Last Day of 2016 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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1 Unforgettable Read

1. Ice Crypt by Tiana Warner: Honestly, I swear, one day I'll stop gushing about these books, but I've not been so invested in a world since I read Harry Potter or A Great and Terrible Beauty for the first time. I spent days afterward thinking about them and resisting the urge to start it all over again. This series is truly becoming one of my all-time favorites, and if you're tired of hearing me babble on about it, I suggest you read it for yourself. I picked Ice Crypt to talk about rather than Ice Massacre because Warner wrote both sides this time, rather than just one. I get to see the love from both angles and the lengths each character goes through to save their people and the one they love most. Ugh, I love it so much. Watch me pick it up again before June...

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2 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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2 Books I Didn't Intend to Read but Enjoyed All the Same

1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: I've said before that high fantasy is tough for me, but this one really hit the spot. I love dimensional travel and magic and badass female characters. I haven't finished the series yet, but I know I'll enjoy it when I do.
2. Believarexic by J.J. Johnson: I got this from NetGalley earlier in the year and was afraid I wouldn't like it. But it was so raw and real, since it's bio-fiction, but also so heartwarming and uplifting. I would definitely recommend it for those who like Girl, Interrupted or other memoir-type books.

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3 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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3 Characters That Spoke to Me

1. Evie O'Neill, The Diviners (Diviners #1) by Libba Bray: Evie is so sarcastic and flippant sometimes, but she won't let you down when it really matters. Yes, she makes mistakes, but it doesn't take her long to see her faults and make an attempt to fix it. 
2. Mark Watney, The Martian by Andy Weir: How can you not love the last man on Mars who casually jokes about his dire condition. So smart and so funny, he's painfully loveable and I just want him to get home safe!
3. Crescent Moon "Cress" Darnel, Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer: This poor girl was raised in a satellite with no one but the internet and a robotic voice to keep her company. She's everyone's inner fangirl. 

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4 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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4 Anticipated Disappointments

1. You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes: This was really cool for about 33% of the book. I was disturbed and freaked out, then Joe just got more and more annoying. He was whiny and there was way too much inner dialogue (yes, I know it's in second person in his brain, but come on). The action/scary parts weren't as scary as they could have been because they were just glossed over. In the end, I was just underwhelmed.
2. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn: Why did I bother with this? I HATE Gone Girl, what made me think I would like this one? This book is like, "How many plot twists can I fit into 80 pages?" the game. Ugh.
3. A Midsummer Night's Scream by R.L. Stine: You'd think that the most acclaimed children's horror writer would write an awesome YA horror novel. Well, you'd be wrong. I found the characters to be shallow and uninteresting and the plot tried it's darnedest to be an interpretation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but it just falls flat. 
4. And I Darken by Kiersten White: I really wanted to like this book, knowing that it's LGBTQIA and female villain protagonist and all that jazz, but I felt that nothing really happened. I decided to listen to it, but I felt like it was going no where. I think I got about five hours in and I was just bored. I ended up DNF'ing it.

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5 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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5 Authors I've Never Read, Until Now

It looks like I'm narrowing these down to female authors, because I read a lot of those this year.

1. Maggie Stiefvater: How did I miss her for so long?! I saw Shiver all the time at work and never gave it a second thought. Well, I'm not going back now!
2. Leigh Bardugo: I started with Six of Crows though I actually owned The Grisha Trilogy before I read it. 
3. Dawn Kurtagich: Oh my. This woman has only written 2 books and they've both blown me away. I honestly think she's going to be something like the YA Stephen King. She's phenomenal. Truly.
4. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: I've only read her short essay We Should All Be Feminists, but it was so wonderful and insightful. I have her other works on my TBR.
5. Alice Walker: I know The Color Purple is usually high school reading, but we didn't read it then, so I decided to pick it up at the beginning of this year. It was hard to get into the dialect at first, but after a while, it read naturally, and I happen to love written dialects in books, so I wasn't disappointed. 

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6 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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6 of My Favorite Covers, Read or Unread

1. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (unread, pining after): I don't know what it is about this cover that draws me to it, but I'm not complaining. It's got a warm glow but there's also something sinister about it that I love.
2. We Awaken by Calista Lynne (unread, pining after): BURST OF PURPLE. Love.
3. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (unread, pining after): I love the look of this book and it's sequel. I love found-item books, where it's a compilation of things to tell a story. The naked cover is so cool to, because it's like some sort of paper that has a bunch of redactions on it.
4. Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner (read, owned): The mermaid. The blood. The color. It looks so much cooler in person.
5. The Merciless by Danielle Vega (read, owned): This is the most intimidating thing I've ever laid eyes on. It's so pink and so... *shudders*
6. Three Dark Crowns (4 variations) by Kendare Blake (unread, pining after): How can you not love a book that has FOUR COVERS released (nearly) at the same time. It's like choose your own adventure in a book cover!

Okay, yes, it's clearly more than six, but it's only six titles. That counts, right?

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7 Days until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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7 Books I Don't Regret Buying 

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
2. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
3. The Martian by Andy Weir
4. Mermaids of Eriana Kwai by Tiana Warner
5. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
6. The Fever by Megan Abbott
7. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

I tried to include ones I've at least read. A lot of these, like Six of Crows and The Lunar Chronicles, I borrowed from my library then purchased after the fact. I guess this doesn't really need to be a blog post, but I like using blogger, so now it is!

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8 Days Until 2017 | 8 Nights of Books from @booksbeyondimagining

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8 Books I Read In 2016 That I Would Recommend

1. Ice Massacre / Ice Crypt by Tiana Warner: I spent all year raving about these books! I came across a review on tumblr and had to find it. Though Ice Massacre is 2 years old at this point, I got an e-galley from NetGalley and devoured it. When I found out the sequel was coming in the next month, I was beyond excited! I ended up buying both digital copies and within a month or two, buying physical copies of both. The author is a sweetheart and always replies when I tweet her questions. These are great because there are mainly PoC characters, female leads, interracial relationships, and lwl. My reviews: Ice Massacre / Ice Crypt
2. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay: I'm on an epic quest to find the best and scariest horror novel. This is close. There are twists and turns and it's filled with psychological spoops. I love it. My friend Aks sent it to me as my secret Santa this year and I was thrilled to own a physical copy!
3. the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace: This is one of the only poetry compilations I've read, and I'm so glad I did. There is so much emotion and realness in this collection. Don't give me the "I don't read poetry" thing because this should be required reading. I think it only took me 45 minutes to read and I loved every minute of it. My review: the princess saves herself in this one
4. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this series. The summary on the back of the book does no justice to what's between the covers. It's magical and dark, a little gay and a lot feminist. My reviews: TRB / TDT / BL,LB / TRK
5. The Martian by Any Weir: Finally, scifi I can get behind. I have difficulty getting into high fantasy and high scifi, but this is so realistic and understandable. It was so funny and terrifying at the same time. It really lived up to the hype. My review: The Martian
6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Wow. Just wow. This book is so epic. I admit, it took a little bit to get into, but once it got going, it didn't stop. Oddly enough, I still haven't started Crooked Kindom. Maybe one day... My review: Six of Crows
   
7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: My friend Lauren recommended this series to me because it's her favorite and I can totally see why. I love the magic and mystery of this book. There are so many cool creatures and the secondary characters are the best. I haven't finished the trilogy yet, but I promise I will!
8. And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich: This was SO SPOOKY! I read it as a part of my October Horror read-athon. I love love love this so much. It's got plot twists and scares and more plot twists. I loved it so much I never wrote a review because I couldn't get my thoughts in order...

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RBD Review #34 | Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle #2) by Libba Bray

Book info:
Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle #2) by Libba Bray | 576 pages | Published December 2006 by Ember | YA, fantasy, historical fiction, supernatural

Summary:
Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain...
The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.

But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

My thoughts: 
Read October 4-December 14, 2016 | 5/5 stars