Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week we talk about our top ten with a different topic provided by Jana. This week’s topic is top ten – Hidden Gems books that haven’t been talked about as much or haven’t been marketed as strongly that I think deserve some recognition.
1. Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima – I love this series and this author. I just feel like I don’t really see her books advertised anywhere. I don’t see other bloggers talking about her books like I do. I definitely think she should be a more widely read author with the incredible worlds shes built full of diverse and loveable characters.
2. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – This one I feel is always overlooked in favor of Vampire Academy. Because they’re part of the same world everyone turns to VA instead of talking about these books.
3. A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest – I found this series on my Kindle but it’s definitely one that I think more readers should try. The reviews vary but I think Forrest has built quite the reading adventure with this 50+ book series.
4. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum – Buxbaum’s debut novel was so excellent. I thought I would hear more about it from my fellow bloggers. It makes me sad that I don’t hear more about it.
5. Sleeping Giants (Themis Files) by Sylvain Neuvel – I listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of a BookTuber (Thoughts on Tomes) but aside from the brief mention as one of her top audiobooks I haven’t hear others talk about this series. This is a mistake because Sleeping Giants was insane and amazing.
6. Moon Chosen (Tales of a New World) by P.C. Cast – I found this series outside of the blogging world. I haven’t heard a single blogger talk or write about this book/series. It’s a shame because they’re super interesting books with unique storylines and great character development. I can’t wait for the third to be released later this year.
7. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher – An older book, but still great. Creative and full of mystery. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this story.
8. Talon by Julie Kagawa – While I see that her other series, The Iron Fey, get attention I never see bloggers reading this series.
9. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa – See above comment.
10. Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Deborah Biancotti, and Margo Lanagan – With the superhero obsession that’s been going on the last few years I’m unsure how this series hasn’t made a bigger splash in the reading world.

What books do you love that you think deserve more attention?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Favorites in Genre X

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post giving our top ten on different topic. This is hosted by THE BROKE AND THE BOOKISH. This weeks topic is Top Ten All Time Favorite Books in Genre X. I thought this was a really interesting topic and I really had to think about which genre to pick. The genre I came up with isn’t technically a genre, but I’ve decided that I’m using it anyway. I’ve decided on my top ten all time favorite vampire books. Here’s what I came up with:

1)Twilight by Stephenie Meyer– The fifteen year old reader in me is putting this on my list. This was the book that started my love of paranormal books. I have great memories enjoying the pages of this saga.

2)Bloodlines by Richelle Mead– If you’ve read any of these books you know why this is on my list. I’m obsessed with this series and I can’t wait for the next to come out.

3)The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead– Vampire Academy came in a very close second to Bloodlines. I love both stories.

4)Evernight by Claudia Gray– This is another addition from fifteen year old me. I got really attached to this series when I was younger.

5)The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa– I just love anything Kagawa writes. I love the Blood of Eden series. I’m also beyond excited for The Forever Song to come out this April.

6)A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands– Really of the Argeneau novels are included with this. They’re on the more trashy romance novel side, but hey who doesn’t love a good romance novel every now and then.

7)Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter– Shadow Falls has more than just vampires, but I wanted it on this list because I loved reading the Shadow Falls series. I flew through the books, loving every page.

8)The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts– These also have more than just vampires but these books were exciting and fun and crazy.

9)Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz– Cruz put an interesting and unique twist in her vampire series. I put off reading the series for quite a while because I knew I needed to read them all together.

10)The House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristen Cast– I wasn’t a huge fan of this series toward the end. The last one is coming out this year and I might give them a try again.

These are my top ten all time favorite vampire books. What are yours?

Keep on reading lovelys, Amanda.

The Eternity Cure – Julie Kagawa

Summary:
In Allison Sekemoto’s world, there is one rule left: blood calls to blood.
She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie’s birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence.
There’s a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago-and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike.The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.
Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never imagined having to make.
Review:
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa was no disappointment. It one hundred percent met my expectations. I loved every page. It was suspenseful and surprising. There was a lot going on so I had to pay more attention but when all the pieces fell together I knew I’d made a good decision spending my time reading this series. Julie Kagawa made it to my auto-buy author list because I’ve loved every one of her books, and The Eternity Cure was no different. The plot is pretty unique for being about vampires.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book that doesn’t have to do with the characters was that there wasn’t just one big reveal. There was surprise after surprise through the whole book. We learned little bits and pieces of the whole story at a time. This is something I’ve grown to love. I think that it helps to keep up the suspense and excitement of the story.
I also loved the characters. Probably more than I should, but that’s okay. I feel like I’ve grown with them in these past two books. The main character, Allison, has definitely grown up significantly since the first book. Although she does still have her outburst moments, usually with pretty good reason.
Next is Zeke. The role Zeke played in The Eternity Cure kind of made me dislike him a bit. I mean, I’m all for the sappy romances where nothing can separate them, even though he’s human and she’s a vampire. But to leave a completely human city, the one place you know you’re safe in, to go somewhere that you’ll almost definitely die. That’s just stupid in my opinion, and I’m not a fan of stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I love Zeke, and I love everything that goes on between him and Allie. He’s brave, smart, attractive, compassionate, caring, and sometimes moronically protective. What girl in their right mind wouldn’t love him? There were just times where he aggravated me.
The character that surprised me the most had to be Jackal. I despised him in the first book, The Immortal Rules, and didn’t expect that to change in this one. But it did. I found myself cracking up at the shit that came out of Jackal’s mouth. He kept the mood upbeat and light-hearted to an extent. He was comic relief. I started to hate to love him, but he really grew on me and ended up being not such a bad guy. Sure he was selfish, conceited, and stubborn, but he was also very smart, confident, and honest. At the end of this book, I ended up loving Jackal too.
The last, and certainly not least, of the good guys, Kanin. I adored Kanin in the first book. With his mysteriousness that he had going on. I ate it up. In the sequel, a lot more of the truth definitely comes out. Some of what I learned made me respect Kanin and his actions, but some also left me a bit disappointed in him. Kanin went through quite a bit in this book and still came out a better person. He struggled through being tortured to the point that he wasn’t supposed to return from and he still came back to Allison. That’s what I’d call strength and determination.
Now the bad guys, Sarren and Stick (Mr. Stephen). I mentioned Stick in my last review, how I didn’t like him much because he was just kind of an asshole. Well, Stick turns into a super asshole in the second book. He comes into a powerful position and definitely let it get to his head. Any time I was reading about him I kind of just wanted to reach into the book and strangle him. I’m completely okay with how his fate turns out. Then there’s Sarren. Sarren is pretty much just a sick freak. There’s something wrong in his head and everything he believes is twisted and dark. He was pushed past the point of no return, and he absolutely didn’t return the same like Kanin did. Sarren’s not a guy I’d like to meet walking down a dark alley, that’s for sure.
I think the only thing that I didn’t like about this book was the beginning. I’m really not a fan of books that start however many months later and this was one of those. Overall I thought The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa was a fantastic book and I’d suggest it to anyone who likes dystopian or paranormal young adult books.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our affiliate link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

The Immortal Rules – Julie Kagawa

Summary:
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.
Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for.
Review:
This is my second time reading this book. I think reading it a second time made me love this book even more. The characters are amazing. The storyline is relatively unique and I was hooked from the first page. I definitely suggest this book to anyone who is interested in paranormal books.
I’ll start with the characters. First, there’s Allison or Allie for short. At the beginning of the book she only really looks out for herself. She lives in the Fringe scavenging and pretty much just trying to survive. As the book goes on the changes Allie goes through are pretty apparent. I really enjoyed being able to see her develop and change as her life changes. By the end of the book, Allison is still very stubborn, but she stopped just caring about herself and started forming relationships and caring about others safety more than her own. I loved Allie the entire book.
Next, I’ll mention Lucas, Rat, and Stick. These are Allie’s crew. I really loved Lucas and was really sad when Allie had to leave him. When I started reading I totally thought Allie and Lucas were going to fall in love and live happily ever after. I was a little disappointed when that didn’t happen. Rat didn’t really have a huge part in the story. He was the one that no one liked but they looked out for him anyway. He kind of annoyed me but I think that was the point of his character. Then comes Stick, he constantly needed Allie to look out for him. He was slightly pathetic. Afraid of everything and never really did anything for himself. This fact doesn’t really change throughout the book which is why I wasn’t terribly fond of Stick.
I’d have to say that after Allison, Kanin was my next favorite character. I think it’s partially because of how mysterious he is. I can’t wait to find out more about him. He swoops in and saves the day when Allie is attacked by rabids. He’s really a no-nonsense kind of guy, well, vampire, which I really liked. He kept things together and only wants to fix mistakes from his past. It’s very obvious that after getting to know Allison he really starts to care about her as if she were a daughter. Kanin’s mysterious behavior slightly irritated me, more because I just wanted to know what he’s hiding already! Kanin’s character kind of disappears for a little bit, but he’s definitely going to be in the next book. Which I’m wicked excited for. Overall, I really liked Kanin’s character and I’m interested in seeing where he’s taken next.
Last, there’s the Eden crew. I liked almost everyone in the group. Not all of them had very big parts, but they were still there making me laugh and cry. I’ll only mention the relatively important ones. Jeb is basically the leader of the group. He is very demanding and seems like an asshole when he’s really just stubborn. He cares about everyone in the gang even if he doesn’t show it. The second in command, Zeke, is Jeb’s adopted son. Zeke is a lot like Jeb, the only difference is that Zeke shows that he cares for everyone. He sometimes lets his emotions control his decisions and sometimes that causes him to make the wrong one. I loved Zeke if he was a real person I would find him and marry him. But we obviously don’t live in a world overrun by vampires, so there goes that plan. Ruth will be last and certainly least. I really didn’t like Ruth. She was one of those ignorant girls that even though they’re living in a world run by vampires, all she cares about is getting Zeke’s attention. That’s one thing that really aggravates me, Ruth was against Allison every step of the way. Constantly making life more difficult for Allie. Ruth to me was just a stupid air-headed girl that wanted to cause drama. Regardless of that Allison still saved her life. I just really didn’t like Ruth.
Overall, I really loved this book. Allison is someone I’d absolutely be friends with if I knew her in real life. All the characters are amazing. They’re funny and hopeful in a world that has no hope left. The storyline sucked me in and spit me out. It took me way to long to read this book, and I’m definitely going to be reading the second, The Eternity Cure, much faster. So expect a review on that soon. Oh, and read this book. You’ll love it.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our affiliate link (just click on the book cover) to support us!