Mini Review #2

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I will be reviewing three recent reads that I want to share my thoughts on. However, I don't have enough to make a full review for each book so I'll just be doing mini reviews for each.

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Sinner is the last book in Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Although Sam and Grace had a complete story arc in the first three books, the series continues with Isabel and Cole. I loved Isabel and Cole in the first three books, and was disheartened when they didn't get their happily ever after in Forever. Maybe it is because I have grown as a reader, but I didn't really enjoy this one. Both Isabel and Cole frustrated me and instead of rooting for them, I just wanted the book to wrap up. If you're a fan of the first three books but haven't read them in a while, I would say to just skip this one and be content with the ending of Forever. 
2.75 Stars

Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armenntrout
Half Blood is the opening novel in Armentrout's Covenant series. If you've read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, you might see some similarities between the two. Both feature a protagonist that is half human with the other half being a superior species. Our protagonist also want to be in a relationship but isn't because they would be shunned. Though I had a lot of fun reading this book, I couldn't get over the striking similarities between the two. Alex also reminds me of Rose due to how similar they are physically and in personality. However, if you are looking for a fast paced read that doesn't require too much thought, I would recommend this. What it lacked in originality was made up for in its humor. I'm sure that the series improves as it progresses, so I will be continuing on with this series.

3.75 Stars


Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame
Did I Mention I Love You? (or DIMILY for short) is the first book in a contemporary trilogy by teenage author Estelle Maskame. This series is a wattpad sensation and has its roots there. The novel follows Eden as she spends the summer with her estranged father in California. Along the way, Eden slowly falls for her infuriating stepbrother Alex. This novel was pure fun and I started to really love the characters. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fast paced summer/spring read! I'm reading the sequel right now and cannot get enough of it. 
4.25 Stars

So those were my mini reviews! Have you read or are planning to read any of these?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Top Five Wednesday: Least Favorite Books in Finished Series

 Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I will be participating in the weekly meme Top 5 Wednesday hosted by Lainey from gingerreadslainey on youtube! If you want more info about the group, check out our goodreads page here!

So this week's topic was actually our least favorite books in our favorite series. However, I wanted to switch it up and featured instead my least favorite book from my finished series.

5.) Defy by Sara B. Larson
Defy is the opening novel of Larson's series with the same name. The fantasy trilogy follows Alexa, the best fighter of her kingdom who just so happens to cross-dress as a boy so that she won't be put into breeding houses. One fateful night leaves her captive with her best friend and the prince, and things take off from there. This is my least favorite of the series because Alexa is a much more whiner and weaker character than she is in the books. However, I am really happy that I continued with the series, because it kept on getting better as it progressed. Here is my review for the series.

4.) Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Sweet Evil is also an opening novel of Higgins' Sweet trilogy, which just so happens to have a fourth book that is in Kai's (the male protagonist) point of view.  When I read Sweet Evil, Anna's voice really irritated me, especially because she seemed holier than thou. I really warmed up to her character as the series progressed and ended up really loving the final two books. Here is my review of the fourth book in the series!

3.) Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I'll just put it out there: Daemon is a douche canoe in the first book and I couldn't stand him. I warmed up to him (just like Katy did) in the later books, but his character made me not like the first book as much as I wanted to. 

2.) Of Neptune by Anna Banks
Of Neptune was the third and final book in Banks' Serena Legacy series. Unfortunately, I didn't really see the point in this last novel. The second book concluded the story pretty well and Of Neptune didn't add to the world at all. In my opinion, the series should have been a duology.
 

1.) Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
Girl of Nightmares is the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood, and is the concluding noel of the duology. Much like Of Neptune, I didn't see the point to this. The story dragged for me and did not peak my interest. I would've much rather read the first book and left it at that.
 

So that was my T5W post! Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Top Ten Tuesday: My Latest 5 Star Reads!

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I will be participating in the weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies from The Broke and Bookish. This week's topic is to feature our latest five star reads.

So here are my latest five star reads, listed from most to least recent. I don't give out five stars easily (it's becoming harder and harder to do!), so these date back from summer of last year.

1.) Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
This has been my only five star read of this year! It was the final book in the Starbound trilogy, and I absolutely loved it. All the characters finally came together and it was downright amazing.  
 
2.) Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Ugly Love was amazing. This is tied for my favorite Colleen Hoover book. It tore me apart and I couldn't have wished for anything better. I'm glad that this wasn't the first book I read of CoHo's but instead a later one.

3.) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Maybe Amie Kaufman is just a magical author. I knew I was going to like Illuminae before I read it, but I didn't realize I would wholeheartedly love it. Gemina, the sequel, is one of my most anticipated reads of this year. I'm so excited to see how the story progresses. 

4.) Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
This is another concluding novel to a series. I read this last year, and it was everything I wanted and more. My favorite scene has to be where Cress and Thorne go to the party and she's in her butterfly costume. So. Good. 
 
5.) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Everything, Everything is everything. It's an excellent contemporary novel and it really spoke to me. I absolutely loved the premise of this story and Madeline's character. The novel itself was beautiful with the artwork and everything!
 
6.) Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Maybe Someday is yet another contemporary novel and one from Colleen Hoover. This novel blew me away and cemented CoHo as one of my favorite authors. Sydney and Ridge are one of my favorite fictional couples. 

7.) A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles is pure fun! Even though the story wrapped up quite nicely for Ali and Cole in the third book, I really loved this one as we saw Frosty finally get the happy ending her deserved. I appreciated his character a lot more than I did in the previous novels. 

8.) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Even though I had to read The Glass Castle for school, this memoir hit me hard. I haven't gone through anything like Jeannette has, but her story was truly mesmerizing. I can't imagine having to go through a childhood like hers. You should definitely read it if you haven't yet.  

9.) Angelfall by Susan Ee
Angelfall is the first book in the Penryn & the End of Days trilogy. I haven't read the sequel because I am so nervous that I will be let down. I wasn't expecting much out of this book, which was why I was so taken aback when I absolutely loved Susan Ee's gritty dystopian. 

10.) Every Last Promise by Kristin Halbrook
 Kristin Halbrook's Every Last Promise is an intriguing tale of sexual assault. Because of this, the novel is dark, but it was very interesting. I don't know if I would give the book five stars now, but it was a five star read back when I read it. 

If you did a TTT this week, link it down below! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Cover Talk: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Guys. This cover is amazing!!

It is by far one of my favorite covers this year, and it doesn't hurt that I love the title of the novel as well. I love everything based in astronomy, so the title grabs my attention.  I absolutely adored Everything, Everything when I read it last year and I hope that this one does not disappoint. So far, the only synopsis the book has is this: "in which two teens cross paths on an eventful day in each of their lives." 

Besides that, there's no other news. It does say that it is being published this year, but not when. In my opinion, the most alluring thing about this book has to be the cover.  I love the threads and how the always intersect, much like the two teens will in this novel, I presume. 

The only thing that throws me off is the color scheme of this book. I'm thinking that this will be released later in the year just because there is no release date. As you can obviously see, the cover has a lot of warm and vibrant colors to it, which isn't necessarily common for a fall/winter release. I guess that will make the book stand out!

By far my favorite thing about the cover is the use of negative space in order to read the title. If you didn't know this, (I think I mentioned it in my last cover talk.) negative space is one of my favorite things to see on covers. It just makes the cover stand out so much and gives it a simple look to it. The threads give off this fun teenage vibe that Everything, Everything also had.

Nicola Yoon has a great design team. The cover of Everything, Everything is also magnificent and was my favorite cover of last year. I don't know which one I love more! 

What do you think of this cover? Which cover of Yoon's do you like more?

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

"This or That?" Book Tag!

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Earlier this month I was tagged to do the "This or That?" book tag where I am asked a series of questions. You guys will get a better feel of my reading tastes with these questions!

I have to shout of the lovely Lauren from Always Me! She was the blogger that tagged me and every one of you should check her out. She is the best!

Reading on the bed, or on the couch?
I definitely read on the couch more! I'm that reader who always tosses and turns when I try reading in my bed. 

 Male, or female main character?
To be honest, I don't have a preference. YA normally has female main characters though, so I read more about female main characters.  

Sweet, or salty snacks while reading? 
Salty! I absolutely love salty snacks. Just a couple weeks ago I was obsessed with cheese pretzels. <3

 Trilogies, or quartets? 
Once again, I don't really have a preference as long as it is done well. But if I had to choose between a trilogy or quartet and I didn't know anything about the plot, I would choose quartet, and I don't know why. 


First-person, or third-person POVs?
I like first person more. I feel that I can connect to the characters a lot more and that is a key aspect to my reading experience. I don't mind third person, but it's hard to feel for the characters as much as i do with first person. 

Reading at night, or in the morning?
Is afternoon an option? I do most of my reading in the afternoon to night because I'm either running late or sleeping in the morning. :D

Bookstores, or libraries?
Fun fact about me: I'm cheap. If I can get a book at a library, I will read it from there and then buy it if I loved it. Definitely libraries. 

Books that make you laugh, or cry?
I would say a book that makes me laugh. I don't go into books looking to cry or laugh, but it impresses me more if I laugh out loud while reading. I'm an easy crier and it doesn't take much! 

Black, or white book covers?
White I guess! I really like negative space in book covers, so I would have to go with white. Also, there are way to many black covers. 
 
 Character, or plot-driven stories?   
I'll have to steal Lauren's answer and say both! The perfect book not only has characters that I fall in love with, but a world as well.

Bloggers I'm Tagging:

Cari & Haley @ My Addiction: Books
Anna @ Enchanted by YA
Brittnee @ Geronimo Reads
Laura @ Blue Eye Books 

So that was the This or That Book Tag! Thanks again Lauren for tagging me. :D

Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!  

Currently Reading: Feuds, Rebel of the Sands (March 2016)

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I'm doing my monthly currently reading post! I was supposed to do this earlier this month, but I forgot... Everyone makes mistakes!

So right now I have just picked up Feuds by Avery Hastings. I mean that in the most literal sense; I'm only on page 15! Because of this, I don't really have any grasp or feeling about the book. It did get a bit info-dumpy, but the world is simple enough that I don't think I'd mind it. The novel is pretty small (261 pages), so I'm thinking I'll be done with this by the end of the week, or possibly sooner if I get really into it!

After that, I am going to be picking up Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I've been dying to pick this up and considering that my spring break starts on Friday, (YAY!) I know I'll be reading this one. In fact, I actually just met Alwyn this past Sunday, and it pushed me to read the book even more. I'll be making a post about that and putting it out there soon!


After those two, I don't really know what will happen. I'm looking for a light, easy read that would be perfect for spring break. Clockwork Prince definitely isn't that, but I did pick it up a couple days ago and haven't opened it since, so I might be revisiting that. There's also a good possibility of me reading the last book in The 100 trilogy, because I have that on my phone.

Besides that, I don't have much going on! I'm planning on doing a whole lot of reading, sleeping, and Netflix-ing this spring break. I haven't had a solid amount of relaxation for a while, so that's what I am really looking forward to.

What books are you currently reading?

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I DNF

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I will be participating in a weekly meme I haven't for quite a while: Top 5 Wednesday! T5W was made by Lainey from gingerreadslainey.

Today's topic are five books that we DNF. If you don't know, DNF stands for "did not finish". All of these books might be on here for a different reason. Just because I didn't finish them doesn't mean they aren't good reads!

I am actually planning on read all five of these books. I only read a couple pages of each, but put it down for another book. Hopefully I'll get to these books this year!

5.) The Body Electric by Beth Revis
This is a scifi novel by Beth Revis, who also wrote the Across the Universe trilogy. I adore this trilogy, and was about 30 pages in when I put it down about a year ago. I actually really liked it, and I have no idea why I put it down! Just talking about this book makes me want to read it!

4.) Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Cruel Beauty is a very popular Beauty and the Beast retelling. I bought this a while back from BookOutlet, and read the first couple pages. I wasn't in the mood for it, and didn't want to force myself to read it. If I did that, I would've just compromised my reading experience. I've heard that this is pretty dark and gritty, so I'll have to be in the right mindset to read it.

3.) Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst
So I made a pretty big mistake with this new adult read! I read the first twenty or so pages, and then just flipped through it to see what the pacing would be like. Unfortunately, I complete spoiled myself. I'm  waiting until I don't clearly remember what I spoiled myself for.

2.) Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Here's the thing: I really liked the first three books of the Vampire Academy series. The fourth book? Not so much. As the fifth book in the VA series, I had pretty high expectations before  I read the fourth one. I read about forty pages and wasn't feeling it. I'd rather  have a good experience than not, so I'll just read this when the time is right.

1.) The Rose Society by Marie Lu
Still sitting as currently reading on my goodreads account,  the Rose Society is the highly anticipated sequel it the Young Elites. I really liked what I read, but school got in the way. I'll probably be reading this one in the next couple weeks, so this will be a dnf for a (hopefully) short time.

So those were my five picks for the week! Do we share any in common? Have you read any of these? If you did a T5W this week, make sure to link it down below!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Love But Don't Talk About

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I will be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and Bookish. This week's topic is ten books that we love that we just don't seem to mention.

I have several shelves dedicated to my favorite books, but there are always a couple that I forget to mention. This week, I'll be mentioning books that I have only mentioned ONCE in any post to give me a bit of a challenge. Here we go!

10.) Marmalade Boy by Wataru Yoshizumi
Marmalade Boy is one of my favorite mangas! It's so cute and fluffy and I absolutely adore it. :) The plot features two step siblings who at first hate each other and fall in love. The series has 8 volumes.
9.) Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Twenty Boy Summer is a YA summer contemporary about a wild summer of two best friends. They make a plan to try and date twenty boys in the summer, and whoever gets the most boys wins. It's kind of lighthearted play, but Frankie,the main character's best friend, doesn't know that Anna, the main character, dated Frankie's brother before his tragic death. Let's just say summer isn't for secrets.
8.) The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
This middle grade mystery series is so fun! I kind of drifted away from the series without meaning to, but the first book in the series is very well loved.
7.) Confess by Colleen Hoover
So I started my blog after I had already read Confess, which is the only reason this hasn't been all over my channel. This is a new adult novel from the queen (Colleen Hoover) about Auburn, and that is all you have to know. Seriously. Jut read it. The art is amazing. <3 
6.) Easy by Tammara Webber
I read Easy last summer right as I was getting into new adult. Maybe it was the right time, but I absolutely adored it. The plot might be a bit predictable, but it sure was fun!
5.) Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
I absolutely adore Chasing Brooklyn! It is the companion novel to I Heart You, You Haunt Me. Both are written in prose, and it is just so beautiful. The plots is pretty complex, but it is basically about Brooklyn, our main character, and her recovery after hearing about a classmates death, only one year after her boyfriend's.
4.) Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Something Like Fate is a staple YA contemporary in my book. It was one of my first young adult contemporary reads, and has a special place in my part. The novel is about Lani, and how she falls in love with her best friend's boyfriend. Drama ensues.  
3.) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars was he book of the summer a couple years back. I wonder what I would think of it now? I can't really tell you the plot without telling you so let's just say this: Cady goes to a family island and everything isn't as it seems.
2.) Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Ignite Me was the final installment in the Shatter Me trilogy and it was basically everything. It did feel rushed and while this series is definitely not underhyped, I don't talk about it a lot.
1.) Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour 
Last but not least is one of my favorite contemporaries. I don't talk about contemporaries a lot, do I? Everything Leads to You is a coming of age story that touched my heart in all the right places. 

So that was my TTT! Have you read any of these? If you did a TTT today, make sure to link it down below. :D

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!   

Cover Talk: Vampire Academy Series

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I am doing an impromptu cover talk!

So I was just perusing goodreads when all of a sudden I saw these new covers from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. We all know these covers are bad. The first editions are pretty cheesy, and the second ones didn't really change anything. However these covers.... they are pretty standard in all the right ways!

They're eye catching and simple. I like how it is obvious they are all part of the same series, but they don't look too alike. For me, that was the issue with the second editions because you couldn't tell the difference among them.

I like the symbols for each book and while I have only read four of the six, I think they accurately represent the novels! My favorite of the six are definitely Last Sacrifice, the last book,  and Blood Promise, the fourth. They're both very eye-catching for different reason, but the the details of these two seem a step up from the other four. The details don't make it seem too busy, though.  I appreciate how they look simple and clean cut.

My least favorite has to be Shadow Kiss just because it looks the cheesiest. It seems more like a romance novel than the kick-ass one I know it is. However, the details in the lips are really great! My least favorite aspect of these covers is the blood drip that is featured in the top left corner of each of the books. I don't know if I would feel differently if I saw it in person, but seems as if it takes away from its modern style. All in all, I really like the cover change. They finally represent the books!

What are your thoughts on the Vampire Academy series? Which of the new covers are your favorites?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!