Title: Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy #3)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: September, 2014 by Random House
Pages: 370
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Powerful love comes with a price. Who will be the sacrifice?

Kami has lost the boy she loves, is tied to a boy she does not, and faces an enemy more powerful than ever before. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her new magical link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town.

Rob Lynburn is now the master of Sorry-in-the-Vale, and he demands a death. Kami will use every tool at her disposal to stop him. Together with Rusty, Angela, and Holly, she uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility—and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami’s life, but also the lives of those she loves most.

Final Thoughts:
I don’t quite know how I feel about this series. It’s had its ups and downs, but has never quite managed to capture that same excitement I felt while reading Sarah’s previous series, The Demon’s Lexicon. Perhaps that was my problem going in. My expectations. I know that I took a lot longer to connect with these guys, but it did seem to happen somewhere during the second book. Kami was a thinker, she was funny, and she had a hero complex—all the makings of a good main character, but whether she lived or died, got the guy, or didn’t, it didn’t mean that much to me.

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Titles link back to Goodreads
• The Queen Of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter (purchased)
• The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson (purchased)
• Four by Veronica Roth (purchased)
• Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer (purchased)
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner (purchased)
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (purchased)
• The Death Cure by James Dashner (purchased)
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (purchased)

It happened again. It’s been months since I’ve posted one of these. Work’s been busy, life’s been busy–I’ve just been super time poor. Also, I haven’t bought that many books. I’ve just been letting the few I’ve gotten accumulate in a pile before I tackled the task of finding somewhere on my over-stuffed shelves to squeeze them in. Personally, I think I need a whole new set of bookshelves. My current ones are looking ready to fall apart. I’d really like to get some built-in ones–wall to ceiling once I’ve built my own house. I think that would look awesome.

For now, though, I’m just getting more books. I don’t really know when I’ll read any of these as I’ve read only the first of Gena Showalter, Veronica Roth and Brigid Kemmerer’s books and none of the other series yet–oh, except for The Mortal Instruments, so I could potentially jump into Magnus’ bunch of stories anytime. I just need to get in the mood for a giant book. I’ve actually just finished reading Sarah Rees Brennan’s Unmade, the final in that trilogy. My review will come soon as I’ve thought it up. It’s just so hot this weekend, that I can’t really bare to sit a the computer for an extended period. I need ice cream, and I need it NOW. With that said, I’ll leave you to your stinking hot weekends–or chilly, depending on which side of the world you’re on.

So, what books have you gotten lately? Let me know what I should be checking out in the comments.

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life
Author: Leila Sales
Published: September, 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 279
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Final Thoughts:
Desperate for someone to like her, Elise is a character that stands out in all the wrong ways. Nobody knows her, or even cares to get to know her, but everybody hates her—or at least thinks they should. I don’t think I’ve felt so bad for a character before, really felt what they were feeling, the real, everyday struggles they were going through. There is so much emotional bullying going on at this school, more than your average mean girl insult thrown about here and there. This school felt unbearable. Without a single friend, I don’t know how anyone could cope in that environment. I truly wanted to jump through the pages and hang out with Elise before she went over the edge.

Title: Sinner (Wolves Of Mercy Falls #4)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: July, 2014 by Scholastic
Pages: 357
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole’s story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole’s darkest secret — his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel’s life. Can this sinner be saved?

Final Thoughts:
Given how sparsely the werewolf aspect came into play, this book was basically a contemporary. Don’t get me wrong, I love contemporaries, but stepping back into the series after the events of Forever, it took a moment to adjust to the change in pace. While I didn’t fall in love with the book, I still enjoyed it for what it gave us: Cole and Isabel as semi-adults—the in-between stage. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I agreed with them as a couple, they clearly cared about each other, but it was hard when there were just so many angsty interruptions. I wanted something I could root for, the moments that make you love what you’re reading, but Sinner just didn’t get there for me.

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: August, 2014 by Usborne
Pages: 375
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Final Thoughts:
I expected to love this, and I did. Jumping on the Stephanie Perkins bandwagon late in the game, I’d only recently read the first two in this addictive contemporary romance trilogy. I don’t know how so many others did it, waiting so long for this final instalment. Each book is separate—with its own couple at the focus—so you’re not exactly left hanging, but they all fit together in a way that has you invested in all of their lives. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite because with each read, I got hooked again and again. Anna, Lola, Isla—they were all great. But I definitely loved that we got to go back to Paris this time around with Isla.

Title: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Published: December, 2012 by Disney Hyperion
Pages: 488
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Final Thoughts:
Coming highly recommended by one of my friends who can be quite critical with her reviews, I went and picked this one up from my library straight away. However, it didn’t click with me. It was by no means a bad book. I liked the characters, found them realistic given their circumstances, but I couldn’t connect with them. I just didn’t care about the outcome. Not even halfway through on the night before it was due back at the library, I went to renew my loan but found it had been reserved, therefore leaving me with two options—give up, or power through like a madman. I powered through. I’m not sure if the deadline soured my views or not, but I knew while reading it that I just wanted it to be over.

Title: Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: July, 2014 by Orion
Pages: 310
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Final Thoughts:
I stopped mid-way through another book when this one arrived. It was calling to me. Rainbow Rowell and her magic phone…I couldn’t put it off. Her books warm me up in a way that not many others do. I just find myself immersed in the characters, really caring about their struggles, bursting out in fits of laughter at the wit, tearing up—all of it. The fact that the characters here were in their late thirties played no bearing on how well I could relate to them. No matter what age bracket, all of Rainbow’s characters have managed to strike a chord with me.