Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like More / Less Than I Did

BOOKS I THOUGHT I WOULD LIKE MORE (BUT DIDN'T)

1.   THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J Maas: I'm a big fan of the novellas, but the novel let me down a bit. Perhaps I'll like it more when I reread it.

2.   REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver: A good story, but that ending killed it for me. Too little is answered, and I'm still angry at the lack of answers.

3.   BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray: I loved GOING BOVINE and really like the Gemma Doyle books, but this one was only okay for me. Such a shame.

4.   IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin: I don't think I'm a fan of this author's writing style, because a lot of other people loved this book, and I could barely stand to read the entire thing.

5.   THE BEGINNING OF AFTER by Jennifer Castle: I really thought I was going to love this book, but it ended up being sort of average.

BOOKS I THOUGHT I WOULDN'T LIKE (BUT DID)

6.   THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green: Why did I doubt you, John Green? Excellent voice, lovely writing, and a heartbreaking story. I feel like an idiot for thinking I wouldn't like it.

7.   STORM by Brigid Kemmerer: I normally don't expect much from a novel published by a small press, but this book was so much better than I expected. A few flaws, but such a fun read! Plus, it's filled with incredible characters, like the lovable Merrick boys :)

8.   BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young: The strange way that it is written almost made me give up, and I'm glad that I didn't. This book is filled with complex characters and exciting, action-packed moments.

9.   ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake: Ghosts, fun friends, gory scenes, and a great MC - why did I originally doubt I would like this book?

10.   WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard: I liked LIKE MANDARIN, but wasn't expecting this book to be anything special. It was. I adore this book, especially the artwork.

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish
Image from The Broke and The Bookish

The Queen's Library (20)

For Review
Reached by Ally Condie

I have the honor of being a part of the Silk & Paper campaign for REACHED, so you'll be seeing me promote REACHED for next month. Plus, I'll be having a few giveaways for the pictured swag!  

Purchased
Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Won from Tor.com

Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

iPhone book cover skins

Kindle Freebie
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Many thanks Anna & Penguin Teen, as well as Tor!

What did you get this week?

The Queen's Library (10)

Purchased for Kindle

Possess by Gretchen McNeil 

Free AudiobooksThe Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (my review)
These Kindle deals are too good (and too tempting) lately...Thanks to Sync for the audiobooks! 

What did you get this week? 

Inspiration/Credit

Free Audiobooks from Sync (week 4)

It's week 4 for Sync's summer of free audiobook downloads, and this week you can download the following two audiobooks:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake 

(Such a great book!)

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Download both audiobooks here

Side note: Sorry YA Book Queen has been dead this week -- I got a killer sunburn on my upper body/arms/hands this last Saturday, and I'm still hurting from it. My hands are more mobile today, but it still might be a few days before I'm back on track with everything. 

Hope everyone is having a great week! :)

Images from audiobook sync's website

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

 

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Is it May yet??? *glares at calendar*
2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - I am so crazy excited for this book. I can't wait until a more detailed summary comes out. But, until then, I'll settle for the cool cover with those awesome keys. 

3. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - No explanation necessary when it comes to a Lauren Oliver book. 
4. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins - The ending to Demonglass still has me extremely curious to know what happens next for Sophie. Plus, this series is always fun to read. Awesome humor, great mystery. 

5. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh - Edgar Allan Poe, mystery, intrigue...I'm hoping it's as good as the last book! 
6. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour - The buzz has been insanely positive for this novel. Plus, it's supposed to be a great book for music fans :)

7. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - I've been stalking following Susan's blog for quite a long time, so I'm very excited for her debut! It sounds like it's going to be an exciting read. 

8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - The first book rocked, so I'm curious to see if the sequel will be just as great. And how awesome is that cover?
9. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler - Take Sarah Ockler's writing + hockey boys + romance + plenty of cupcakes. Sounds like a winning combination to me. 
10. The Selection by Kiera Cass - Yes, I picked this one mostly because the cover is so eye-catching. The plot is intriguing too... 

Best of 2011

My 11 Best Books of 2011(in no particular order)
1.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver2.  Clarity by Kim Harrington3.  Divergent by Veronica Roth
4.  Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
5.  Blood Red Road by Moira Young
6.  The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton7.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis8.  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
9.  The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
10.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
11. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Best Female Main CharacterKarou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Best Male Main CharacterCas from Anna Dressed in Blood
Funniest Main CharacterSophie from Demonglass
Most Realistic Main CharacterTiki from The Faerie Ring

Best Supporting Male CharacterFour from Divergent
Best Supporting Female CharacterAnna from Anna Dressed in Blood
Most SwoonworthyFour from DivergentRieker from The Faerie Ring
Best HorrorAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Best Villain (Orion) from Across the Universe
Best Sci-fi & MysteryAcross the Universe by Beth Revis
Best FantasyDaughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best DystopianDivergent by Veronica Roth

Best Romance & WritingDelirium by Lauren Oliver
Best HistoricalBetween Shades of Gray by Ruta SepetysThe Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Best ContemporaryRival by Sara Bennett WealerMoonglass by Jessi Kirby

Best Verse NovelThe Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Best Ending to a Series/TrilogyThe Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
Best SequelUncommon Criminals by Ally CarterDemonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Most UniqueBlood Red Road by Moira Young

Most SurprisingAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

 

Best Cover of 2011Possession by Elana JohnsonAcross the Universe by Beth Revis

The Must-Read Book of 2011Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Considering the amount of ties I gave (seriously, it was so hard to narrow it down!), I'd say 2011 was an epic book year. 
What was one of the best books you read in 2011?

Waiting on Wednesday (59)

WOW is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine

Girl of Nightmares

Kendare Blake

August 7th, 2012

In this follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas begins seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong. These aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor.

Anna Dressed in Blood = Amazing. So, this sequel really has a lot to live up to, and hopefully it will be as great as the first book :)  
What are you waiting on? 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake
Release: August 30th, 2011
Pages: 316 (hardcover)
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher
Summary:

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill....read more at Goodreads.

Whatever you do, don't call Theseus Cassio "Cas" Lowood a ghostbuster. Ever since his father was murdered by a restless ghost, Cas has taken his father's athame and job killing ghosts - for good (which is totally not ghostbusting¹). When Cas gets a tip about a ghost locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas and his mother - plus her slightly evil yet useful cat, Tybalt - move to Thunder Bay. With a fresh voice and an extremely amusing personality, Cas makes this book shine. In addition to Anna - eerie, terrifying, and complex Anna - the two of them have a magnetic pull that kept me coming back for more.

I honestly was not expecting Anna Dressed in Blood to live up to the hype, but I knew I was wrong to have doubts after reading the first chapter. Cas is a complex narrator, and the budding relationships in the story drew me in. Fear, mystery, and great characters successfully drive this story. The plot moves from focusing on Anna to an even more intriguing and downright shocking mystery. You won't be able to guess where this story will take you next, despite a few hints. With eerie scenes, authentic characters, tantalizing mysteries and more, Anna Dressed in Blood takes your typical ghost story to the next level.

Highlights: Blake holds back nothing with her writing - she unabashedly writes gory scenes that will stay in your mind for weeks, presses the eerie feel of the story enough to give you the chills, and slips in quite a few surprises along the way².  
Lowlights: I would have liked a bit more development with the supporting cast of characters, but I imagine that will happen more in the next novel. 
Notes: There's murder, cursing, witchcraft, gore, blood, creepiness, and whatnot. Rating:   
     1 Who are we kidding, it's totally ghostbusting. But cooler. 2 Seriously, just go read this book. Give it a chance, because it's awesome. 

In My Mailbox {57}

***

For ReviewAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (hardcover)Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (netgalley)Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (netgalley)Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler (ARC)Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (ARC)Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (ARC)
BoughtSapphique by Catherine FisherCircle of Fire by Michelle Zink

ReceivedVenom Squad kit (bookmarks, stickers, pin)

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Teen, Tor Teen, Egmont USA, Little, Brown & Company, Tera Lynn Childs, Simon & Schuster, and Ann Redisch Stampler! :) 
What did you get this week? 

In My Mailbox 53

(Past few weeks of books)

For Review Damned by Nancy Holder, Debbie ViguieAnna Dressed In Blood by Kendare BlakeTighter by Adele GriffinAlways a Witch by Carolyn MacCulloughThe Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson 

Ebooks For Review (from Netgalley)Frost by Wendy Delsol (!!)Ashes by Ilsa J. BickA Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn DaviesThe Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

BoughtThe Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. PearsonSolstice by P.J. Hoover (Juju's review convinced me to buy it)

Many thanks to Erin, Nancy/Debbie, Yafen, Tor, Amazon Vine and the respective publishers on Netgalley who provided the egalleys! :)