Top 5 Books We Want to Read in 2017!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic was perfect for us today because at the moment, we’re trying to sort out our reading priorities for the end of 2016, and moving some of the best books on our TBR over to 2017 will definitely take the the pressure off!

♡ Maddie’s Picks ♡

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is one of our favourite book-to-movie adaptations, and Bee’s been recommending it to me every time I’m stuck for something to read but it’s so long and I don’t want to feel like I have to rush through it, so 2017 will be the year I finally sit down and soak up The Host, at a leisurely pace!

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Everyone was talking about this book when it first came out because it was about writing and a teenage girl publishing a book, and that sounded awesome. I bought it straight away, read the first 50 pages, loved it and then put it down. Why? Who knows. Not next year though.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Another book that I started reading and couldn’t get into, 2017 is like the year of second chances. I couldn’t keep the world straight in my head, but I really want to like this series because it’s slightly more adult and the author is from the UK, and I already own the second book!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I’m so hyped for the movie to come out in 2017, starring Zoey Deutch, that I need to read the book to satisfy my need to see the movie right this second. I’ve loved all the Lauren Oliver I’ve read so far, and I’m really excited to go back to her debut novel and see how far she’s come!

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

It’s been a while since I read my last Rick book, and I’d say I’m far enough away from the Heroes of Olympus series to not just dislike the new kid on the principle that he is not Percy or Annabeth or any of the other demigods I fell in love with. I know he’s also written The Trials of Apollo and I need to catch up with my old fave middle grade author before I fall completely out of the loop.

♡ Bee’s Picks ♡

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

First of, I would recommend you check out the Goodreads page for this book and look at all the different covers, because each one seems to market the book in a slightly different way, and now I have no idea what to expect from it! All I know is that the characters share surnames with the characters of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and it’s about witches and that was intriguing enough for me to buy the whole series!

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

I’m really excited to read this trilogy now that the final book The Winner’s Kiss came out this year! I’ve been waiting so I can binge them without any wait in between and from the reviews Maddie has already given the series, I think I was right to do so. The covers for this series are just outstanding and I’ve heard SO many good things, it’s about time I finally read them.

Slated by Terri Terry

This is another trilogy that Maddie has raved about, so I think you can see a pattern emerging. This list could’ve been made entirely from series that Maddie has completed and loved, but I limited myself to just the two. Maddie’s read quite a few of my series recommendations now, so I think I should take some of her recommendations seriously in return! Slated was actually one of the first books that she reviewed on this blog too, so the wait has been long enough!

One by Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan is such a diverse author. This year we both read the Breathe duology and loved it, and One has been nominated and won a few awards for being just so brilliant! It’s the story of conjoined twins, so I know it’s probably going to be a very emotional read for me, but Maddie and I are actually going to a reading and signing that Sarah Crossan is doing with the co-author of her next book We Come Apart, Brian Conaghan, so I definitely want to get it done by then, but I might even sneak it in before the end of this year, who knows!

Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like forever, and I know it’s had some mixed reviews, but I’ve only been reading the positive ones! It’s the story of Emi and Ava who fall in love and that’s enough to make me desperate to read it!

 

Review: Book Of Lies by Teri Terry

25370363Book Of Lies by Teri Terry
Genre:
Paranormal
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 352
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really love Teri Terry’s writing. The Slated Trilogy was such a standout read for me in 2013, and the whole series brings a new voice to the dystopian genre. Then, last year, I read Mind Gameswhich had the same techno-fantasy vibe as my favourite book of all time, Fearsome Dreamer.  So, I had expectations when it came to Book Of Lies and they were definitely met! It was a great reading experience, and really made me appreciate the previous books of Terry’s I’ve read.  Continue reading “Review: Book Of Lies by Teri Terry”

Review: Shattered by Teri Terry

shatteredShattered by Teri Terry
Genre: Dystopian
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 402
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Slated (#1), Fractured (#2)
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

As a finale to a trilogy, this book was something incredibly different. It wasn’t ‘Mockingjay’, and it wasn’t ‘Allegiant’. It wasn’t wild, it wasn’t action-packed, but the calm after the storm of ‘Fractured’. I didn’t know what was going to happen to Kyla, and where she was going to go, but I sure was pleased with were she ended up.

Plot and Pacing
As I said, this was the most mellow of the three books. We found out about Kyla’s past life in ‘Fractured’ and now it was just about seeing what she’d do next. The answer? Find her birth mother.  Continue reading “Review: Shattered by Teri Terry”

Review: Fractured by Teri Terry

fracturedFractured by Teri Terry
Genre: 
Dystopian
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 420
Format: Paperback
Series: Slated (#1)
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

‘Fractured’ was a totally wild read. Even though I read ‘Slated’ last year, the content was still burning in my memory. It was an excellent start to a series, and definitely one with a lot of scope for a sequel. ‘Fractured’ did not disappoint, neither did it follow the cliche of being worse than the first book! Hurrah!
In this book, we follow Kyla as she searched for answers about her past, present and future, with non stop action and lots of big reveals that made my jaw drop.

Continue reading “Review: Fractured by Teri Terry”

Review: Mind Games by Teri Terry

18664167Mind Games by Teri Terry
Genre: Techno-fantasy, girl vs government
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 448
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

If I was going to compare this book to any other, it would be Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve, because of the similarities in world-building. So, if you like your fantasy books to have a more technological feel, then this is the book for you. And if you’re read Slated by Teri Terry, you’ll be able to recognise similarities between the main characters. Continue reading “Review: Mind Games by Teri Terry”

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Slated by TSlatederi Terry
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-fi
Published By: Orchard Books
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find:
Goodreads | Amazon

Originally, I wasn’t going to pick up this book. I’ve already had my fill of stories about girls that didn’t know the world they lived in was an elaborate lie the government produced as a method of control. But, after consulting GoodReads, my trusty reviewing companion, I decided that ‘Slated’ had something to prove.

The idea is that teenagers that have done terrible wrongs in their lives are given a clean slate (hence the newly coined verb: to slate) and are ‘reprogrammed’ to no longer feel anger; their emotions controlled by a device with a death grip on their wrist.

Kyla (beautiful name) is the main character so, as we are reminded many times, is different. She can feel anger. She can remember parts of her previous life. She is unhappy to conform to the world the government is trying hard to maintain and is desperate to learn about her past self, and the horrible thing she did to be Slated.

 One thing I’ve learnt from novels like this: questioning the government ends in your ultimate termination….or the termination of the government, of life as we know it, of the truth. (These books can be a little melodramatic.)

Generally the pace of the book was very slow. I put this down to it being the first in the series, so a lot of explaining had to be done to build the world, but perhaps 300 pages of miniscule plot was slightly excessive. Kyla doesn’t actually get her ‘mission’ until the final third of the book and though the first two thirds aren’t without purpose they could have been more exciting.

There was a love interest, though like a modern Jane Eyre, Kyla was hung up on the fact that he may have been previously dating another girl that disappeared. The love story felt slightly forced, as if romance is a necessary part of all teen fiction, when in some cases it can only distract from the action.

The last five pages were thrilling, though slightly confusing because the pace of the novel rapidly increased, like Teri Terry was trying to sprint to the finish after she’d saved up her energy at the start of the race.

Dark and sinister in places, ‘Slated’ was a captivating read (when the plot was actually moving forward.) I enjoyed the relationships between Kyla and all other characters; there was so much development below the surface.
Overall, 4 stars.