♡ 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 ♡

https://heartfullofbooks.com/2014/05/07/review-slated-by-teri-terry/

https://heartfullofbooks.com/2015/06/25/review-one-by-sarah-crossan/

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!

T5W: Favourite Series Ending

Published on April 29, 2015March 7, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

This week, we discuss how we feel about our favourite series coming to an end, and what made them all so perfect, because there’s nothing we love more than a good happily ever after!

If you haven’t finished these series yet, then we suggest not reading the explanations as they are pretty spoiler ridden!

1. City of Heavenly Fire

This series pretty much ended happily for everyone didn’t it? Clary and Jace finally getting to be together, Simon and Isabelle finally admitted they were more than just casual friends and of course Jocelyn and Luke making their vows…the only bad thing about this book was how it completely ruined the end of ‘The Infernal Devices’ series. It should have had a spoiler warning!

2. Anna and the French Kiss

We chose ‘Anna’ because, even though we liked ‘Isla and the Happily Ever After’ the least of the companion series, the happily ever after than Anna and Etienne get is the most beautiful thing ever. I need a short story of their wedding and their family and them just growing old together, please.

3. Champion

Although slightly bittersweet, I love a good ambiguous ending every now and again! Day and June went through such a hard time in this trilogy, and even though I may have wanted them to have the perfect ending where they’re definitely together forever and ever, I thought it was a perfect and completely realistic ending after everything that had taken place.

4. Requiem

A controversial choice is always good to throw into the mix. The Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver ended slightly ambiguously. Did Lena end up with Alex or Julian? Would everything be OK in the end or not? Was the society better with or without love? I think that’s what made the ending so successful – I had questions. In hindsight, Requiem ended differently to any other girl vs government book, and that is what makes it a favourite!

5. The Illusionists

The ending to the ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ duology completely threw me for a loop. I can’t believe how it ended! There were so many twists and turns in the plot (not to mention the space-time continuum) it was like the whole world had been turned upside down! ‘The Illusionists’ makes it to the list for pure originality and being completely unexpected *applause for Laure Eve*

T5W: Most Frustrating Characters

Published on April 15, 2015March 7, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

This week, we discuss the characters that make us want to jump inside books and shake their shoulders! There are quite a few (unfortunately) so let’s get to it!

1. Tris Prior

Tris, overall, is an excellent character. She’s strong, she’s determined and she’s practically capable of anything. But, there’s one thing she’s not capable of: communication! Actually talking things out with Tobias is her downfall. They’re so willing to sacrifice themselves for each other, which is endearing, but frustrating when they won’t tell each other what’s going on!

2. Prince Kai

It seemed like the lovely prince was the only one out of the loop in The Lunar Chronicles. Scarlet knew about Cinder. Cress knew about Cinder, Levana knew about Cinder…everyone on Earth and the moon knew her identity. Having to read Kai’s chapters in the books was frustrating because I just wanted to dive into the council room and catch him up on all the action. Thank goodness he’s part of the team at the end of ‘Cress’, otherwise I don’t know how I would have coped.

3. Sydney Sage

Don’t get me wrong I love Sydney! She’s intelligent and sticks to her morals no matter what other people tell her. She’s also really good at evaluating right from wrong, but how she handles the Adrian situation had me ripping my hair out! I know you come from a background that pretty much hates vampires, but you shouldn’t care about that if you love one! Sometimes she just needed to listen to her heart instead of her head.

4. America Singer

Girl’s got two really sweet guys wanting to be her boyfriend/husband/prince. She spends most of the books in regretful turmoil over each, and struggles to come to a conclusion until the final book. America needed to accept her fate much sooner, and to stop comparing herself to the other contestants for Maxon’s heart! He was looking at her all along!

5. Wells Jaha/ Ruby / Juliette

All three of these characters are classified as juvenile delinquents. All three of these characters share the same weakness: they’ll classify themselves as monsters. Whether it’s because they’re keeping a secret or hiding their powers, Wells from ‘The 100’, Ruby from ‘The Darkest Minds’ and Juliette from ‘Shatter Me’ all have what I like to call ‘The Monster Complex’. If they only realised the potential they held, I would be much less frustrated with them. Embrace the power, guys. Please.

T5W: Books I’d Save In A Fire

Published on March 4, 2015March 7, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

For any book-lover, this is the worst case scenario! It’s like asking a mother to chose between the children: its impossible to pick the ones you love the most. I think it would almost be easier to answer the opposite question, as I definitely know which books I’d leave for kindling. But, there are definitely some books on my shelves that I couldn’t imagine leaving behind:

1. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

This is by far my favourite of ‘The Heroes of Olympus’ series – where the gang are all together for the first time! (And who wouldn’t love the moment when Annabeth and Percy are reunited? They’re just precious.) Although ‘The House of Hades’ is beautiful, I don’t think I could live through the cliffhanger a second time. That’s why Annabeth’s solo quest is my first save!

2. Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

This is my favourite contemporary – I could re-read it multiple times and never get bored. There’s something about this book that takes me back to my days of reading solely Cathy Cassidy books, whilst equally giving me the same feeling that ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ left me with. I hadn’t read a book that dealt with family orientated issues in a long time, so this one was a real stand out for me.

3. Cress by Marissa Meyer

I’d save cutie ‘Cress’ for the same reason as ‘The Mark of Athena’. I love when teams come together, but I also love a good fake-boyfriend plot. I really think that the ‘Lunar Chronicles’ has everything you could possibly want from a series: romance, adventure, threat and more romance.

4. Paper Towns by John Green

My favourite of his works. It’s been a while since I read ‘Paper Towns’ and I definitely think a re-read is necessary before the movie is released. This book really sparked my love of road-trips and fuelled my love of a good mystery.

5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

No doubt the best of the companion series, Miss Perkins knows how to put a good romance together. I wish there was less confusion between Anna and Etienne and Etienne’s insignificant girlfriend (I didn’t like her so much I’ve forgotten her name.) However, Anna really sparked my interest in contemporary books, so it would be a crime to leave her behind.

It might be surprising that ‘Inkheart’ didn’t make this list, but I do have four copies. One of them is bound to escape the flames. (I only hope it’s one of the English editions!) Plus, Bee’s got a copy of ‘Fangirl’, so we’d be set on that front.

T5W: Friendship Groups

Published on February 18, 2015March 7, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

There’s nothing better than reading a book where the protagonist is surrounded by a great group of friends – friends that support them in whatever they do but also challenge them to do things they wouldn’t be able to do alone. Here are our top five picks for friendship groups we’d love to be a part of!

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1. Emily, Frank, Dawn and Collins from ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’
What was brilliant about this friendship was that it only really culminated over the summer. As readers, we got to experience Emily discovering new friends, whilst still surviving Sloane’s absence. This book is the perfect example of friendship – if everyone is willing to skinny-dip, then you know you’re friends for life!

2. Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macy from ‘The Gallagher Girls’
All four friends bring something distinctly different to this group; Bex has her beauty, Liz has her brains and Macy has her daring personality (not to mention her father’s money!) Again, if someone is willing to bug the house of the guy you like, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for you!

3. Harry, Ron and Hermione from ‘Harry Potter’
There’s no way this golden trio couldn’t be mentioned! I loved watching their friendship grow as the series progressed and how supportive Ron and Hermione were of Harry, even when he was being a little bit of a douche-canoe. They’re consistent dedication to helping each other, and the rest of the magical universe for that matter, should be admired.

4. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank and Hazel from ‘Heroes of Olympus’
Why I loved ‘Mark of Athena’ the most out of the whole series was the friendship and teamwork that arose from the seven halfbloods living in the Argo II. Each character could easily mix with any of the other six. Although, if I was to join this group, I might end up feeling like the ninth wheel (as Leo is already spoken for.) Rick really seems to care about his characters finding love. Aww!

5. Cinder, Iko, Scarlett, Wolf, Cress and Thorne from ‘The Lunar Chronicles’
Again, a similar problem would arise from being part of this friendship group – everyone’s part of a couple! (Don’t tell me Cress and Thorne aren’t a proper thing yet. Just wait for ‘Winter’ and I know they WILL be!) What’s special about this group is the diversity, in both gender, age and ability…..and the degree to which they can be classified as human, of course. Cress is a cutie, Scarlett is kick-ass and I bet Thorne would be able to keep everyone entertained, even if the world is being crippled by disease.

T5W: Anticipated 2015 Releases

Published on January 7, 2015March 7, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

We’ve previously talked about the Top 15 books we want to read this year, and in that list are a couple of new releases, so we thought we’d think of a couple of others that we’re also super excited for!

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1. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins
Rebel Belle made Maddie’s Top 14 of 2014 and hopefully the second book is just as good if not better. Also, she needs some answers for the HUGE cliff-hanger!

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass
A mix of faeries and fairytale retellings. This is basically the perfect read for both of us, I’ll be reading for the faeries and Maddie will be reading for the Beauty and the Beast intertextuality!

3. The Heir by Kiera Cass
After finishing The Selection Series, we’re excited to see what could possibly happen next, although we have a few concerns that The Heir will end up being a gender bend of The Selection, we still hold out hope.

4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Bee is super excited to finish the Shadow and Bone Series, and can’t wait for the next fantastical adventure by the same author. The premise sounds incredible and action packed, so what’s not to love?

5. PS. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Although it’s a known fact that we at Heart Full of Books, are not the biggest Jenny Han fans, and weren’t that impressed by To All The Boys I’ve Love Before, there does seem to be legitimate grounds for a sequel, as the first book felt like a prequel to hopefully something amazing that will happen in this sequel.

Tag: T5W

Top 5 Books We Want to Read in 2017!