Series DNFs # 1

So I'm trying to learn how to DNF, right? It's not easy.

By nature, I have this compulsive need to finish what I've started. And books and series fall into this. While I've still not perfected the art of DNFing a book while I'm in the middle of it and it's just not grabbing me, I am getting better at it. But here's something that's much easier for me to do. It used to be impossible, but I'm learning here....DNFing a series (after finishing whatever book I was working on in the series).

That being said, this post is an attempt to free myself of these series that have been sitting on my TBR list and shelves that I'm just not even interested in finishing. If I seriously dread the thought of picking a specific book up, then what in the world am I doing to myself? Reading is supposed to be fun. I've got to learn to cull out my need for completion and perfection.

So here goes...my series DNFs...

Blood of Eden by Julie Kagawa. I know many people out there love this series, but it just really wasn't for me. I read The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure and the pacing was extremely slow in both books. I found myself falling asleep when I should be reading.

House of Night by PC Cast & Kristin Cast. I really enjoyed books 1-4. Like devoured them. Books 5-6 weren't AS good, but they weren't bad. But then books 7-8 were progressively worse. The plot barely advances between books. The main bad guy is still floating around. The characters felt like they were getting dumber rather than smarter, regressing rather than growing. Not to mention all of the modern day references which is a pet peeve of mine, as well as the ridiculous modern lingo (ugh...I can't even believe I just said lingo, but I'm trying to illustrate a point). Reading these books (the last couple in the series) has made me feel dumber. That's just not what reading is supposed to be about. I have book 9, Revealed, in my possession, but I haven't made it past page 23 before I was utterly annoyed and the thought of picking it back up makes me ill.

The New Kid by Temple Matthews. I finished The New Kid and got about 15% through The Rising before I realized that this series just wasn't for me. I found this one really hard to describe what I was struggling with, and I hate that I can't be more specific. I did write a DNF Review of The Rising here, and maybe it should be obvious, but I'm definitely DNFing the series.

The Paradise Diaries by Courtney Cole. Book 1, Dante's Girl, was a cute read. There wasn't much wrong with it, but I just find that I'm not excited about reading any other books in this series.

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. This is similar to The Paradise Diaries. Book 1, Angel Eyes, was fine, but there was nothing really about it that made me want to keep reading.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. I loved the concept of book 1, but it was very slow paced and turned out completely different than I was expecting. I felt like the concept was much better than it's execution. Not interested in reading more.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire. I finished books 1 and 2, Hourglass and Timepiece. And for the most part I enjoyed them. But again, this series is just lacking the elements that make me want more.

The Soulkeepers by GP Ching. Soulkeepers was one of those books that I forced myself to read 5 pages or so at a time. I eventually made it through the book, but I have no desire to force myself to read anything anymore.

The Airel Saga by Aaron Patterson. This book hooked me with it's pretty cover. I'm a sucker for dark covers. But what was inside was slow. I wasn't hooked at all, and also forced myself page by page to finish this one.

Darkness Falls by Krystal Wade. Wilde's Fire, book 1, wasn't my favorite. It held promise, and again I got hooked with the pretty cover. The first book wasn't bad at all, it just didn't leave me in a place where I felt like I wanted to read any more. I picked up book 2, Wilde's Army, because I was still in the phase where I felt compelled to finish what I started. I never should have requested book 2 from NetGalley because I was never fully interested in reading it. I pushed through about 20%, but I'm just more than uninterested. The dialogue has the characters repeatedly calling each other by name to the point where I think it's just awkward because people don't talk like that. And at one point, the character say "we can't stay here long" but the proceed to have a discussion right there, and then towards the end of the discussion they say "we can discuss this later, we really need to leave this place" (I'm paraphrasing), but I'm like "yeah you said that 10 pages ago and then you proceeded to have a 10 page discussion right in the middle of the dangerous place you said you needed to hurry up and leave." At this point I'm still trying to finish book 2, but I'm not sure if I'll finish it. Either way I'll do a review or a DNF Review when I decide.

The Never Chronicles by JR Wagner. Exiled, book 1, was my first review book ever. I was just so excited to be approved for one that I didn't really care what it was. Of course, I cared when I started it and found it to be boring as all get out. Big concept, not the best execution.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. Like House of Night, I really enjoyed books 1-3, but after that each book consecutively got worse and worse. Again, not much was happening with the plot to advance the overall story. And I really just felt like we were going in circles. I LOVED the concept of this series, but I think the concept WAY overshadowed the execution. I think Melissa de la Cruz has such a deep concept of this series that the reader gets lost in the details. Can't see the forest for the trees kind of thing I guess. I abandoned after book Misguided Angel.

The Immortals by Alyson Noel. Another series where I really enjoyed books 1 and 2, Evermore and Blue Moon, but Shadowlands was one I had to force myself to read 5 pages at a time. I was proud and relieved once I finished it, but that left me with no desire to finish the series. It's been so long since I read Shadowlands I hardly remember what my specific issues were.

The Vampire Diaries: The Return by LJ Smith. First off, let me say that I LOVE this TV show. The writers of this show took an average book series and turned it into so much more. I liked the idea of moving the spinoff series (The Return) in Damon's direction. I love a good bad boy, and I totally heart Damon in the show. But this series went from weird to weirder. Book 2 of The Return, Shadow Souls, left off at a huge cliffhanger, but even that's not really enough to entice me to finish the series. And I'm not going any where near The Hunters spinoff...not even with a 10 foot pole.

Night World by LJ Smith. This is one of those series that I read in the beginning of my re-sparked reading life, and thus I didn't have much awesome writing to compare it to. Even then, it didn't take long to realize that each book has a repeating story arc. And while I would get sucked in to these stories, they become so predictable it wasn't even funny.

Return of the Ancients by Madison Adler. I read The Glass Wall and the prequel, Behind the Mirror, and truth be told, I enjoyed it decent enough. I even remember laughing out loud at one part in particular--which doesn't happen too often for me in books, and I usually love when it does. But the overall story and concept just isn't enough to bring me back for more. Plus it's been well over a year--almost two--since I read this and time has dampened my interest. It's time to let it go.

Shades of London by Maureen Johnson. This might come as a surprise to some. Maureen Johnson is hilarious on twitter. The Name of the Star is the only book by her that I've read and truthfully I read this book because it was by her. Also this was one that my husband suggested to me based off of hearing about the description. He didn't actually read it himself, but Husband doesn't make too many recommendations so I picked it up for him. It was okay. It didn't really call to me. I'm fine not finishing the series.

Need by Carrie Jones. I enjoyed book 1, Need, but books 2, and 3 grated on me in increasing levels. I rated Entice 2 stars. There's no need for me to come back after 2 stars. You can read my review of Entice here to see what frustrated me the most with this series and this book.

There might be more series that I'll DNF. I have a few more that I'm unsure about. Time will tell. In the meantime, I truly feel lighter. And now that I've done a post about these, I feel completely free to remove the remaining books in these series off my TBR list and shelves. And donate/giveaway/sell any in my possession that I desire. I feel so light and free....you should try it.

Are there any series that you've DNF'd? What about these that I mentioned? Are any of them keepers that I really need to try to push through? Let me know!

Rose Under Fire - Review

Rose Under Fire

By: Elizabeth Wein

Expected Publication: September 10th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

368 pages

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.

You guys, wow....just wow. I literally just finished Rose Under Fire minutes before writing this review and my thought process is all over the place. As someone who doesn't typically read much historical fiction, particularly from the time period of World War II, Elizabeth Wein is able to suck me into her stories of these magnificent female characters, chew me up, and then spit me out.

I said in my review of Code Name Verity that what I typically love to read is love stories, but what I've come to realize is that what I really love to read is a story that spark emotion within me. Obviously that's fairly easy to do with love stories. It's harder to do for me when it comes to a story about establishing other types of relationships and connections between characters. Elizabeth Wein has this down to a science. I don't know that I have ever cared so deeply for characters that aren't developing a romantic relationship as I have for the characters that she has created within both Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. Because Elizabeth Wein impressed me so much with Code Name Verity, I had no scruples about starting another World War II book that doesn't have anything to do with falling in love--yet everything to do with falling in love.

The secondary characters felt just as real as Rose, our MC, and I absolutely fell in love with this family of characters. I also really enjoyed how Elizabeth Wein weaved Maddie into this story as well so that we got to see how Maddie has turned out, where she is, how she's coping with her losses and moving on, etc. The other cast of characters: Roz'a, Lissett, Karolina, Irina, Anna, Elodie...they all touched my heart so deeply. Perhaps even more so because Elizabeth Wein shares in the Afterword how much of Rose Under Fire is based off of actual survivor accounts.

Like Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire takes on the narration style of the main character writing in her journal. There is stream of consciousness, and it fits the purpose of this story so well. No other style would compliment this story in the same way.

I loved the differences from Code Name Verity to Rose Under Fire, but I won't discuss those in detail because I don't want to ruin the plot at all. There were multiple moments where entire passages would bring chills over me, and I found myself highlighting huge chunks of paragraphs and pages in my Kindle instead of solitary sentences. Elizabeth Wein did a great job of moving me throughout the book and through such a wide range of emotions. I can't imagine how emotionally connected to the stories she's created with both Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fireshe is--but maybe even more so with Rose Under Fire.

I highly recommend both Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire--even for those of you who don't get pulled in by the description of these two books. Code Name Verity would never have made my radar had it not been for raving reviews of other bloggers, and thus I would have missed out on Rose Under Fire as well. I can't help but give 5 Stars to Rose Under Fire for the wonderful writing style, brilliant characters that I dare you to try not to get attached to--characters that literally jump off the pages--and heart-wrenching emotion that will have you holding your breath and trying to hold back tears.

My favorite quotes:

"It makes me angry. Why should it have to be like this, for all of us, all our generation? That the only way for a young couple to be together is to get married? No chance of honeymoon, no flowers or champange because the gardens are all full of cabbages and turnips and France is a war zone? No pretty silk dress unless someone manages to steal a parachute for you."

"The descrtruction we are heaping upon the German cities is unimaginable--it is shameful. It makes me feel ashamed to be one of the victors. And then we come across a row of railway wagons abandoned on a siding under the snow and packed with hundreds of frozen, emaciated bodies--hundreds of them, unexplained, some of them children--and I know that we must be the victors. Whatever the shame--whatever the cost."

"Suddenly, on the other side of the thin wooden barracks, an anonymous voice yelled out, "Viva la France!" Instantly there was dead silence. We were all frozen, holding our breaths, waiting for the lights to snap back on and the dogs to come back. But nothing happened, and after another tense moment, half a dozen other anonymous voices answered in defiance: "Viva la France! VIVE LA FRANCE!" Then another voice called out fiercely, in English, "God bless America!" It wasn't me. It wasn't Elodie. I don't know who it was. But it was a battle cry."

"Hope--you think of hope as a bright thing, a strong thing, sustaining. But it's not. It's the opposite. It's simply this: lumps of stale bread stuck down your shirt. Stale gray bread eked out with ground fish bones, which you won't eat because you're going to give it away, and maybe you'll get a message through to your friend. That's all you need."

5 Stars people! 5 Stars! 10 Stars...however many stars I can give! Have you read Rose Under Fire? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Forever

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Forever (Temptation, # 3)

By: Karen Ann Hopkins

Expected Publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

304 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--All I want is my happily-ever-after.

That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.

From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.

If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.

But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Things that Make My Life as a Reader/Blogger Easier

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Things that Make Your Life as a Reader/Blogger Easier.

Reading

1) Kindle - My goodness where would I be without my kindles? I love phyiscal books, but it's just so stinkin' easy to take all of my ebooks with me in one device. AWESOME!

2) Kindle App on my phone - And what's better than that is if I've left my kindle at home I can always just bust out the cell phone.

3) Kindle cover with book light - I've got a kindle fire that I usually use to read if it's dark, but I also have this handy book cover that has a book light attached to it for my regular kindle. This is the one I have. (not an affiliate link)

Blogging

4) Google Calendar - Keeps me organized.

5) Blogger Planning Kit from Clean Mama's printable shop at Etsy (not an affiliate link) - Also keeps me organized.

6) Highlighting/notes making feature on Kindle - I don't know how I used to write reviews without taking notes.

7) Planning ahead/scheduling - I'm currently scheduled until mid-November, with the exception of a couple of October dates that I'm holding for something specific. It takes so much pressure off of me to be scheduled ahead of time.

8) Book Depository's Free International Shipping - Makes hosting international giveaways so easy. However, my latest giveaways have actually been coming out of some birthday giftcards to Amazon and thus have not been international.

9) Other bloggers who do a tips and tricks post periodically - This is a huge help to me. I wish I knew enough to do these kinds of posts, but I just don't feel like I do.

Both

10) Goodreads - Anyone who reads ever should have a Goodreads account.

11) Audiobooks - There's a lot of debate for and against audiobooks. They have their cons for sure, but they definitely help me keep up with my reading goals since I can multitask with listening to audiobooks.

What are the top things that make your reading/blogging life easier? Let me know!

Delirium - Review

Delirium (Delirium, # 1)

By: Lauren Oliver

Published: August 2nd 2011 by HarperTeen (first published February 1st 2011)

441 pages

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Source: Borrowed from my local library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

Oh boy guys...what to say about Delirium other than "read this book!"???

The concept of love being considered a disease by an entire society was such a unique concept that I was pretty much captivated from the first page. Of course, because this concept is so "out there" I was being a little over analytic with the logistics of it all. But eventually, I was able to just shut that part of my brain off and dive into this interesting and truly sad concept of a world that Lauren Oliver created. A world without love....can anyone truly imagine it?

Lena starts out as a strict rules-follower type of person. She's had too many experiences in the past that haunt her concerning those who try to break the rules--those who fought for love. And after seeing what those people have gone through, the very idea of the "disease"--the deliria--terrifies Lena. She absolutely cannot wait until she turns eighteen so that she can receive the cure. But genius is not needed to know that Lena has quite a wild ride ahead of her.

Initially, I was almost more intrigued by Hana's character than by Lena. Hana is always pushing the edge of what's been deemed appropriate by the government and what her heart calls out to her. Hana and Lena go through a lot throughout the entire story unfolding in Delirium, and I loved how they could be at odds with each other and return back to a place of love and devotion to each other as true friendship allows.

Alex confused me at first because he wasn't really what I was expecting. In the end he lived up to be everything I hoped for. He is the catalyst for so much change within Lena and I don't think we've even seen how far the reach of the ripples that he's caused for Lena and even other secondary characters as a result. I can't wait to find out more.

After reading a couple of books where I felt like the writing was immature (that's the best word I can think of right now), but having a hard time explaining what I meant by that, Delirium was so easy to pick out as being excellent writing--lyrical and poetic. Beautiful. I actually listened to the audio version of this book, read by Sarah Drew. She did an excellent job. She was dramatic and intense and I felt my heart pounding my chest during certain parts of the book. The intensity that she put behind her narration was just what this book called for. Though sometimes Sarah Drew's narration for Alex was slightly off-putting, the rest of the story and the performance was spot on.

Some of my favorite quotes (*note because I listened to this book in audiobook version, it's almost impossible for me to quote directly, specifically punctuation, etc. I did the best I could. And I definitely can't site the location.):

"You can't really be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes." - Hana

"The secret to talking to boys--you have to be angry all the time." - Lena

"Is it possible to flirt without knowing you're flirting?" - Lena --YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"And then my eye went full flutter." -Lena - Ok this one you have to know the context, but trust me...it's hilarious, especially if you've ever had an eye twitch due to stress.

"Apparently the disease turns you into a world class liar." - Lena

"Without love there could be no hate. Without hate, no violence." - Lena followed up by "Hate isn't the most dangerous thing. ...Indifference is." - Alex

"You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. Five feet two inches tall. And I am in between in every way. But I have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there. More than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to Earth. People who love in a world without walls. People who love into hate and refusal, against hope, and without fear. I love you. Remember. They cannot take it." - Lena

Delirium is a must read in my opinion. Full of beautiful prose, intense pacing, and original in concept. I'm giving Delirium 4.5 Stars. Have you read Delirium? If so, what did you think? Let me know!