WWW Wednesday #1

http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/
 
WWW Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.
 

 
Welcome to my first WWW Wednesday. To participate in WWW Wednesday, you need to answer 3 questions:
 
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finished reading?
- What do you think you'll read next?
 
 
What are you currently reading?
I have actually few books that I'm currently reading, not just one. I have also couple books that I have started, but then got bored or something and they're just waiting for me to finish them, but maybe I don't mention them this time, I'm going to just focus on those that I'm actually really reading.
 
    
 
 
Yeah, I know, too many at the same time. Laini Taylor's book I started just yesterday, so it's the most recent one and probably I'll finish it first too. Others I'll finish when I feel like reading them and I just really don't feel like it now. All are great books, but I don't know... I just don't feel like it. I'll try to finish them in couple weeks, but we'll see...
 
What did you recently finished reading?
Salla Simukka: Valkea kuin lumi (Lumikki Andersson, #2)
(As White as Snow).
I read first book in this series few days ago and you can find it's review few posts down. Salla Simukka is finnish ya author and translation rights to this series has been sold to over 30 countries. Not more about this book, I'll publish review when I get the chance to write it. Great book, can't wait to read next one.
What do you think you'll read next?
I went to the library few days ago and loaned a pretty high pile of books, so that's my next project. There are few other Salla Simukka's books, next Laini Taylor's book and Stephen King's Under the Dome (I saw the tv show, so now I must read the book). I need to read American Specter too, I have eARC and I've promished to review it, it's publish date is next week.
AND... CRESS by Marissa Meyer!!!! Publish date is next week and I'm going to read it as soon as possible. I really hope that I wont be disappointed, I've been waiting it like forever.
 
 



Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In


 
(TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish)
 
I have read a lot of books where the world is something just awful. Something I'd never want to live in. Especially dystopian book have often worlds that are pretty ruthless and I'm not sure that I would be cut out for that. So here's my list.
 

Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In

 
1. Suzanne Collins: Hunger Games
Don't get me wrong. I love this series. But the government and districts and the reapings and stuff. No thanks, not for me. I'm perfectly happy loving it from afar.
 
2. Veronica Roth: Divergent
Pretty much the same as before. And I don't want to spoil too much, but the last book. Ok, I haven't finished it, so I don't exactly know what happens in the end, but that whole world is little too much like Truman Show to me. Just awful, I don't want to be some kind of labrat. And there are of course a lot of things that are just too messed up.
 
3. Erica Stevens: The Captive
World where vampires are ruling race and humans are just bloodslaves or rebels living in woods or caves etc. No thanks. I love vampires, but I don't want to just a bloodbag.
 
4. J.A.London: Darkness Before Dawn
Same here. Vampires rules, humans are "bloodslaves". I'd never want to human in this world.
 
5. Julie Kagawa: Blood of Eden
This falls into same category too. Humans as blood cattle living in walled-in city. Nowhere is safe. Not for me, thanks
 
6. Teri Terry: Slated
A world where teenagers get their mind and memory wiped when they do something wrong. They get a second chance to be good citizens, but they also have this device that controls their emotions. That sounds really scary.
 
7. Justin Cronin: The Passage
"Dr. Strangelove goes to South America to find the cure for death and instead turns it loose. You can always count on your military brass for that sort of screw up." Read that from someone's review and it really sums everything up pretty nicely.
 
8. Bethany Griffin: Masque of the Red Death
"A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them." I think that says it all.
 
9. Suzanne Winnaker: The Other Life
"3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life. 98,409,602 seconds since the heavy, steel door had fallen shut and sealed us off from the world."
Zombies... Thank you, but no thank you.
 
10. Lauren Oliver: Delirium
World where love is forbidden. That sounds really, really empty and meaningless. No thanks.
 
I liked (or even loved) all of those books, but I'd never want to live in them. I like my BigMac and laptop and electricity and freedom, so big no-no for all these.
 
------
 
But hey, I have also some exciting news.
 
Next week we have a visitor. Author Rasheedah Prioleau will tell us her Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry as part of her book tour for her upcoming book American Specter that will be published also the same day, Feb. 4th. I will also post my review next week, so stay tuned.

Salla Simukka: Punainen kuin veri

Salla Simukka: Punainen kuin veri (Lumikki Andersson, #1)
(As Red as Blood, The Snow White Trilogy, #1, pub. Aug. 2014)
5/5

In the midst of the freezing Arctic winter, seventeen-year-old Lumikki Andersson walks into her school’s dark room and finds a stash of wet, crimson-colored money. Thousands of Euros left to dry—splattered with someone’s blood.

Lumikki lives alone in a studio apartment far from her parents and the past she left behind. She transferred into a prestigious art school, and she’s singularly focused on studying and graduating. Lumikki ignores the cliques, the gossip, and the parties held by the school’s most popular and beautiful boys and girls.

But finding the blood-stained money changes everything. Suddenly, Lumikki is swept into a whirlpool of events as she finds herself helping to trace the origins of the money. Events turn even more deadly when evidence points to dirty cops and a notorious drug kingpin best known for the brutality with which he runs his business.

As Lumikki loses control of her carefully constructed world, she discovers that she’s been blind to the forces swirling around her—and she’s running out of time to set them right. When she sees the stark red of blood on snow, it may be too late to save her friends or herself.

----
Once upon a time, there was a girl who learned to be afraid.
I rarely read finnish literature, but this was one of those that I just had to read. Everytime I went to bookstore, it just sat there in the shelf watching me and I just couln't ignore it anymore. And I've read so many great reviews, that I thought that it has to be a great book. And the reason why I'm reviewing this book here is that the translation rights has been sold to Amazon and this book will be published in english in August 2014.

It feels weird to read these kind of book in finnish, all this druglord-stuff feels so absurd, when events happen in a town that's less than 100 miles away. Of course we have crime here in Finland too, but Finland is so small country that it's usually in lot smaller scale. Or maybe it just isn't in media so much, that we don't notice it. I mean, we have 5,5 million people in the while country and our biggest city Helsinki has about 600 000 people. So the stuff in this book feels so far away, it almost unreal. I guess that it's possible that it really happens, but it just feels weird. But yeah, that's it about that. Maybe I just need to focus on this book and not in Finland general...

I love how this book is written. It's really detailed, so you can really almost imagine you're in there. I could close my eyes and I could imagine everything and how it would look. I don't know if I know how to say it right, but the wording in this book was interesting. I mean that sentences weren't straight. I don't know. I'm not probably saying it right. But yeah, it was really interesting way to write, it was different and it was really detailed.

Second thing that was interesting was that there were multiple pov's. And sometimes there were little timejumps, like flashbacks. There were few times when I was a little lost at first and there were some scenes that didn't make sense, they felt like they didn't have anything to do with the story. But this is a trilogy and maybe htere are things that will make sense when I read the next book. I loaned it too from library and I'm going to read it next.

I don't know what more can I say about the plot, synopsis says everything you need to know. There isn't much I can say without spoiling too much. But I really liked it, even when it's not the usual genre I read. Lumikki is a character that feels real. Like a real person and not just a character in a book.

Salla Simukka, you are my new favourite finnish author and I'm definally going to read more your work.

Jodi Meadows: Incarnate

Jodi Meadows: Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)
5/5

NEWSOUL Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
NOSOUL Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
HEART Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
-----


"Who am I?" My first spoken words.
"No one," she said. "Nosoul."
 ----

I finally read it, and it was AMAZING. Really. I loved every word of it. I can't believe that I ignored this so long. It had been hounting my goodreads recommends list for months when I finally added it to my tbr-list and then it was there about a year. And then I finally read it. It was perfect.

I loved every aspect of this book. I love the world, characters, story, everything. Everything is so well thought and all. It's amazing that there is this whole new world and it felt so real. I could imagine everything and how it looks and sounds and feels. This is one of those books that I'd love to see as a movie. This world is interesting mix of old and new. They have all this computer stuff etc., but they don't use cars. There are lot of other things too, but I can say everything in one word, amazing.

Ana is a great character. She's smart and she's strong and she really is completely unique. This is great story about her journey to find herself and answers to questions about why she even is alive, when it should be impossible.

One great thing about this book is the way it is written. I love the cover, but somehow I still postponed reading it, because I thought that this would be boring. I was wrong. It wasn't boring, not at all. There was romance, and mystery and little bit action and betrayal... I don't know what more I can say, I'm just positively impressed about this book. So read it, if you haven't already. I postponed it too long. One good thing about it is that I can read the whole series now and I don't have to wait.

Ebook or "real" book?

I've read a lot of postings and discussions about this topic and I want to offer my opinion too. And I'm going to say both. I love real books and I own lots of them, but I think that I own ebooks even more. And main reason is that I live in Finland. Books are here really really expensive. And I read mostly in english, so it's so much easier to download ebooks than order them from the other side of the world. Here's a little example, Cassandra Clare's City of Fallen Angels. Lets look at the prices.

suomalainen.com (finnish bookstore)

City of Fallen Angels (hardcover) 17,90€ (24,57$)
Langenneiden enkelten kaupunki (translated hardcover) 25,20€ (34,58$)
Langenneiden enkelten kaupunki (translated paperback) 9,80€ (13,45$)
Langenneiden enkelten kaupunki (translated ebook) 25,10€ (34,45$)

bn.com

City of Fallen Angels (hardcover) 16,94$
City of Fallen Angels (paperback) 8,50$
City of Fallen Angels (ebook) 6,99$
City of Fallen Angels (audiobook) 27$

Crazy, right? Finland is a booklover's nighmare. Ebooks are sometimes even more expensive than hardcovers. 5 ebook from BN costs as much as one translated hardcover from Suomalainen. It really is crazy. So no wonder that I read mostly ebooks. So that is one number one reason. Second reason is that it's way more easier to take reader with me everywhere. I have hundreds of books in my reader and they're always with me where ever I go. I can read everywhere, at home, work, beach, train, car, etc.. I love my reader. It's pretty simple, it doesn't have wifi of touchscreen or even colors, it's simple e-ink reader, but I love it. I have my iPhone and laptop if I want to take pictures or go online, so I don't need them in my reader. The battery lasts about 2-4 weeks depending how much I read.

(^ my heaven ^)
 
But if had all the money and space I would buy real books. I'd love it if I'd had my own library room. But I'm not rich and I don't have enough space, I'm lucky that I can fit 2 bookshelf in our livingroom.

So, I love both. Both have their ups and downs.

Stacey Wallace Benefiel: Glimpse (Zellie Wells, #1)

Stacey Wallace Benefiel: Glimpse (Zellie Wells, #1)
5/5


Zellie Wells has a devastating crush on Avery Adams, the son of her mom’s high school sweetheart. At her sixteenth birthday party, held in the basement of her dad’s church, she finally finds the courage to talk to him. Turns out, the devastating crush is mutual.

As Avery takes her hand and leads her out onto the makeshift dance floor, Zellie is overwhelmed by her first vision of his death; shocking because not only are they both covered in his blood, but they’re old, like thirty-five, and she is pregnant.

Afraid to tell anyone about the vision, (she’d just be labeled a freaky black magic witch, right?) Zellie keeps the knowledge of Avery’s future to herself and tries to act like any other teenager in love. When they get caught on their way to a secret rendezvous by her mom and his dad, they are forbidden to see each other.

Convinced that their parents are freaking out unnecessarily, Avery and Zellie vow to be together no matter what. They continue their relationship in secret until Zellie learns that their parents are just trying to prevent her and Avery from suffering like they did. The visions are hereditary, they’re dangerous, and if they stay together the visions will come true.

Now Zellie must choose between severing all ties with Avery, like her mom did to prevent his father’s death, and finding a way to change Avery’s future.

-----

Couple weeks ago I received author's Found (Penny Black, #1) book from NetGalley, which is spin-off series for this Zellie Wells trilogy. I loved Found so much that I wanted to read this "main" series too. And it hasn't been a disappointment. I read the first and second book (more of that later in another post) right away and now I'm reading the third one. I like author's writing style and I'm definally going to read more of her work while I'm waiting on second book in Penny Black series that will be published hopefully soon. (The publishing date isn't set, but I can wait. I just hope that it will be soon)

There were lot of things that were old news to me 'cos I'd read Found already. The supernatural thing and Zellie's power were familiar to me, even if Zellie ferself was a bit lost. That was the downside of things when I'd already read the spin-off. There were lot of exploring of Zellie's powers and visions in this book, and what they are and mean etc. and I already knew that. But that was my own fault, I should've read this series first. So I can look in the mirror if I want someone to blame.

But it was really great to read where it all began, because in Found, the time has past over 15 years and things are pretty different. The was really well written and the story and idea behind it is really interesting.

Zellie and Avery are really likable characters and I couldn't help, but to love them both. And the ackwardness between them and they mutual crush was just great. It was so funny to read. The plotting was great and the story progressed nicely. I really like author's writing style.

Currently reading #1

This year's christmas time has been a nightmare. I've been sick (my both eyes have some kind of infection, they're so red that I look like some kind of zombie and I have some kind of flu too that's been lasting like 2 months) and I have a new job, so I don't have any holiday... I really am not christmas person. Shopping, cleaning, cooking... not really my thing. But yeah.. So I don't have much time to read. And I've been so tired, that I didn't feel like it either. But I'm currently reading few books that hope to finish by new year.

Veronica Roth: Allegiant (Divergent, #3)

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?


---

I started this like a month ago and still I haven't finished it. This book has been pretty much a disappointment. I had such great expectations for this book (and I think that so did other people too) and it hasn't met them. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been bad (at least not yet), but I hasn't been good either. I've read so many bad reviews that I'm little bit afraid to finish this. I'm about half way throught and there are still hope that this will be good. But because I'm so nosy, I couldn't help myself and I had to read those reviews, so I have a pretty good clue about what's going to happen and that why I'm not sure if I want to finish this. Maybe I just want to imagine and hope what's going to happen and I don't want to ruin it.
But I think that I really need to finish this, so I can get it out of my system and focus to some other series. So I'm really trying to read this by new year.

Jessica Shirvington: Empower (The Violet Eden Chapters, #5)

Who will Violet choose?

It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and - most painfully - her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.


----

This is one of the books, that I've been waiting forever. At least it felt like forever. And now I don't feel like reading it. I don't know what's the matter. I began reading this early december and I'm not even half way throught. Usually one book takes only two-three days max. But I don't know... Maybe it's just that I haven't felt like reading at all, 'cos this is a good book. It really is. I love it. I especially love that it's not all hearts and flowers. It's pretty dark. Not that I enjoy other people's suffering, but I think it's great that sometimes there really is book where everything is not just fine and great and stuff. I donät know if you know what I mean, but I think that this really is something different. Violet is in pain, Lincoln is in pain, Phoenix is "dead" etc.. The beginning of this book is pretty dark and gloom and desperate. And I have really no clue what to expect. I'm still rooting for Phoenix, I love him (I love all "bad" guys), but I think that's not going to happen. But one can still hope, right? So I really need to pick this book up again and finish it, because I really need to know how this ends.

Jodi Meadows: Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
----

Yes, I finally started this series last week. It's been in my tbr list a LONG time, so I thought it was finally time to pick it up. And I love it. I really regret that I haven't read this before. This book is just amazing. The whole world is just amazing. Meadows has really made something great. This is one of those books that I'd love to see as a movie. It's wonderful combination of new and old, traditional fantasy and modern scifi. I just love it. And the story is great too ;) I can close my eyes and I can imagine how everything looks and feels and smells. The writing is so good and detailed and whole. I don't know what else to say. This book is so great in so many ways.

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

   

 
(TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish)
 
Oh boy. This is a hard one. How on earth I can pick? I've read soooo many wonderful books this year, that this is impossible decision. But lets try...
 

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

(not in order)
 
 

1. Wendy Higgins: Sweet Evil (Sweet Trilogy #1, 2012)

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


2. C.C. Hunter: Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1, 2011)

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…


3. Jennifer Estep: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1, 2011)

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy; a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why; especially since I should have been the one who died...

4. Jennifer L. Armentrout: Half-Blood (Covenant #1, 2011)

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

5. Aimee Carter: The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1, 2011)

Every girl who had taken the test has died.
Now it's Kate's turn.
It's always been just Kate and her mom - and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld - and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy - until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.
If she fails...

6. Karen Marie Moning: Darkfever (Fever #1, 2006)

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….


7. Marissa Meyer: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1, 2012)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.


8. Sarah J. Maas: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1, 2012)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
 
9. D. B. Reynolds: Raphael (Vampires in America #1, 2009)

Malibu, California-home to rock-and-roll gods and movie stars, the beautiful, the rich . . . and vampires.

Powerful and charismatic, Raphael is a Vampire Lord, one of the few who hold the power of life and death over every vampire in existence. Thousands call him Master and have pledged absolute loyalty on their very lives. But when, in a brazen and deadly daylight attack, a gang of human killers kidnaps the one female vampire he'd give his life for, Raphael turns to a human investigator to find his enemies before it's too late.

Cynthia Leighton is smart, tough and sexy, a private investigator and former cop who's tired of spying on cheating spouses and digging out old bank accounts. When Raphael asks for her help in tracking down the kidnappers, Cyn's happy to accept. But she soon realizes her greatest danger comes not from the humans, but from Raphael himself.

Battling Russian mobsters and treacherous vampires, and betrayed by those they trusted, Cyn and Raphael find themselves fighting for their lives while caught up in a passion of blood and violence that is destined to destroy them both.


10. Jenna Black: Dark Descendant (Nikki Glass #1, 2011)

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy...


Well, that was my top ten. This really difficult. There are so many great authors and great books and it's impossible for me to pick my top ten, but these were some of my favourites this year. I could name probably ten or twenty more I love as much, but I had to pick something, so these were my picks this time.
 
 

Amanda Gray: Endless

Amanda Gray: Endless
4/5

Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.

When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.

Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.

While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.


---

I received free ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that I noticed was the gorgeous cover. I love it. It is so beautiful. So peaceful. I would love to have it as a poster in my wall. Something about it is just... I love it. I absolutely love the cover.

But the book and the story. Well... It turned out to be quite different than I first thought. And in a good way. It was way more complex than I thought. The idea behind the story is great and it was so well written. I'm not usually big fan of time travel, but it worked. Like I said, it was different.

Everything in this book was like a mystery. There were this massive amount of puzzle pieces and piece by piece everything comes together. I couln't stop reading, I just needed to know what the next piece would be and how it would fit in. And it took a while to finally get some idea of the big picture. I think I had read over half of the book and I still didn't know what was going on. There were always something more you wanted to know and that was the main reason why I couln't stop reading. It was great how much little details there were about art and Romanovs and stuff. And it was great how story slowly reveals how past and present meet.

There were three main characters, one girl and two boys and yet Endless doesn't have that typical love triangle. First Jenny meet Ben, but can't stand him. Then they become friends and Ben turns out to be great and loyal friend. Then Nikolai comes into the picture and you can that first there is a little bit of tension, but luckily it clears out and Jenny and Ben are able to remain friends, even when Jenny and Nikolai grow closer.

The ending wraps thing up pretty nicely leaving room for sequel. And I really hope that there will be a sequel to this story. Ending was fine, but I think but it wasn't actually a happy ending. Well, it depends how you look it, but I think that there are still lot more in this story and would like to read more.

Stacey Wallace Benefiel: Found

Stacey Wallace Benefiel: Found (Penny Black, #1)
5/5

Penny Black hasn’t had it easy. Just about everything you’d expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it’s a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn’t stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her.

Wyatt Adams is excited and intrigued when his sister Melody assigns him to be Penny’s Lookout. Being the youngest, and hopelessly ordinary in the family that created the New Society, has left Wyatt feeling like he has a lot to prove -- and Penny is a big deal. She’s got abilities that surpass any he’s seen before…and pretty much every quality he looks for in a girlfriend, but no one needs to know about that, especially Penny.


---

I received a free ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just wow. Wow. That's the first word that comes in mind when I think about this book. I was a little sceptical, when I started this book, but I was so totally wrong! So wrong! This was really amazing book. Found is the first book in Penny Black trilogy that's spin-off of Zellie Wells trilogy. And I'm definally going to read that one too while I'm waiting for next book in this series. One great thing about this series is that it wasn't a problem that I haven't read the previous books. You can understand this story without reading them.

This was a really great story with interesting characters and backstory. This time rewinding thing seems really interesting (even though I noticed some problematics that bugged me after reading and got me pretty confused at times) and it's pretty cool ability. But the plot was great and intriguing and there were just the right amount romance, mystery and action.

And the ending.. WTF? Really. What the hell is going on? It was A SHOCK. I did not see that coming. But it was great. It was fabulous twist. I feel sorry for Wyatt, but oh boy, I just can't help but to love good drama and love triangle. I was so disappointed when this book ended and I can't wait to read the next one too. Can someone tell me when it will be published? I couldn't find the info anywhere.

But if there was anything I didn't like, it was the slang. I think it was annoying. But it was so small thing, that I can get over it. There kinds of books aren't usually my first picks in bookstore, but this was great. I think that if you like movies like X-Men or Jumper, you will love this book.