Favorites of 2010

So, below is a list of my favorite books I read in 2010. Please note that the list below is not all of the books I've read. They are just my top favorites and they're in no particular order. Also, I will be posting the reviews for these ones!

1. The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

2. Fallen by Lauren Kate
3. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
4. The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
5. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
6.City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
8. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
9. Deception by Lee Nichols
10. 13 To Life by Shannon Delany

I've read so many great books in 2010 (reviews will be up, don't worry) and I can't wait for all the 2011 books to follow!!!

New Year Resolutions

Okay, so I do try to make resolutions every year, but I never really keep up with them. But this year, I am making it a big promise to myself to stick with them.

1. Blog more. I try blogging every day, but on some days, I guess I just forget. Also, since now I'll be going back to school since break is ending, I'm realizing I might not have the time to blog. But that won't stop me. I love blogging. It's my little escape from all the stresses of life, so I will be blogging everyday and if I don't one day, it's either my computer exploded, or I'm bleeding a lot.

2. Read more. Reading is also something I love to do. It too helps me escape reality an I jut can't live without a book. In 2011, I have to read more books. I don't think I read much this year. I don't even think I'm close to 100. I'm a blogger and my job is to read and review books and here I am not reading as much as I should.

3. Be a better friend. Okay I'll admit I'm not a very good friend. I get annoyed by my friends sometimes. I walk away when they drive me off the wall and I don't even call them to say hi since I'm so busy. They're great friends and I have to be a lot nicer to them, even call them more.

So these are my goals this year. It's not a lot because I know if I make a list of 50 things, I will probably only get one done. I think three is enough this year. I hope to actually accomplish these goals by the end of 2011.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch.   Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition.  He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets.  Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head.  She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is.  Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

I don't know how to explain this book in words. It was absolutly amazing and I was in love with it completly. From the very first page when I opened it and began reading, I fell in love. Ever's pain throughout the book was real. It wasn't something the author made up, but something that teenagers go through.

Noel made Ever's character very real. I could actually feel all her emotions while reading and it would hurt me as much as she was hurting. After losing everything in her life, Ever was in deep pain. Also, when Damen comes in, her life seems to chage a bit. No cross that, A lot. Damen is my new fiction lover which I'm in love with. He was everything a girl could dream of.

This book was a very crazy roller coaster which I loved and I have reread this book many times because I just love it so much. I hadn't heard of Alyson Noel before, I she's an amazing author and I now will be reading all her other books.

If you love paranormal books and want a book you can't put down, this book is for you.

♥♥♥♥♥

Merry Christmas!

                                                                   

I want to take this moment and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, the elite group of vampire hunters led by Lucas’s stepfather. When Bianca’s close friend—the vampire Balthazar—is captured by Black Cross, Bianca knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. But at what cost?

Hourglass, the third book in this gripping vampire series by the author of the New York Times bestseller Stargazer, has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s books runaway successes.

Hourglass continues the excitment of the Evernight Series in this action packed book. I do have to say that I was a bit disappointed in this book. I had high expectations for this one. Evernight was amazing, and Stargazer blew my mind, but I found Hourglass fell short. I was hoping for something that would throw me off my seat or keep me reading into the wee hours of the night, but I kept on putting this book down.

The characters were still the same and Lucas was just wanting Bianca for more lust and he was getting  bit annoying. I still enjoyed Balthazar in the book. He hadn't changed and neither had Vic. But now Bianca and the wraiths do come face to face and the most heart breaking thing happens in the book. But Gray knows not to stop there. She gets your hopes back up and ends the entire book in a huge cliffhanger! Now I'm dying to read the forth book.

The cover again was the same as the others, but now I'm eager to see what color AFTERLIFE will be!

Overall, if you're a fan of the series, read this one. It may be boring sometimes, it's still a great book.

♥♥♥♥

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all - vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.

But Bianca fell in love with Lucas - a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.

Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross - or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.

Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning. . . .

The second installment of the Evernight series truly does not disappoint. I read this one in one sitting since I couldn't not stop myself from wanting to find out what was going to happen next. Here, more secrets and lies come towards Bianca about the world she is living and all she knows is to trust Lucas. But she also loves Balthazar, and she finds out who she really is and if her parents have been lying about her identity throughout this whole time.

Bianca once again had great characteristcs about her here and she didn't fall as a character. I really enjoyed how Gray kept all the characters still alive and didn't make one of them seem as if they were falling apart or she didn't care for one of them anymore.

The cover again was like the first one which I didn't enjoy much. But the Evernight Series do now have a distinctive cover that points them out.

Overall, if you loved the first book, you will love the second one even more! Claudia Gray does not disappoint fans with the continuation of this series. Oh, and there is a big cliffhanger at the end!

♥♥♥♥♥

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

The first book in the Evernight series was a big smash! I fell in love with this book from the beginning when Bianca was running away. All I was thinking was where is she going? Why is she running? What's about to happen? Gray captures your attention immediatly and continues the suspence throughout the book.

Bianca was a sweet character. All she knew about her life was what she was told, but she finds out a whole lot of new things once she meets Lucas. Lucas is sort of the bad boy who loves starting fights, especially with sweet Balthazar. But Lucas himself had some pretty interesting secrets which you find out at the end of the book and they leave you breathless for the sequal, STARGAZER.

Even though this book was a fantasitc read, I didn't really like the cover. I thought it was too plain and I was hoping for something more dramatic and grab the reader in.

Overall, this book is an amazing read and I reccommend you running to the bookstore and buying it.

♥♥♥♥

Hello!

Hello everyone! I'm so excited you're visiting my blog. I love books and I love sharing my thoughts on them with everyone. I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy it.

Have a nice day!

Anastasia