The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 12

Yay we made it! Merry Christmas (Eve)! I hope you all get everything you want in your stockings and presents! I'll be going off on holiday in January, so the blog might be going slow, but I have a few posts queued to keep things going. Hope everyone has a great time during holidays :)
Now, for our last Book of Christmas...

Day 12:
Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead

I talked about Mead's Storm Born a few days ago, so of course I had to talk about my favourite of her series - and the one that sparked my love for all things Richelle Mead.
The word 'vampire' carries a lot of baggage ever since Twilight, but trust me when I say, this is not Twilight, and Rose points and laughs at the types of Bella. Think of it more as a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter.
Rose Hathaway is a dhampir - the child of a Moroi vampire and another dhampir (or a human, both unions end in dhampirs. Originally, dhampirs came from vamps/humans, so they're essentially half vampires), and she's training to be a Guardian for her best friend, the Royal Moroi Princess Lissa Dragomir.
The cool thing about Vampire Academy is that it incorporates real Scandinavian vampire myths into the novel; their folk tales told of two different kinds of vampires: the live Moroi that could control the elements (air, earth, water, fire and spirit), and the undead vampires, the Strigoi, who were basically manic beings whose main purpose in death was to kill all the Moroi and destroy civilisation. Yay!
As a Guardian, it's Rose's job to train to kill Strigoi. And she's good at it. Especially because she has an uber special instructor: what me and my friends lovingly call 'the badass Russian god', aka Dimitri.
Rose is a hilarious narrator, and it was always an absolute pleasure to be in her crazy head; it's one of the things I miss the most in the spin-off series, Bloodlines. With Rose around, there's never a dull moment.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 11

Day 11:
The Opportunist, Tarryn Fisher

This is another non-paranormal (aka contemporary) novel. It's an intricate weaving of lives and lies, and it gets to the point where you don't know what's up and what's down.
Fisher pushes and pulls the reader in all directions; none of the characters is "the good guy"; there is NO good guy in this book, only varying degrees of bad decisions and a lot of love.
It's raw, it's emotional and it will make you want to cry your eyes out by the end.
It'll leave psychologically exhausted, but it's also incredibly satisfying in a weird way. Definitely give it a go.
Undecided? Here's my review to help you decide.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 10

Day 10:
Night Shift, Lilith Saintcrow

This is another adult fantasy series. I'd say it's Urban Fantasy, so if your recipient is a fan of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books, they're likely to enjoy this.

To this day, I can't put my finger on what makes these books so good. But oh my god, they're good. They're like crack, and once I got started, there was no stopping me. I think I read all of the first 5 books in something ridiculous like three days. Then I had to wait a year for the sixth book.

Jill Kismet (affectionately (?) called Kiss by the demon Perry who I absolutely loved to hate) made a deal with the devil. Or, well, with a devil. Perry is a demon, and he (usually) keeps his minions on a leash. The ones that escape from that leash, or the ones that come sniffing around to kill him and take over the city's reign, are the ones that Jill takes care of - in a very bloody, violent way.
And the only reason why she's able to do her job so well?
Her deal with Perry. His bite gives her the extra strength, stamina and speed that she needs to take on the things that go bump in the night. The only problem is, she's not quite sure how many strings her deal came attached with, and Perry is starting to ask for favours left, right and centre.
And Jill doesn't like it one bit.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 9

Day 9:
Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi

Strong female protagonist who is badass and also surprisingly vulnerable? Check.
Stupidly hot villain who actually has mush for a heart and is a cutie pie? Check.
Incredible storytelling? Check.
Equally as hot, cute and sweet guy who desperately wants to help our hero? Check.
Ensuing love triangle? Check (sort of... it kind of resolves itself in book #2 without Juliette actually having much a decision to make)
Amazing world building? Check.
Should you read this/give this to someone else as a present? Yes, yes, yes!

Juliette Ferrars has a problem: everyone she touches, she tortures. Her touch can kill. Her touch is literally torture. She's locked away for it by her own family, isolated and alone.
Until one day she's offered a chance to escape and change her life. Warner wants her to be his weapon and his queen. Adam wants to save her - from herself and from the world. But can she be saved? And most importantly, does she want to be saved?
These books are Young Adult, but don't let that fool you: they are absolutely brilliant, and Juliette is a delight as a narrator. It helps that I have a deep, unconditional love for Warner.
For all my thoughts on the last book of the trilogy, Ignite Me, here's my review.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 8

Day 8:
The Selection, Kiera Cass

The Selection is a sweet dystopian YA with a very cool premise: America Singer enters the nationwide competition to marry Prince Maxom. Even though she doesn't love Maxom (she's never even met him, and besides, she has her own boyfriend at home... even though he broke up with her and broke her heart), the girls who get into the Selection move up in life, and America uses the money she gets to help her family live more comfortably.
The problem is, Maxom is actually quite sweet and handsome, and being around him all the time, it's hard to remember Aspen back home, especially since she's not even so sure she should try to remember him, since he's made it so clear he wants nothing to do with her. And even though she doesn't want the crown, America has to decide if her feelings for Maxom are worth the trouble of being a Queen... or if she should just tell him to send her home.
It's fun, it's spunky but it's not all pretty balls and parties; the palace is constantly in danger from rebels - some of whom storm it and leave with few casualties... another group is much more violent. And they could attack at any time.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 7

Day 7:
Thoughtless, S. C. Stephens

If you're sick and tired of fantasy/paranormal books on this list, this might be for you. Although, do be warned: it does involve cheating; and while it's not presented in a positive light, it does happen.

Love triangles? Pfft. Those have nothing on Thoughtless. This book will pull you in, make you fall in love, and then just as you're starting to have fun, it'll dump a bucket of shit all over you and yank your heart out slowly and painfully. And the worst part? You. Will. Love. It.
Though speaking honestly, I haven't had the guts to reread Thoughtless since I first finished it; I did, however, finish book #2, turn right back around and start again - and I wish I'd had the spare time to do the same with #3.
The magic in these books are in the characters. They're so raw, so real, they feel like real people, and yet you can do nothing but watch as they wreck their lives.
You can find my surprisingly coherent review of Thoughtless here, and my very gushy review of Reckless (the last one of the trilogy) here.
If you're getting this is a present to someone (again, these are adult books with sexytimes!), it's probably a good idea to buy all 3 together, or at least the first 2, unless you want a disgruntled friend cursing you out at 3am when they finish Thoughtless.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 6

We've hit the half-way mark! Only six days until Christmas. Don't panic if you're still looking for bookish gifts! You can have a look back on the previous Books of Christmas posts here on BookWorm for ideas.

Day 6:
Storm Born, Richelle Mead

This is one of my all-time favourite series of books ever. And it's written by one of my favourite authors ever. Great package deal!
The Dark Swan books are all about the shaman Eugenie Makhram, who helps her stepdad to keep an eye out on any supernatural beasties from the Otherworld from setting up shop in our world. She's very good at what she does, and does it for money. The problem is, suddenly these beasties aren't so intent on killing her, but on... getting in her pants?
Eugenie is in for a bucketload of surprises in Storm Born - namely, that her biological father was the all-powerful and tyrannical King of the Otherworld, and there's a prophecy that his grandson will unite all the kingdoms of the Otherworld. And every single male-indetifying creature on the other side wants a go at being the father of the next King.
Unlikely alliances are made, trust is questioned and love is found where we least expect it. It's a roller coaster ride from book one right until book four - and even beyond, since Mead has already said that she does plan on writing more in this world... eventually.
Fair warning, though: this is very much an adult book, and very graphic sexytimes ensue. Please don't give this to your 12 year-old cousin or something, you will scar the child for life.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 5

Day 5:
Reason to Breathe, Rebecca Donovan

Now, this one... it's gloriously written, and talks about something very, very important - and it does it in such a painfully raw, beautiful way, it's impossible not to fall in love with Emma, and to plead with the literary gods for her to be able to escape her hell.
BUT it's not for the faint of heart.
And I don't say that to be funny. If domestic abuse is something that you can't stomach (of course, it bothers and makes all of us uncomfortable, but if it's truly something you cannot read about) then stay away from these books.
Which is sad, but understandable.
I can promise you that there is a happy ending... at the end of the third book. And if you're getting this as a present for someone, be sure to get #1 and #2 (Barely Breathing) as a package deal, because the cliffhanger at the end of Reason to Breathe is brutal.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 4

It's the final countdown to Christmas, so to keep the blog in the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd number my 12 all-time favourite books to give (or receive) as gifts.

Day 4
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Michelle Hodkin

If your giftee is a big fan of American Horror Story, this is the book for them. A friend recently bought the trilogy, but asked me to describe it her before she started reading them, and this was what I told her: it's about this girl, Mara (but not really), who has special powers and can do fun stuff with her mind; the books are all about what happens when people find out about this, and trying to lock her, and others like her, up to be lab rats.
It's gory, it's scary, it's dark and very creepy. The books in and of themselves are creepy enough as they are, especially at the start, when you're not entirely sure what's going on. But even as they progress, Hodkin isn't scared to pull out all the stops of a good ghost story, mixed in with a paranormal romance. It's an interesting mix, and by god, it works.
But, no, the creepiest part is the story behind Hodkin's inspiration: she used to be a lawyer, and one day when in New York in Court, she met this young girl leaving with another lawyer. The other lawyer and her got to talking, and the woman told her about how the girl (unnamed, for obvious reasons) had been in an interesting accident in an old mental hospital - and two of her friends had died. Hodkin says that even though the lawyer made it clear that it was just a case of weak foundations, etc, the girl had a look in her eyes that made her think there was a whole hell more to the story. So she went home and started writing about Mara. Some time after Unbecoming was published, she started getting "care packages" with letter and pictures that all told a story that was obviously impossible... right?
You can have a look at my review of the third and last book, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, here.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 3

It's the final countdown to Christmas, so to keep the blog in the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd number my 12 all-time favourite books to give (or receive) as gifts.

Day 3
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Don't let yourself be fooled by the label on these books; yes, they are children's books, and I frequently see them shelved in Middle Grade section in Waterstones, but this is a bit of a Harry Potter kind of situation, in that while they might have been written for children, about children, they touch on much deeper, very important topics that adults can enjoy just as much as kids.

Also, a handy hint and tip for anyone feeling pressured into reading Milton's Paradise Lost, but are having trouble coming to grips with the language and heavy imagery: read Pullman. He synthesises the main points of Milton in a way that makes it easy to grasp and is entertaining to boot. Trust me, I wanted to do my final book report for high school on His Dark Materials, but my teacher convinced me to read Milton and do it on Paradise Lost instead, since Pullman is so heavily influenced by Milton. I didn't enjoy the epic poem as much as I did Lyra's daring adventure, but I definitely saw the influence that leaked through into Pullman.
Again, if your giftee doesn't like reading, the first book in the trilogy is a movie, The Golden Compass, with Nicole Kidman. The movie isn't as good as the books, though, so maybe give the book anyway, because that's a good place as any to start a love for reading.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 2

It's the final countdown to Christmas, so to keep the blog in the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd number my 12 all-time favourite books to give (or receive) as gifts.

Day 2
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Moving away from the classics, this is more for the fantasy fans out there.
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, a trained assassin with more secrets than Albus Dumbledore. She's rescued from a prison camp by the Crown Prince of Adarlan to work for the King.

Badassery ensues, and if you get this as a gift for someone and they like it, you'll have great options for birthday presents - the next two books in the series, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire respectively, are already out. You can read my (very excited) review of Heir of Fire here.

Throne of Glass is a good bet for anyone who liked Kristin Cashore's Graceling and Maria V. Snyder's books.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 1

It's the final countdown to Christmas, so to keep the blog in the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd number my 12 all-time favourite books to give (or receive) as gifts.

Day 1
Pride & Prejudice

Some people don't like Austen, and I get it, in a way - I do. It takes me a couple of hours slugging through her books for me to get used to the old fashioned writing style, before I can get really going and just enjoy the story.

So believe me, I can understand why some people might find sticking through the tough parts a little boring.

But at the end of the day, I just love the socially inept Darcy and the feisty Elizabeth way too much not to judge someone if they say they don't like Pride & Prejudice.

And if you're buying it as a gift for a person who doesn't like reading, the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden owns a very special place in my heart; likewise, the BBC adaptation (the one with the famous Colin Firth wet shirt scene) is equally as good, so there's loads of options to go with!