Giveaway and 2013 End of Year Survey

In 2013, I read 147 books in total. Discovered some amazing authors and bloggers this year, read awesome (and unfortunately not so awesome) books and had my first ever Harlequin Teen review request approved, haha. This craves for a celebration, right? So.. at the end of this survey, I’m giving away a copy of my favorite book read in 2013. Best of luck and see you all in 2014! This event is put together by Jamie on The Perpetual Page Turner.

Best book you read in 2013

Contemporary Young Adult: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Contemporary New Adult: The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski and Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Dystopian: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Fantasy: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Science-fiction: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Thriller: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Paranormal: Everbound by Brodi Ashton. DAT ENDING!!!! *gasps*

Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t?

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Reboot by Amy Tintera. Also, Hookedf by Liz Fichera.

Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. I had seen the trailer before, but for some reason it had slipped my mind. Then I got the audiobook and oh boy was it evergreat! The narrator was good, delicate and suited the main character well. Plus, the witchery, magic, spells, intrigues, romance? Me wants more!

Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie and Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris. The first one was unique, sexy and had totally my kind of humor in it and the second one was just... amazeballs!

Best series you discovered in 2013?

The Dust Lands series by Moira Young. It’s so unique, has great world-building, awesome characters and quite a few plot twists up its sleeve. I am literally holding myself back from reading the sequel right this very moment because the third one is too far away for now *insert sad face*

Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Definitely Miranda Kenneally and Gayle Forman. These two write some of the best contemporaries and their characters are so relatable and real. Bring on THE FEELS, ladies!

Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Breach by K.I. Lynn. That one was.. so hard for me to review. I still don’t know what I thought of it. Definitely worth a try if you’re into extremely dark romance stories. Memorable.

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Thrilling would probably be Altered by Jennifer Rush. Read that in a day. Same with Unraveling by Liz Norris. They just flew by.

Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

Oooh, that’s a tough one. I’d say.. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I want to read The Dream Thieves so bad and I think I’ll re-read TRB beforehand.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

Most memorable character in 2013?

Oh, man! This is tough. Why are these questions so hard? *shakes head* Ok, I want to say Connor Cobalt (Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie) for obvious reasons. Those who know me, know why. Though.. I’ll go with Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. These young ladies are kick-a!

Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is beautifully written, but Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys) always has that lyrical way of writing that makes her work feel like a small dose of magic. Yep, these two.

Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

Lola and the Boy Next Door without a doubt. Uniqueness is NOT a flaw, people! Awkward, cute, nerdy and passionate—these are golden. Never give up on your dreams. See? That’s some inspiration and huge impact right there.

Book you can’t believe you waited until 2013 to finally read?

Dude! There are so many. I feel like I’m late to every party lol. If I Stay, Lola and the Boy Next Door, The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. Also, Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally.

Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?

Pfffftttt.. Do novellas count? In that case the shortest is Neverfall by Brodi Ashton and the longest would be Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it?

The part in Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris where.. AHH! Who am I kidding? That whole book had me dying to discuss it with someone. Also, the endings of Everbound, The Raven Boys and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. That last ending was wicked and downright nasty as a cliff hanger. Talk about feels!

Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013 (be it romantic, friendship etc)?

Romance wise it’s Andrew and Camryn from The Edge of Never. There’re lots of great romances. I mean, Lola and Cricket had me dying of swoon, but Andrew and Camryn were the perfect showcase of slow-burn. The road trip didn’t hurt either, heh.

Friends? Perry and Roar from Under the Never Sky. I’d also like to mention Chaol Westfall and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass.

Bromance? Lo, Connor and Ryke in the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie.

Familial? Um..  families aren’t a big part of fiction nowadays. Go figure, right?! *eye roll* I’d go with Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown. Just because of the character growth in each of the family members. Lola and the Boy Next Door had awesome family dynamics though.

Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you’ve read previously?

Ok, I think you all figured out my main favorites before, so I want to bring out an author that really brought it in the final installment and that is S.C. Stephens with her Thoughtless series. The first two were good, okay-ish, so-so etc, but the third one—Reckless—was a blast to read! So many LOL moments on my part. Loved it! Hulk will never be the same to me, haha.

Genre you read the most from in 2013?

Contemporary. Especially New Adult. Thank goodness I’m tired of it (the New Adult NYT bestseller formula at least) and now I’m really in the mood for some good ole YA books. Yay!

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

CHAOL. CHAOL WESTFALL from YA fiction. CONNOR. CONNOR COBALT from NA fiction. *swoons* Honorable mentions: Perry (Under the Never Sky), Cricket Bell (Lola and the Boy Next Door) and Andrew Parrish (The Edge of Never).

Best 2013 debut you read?

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu without doubt. It was so awkward, unique and the OCD-ness really made me feel like I had an OCD myself. It made me so uncomfortable and I didn’t know whether to rate it 1 stars or 5 stars or anywhere in between. It was fresh, exciting, the kind of book that makes you think. Loved it!

Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

I’ll go with The Lunar Chronicles world by Marissa Meyer. That is soooooo imaginative.

Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?

Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie. First of all—the jokes. Ohhh boy! They made me laugh out loud, plus it’s so fresh in my memory thanks to it being an early November read so. Yeeeshhhh. Loved that one.

Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?

Which book didn’t? LOL. If I Stay had me bawling so hard that I couldn’t see well enough to read so I had to go and look for some tissues. It was brutal.

Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?

OCD Love Story. That one is definitely under-hyped, let me tell you.

One book you didn’t get to in 2013 but will be your number 1 priority in 2014?

Gosh, there are so many. Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.. There’re just too many and I could go on and on and on for days.

Book you are most anticipating for 2014 (non-debut)?

Kiss the Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie. Also, Evertrue by Brodi Ashton, Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. Pffftt.. This. Is. Too. Hard. I can’t even *pants*

2014 debut you are most anticipating?

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings.

 Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?

The Retribution of Mara Dyer. BECAUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?

Just to meet awesome people like I have this year. Meeting Aman, Rachel, Jasprit, Nick, Christina, Tanja, Glass, Sam was the best thing to ever; talking to my other blogging buddies such as Jenni, Jenny, Brandi, Lauren, Andrea, Becca, Krista; and the rest of the people I talk to on Goodreads? They’ve all been wonderful and I’m so glad to have them in my corner. Also, since I have developed a certain taste in books, I hope to read lots of more “me” books in the future and not so many of the hype books. Trust myself more I guess. Can’t wait to read some amazing debuts, new books from my favorite authors and also finish some series. Here’s to a new, better year of blogging and reading!

Giveaway

I have read so many great books this year, but one of the books that really stood out to me was The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski. Everyone told me how great it was, I didn't believe them. I should have--one of the best books I've read. So if you want to win this (or The Edge of Always if you've already read The Edge of Never), just fill the rafflecopter below and you're in it to win it ;) Open internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Good luck!

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Review and Giveaway: Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Today I am very honoured to share my thoughts about a book that made me laugh and entertained me to the fullest. It was a blast to read about some of my favorite characters in the New Adult contemporary literature and, quite honestly, made me fan myself quite a bit in many places. It's a fantastic series you should not miss. Let's get this party started and see what I thought ;) Oh, and if you want to follow the rest of the tour, you can do so here. Also, thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for hosting the event. PS. The first book should be on sale on Amazon right now.

Title: Addicted for Now (Addicted #2)
Author: Krista and Becca Ritchie
Published: November 30th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
*An ARC was exchanged for an honest review*

He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.
No. More. Sex.
Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.

Oh yeahhh. Addicted for Now was one of my most anticipated books of 2013 and it did not disappoint. Since the book is separated into three parts, I’m going to review each part in a separate paragraph, also, I’ll talk a little about the characters. I PROMISE I won’t turn this review into a Connor Cobalt fan girl article. *takes a deep breath* I’ll.. try my best. I’m not going to explain what this series is about other than a sex addict girl and an alcoholic boy trying to make their lives not about their addictions. If you want to know more, you can read my review on the first book here.

There is no college course to "be a better friend" or "be a less shitty human being." Or else I would be signed up for both. 

We're selfish, in every sense of the word. 

I just don't want to fracture our friendships because of it.

Part one. Lo has just arrived home after the longest three months of his life and I’m not going to lie. He and Lily have big difficulties in adjusting to their new rules, but luckily they have Connor, Rose and Ryke supporting them every step of the way. The brutal honesty between these 5 is often hilarious, yet very serious. Also, someone knows Lily’s carefully hidden secret and is threatening to spill the beans to the media who’d most likely have a disco party with this news. There are so many suspects that I didn’t know who to blame and it causes frustration to Lo and Lily in addition to dealing with their addictions. It was truly hard watching them struggle. The first part of the book ends in a brilliant way and I was excited for the twins to bring it in the following ones.

Part two. This is the most fun part of the book. It’s spring break and our beloved gang sure knows how to make the most of it. It was great to see them loosen up and have a good time, but the shadows of Lo and Lily’s addictions still linger in the air. However, they actually grow even closer thanks to this group vacation and it sets up the companion books perfectly. The best part of the book for me was the bromance between Connor, Ryke and Lo and it really started to brew in Cancun.

Part three. This is probably the darkest part, but I can’t really say anything. We get the reveal of the big bad who troubles our lovebirds throughout the entire novel, but even though I didn’t guess one’s identity, I wasn’t exactly thrown away by the reveal. That’s one of the only flaws of this book other than perhaps it’s going to be a bit too long for some people. I can’t say the same goes for me though, because I enjoyed every bit of it and I really, really loved how there weren’t that many filler chapters and the rest of the book set up the final one (and the companions) brilliantly. I’m ready for what comes next.

Characters. Lo and Lily were stronger, better and more importantly fresher than ever. Yes, these new obstacles were quite big and they still struggle with their addictions, but they’re definitely stronger together than apart. Connor Cobalt. OH BOY! I am head over heels for this intelligent poker face. He is just.. What I wouldn’t do to be in Rose’s place. I love his dry humor, great wits and secretly caring personality. Oh, right. I promised. OK, OK. You’ll hear all about him when I’m done with Kiss the Sky in January. Mwhahahaha ;)

Since I don’t want to waste your precious time with my ramblings any longer, I’m going to leave you with this: my dear friends, if you haven’t read Addicted to You or don’t really know whether to give this series a try or not, please do. I found the first book to be a good, decent debut of this twin-sister duo, but this installment rocked my socks off! The girls have improved their writing, the jokes are absolutely brilliant and the characters really suck you in with their struggles, hopes and dreams. I can’t wait to read the rest of the story.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Meet the authors

Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college, she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013.
Krista Ritchie is the mind behind popular trading website YA Book Exchange and created Nawanda Files, a book blog that also features books into movies news. When not pouring over entertainment news and the newest releases, she spends her time conducting research in a genetics lab. She’s happy to join forces with her sister, harnessing their twin powers to produce the first in a New Adult series. 

Goodreads (K) | Goodreads (B) | Twitter (K) | Twitter (B) | Website | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

The Giveaway

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December Hiatus

Hey, lovelies. I wanted to make a quick announcement. I'm so busy with uni right now what with the thesis I have to write in order to get my BA degree, all the exams and tests I have to do in the next following weeks in order to get out of some exams and for January to be a bit quieter for me. I have papers due left and right and I also have work. So.. Blogging? Not much time for it as you can imagine. Plus, lately it has become somewhat something that I have to do instead of want, hence me going on a blog hiatus until January. I'll be back with a review blog tour in the middle of December and probably to do a wrap-up of my favorite books read in 2013 and on achieving my reading goals. I hope to be back in January, but you never know. I may just find this hiatus thing a little too comfortable :) I'll keep in touch with you guys via twitter and Goodreads for sure. Also, I'll be sure to check my Feedly wall once in a while for updates from your blogs. I hope you guys have a great December and talk to you soon! x

Book Haul #28

It's been a great week for me with books. As good as it can be, because I started two books even though my workload at uni is crazy and I have no idea when I'll be finished with them, plus I need to get done with The Burning Sky at one point. I don't know why, but I'm not in the mood to pick it up even though I'm about half way through. Eh, yeah.. I hope you guys in the US had a great thanksgiving and the rest of you are ready to say goodbye to November and welcome December tomorrow :) If you have read any of these pretties down below, let me know what you thought and I can't wait to visit you guys back.

Fire with Fire (Burn for Burn #2) by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn was actually the first book I reviewed for a big publisher. Back when I had like 20 something followers. Don't even ask why I got approved, it still feels a bit of a mystery. Heh. However, I really enjoyed it and Fire with Fire, according to Amber [Books of Amber], is even better and she said that our ship becomes real in this one. OHHH YES!!! Plus, it's one of the prettiest things I've ever held in my hands. It's freaking gorgeous! And HUGE *__*

World After (Penryn and the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Also, dear followers, if you want to win yourself a paperback of Lola and the Boy Next Door, do give your luck a try over here. Good luck!

What did you get this week? Leave your links below and I'll check out your goodies :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Review: In the Stillness by Andrea Randall

Title: In the Stillness
Author: Andrea Randall
Published: April 9th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Natalie is a wife.
Natalie is a mother.
Natalie is a cutter.

Clawing at walls built by resentment, regret, and guilt, Natalie cuts as an escape from a life she never planned.

Staying present is only possible when you let go of the past. But, what if the past won't let go?

I know that cutting is a big issue and it's, unfortunately, one of the most common ways to ease the emotional pain. I have read one book which dealt with cutting and I didn't end up enjoying it at all. Perhaps it was due to the paranormal elements of the book which kept me from investing myself in the story, maybe it was thanks to the rushed plot. As you can imagine, I was reluctant to try In the Stillness. Am I glad to have read it? Yes, yes I am.

“But, the thing about guilt is, no one can take away for you; you have to unpack it yourself.”

The story. Natalie is a cutter. She's also a wife and a mom. And practically a widow since she mourns the loss of a relationship she lost thanks to the war between USA and Iraq. 10 years ago she was in a relationship with the love of her life. When he went to war, everything came crashing down. Now, being married to another man, her hopes and dreams are gone. Her twin sons are her day job since she quit college to took care of them and be a stay-at-home-mom while her young husband continued his studies. Her life makes her miserable and the only way to relive some of her pain is to cut.

My thoughts. You know these deals where you pay for one thing, but get two? This is exactly what you get when you purchase Natalie's story. The story starts with her cutting in the present. She's so emotionally drained that she almost comes across like an angry, depressed robot programmed to get through the day. She has trouble enjoying motherhood and all she dreams about is getting out. Her past haunts her like a ghost with a vengeance. It pained me to watch her on a road to self-destruction. She was just so depressed that it truly, truly hurt. I kept rooting for her to pick herself up and start living her life and loving the people around her, but her heart is in the past and in the lost chances of what could have been.

So what's this 2 in 1 deal I was talking about? You see, she lives in the past because she lost the love of her life to war. Not physically, but emotionally. Ryke suffered from PTSD and their relationship couldn't survive that. We get glimpses of their relationship, them falling in love and losing themselves in it. At the same time, Nat tries to survive in the present and I kept wanting for her to fix things with Eric, her husband, whom she clearly didn't love anymore. As for Eric, he seemed like the perfect husband. I was rooting for him, for crying out loud! I can't believe he did that.

Watching Nat pull herself together and seeing her starting to love, respect and enjoy herself was beautiful. I'm glad she grew to enjoy being a mother and started to realize how much she loves her sons. When tragedy hits one of them, she womans up and does everything in her power to make her son feel better. (Boy, do I want to start bawling when I think back to it.) I found her to be a hard character to connect with at the beginning because she's so far gone and only the memories of her past offered me relief from her dark story. However, when she finally made the decision to get better for her sons, it was truly, truly beautiful and enjoyable to read.

If you're in need of an emotional story, pick this up! I wasn't expecting what I found in In the Stillness and ugly-crying was also part of my experience with this one. I can tell you that it has a happily ever after as much as there could be. It's a dark, emotional, broken piece of work and gives the reader lots to think about. I found myself thinking for a long time after finishing Natalie's story and that is something I'm very grateful to Ms. Randall. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

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