BOOKS.FAVE.RAVE: ✪✪2011 MUST READS!!!✪✪

my top reads for 2011 (recommended must read) ヅ 

YA contemporary

1. BEAUTIFUL DISASTER by Jamie McGuire

2. CHAIN REACTION (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles

3. EFFORTLESS (Thoughtless #2) by S.C. Stephens

4. WHERE SHE WENT (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman

5. ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Angie Stanton

6. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins

7.  FLAT-OUT LOVE by Jessica Park

8. HEART ON A CHAIN by Cindy C. Bennett

9. BREATHE by Abbi Glines

10. SOPHIE AND CARTER by Chelsea Fine

YA paranormal

1. THE IRON QUEEN (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

2. THE IRON KNIGHT (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

3. DESIRES OF THE DEAD (The Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting

4. THE SHADOW READER (McKenzie Lewis #1) by Sandy Williams

5. ANGEL FIRE (Angel #2) by L.A. Weatherly

6. TOUCH OF POWER (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

7. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE (DOSAB #1) by Laini Taylor

8. REQUIEM (Providence #2) by Jamie McGuire

9. HEROES 'TIL CURFEW (Talent Chronicles #2) by Susan Bischoff

10. DEVOUR (Devoured Series #1) by Shelly Crane


DYSTOPIAN / FUTURISTIC

1. UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

2. DIVERGENT (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

3. READY PLAYER ONE by ERNEST CLINE

4. LEGEND (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

5. SHATTER ME by Tareh Mafi

6. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (ATU #1) by Beth Revis

7. CROSSED (Matched #2) by Ally Condie

8. OBSIDIAN (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

9. WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion

10. STARCROSSED: PERIGREE (Starcrossed #1) by Tracey Lee Campbell


PARANORMAL ROMANCE

1. DREAMS OF A DARK WARRIOR (Immortals After Dark #11) by Kresley Cole

2. THE DARKEST SURRENDER (Lords of The Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

3. BIG BAD BEAST (Pride #6) by Shelly Laurenston

4. ARCHANGEL'S BLADE (Guild Hunter #4) by Nalini Singh

5. ETERNAL RIDER (Lords of Deliverance #1) by Larissa Ione

6. IMMORTAL RIDER (Lords of Deliverance #2) by Larissa Ione

7. RETRIBUTION (Dark Hunter #20) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

8. VAMPIRE MINE (Love at Stake #10) by Kerrelyn Sparks

9. POWER OF THE MOON (POTM #1) by Tina Carreiro

10. SEXIEST VAMPIRE ALIVE (Love at Stake #11) by Kerrelyn Sparks


CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE .. hot reads

1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (Fifty Shades #1) by E.L. James

2. FIFTY SHADES DARKER (Fifty Shades #2) by E.L. James

3. STRANGERS by Barbara Elsborg

4.  SWEET POSSESSION (Sweet Series #5) by Maya Banks

5. LOVE UNSCRIPTED (Love #1) by Tina Reber

6. TRUST IN ADVERTISING by Victoria Michaels

7. THE PERFECT PLAY (Play by Play #1) by Jaci Burton

8. ROCK HARD (Sinners on Tour #2) by Olivia Cunning

9. ROCK ME (Ross Sibling #2) by Cherrie Lynn

10. EVERYONE LOVES A HERO by Marie Force


HISTORICAL ROMANCE

1. UNVEILED (Turner #1) by Courtney Milan

2. WHEN THE BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST (Fairy Tales #2) by Eloisa James



Based on my log in goodreads, i have read 235 books this year. It's a good year for me when it comes to books because i'm just starting to discover lots of authors. For example, i never thought i'd like a series like Love at Stake of Kerrelyn Sparks.. or Argeneau Vampires by Lynsay Sands. I also discovered that i love dragons, thanks to the Dragon Kin Series by G.A. Aiken. I also came to understand why Rick Riordan is so famous.. i may not be a big fan of his Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series, but he sure have captured me with his Kane Chronicles. I also discovered that i like reading independent authors' work. And of couurrssee.. i now admit that i'm a sucker for hot-fictional-men.

I know that Unwind, The Mating and Warm Bodies were not published in 2011 but i felt the need to put them here. haha. I did not get the chance to read lotsa historical romance this year so i only have 2 faves.

So there.. i had a blast reading these,, i hope you will enjoy them too.

next stop: 2012 books

BOOK.FAVE.RAVE: TOUCH OF POWER

GREAT. GENIUS. AWESOME. FANTASTIC. PERFECT.. and all other beautiful words one can have!


This one is definitely on my top reads for 2011. 

Touch of power intrigued me at first because of the cover (uhh yea, i'm a judge-the-book-by-it's-cover sometimes..so sue me!).. and then the blurb which says something about healing.. and me being a nurse and all waited for this book for months and months. When it finally came out, i braced my self since i didn't know if the book will be what i expected it to be. Turns out, i didn't really need to worry... the book is more than what i expected and truth be told.. just blew me away.


I loved Avry on the spot. As in from the very first page, i admired her. She's really a breath of fresh air. I've encountered so many heroines.. the kick ass type, the intelligent ones, the combination of kickass and intelligent type, the beauty-and-brains type, the meek-subdued-not-so-likeable type, the bitchy-yet-likeable-because-humorous type and so on and so forth.. but Avry? she's very different. I can't place her on any of those. 


❤I LOVE AVRY's character because: 


✔she thinks before she heals meaning she knows triage
✔she's smart and you really can't fool her because her brain functions too fast.. 
✔she can figure things out in just a small amount of time (which happened with the Death Lily incident)
✔she's honest yet she knows how to use words properly 
✔she thinks about others' well being first
✔she knows the value of self sacrifice and definitely doesn't hesitate when it comes to children
✔she gives people the benefit of the doubt (like with Prince Ryne)
✔she's not self absorbed!! finally.. another character who doesn't fuss about herself on every page like everything's about her
✔she's intelligent yet doesn't gloat
✔she learned how to fight because of ★PRACTICE★ which means of course that she's hard working
✔she's also a good teacher (uhm like the time she taught Loren how to cook other stuffs)
✔she's plain yet commands attention because she knows how to handle her self
✔even though she tried hard to not make any connections with people, she managed to win their hearts and eventually became her friends.. her character knows the feeling of fulfillment due to her ability to heal


So there, i like the heroine. Do i like the story? well hell.. DEFINITELY YES! It has a different feel. I felt like i was reading about RAGNAROK (MMORPG), with all the talk about Mage, Acolyte, Monsters, Mercenaries and items. The places they traveled into, people they met and obstacles they had to face... awww that surely sealed the deal into me liking the whole novel. The love part here is just a plus. I also admit to being teary eyed at some point. Avry's point of view sometimes is just too much. With all the things she's been through and people who became close to her, she can't help being affected by them and of course, me as a reader can't help but be affected as well. sucks, but yea.. I was happy, frustrated, sad, fuming and then happy all over again. 


Personally, i wish that Flea is still alive. I don't have any other things to hope for on the next book except for that. I hoped that the next book would come out on 2012 but, no such luck because at the end of this first book it says the second one will be out by 2013..anyway.. still, it's another great book to be expected. ヅ

book.fave.rave: OBSIDIAN

May just seems so far away for the next book to come out!

I've been waiting for Obsidian for such a long time. I've been following its blog tours (lika a stalker) and have been hearing lots of good things about it (like a gossip monger) that i don't think i'd be adding much if i gush about it.

I just love it! Gosh, i knew i'll love it but i'm still shocked at my reaction. I mean.. i didn't know that it'll be this good. Honestly, all i can say is that you guys really have to read this! I my self can't get over the story. So many possibilities for the next book (which, again, can't seem to come out soon eneough for me).

I was totally reminded of my elementary years while reading this novel. I used to do this cliche'd thing when i had a crush on someone..


Daemon loves Katy
Daemon doesn't love Katy
Daemon loves Katy
Daemon doesn't love Katy
Daemon loves Katy
Daemon doesn't love Katy
Daemon loves Katy
Daemon doesn't love Katy

and when the last petal drops (i'll make sure i get the timing right ha!)
Daemon loves Katy!!!

Oh yea, it's a love-hate relationship between an alien and a human and it's sooo damn great that you really have to read this!! I'm not saying this just so i'm not the only one kicking tin cans, watching the clouds or pulling out my hair until May 2012 comes (well, okay, partly).. i'm saying this because i'm sure i'm not the only one who'll be swooning over Daemon and hating him the next minute and then back again to swooning.. errr.. i'm blabbering aren't i? lol..

Anyway... i guess i'll just have to wait ... and wait... and wait... until the next book falls at the palm of my hands =)

book.fave.rave: THE SHADOW READER

Did you love The Iron Fey Series? If yes, i think you're going to love this too!!
Of course this first novel in the McKenzie Lewis Series is very different from Iron Fey, it's just that they both have kick ass heroines and a downright perfectly woven story that make me correlate the two series.

The world of Fae is such a diverse one that i couldn't seem to keep up with some terms (like eddarratae). It was both fascinating and intriguing. I have to say that i'm astounded with the different feel of this faery novel. I mean.. shadow reader? how cool is it to come up with something like that? The author is really good. I can almost feel her fae world (which kinda extends to our world) with her description in the book. Even the war seems to be very creative. I mean, it must take a lot of time to make connections between three opposing parties. Seriously, i think authors are sometimes geniuses. =)


I must admit, i was surprised to learn McKenzie's age.. i thought she'd be in her teens.. like maybe 17 or 18. But oh well, i guess it doesn't matter.. so long as i get to read about Kyol and Aren.

Hmm.. Kyol and Aren, what to do with those two hotties? oh i dunno. I like Kyol's character.. he just seems a bit stiff but he's honorable and somewhat the serious type .. while Aren on the other hand is very charming..strong, handsome, sweet, lovable? haha.. lol, let's just say i'm on Aren's team officially although i would love to see more of Kyol. I wish that Kyol and Lena could be an item on the next book. I feel bad for Naito.. i guess i'll just have to see what self-destructive plots he has on mind for the next one.

McKenzie - - a character i truly admire because she's loyal. Oh so loyal that it hurt her that people lied to her. I also admire her because of her resilience (i mean 10 years of serving for the fae king would really push me to "burnt-out" mode). Lastly, i admire her because she admits that sometimes, she's wrong and she accepts things after thinking about it..she also stays true to her self. Her character was made to be a witty, courageous and self-sufficient one that i can't help but want to be her.

So there... i wish the next book would come out fast.

In the mean time, this one deserves a perfect score =)