Thursday, January 14, 2016

Reading List 2016

Since I've gotten back into the swing of reading I'm going to keep a reading list of all the books I read this year with a quick note on what I thought about it. I'm going to start with the books I read last year since this really only kicked into gear around October.

2015

1. Grave Memory (Alex Craft #3) - Kalayna Price (UF)

I love this series, I find so many similarities to my own book series! It's a fun, engrossing read and I can't wait for the fourth book to come out next month.

2. Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid #4) - Richelle Mead (PNR)

This is a PNR so it's more on the romance side than the plot side, but there still enough of an interesting plot dilemma going on among the romantic angst. I enjoy the romance and steaminess. Looking forward to finishing the series.

3. If I Should Die (Die for me #3) - Amy Plum (YA Fantasy)

I was glad to get around to finishing this series. It was fun, but I found the plot not to be deep or high stakes enough and it was also somewhat predictable, I figured certain things out early on which took some of the intensity out of it.

4. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #7) - Cassandra Clare (YA Fantasy)

Another end to a series. It was a pretty satisfying ending even if I think some parts were unnecessary (the narrative jumps to different characters a lot and some I didn't think were needed). I liked how it set up the Dark Artifices series by introducing us to the characters that will be featured in that series.

5. The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) - Maggie Stiefvater (YA Fantasy)

I love this series. The story says a lot without having to be overly descriptive. It has an element of leaving you wanting to know more, wanting the characters to say more, reveal more, so it keeps you reading. The story is definitely intriguing and you get wrapped up in the magic that's part of the character's live.


6. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle #3) - Maggie Stiefvater (YA Fantasy)

See above. Loved it. Can't wait for the final book, The Raven King.


7. Eternally Yours (Imortal Beloved #3) - Cate Tiernan (YA Fantasy)

Another series ender. I love Nastaysa's narrative even though I think there are times when she can be too snarky and it was great to see her grow and change over the course of the book as well as get glimpses into her past seeing as she's had a long life. And the romance was pretty good too. I do wish the plot conflict was more fleshed out and there was more active action going on as opposed to speculation and preparation. It didn't feel that intense since the villain just popped up in the end after not being a part of any of the other books so I had no real reason to care much about the conflict surrounding someone that felt like a random bad guy even though he was given a back story and connection to Nas. But overall I did like this series.

2016

8. Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) - Gail Carriger (Adult Fantasy)

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. It was a bit difficult to get into at first because of the author's writing style, but I eventually was able to get into the swing of things. Overall I wish the heroine had more of an active role in the plot; it seemed as though a lot of what went on she just happened to be around to observe or be involved in, but there wasn't a lot of active investigating and such on her part. I was surprised to realize how much focus was on her relationship with the MMC, which to me didn't have quite enough believable build-up. Overall an entertaining enough read but I'm not sure I'll be continuing the series.

 9. Indexing (Indexing Series #1) - Seanan Mcguire

I had mixed feelings as I read this one. I love the premise and the author's take on fairy tales existing in the real world, but sometimes some of the fairy tale situations kinda make me go 'ehh...okaaay...' even though I know this is all fiction and made up. And it wasn't always easy to understand the explanation of how the world of the novel works. I also wish I got more character development from Henry, the MC. There wasn't too much to learn about her or different sides to see of her other than her tough chick work persona until later in the book. And the romance was super duper light. I love my urban fantasies with a good dose of romance woven into the plot. However, overall this was a fun read.

10. Grave Visions (Alex Craft #4) - Kalayna Price

In regards to this book I'm glad I took such a long time to get back into reading because I missed the despair fans of this series had over how long it took for the fourth book to come out. Loved it of course. This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. I eagerly await the next one.

11. Poltergeist (Greywalker #2) - Kat Richardson

I read the first book, Greywalker a long time ago. I'm talking during the days when I still borrowed library books. So I pretty much have forgotten what happened in the first book and though I wish I remembered it didn't stop me from getting into this one. There were moments where I thought the prose was a bit dense, mainly when certain characters were explaining certain things, but I was along for the ride as Harper went about her investigation. This one is also super light on the romance, but overall a good read. I'll be picking up the third book soon.

12. Reflections (Indexing #2) - Seanan Mcguire

In progress...