My December TBR

-The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

-The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

-Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

-Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

(c) Photo by Holly Heartagram

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Pages: 320

Book Synopsis:

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

My Review:

Once again I cannot express how mad I am at myself for not reading this book series much sooner in my life!

'The Titan's curse' is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and yet again Rick Riordan did not disappoint.  This book is action packed, full of monsters and challenges our young half-blood heroes have to overcome.

In this book we are introduced to a few new demi-gods my favorites of course being Nico Di Angelo and his sister Bianca Di Angelo. After being rescued from a private school in the middle of no where these two take us on quite the adventure when Bianca decides to join Artemis and her hunters making her an immortal who helps the goddess Artemis track down and kill monsters all over the world. Nico obviously does not handle this news too well and it makes it even worse when once they all arrive back at camp they receive a new quest prophecy which involves Bianca leaving Nico behind at Camp Half-Blood.

Our main character Percy is also left out of this new prophecy but decides to leave camp after one of his best friends and possible love interest, Annabeth, goes missing. There are a lot of new monsters as well as gods in this book which keeps it all very interesting. For me personally my favorite god in this book was Apollo who's haiku's are so awful but somehow he remains charming and very funny even though this book gets quite serious at times.

Overall I really enjoyed 'The Titan's Curse.' This book makes for a very quick and entertaining read and I honestly cannot wait to see what happens next! My plan is to finish this series by the end of the year and then jump right into Rick Riordan's next series, 'The Hero's of Olympus' because I've heard nothing but amazing things about it!

My Rating:

My November TBR 

 (c) Photo by  Holly Heartagram

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Battle of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Goddess Test by Aime Carter

Be sure to follow me on Goodreads to keep up with my progress

(c) Photo by Holly Heartagram

                                          ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

White Hot Kiss By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pages: 400 pages

Book Synopsis:

One kiss could be the last. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

My Review:

When I hear the word Gargoyles my mind automatically goes to the  show 'Gargoyles' that used to play on TV when I was a kid. However 'White Hot Kiss' is quite different from that show especially because of the resident bad boy Roth.

Roth is a sarcastic but yet very charming young upper level demon who makes our main character Layla's world turn completely upside down when he reveals some secrets about her true heritage. Layla knows that she is part demon and part warden but what she doesn't know can and ultimately will hurt her and the ones she loves. 

This story had me on the edge of my seat the entire read! The paranormal aspect of this book is really amazing because there are so many  different forms of demons that you literally just had no idea what demon the author was going to throw at our main character Layla next. Of course the love triangle in 'White Hot Kiss' is completely drool worthy because not only do we have Roth, the very sexy demon, but also because of Zayne, the irresistible Gargoyle. Obviously it's no shock as to which love interest I prefer more since I cannot help but to love the bad boys.

Overall this book was phenomenal and I can honestly say that I love this book more than the 'Lux' series also by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  I think Jennifer's stories are great, yes they all have these love triangles between two swoon worthy boys but I appreciate how her paranormal aspects to her books are very different from most of the other trending Paranormal Romance books out there. 

I cannot wait to get my hands of the rest of the books in this series! Also be warned of the ending to this first book because it is very heart wrenching to say the least!

My Rating:

Title: The Iron Trial
Author: Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
Pages: 299 pages

Book Synopsis:
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .


My Review:

          First thing you need to know about 'The Iron Trial' by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black is that it is in fact a children's novel. I starting reading this book with that expectation in mind and I was not disappointed.

         'The Iron Trial' is about a young man name Call who has been taught his whole life that magic is dangerous and very bad and that he should try with all his might to fail The Iron Trial so that he is not sent to the Magisterium to be trained to become a mage. But somehow by trying to fail Call proves that he should be trained in the Magisterium and he opens himself up to a whole new world full of wonderful and amazing elemental magic.

       A lot of people have been comparing this book to 'Harry Potter' however as a huge 'Harry Potter' fan myself I just don't see that at all. The Iron Trial is more about Elemental magic which is the most interesting part of the book if you ask me. Meaning that each and every mage can only specialize in one kind of elemental magic.

       I honestly really enjoyed this book and for me personally it was a very short read. The book itself is only 299 pages and very action packed with lots of plot twists. It's everything you would expect from a book written by two of the most amazing authors of our time.


My Rating:

Title: The Bane Chronicles
Author: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson
Pages: 518 pages

Book Synopsis: 
Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

My Review:

         Once again I've found myself in a state of having withdrawal symptoms from one of my favorite fandom worlds. So I decided the best way to cure these symptoms was to dive right back into the Downworlder's realm by reading all of the short stories about my favorite Warlock, Magnus Bane.

         The Bane Chronicles is a compilation of a few short stories all about the amazing High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane. Magnus as most of us know at this point is one of the most important Downworlders in 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'The Infernal Devices' series. 

       In these short stories we began to understand Magnus's character a lot more as we are given an even closer glimpse at the amazing warlock. In these stories we are taken on a roller coaster of events over the span of Magnus's immortal lifetime and encounter a lot of new characters as well as some beloved well known characters. 

      Once I started this book I could not put it down! Scenes from 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'The Infernal Devices' Series are relived through the eyes of Magnus and give you even more reasons to love and adore his complex character. Overall this is a fantastic must read for any Cassandra Clare fan and I recommend it highly!

My Rating:

Title: Revolution
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Pages: 472 pages

Book Synopsis
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.
 
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.
 
Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.


My Review:

Viva La Revolution!!

I cannot believe I did not read this book sooner! Revolution is the incredible story about Andi a young girl in private school who's life seems to be falling apart in the worst kind of ways. She suffers from severe depression after losing her younger brother in a tragic accident. Her father who had since remarried and moved on with his life sees how bad her home life has become and comes to take her away to Paris so she can focus on her end of term paper and get into a good college. While away in Paris she strikes up a deal with her father that if she can write her paper by the end of the week he will let her go home. Everything is going great until Andi discovers a diary in an old guitar case written by a girl who lived during the French Revolution.

Alexandrine was a young woman who was employed by the King and Queen of France at the time to entertain their young son Louis-Charles. For those of you who are not familiar with that story Louis-Charles is the son of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. During the Revolution Louis-Charles was captured by the revolutionaries while his family was trying to flee from the castle they were being held captive in for three long years. Louis-Charles was then taken from his family and eventually thrown into a prison tower where he was basically left to die. Louis-Charles was only ten years old when he died but his body disappeared and so many people were convinced he got away while others did not think he was as lucky.

- Louis-Charles aka Louis XVII

Revolution will absolutely make you go through all the feels! I love this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction!

My Rating: