Top 14 Books of 2014

   Hey guys!
   The year is almost over, only a few more hours are left (at least in my time zone) and so I thought it would be the perfect time to finally talk about my favorite 14 books I've read in 2014. These are not necesserily books that have been published in 2014. They are simply taken out of the 58 books I've read in the past year. If you follow my blog and BookTube channel the book that is on my place nr. 1 will definitely not surprise you.
Anyway, let's get to the list!

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 #14 - Riot by Sarah Mussi
   This was a great action packed read set in the near future (2018).  I enjoyed it a whole lot and that cover is amazing!

#13 - Erased by Margaret Chatwin
   So good! This is a not very known YA Contemporary with an amazing and very realistic plotline. The protagonist is a great guy and the things he goes through are great and heartbreaking at time, too.

#12 - Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
   A fun read with hot aliens. I enjoyed Jennifer L. Armentrouts writing a lot and the way Katy and Deamon "function" together is brilliant and funny and super entertaining.

#11 - Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski
   This was the only adult book I read in 2014 and, oh boy, was it amazing! At the same time it was a hard read as it deals with quite a few hard topics and violent scenes but all in all it's a great read but definitely not for those who are not adults yet.

#10 - To all the boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han
   My first Jenny Han book and I loved it! It's a cute YA contemporary with a lovable protagonist and a funny and cute plotline. Can't wait for the sequel to finally come out!

#9 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
   My first fantasy book in a very long time. I had an amazing time reading this. I love the protagonist because she is just so smart and witty and stays true to herself no matter what. And Sarah J. Maas' writing style is brilliant!

#8 - Slated Trilogy by Teri Terry
   This was a great trilogy which I simply couldn't put down once I started it. I love the different take on the dystopian society with slating terrorists and criminals as means of giving them a second chance. Following Kyla was great and seeing the pieces come together in the end was mind-blowing.

#7 - Ruin by Rachel van Dyken
   A very emotional and amazing read. The two main characters were very lovable and I enjoyed reading about them a lot. Though this book was a little predictable at times it was still exactly what I wanted it to be.

#6 - 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
   This was so creepy! When I first picked it up I was simply sold on the whole moon part but I totally did not expect the direction this book went in. I definitely couldn't read this one at night (I'm usually not a scardy-cat but this book!). If you are looking for a really creepy book that will blow your mind and happens to play on the moon, well, this is exactly what you are looking for!

#5 - Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
   Very beautiful and philosophical with two very lovable characters and a fantastic ending.

#4 - Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
   Witty, funny and all round amazing! I have not enjoyed a Vampire book in a long time but this series had be hooked since page one. And, Dimitri! Enough said.

#3 - Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
   Another book that deals with complicated topics but is just fantastic. The writing is beautiful and the two main characters are very unique and great.

#2 - The Martian by Andy Weir
   Much Mars. Such science. Very fun. I finished this book only a few days ago but it was just so brilliant that it simply had to be on this list and on place number two.

#1 - The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
   Amazing finale to the Mara Dyer trilogy. I love this story, the characters and Michelle Hodkin's writing. She is among my top 3 favorite authors and I will definitely read anything and everything she writes. I could not wish for a better ending to this trilogy.

   And that was it. These are my favorite 14 reads of 2014. I am very curious what reads await me in 2015. Tell me in the comments below, or tweet me (@Alice_Reeds), what books made it onto your guy's lists of favorite books.

   I hope you're having a fantastic day and see you guys in 2015!
   Cheerio!

November Wrap Up

   Hey guys!
   November is done and so is NaNoWriMo. Let's start with that, shall we? I, just as last year, participated in NaNoWriMo which is also why I haven't been too active on here and on my YouTube during November. I dedicated most of my time to writing and winning, which I ended up doing a week or so early. My finishing word count was 65k words but since then I added a few more so I ended up with a first draft with a length of 67k words. Now I have to go into revision and sometime in the near future it'll again be quary time.
   When it comes to reading I didn't get too much of that done, only two books and two mangas. Not my best result but I guess it's still better than nothing, right?
   This month the Book of the Month and Most Anticipated are one and the same as it is The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. As you guys know I love that trilogy and I've been dying to read it. And I did. And I loved it. I also wrote a review for it, which you can find by clicking on the title in the list below.

   Books read:

• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin [5 Stars]
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 1 by Naoko Takeuchi [5 Stars]
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 2 by Naoko Takeuchi [5 Stars]
• Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan [3 Stars]

   Books acquired:

• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• A Thousnand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• God's Buried Children by Daniel Farcas
• Partials by Dan Wells
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 2 by Naoko Takeuchi
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
• Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
• Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
• The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
• Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Angelfall by Susan Ee
• Balzhar by M Wolitzer

   ~ In Process ~

• Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (24%)
• God's Buried Children by Daniel Farcas (80%)
• A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (9%)
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (61%)
• and way too many more...

   For the Month of December I am hoping to read a few more books, though I have quite a few things planned and there also is the fact that I need to revise my NaNoWriMo novel, but I will still try my best to get some reading done.
   And that's it for this little post and update.

   Cheerio! 

Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Published: November 4th 2014 (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Number of Pages: 480 Pages (Hardback)
Series: Yes, #3 of Mara Dyer Trilogy
Buy it: The Book Depository
~ Free shipping worldwide ~

   Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
   There is.
   She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
   She should.
   She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
   She will now.
   Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
   Retribution has arrived.

"She looked genuinely concerned, and I'm not sure I'd ever wanted to hit someone as much in my entire life." (Mara)

   Where to start, where to start?
   I've been waiting to read this book ever since I finished reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer for the first time maybe a year ago. I must admit, it was frustration to see the release date being pushed further and further back but, in the end, I am happy because I know that it was all worth the waiting.
   I've read a lot of trilogies over the years but rarely they had such a perfect last book as The Retribution of Mara Dyer. (I'm looking over at you, Allegiant) After reading the first two books I had so many question, just like everybody else. There was so much I wanted to know and that I felt needed more explaining and depth. And let's face it, after THAT EDING in The Evolution of Mara Dyer, we all needed this one to find out if certain things were true or not.
   I can promise you that this book will give you all the answers to any question you might have ever had regarding the characters, the chapters set in India et cetera. But, while you get a lot of details, informations and background to our beloved or hated characters, there are also moments and lines that will make you burst out laughing, loud. Michelle somehow managed to create teenage characters that really felt like teenagers. They made jokes that felt truly like jokes that teenagers make. They used pop culture references toward The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It was simply brilliant.

"I thought you were going to give it the District Twelve salute." (Jamie)

   Oftentimes author create teenage character which just do not feel like the age they are said to be, but these characters did. They were amazing, smart but also had flaws which made them more real than a lot of other characters out in the world of books.

"Before I could say anything, Jamie began writing giant letters over the words with his index finger. F-U-C-K Y-O-U. My sentiment exactly."

   Something that makes this book stand out is the depth of detail we get regarding the medical and psychological aspect of what is happening to our lovely protagonists. I seriously am not surprised that Michelle Hodkin needed more time to write this book because I am sure it took a lot of time to figure that all out and make it sound so spot on as it is done in this book.

   It was also very interesting to get more background info regarding Dr. Kells which, in the end, helped you understand what was going on in her head and how it all fit together. And I admit, I might hate her now even more than I did in the previous book.

   Mara, on the other hand, now she goes through a lot in this book. But she is such a strong character that she still manages to survive it all, against all odds, even though she might not always make the best decisions ever but it all just perfectly underlines and explains all the things that are going on inside of her, the way the "thing" affects her mentality and personality. She is not afraid of making hard choices, not even the hardest one of them all.
   Jamie is just amazing in this book. He never loses his sense of humor and he is just such a great character and friend for Mara. Even at the worst times he decides to stand with her, despite how scared he might be. I enjoyed the fact that he had a bigger role in this book and that we got to see him so much for the last time.

"The freaks shall inherit the earth." (Jamie)

   There are also other characters which I would love to comment on BUT I don't want to spoil anyone. But I can tell you there are surprises coming, good and bad ones, so prepare yourself. One in particular surprised me a lot when I thought I might have it all figured out but then I realized "you know nothing, Alice (Jon Snow)"

"I want to double-fist the shit out of this pizza" - I still cannot believe that Michelle Hodkin managed to sneak this sentence into a published book. Amazing!

   All in all, The Retribution of Mara Dyer was more than just a worthy ending for this outstandingly amazing, dark, mind-blowing and brilliant trilogy. This book had it all, all the things a final book should have: Answers, moments that will make you laugh, moments that will make you cry, gasp and shocked, happy and sad, and the perfect amount of cuteness.

   The Mara Dyer trilogy is dark, twisted and psychological in exactly the way I love and want a book to be. It will make you fall in love with the characters, it will make you feel what they feel and it will make saying good-bye to them even harder.

   I am both happy that I have read this book and sad that this is it. There will be no more.

"This is a love story- Twisted and Messy. Flawed and Screwed up."

   To conclude this review I want to say Thank You Michelle Hodkin for writing this amazing trilogy, for giving us Mara, Noah, Jamie and all the other outstanding characters. This trilogy is truly perfect and I cannot wait to see what you will write next.

"My name is not Mara Dyer."

I give The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 5 out of 5 Stars.

Happy Bookaholic TAG

Hallo meine lieben,

heute habe ich einen neuen TAG für euch! Dieses mal den Happy Bookaholic TAG der eigentlich auf Englisch ist, jedoch habe ich die fragen ins deutsche übersetzt um mal wieder einen Post auf Deutsch zu haben. Ohne groß rumzuquatschen, los geht's! 

1.)   Was liebst du am kaufen von neuen Büchern?

Ich muss zugeben, ich mag es Bücher in form von ebooks oder Kindle zu kaufen jedoch liebe ich das Gefühl ein Buch in meinen Händen zu halten. Ich liebe das Gefühl wenn ich die letzte Seite umblättere und, wenn ich fertig bin, das buch zu zu schlagen. Und, ich liebe den Geruch von alten Büchern. Ist das eigenartig? Oh, und ich mag es extremst ein Buch auf meinem regal stehen zu haben und es einfach dort zu sehen. Sehen wie meine Kollektion immer Größe und größer wird, na das ist genial. Ich meine, in meiner Kindle app sehe ich auch wie die liste an Büchern länger wird, aber das ist einfach nicht das gleiche.

2.)  Wie oft kaufst du neue Bücher?

Naja, wenn es ein buch gibt das ich unbedingt und sofort haben will, dann ist die Chance das ich es sofort kaufen werde recht groß. Meist, wenn ich ins Einkaufszentrum gehe, in dem es auch einen buchladen gibt, mag es schon passieren das ich etwas finde das mir gefällt jedoch versuche ich meine Käufe im Zaum zu halten. Wobei, diesen Monat hab ich schon 3 Bücher gekauft…

3.)  Buchladen oder online?

Ich würde sagen online, was aber einzig und alleine daran liegt das die Buchläden in meiner nähe nur eine grausam winzige Auswahl an englischsprachigen Büchern haben und ich online einfach alle finden kann die ich will.

 4.)  Hast du einen lieblingsbuchladen?

Ich würde sagen Hugendubel auch wenn der in meiner nähe nur so 10 englischsprachige Bücher anbietet. Die meisten davon sind welche die ich entweder schon habe oder die mich nicht interessieren.

 5.)  Vorbestellst du Bücher?

Eher nicht. Ich warte bis sie erscheinen, da ich nicht schon im voraus Geld für die Bücher ausgeben will, da ich das Geld nutzen könnte um ein anderes buch zu kaufen das ich sofort haben kann anstatt Monate darauf zu warten. 

6.)  Hast du ein monatliches „Bücher kauf“-limit?

Nein. 

7.)   Bücher kauf sperren?

Ist nicht wirklich mein ding. Ich schaffe es auch ohne sie mein verlangen danach Bücher zu kaufen mehr oder minder im Zaum zu halten.

8.)  Wie groß ist deine Wunschliste?

In zwei Wörtern - ZU GROß. Die liste an Büchern die ich lesen will auf goodreads ist momentan über 300 Bücher lang - Tendenz steigend - daher hab ich noch ganz schön was vor mir. Wobei momentan hab ich zwei Bücher im Augen die ich unbedingt will (die auch schon Erschienen sind), nämlich: Love Letters to the Dead von Ava Dellaira und Dorothy Must Die von Danielle Paige. Momentane Lieferzeit beider Bücher ist zwischen 2 und 5 Wochen, nicht gerade schön. 

9.)  Welche drei Bücher hast du auf deiner Wunschliste die du sofort haben willst? 

Nummer 1 – The Retribution of Mara Dyer von Michelle Hodkin, das dritte und finale Buch in der “Mara Dyer” Trilogie. Ich liebe diese Trilogie und der zweite teil endete mit einem solchen knall das ich einfach wissen muss wie die Trilogie enden wird. SOFORT! Aber, leider wurde der Termin SCHON WIEDER verschoben, und zwar auf NOVEMBER! Warum!?

Nummer 2 – The Infinite Sea von Rick Yancey, das zweite Buch in der „The 5th Wave“ Trilogie. Ich liebe den ersten teil und ich kann es kaum erwarten bis der zweite teil endlich raus ist, was übrigens am 16. September der fall sein wird.

Und Nummer 3 – City of Heavenly Fire von Cassandra Clare, das letzte Buch in der „Chroniken der Unterwelt“ Serie. Ich brauche es, sofort! (27. Mai)


So, dass war es dann auch schon!
Cheerio!