. I usually love books when the characters go on road trips or end up out of their usual element. It usually gives a series a fresh perspective, revealing new aspects about my favorite characters and ultimately showing what they are made of when the going gets tough. Ilona Andrews really brought their A-game from start to finish. Kate and Curran, how can you not love them? As solid as they are, or at least as solid as we assume they are, their relationship and feelings for one another are put to the ultimate test.
I must say that bringing just about every essential character along for the quest set off my alarm bells early that nothing was going to be the same from here on out. I feared that not everybody would make it back or make it back in one piece. And they do take a hell of a beating in that department I’m sad to say. But I believe everything that happened happened for the sake of pushing the story forward to the best conclusion possible.
There were definitely frustrating moments making me feel for both characters as individuals as well. I will always be a Kate and Curran girl, but I thought they handled the chemistry between Kate and Hugh D’Ambry (her father’s right hand) surprisingly well. I was genuinely looking forward to their scenes together and the outcomes weren’t always predictable. I was really engrossed in the back story involving Kate’s heritage and felt satisfied with what was revealed. It felt integral to the story and to what we can expect of the series here on out. So often I run into series where the overarching plot is merely peppered throughout the book instead of being the meat of it, making it very obvious that the author plans to drag the story out as much as possible. I am so happy that wasn’t the case here, though I honestly haven’t read a disappointing Kate Daniels book.
If we thought things were complicated before, this book proved to me that we haven’t seen anything yet. I heard the series was going to end at 7, but then they decided to extend it to 10. At this point I think 10 books is definitely the sweet spot.
If you want a true page turner, this is one of the best you are going to find this year, guaranteed.
Poll: Release Day! Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) Are you reading it?
Hi everyone! In case you didn’t know, the new Kate Daniels novel is out! I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since the last one, though I thoroughly enjoyed Gunmetal Magic. Unfortunately I can’t crack it open right away like I want to. I have a couple more titles that I’ve agreed to read and review first, but the book is firmly #3 in my TBR pile. Hopefully I will be able to read it by next week! Though I’m not reading it yet, what about you guys? Have you started it?
Loading ...POLL!! The most anticipated read of 2013. YOU decide!
Happy New Year, Your Urban Fantasy. A new year means new books! I’m certainly looking forward to quite a few of them. But I’m wondering about you guys. I decided to take a select number of popular titles and let you all vote for the most anticipated book of 2013.
I will probably read most, if not all of these myself, but which one is #1? Oh and what is today’s lesson? “Burned”, “Ever After”, and “Tempt” are popular title terms in the world of urban fantasy/paranormal fiction. “Grave” too, but those additional book are omitted.
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