Best Book of September 2013

Many thanks to YA Highway for the idea to post the best book that I read each month.  Last year upon deciding to stop participating it Road Trip Wednesday, I decided that I still wanted to post the best book that I read each month.

Please note: The best book of the month will not be a book that I re-read. Those books are already my favorites, so they will not be in the running for the best book of the month. All books considered will be books I have read for the first time.

Best Book of September 2013

Unearthly was the best book that I read in September 2013. It was a great book. It was fantastically written, well plotted, and the romance was amazing. I loved all the plot twists, especially those involving the romance. It was totally unexpected. I could actually go on complete rants about the romance in this series. The entire series was great, but Unearthly was my favorite. I really want to re-read it now! I probably will some day. 

Book Review: Boundless

Boundless

"The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all."

Author: Cynthia Hand

Year of Release: 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Paranormal

Sequel(s): none 

Prequel(s): Unearthly, Hallowed & a novella called Radiant

Book Version: Hardback

Where did you get the book?: Library

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Warning: There are major spoilers in this review

Review: Boundless was a very good ending to this trilogy. Like the other two books, it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to find out what's going to happen next, and of course, to see who Clara ends up with. Cynthia Hand is an incredible writer. She is descriptive without going over board and she has such an amazing talent of being able to make the reader feels what the characters feel. Books that make me feel the same emotions as the characters are always the best.

I was expecting not to enjoy this book due to the knowledge that there would be a lack of Tucker, and at first, I will not lie, I was annoyed and aggravated by the lack of him. I never like it when one of the love interests has a smaller role or is not in the book at all. I can think of several other books in series that are like this. However, after reading Boundless, I understand why there had to be a lack of Tucker. When I read Hallowed I was beyond upset that he and Clara broke up because of Clara's purpose among other things. I felt as though she didn't love him even though she kept claiming that she did. When reading Boundless, I realized that she never stopped loving him; she was just pushing him away in order to protect him. It was really heartbreaking that they had to breakup, but I understand why.

I was genuinely surprised and happy when Clara accidentally teleported to Tucker's barn the first time she tried without her dad, but was quickly dismayed by the way Tucker was treating her (which was understandable, of course, but still upsetting). I liked how she kept ending up there every time she tried to transport somewhere. It was pretty hilarious, but I never quite understood why until the end. I also found it odd that Tucker just so happened to be there every time she transported there. How unlikely is that? I mean, each time she teleported there, he could have been doing plenty of other things, but he was always nearby. Each time, it became more and more obvious that Clara still had feelings for him, and by the third time, I knew without a doubt that she would end up with him.

Once I arrived at that conclusion, I started to enjoy the novel more. I liked the other storylines with Angela, Jeff, Sam, and Christian as well. It was very addicting. They all tied together really well. As I said previously, I do like Christian. He seemed like a great guy: very sweet, protective, and loyal. He's just not the person for Clara, in my opinion. To me, he always seemed like a brother figure to her, not a love interest. I will not lie, I really, really liked the part when the two of them went out together and when he tried to kiss her, she pictured Tucker. That was downright hilarious. 

The climax of this novel was so much better and much more terrifying than the small little fight that Clara had with Sam in Hallowed. Normally during intense scenes, my stomach doesn't start to hurt with anxiety, but it did this time around when Tucker's life was in jeopardy. I was reading at a much faster pace and ended up crying (which I rarely ever do). I was so upset and angry. Things worked out, and I couldn't have been happier. I absolutely loved how the epilogue was just an extended version of Clara's daydream that she had of Tucker in Hallowed. Now, I'm starting to think that her daydream was a one time vision. 

Overall, this was a great end to this trilogy. I was quite satisfied with the ending, but I want more. I was left with several unanswered questions that I'm dying to know the answer to. Knowing how it ends now, I have a deep desire to reread the first book which I probably will do within the next year or two. I would also probably enjoy Hallowed and Boundless even more a second time.

Book Review: Hallowed

Hallowed

"For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are."

Author: Cynthia Hand

Year of Release: 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Paranormal

Sequel(s): Boundless & a novella called Radiant

Prequel(s): Unearthly

Book Version: Hardback

Where did you get the book?: Library

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Warning: There are major spoilers in this review

Review: Hallowed was a good, satisfying sequel, but I must admit that Unearthly had certain things in it that Hallowed didn't thus the reason why I am lowering my rating of it, as well as because things in this book did not turn out the way I wanted them to. 

While reading this book, I felt many different emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, and confusion. During one part, I'm bursting with joy and the next thing I know, I am on the verge of tears. In other words, this book made me feel all the feels.  That is definitely one thing that makes a great novel.

People say that girls shouldn't rely on guys in order to be happy, and I agree, it should be that way in real life. The same should be said when it comes to fictional characters as well. But my love of Tucker controlled my emotions throughout this novel. I couldn't help it and it started to bother me. I felt like a girl with a huge crush on someone and whenever Tucker wasn't in a scene, I felt like I was just reading through it to get to a part with him in it. However, there were many parts of it that didn't have him in it that I did enjoy. 

I thought the romance in Unearthly was better done or maybe I am just biased when I say that because I like Tucker so much. But still, I sometimes find myself enjoying "the buildup" to a relationship better than the relationship itself. By "buildup", I mean "the buildup" to the start of a relationship. Clara had a huge crush on Christian for the first two-thirds of Unearthly and was completely blinded by the fact that Tucker liked her. Tucker started out being a jerk, but only because he liked her. I liked the slow and realistic way in which their relationship blossomed in Unearthly. It happened when she was least expecting it, just as falling in love happens in real life. The fact that she ended up with Tucker when you think she'll end up with Christian was a bit of a surprise, and I liked that a lot. However, Hallowed didn't have that "buildup" because they were already together. Other than a few other scenes, I didn't enjoy reading about their relationship as I thought I would, mainly because it seemed as though Clara didn't love him anymore. She claimed that she loved him and that she chose him over Christian, but the way she described things made it seem as though she didn't. It even felt as though her relationship with Tucker was awkward while her friendship with Christian was more comfortable and at ease. 

I even started freaking out because: a) first I thought Tucker would die (and feeling guilty because I wanted it to be her mom who dies and not Tucker, and then feeling even more guilty when it really does turn out to be Clara's mother who is going to die), and b) thinking that he and Clara won't end up together because of her purpose. I seriously am not used to not getting my way when it comes to love triangles, and I was becoming very, very upset. I was annoyed that I let the romance aspect of this book control how I overall felt about everything that was going on. 

With all of this said though, I do like how Clara has not let any single boy control her happiness and that she doesn't think that her life has ended knowing that she and Tucker can't be together. It breaks my heart, but I'm glad that Clara has come to terms with it even though, like I said, it felt as though Clara didn't even love him as much in the first place.

Even though I am absolutely in love with Tucker, I can't say that I don't like Christian, not at all. I love how even though he feels as though he and Clara are meant to be together, he still respects Clara's decision to be with Tucker. He seems like a great guy and if Tucker weren't in the picture, I'd totally be in love with him. However Christian was a hypocrite because he said that he wasn't the type of guy to hit on another guy's girlfriend and then a few chapters later, he's kissing Clara when she's still with Tucker. That made me want to slap both him and Clara.

The story itself was quite good and was very well written and plotted out. It was very addicting and was hard to put down. There were a few things that I guessed accurately, but there were several parts that I never would have been able to predict and I loved that. I always enjoy reading books with unexpected twists and turns. It makes me love them so much more. There were also two scenes in this book that I just loved. The first was the scene at the beginning of the book with Tucker and Clara when she went over to his house and she ended up falling asleep in his bed with him. The next morning, Tucker's dad caught them together. It was so awkward and so hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. The other part was when Tucker and Christian started physically fighting over Clara. It really is a girl's dream to have two attractive and nice guys fighting over her. Clara had even mentioned that she didn't like being in a love triangle and she never found them realistic (I completely agree), but man, oh man, I just loved that scene. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was a good sequel, but I did not like it as much as Unearthly. However, I would not classify it as a bad sequel at all.

Book Review: Unearthly

Unearthly

"In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart."

Author: Cynthia Hand

Year of Release: 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Fantasy

Sequel(s): Hallowed & Boundless & a novella called Radiant

Book Version: Hardback

Where did you get the book?: Library

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Warning: There are some spoilers in this review

Review: I was blown away by how good this novel was. It started out pretty well, but it consisted of parts that seemed cliché. The soon ended, and the story quickly turned into something that I really, really enjoyed and couldn't stop reading with the desire of wanting to know what was going to happen next. Cynthia Hand had a way of making an angel story unique. There are plenty of angel novels out there, but this one was different in a good way. It was captivating and really enjoyable.

The plot in this novel was very well done and very well paced. I didn't feel as though it was rushed even though a lot of time went by in only 435 pages. Cynthia Hand had a very good way of handling that. The book also never had a dull moment. I never got bored. Cynthia was able to keep me entertained throughout the entire book. As I mentioned earlier, this book was hard to put down.

As a romance lover, my favorite aspect of this novel was the romance. At first, I was surprised when Clara discovered that Christian, who she is meant to save, already has a girlfriend. I was expecting what most novels have: a love at first sight type of thing. It was strange at first. I had become so accustomed to books where characters fall in love right away that I was actually getting annoyed that it wasn't happening. Then I realized that this story (the love aspect anyway) was realistic. Although people can fall in love within a few weeks of knowing each other, it's much less likely to happen. Clara has a massive crush on Christian, but he already has a girlfriend. Typical if you ask me. I experienced that when I was in high school myself. Their relationship was gradual and natural, the way it would be in real life which I liked.

Enter Tucker Avery. Oh my gosh. I knew he was a potential love interest because of the summary, but by the way the summary describes her relationship with him, I expected him to be a bad type of boy with a sweet side like Patch from Hush, Hush or Jace from The Mortal Instruments. I was entirely wrong. He started out as a total jerk to Clara and I was starting to wonder how this guy was going to become a love interest. She pretty much loathed him and it appeared that he despised her as well. Enter Wendy Avery, Tucker's twin sister who is one of Clara's best friends. I liked the scene between the two of them where Wendy wants to know what's going on with Clara and Tucker and Clara is stunned that Wendy would ever consider such a thing. Wendy mentions that Tucker is only being a jerk to her because he likes her. I hadn't realized that as a possibility considering that no other love interests in books that I have read start out as complete jerks. That was a very unique way for Cynthia to do this, and I liked it. As the novel went on, I started to like Tucker more and more. Clara was falling for Christian, and I found myself falling for Tucker by the little things he did: giving money to Wendy when she was going to go shopping with Clara, taking three girls to prom because none of them had dates, offering Clara a ride home, and of course, willing to take Clara out on a tour of the area when nobody else was around during the summer. I was stunned that he wasn't a jerk at all, but actually a real gentlemen who opened doors for ladies. It was really sweet. I'm still blown away by his relationship with Clara slowly progressed throughout the novel and by the revelations of his character. I never would have expected Clara to fall for him. I just thought he would be the guy who liked her from a distance who eventually told her his feelings, and that she would decline him. I thought he was the underdog. I was, again, inevitably, wrong. (Yay!)

The final chapters of this book were very intense and I enjoyed them a lot. I found myself reading them quickly wanting to find out what happens next. I also found myself in bed still in my night clothes at 12:30 PM still reading. It was that good. What ended up happening was totally unexpected and I have many questions now, but fortunately, I have the last two books already from the library so I will be starting Hallowed very, very soon.

Stacking the Shelves (#4)

Stacking the Shelves is a book blog meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where book bloggers post about the new books they have acquired throughout the week either digitally or hard copy. It can be books that you have borrowed from a friend, got at a library, purchased online or in a store, etc!

Here are the books I have acquired this week!

Borrowed From the Library

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto 

This is the sequel to the book I'm reading right now, Halo. I'm really enjoying it right now. It's really interesting and cute. Plus, I love forbidden love stories.

Heaven by Alexandra Adornetto 

This is the third and final book in the series that I'm reading. I love the cover! Love that their arms make a heart shape!

The Program by Suzanne Young

I can't remember where I originally saw this, but I remember thinking it sounded fascinating and somewhat frightening! The book trailer for it looked good too.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

I went to the library this afternoon with my mother and I was just roaming around with nothing specific in mind since I had already gotten so many books from the library I work at. Then I saw this book and recognized it from Krystianna's blog, Downright Dystopia. This wasn't the first book on my TBR list, but decided to get it anyways! Actually, I didn't even know I had it listed on Goodreads until I went to the Goodreads page for the book!