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Shyora's reads 2016


Shyora

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Goal of 2016:

30 books

 

After reading a book I'm going to try to write a mini review on it. Just a few phrases.

Here we go!  :readingtwo: 

 

On shelf / To be read soon:

* The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #1)

* The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #2)

* The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #3)

* His Majesty's Dragon - Noami Novik (Temeraire #1)

* His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

* Dragon Haven - Robin Hobb (The Rain Wild Chronicles #2)

* Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobb  (The Rain Wild Chronicles #1)

* The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R Tolkien

* The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien

* The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien

* The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien

* The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel

* Bloedgeld - Simone van der Vlugt

 

Want to read 2016:

* Crooked Kingdoms (Six of Crows #2) - Leigh Bardugo

* Falling Kingdoms series - Morgan Rhodes

* Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb

* The Lotus War #2,#3 - Jay Kristoff

* Temerarie series - Naomi Novik

* Spirits and Thieves series - Morgan Rhodes

* Passenger - Alexandra Bracken

* Truthwitch / Witchland series - Susan Dennard

* Unhooked - Lisa Maxwell

* Blackhearts - Nicole Castroman

* The Darkest Minds series - Alexandra Bracken

* Eon & Eona - Alison Goodman

* Uprooted - Naomi Novik

* The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

* The Girl with All the Gifts - M.R Carey

 

 

Read 2015 (ordered by author):

 

* The Assassins Blade - Sarah J Maas   :  (4/5)  :cool: 

Prequels to Throne of Glass series

Some stories were more enjoyable than others, but I sure think this is a must read if you want to follow this series. A lot happens and will clear a lot of things happening in the series. 

* Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas    :  (3/5)  :mellow: 

Throne of Glass #1

Expected a lot of action, got not so much.. but because this is going to be a 6 book series, I will give the second book a try (remembered this were my feels about it back than) And because I read a lot of people are 'teaming up', Im going for team Chaol. Just sayin. I really don't like love triangles, so that was kind of a bummer too.

* Crown of Midnight - Sarah J Maas    : (4,5/5)  :lol: 

Throne of Glass #2

Now, thats more like it!  A lot happened in this book. And that ending? Yes, definitely going to read the next. Still team Chaol.

* Heir of Fire - Sarah J Maas   : (4/5)  :lol: 

Throne of Glass #3

Fantasic series goes on.. Remembered a lot of sighing and 'what?!'  and 'oh no!' going through my mind. The fantasy part of this series really comes to live in this book. Its so different from the first book, and in some way I did NOT expect some things to happen here..

 

* Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo   : (5/5)  :hyper: 

Six of Crows #1

Loved it, amazing characters and great world. Loved this book more than the Grisha trilogy. Remembered that when I finished it, I wanted to start all over again, so this is definitley going to be re-read! And seriously? Black stained pages? I could not resist that.

* Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo   : (4/5)   :smile: 

Grisha Trilogy #1

Interesting start of what can become a great series I think.. written in first person, I like that.  

 

* Zij Die Hoort - Patty van Delft    : (5/5)  :exc: 

Drägan Duma #1

This book made me start reading and loving books. This is where it started and I will remember that forever. Now, I really loved this book because it contained love, misery, DRAGONS, magical powers and two worlds; our world and the world of Drägan Duma. A lot happens here is this book and maybe the story went a bit to fast for my taste. But I'm very proud that this book is from a Dutch author.

* Bondgenoten en Verraders - Patty van Delft   :(4/5)  :lol:  

Drägan Duma #2 

Again, a lot happened here and really fast. Loved it, but would love it even more if the story was longer. And oh my goodness, I was really scared about my favorite character being the traitor. Now Im going to stop talking about this book, because I don't want to spoil anything. Just read it..if you can read Dutch.

 

* Promise of the Wolves - Dorothy Hearst    :  (4/5)  :smile: 

The Wolves #1

* Secret of the Wolves - Dorothy Hearst    :  (3/4)

The Wolves #2 

* Spirit of the Wolves - Dorothy Hearst   :  (3/5)

The Wolves #3 

Here's a series that follows a young wolf named Kaala. Its written in first person and as I mentioned before i really love this. The 'I' in this series is Kaala. Because Im an animal freak I loved this book so, so much. Its about how wolves live together, how they hunt and are a pack. But its also a really spiritual series and got to like that if you want to enjoy this series.. I did!

 

* De Guillotine - Simone van der Vlugt   

* De Amulet - Simone van der Vlugt   

* Jehanne - Simone van der Vlugt   

* Schijndood - Simone van der Vlugt  

* Rode sneeuw in December - Simone van der Vlugt 

 

* Goddess Test - Aimee Carter   :  (4/5)  :smile: 

Goddess Test #1

* Goddess Interrupted - Aimee Carter

Goddess Test #2 

* Goddess Inheritence - Aimee Carter

Goddess Test #3

Im actually not sure why I got these books. Im really not into romance and stuff like that, but this first book made me keep reading and reading untill it was over. So, I went to the next and exactly the same thing happened. Don't remember much about it though..except a lot of romance and drama ;)

 

* The Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen   :  (3/5)  :dunno: 

The Tearling #1

Now this was a book I had really high expectations of, but I just did not like it. I thought it was slow and..yeah.. thats all. There are some things Im curious about and since this is going to be a series, I may read the second book too but this book did not confince me.

 

* Paus Johanna (Pope Joan) - Donna Woolfolk Cross   :  (4,5/5)   :lol: 

I loved this book. While reading it, I noticed that this book is based on a movie.. But still loved it! Historical fiction here! Good pace in the storyline. 

 

* Drakenkoningin - An Janssens   :  (3/5)   :smile: 

I..really don't know anything about this book anymore except it being written in Dutch and its going to be a series or trilogy. And that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to (mostly because of a love triangle). Considering it for re-reading.  

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Read 2016:

Excuses for my English not being perfect. Most short reviews were written right after finishing a book and mostly that's late at night ;)

 

Siege & Storm - Leigh Bardugo  : (4/5)  :clapping: 

Grisha Trilogy #2

Sturmhond, oy oy oy! *uhum* Yes, loved it. Bit slow for my taste at some points, but new characters, new adventures. Loved it. Nothing left to say here.. 

Ruin & Rising - Leigh Bardugo  : (3,5/5)  :eek: 

Grisha Trilogy #3

Finished this 25th of january and still dont know what to think of that ending.. I really enjoyed reading it, made me laugh, almost made me cry.

Update after recovering from shock: Another book that made me sigh and gasp while reading it. I think the Grisha is a great YA series and Im actually a bit sad that it finished so soon. To my opinion there could be a bit more world building added but the characters are well written and you can really fall in love with them. Although Im still not happy with this series ending, I can really recommend it. Leigh Bardugo sure is an author to follow. 

 

Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff  : (3/5)  :) 

The Lotus War #1

Enjoyed reading this Japanses steampunk. Contains Japanese mythology, a tiny little bit of love and a nice worldbuilding. Sometimes a bit predictable, but yes, Im going to continue this series!

 

Queen of Shadows - Sarah J Maas (2,5/5)  :10_confused: 

Throne of Glass #4

This is my lowest rating so far and I would never expect it to be for this series. The beginning was good and exciting, starting where Heir of Fire stopped. But this book is..long and full of so much drama, I even skipped a lot of pages every now and than. Not even sure if I will continue this series anymore. Sad I didn't love this book as much as I hoped too.  So, bit confused about this one! 

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The Too-Clever Fox - Leigh Bardugo (4/5) :)

I think its really cool that Leigh Bardugo came up with several folk tales for the world she used in her books and made actual stories/fairy tales of it. If you've read Siege & Storm, the too-clever fox will sound familiar too you and I bet you'd like to read this story. But of course this can also be read before reading the Grisha, although it's not necessary for the series.

 

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik (3,5/5)  :D 

Temeraire series #1

This was a real fun and refreshing read. I like reading fantasy and most of those books are set in a world build by the author. This series takes place in our own world where dragons are used in aerial defense during the Napoleonic War. Im not really surprised that this was a really slow book, because the series contains 7 or 8 books. Still, Im hoping for more action in de next one. To me this was not a 'wow, that just blew my mind' book, but still really enjoyable. Im also secretly hoping for a bit less formility, although it suits the time its written in  :lurker: 

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Can we post yet? Or are you still setting up your book blog? If yes to the latter question, please say so and I will remove this post.

 

You have a lot of nice books on your TBR. I'm a big fan of The Wheel of Time series, though some other people on this forum didn't like it. I love it. Some of the middle books I enjoyed less than the earlier and later books (the ones co-written by Brandon Sanderson are pretty good, as are the earlier books in the series), but I enjoyed the whole series. I know though it's not for everyone (but then, most books aren't "for everyone").

 

I quite liked The Clan of the Cavebear. The series has 6 books, but I've only read the first 4. A while ago I bought all the books in English (I read the original 4 from my parents' Dutch copies), but I haven't read the English copies yet.

 

I've got some Robin Hobb, His Dark Materials, and The Lord of the Rings also on my TBR. I liked The Hobbit though I didn't love it. I prefer fantasy books with more magic, generally. And there was too much singing! Haha. But if you consider the fact it was written in, I believe, the 1930s, it is quite a feat. I hope you enjoy reading it :). I'm glad I read it, it was enjoyable.

 

I also own The Nightcircus and Eon and Eona (all unread). I'm sure I've read some of those Simone van der Vlugt books when I was younger, but based on the titles alone I'm not sure which ones. I own the first book of The Darkest Minds series but I'm not sure if it'll be for me or not (I kind of bought it on a whim).

 

I wish you happy reading in 2016 :):readingtwo:.

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Yes I think u can post now :smile:  I'll be changing and updating my own post on this topic when I can. I've read somewhere that I can change my own post after 10 posts or something? 

 

I am super excited to read The Wheel of Time! Actually read a bit of the first book on my e-reader, but now I've got the first three books on my shelf and it already looks nice, so Im imagining 14 books! Read a lot of different reviews of it, glad you enjoyed it! 

 

Kind of ashamed of myself that I havn't read The Lord of the Rings, since these books or on my shelf for about 10 years. Was a huge fan when I was a kid (still am of course)..So 2016 is going to be the year!!  You really make me curious about The Hobbit and the singing haha!

 

A while back I started His Dark materials, and although I loved it so far, I didn't continue cause there were a lot of books on my shelf and I was like; "I can read serveral books at the same time!" Turns out, I cant. So really have to pick that one up  :smile:

 

Really excited to read all these books, but also a bit afraid cause a lot of books are really thick  :o (at least, for someone who really 'started' reading last summer ;)  )

 

I'll be checking out your reading list as well  :D

 

 

 

Wish you a great reading year too  :readingtwo: May our shelves be filled with beautiful books  :smile:

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I'm not sure when you can edit your own posts, but 10 posts could well be true. I can look it up if you want me to. You've got 11 posts currently, can you edit your posts yet?

 

I hope you enjoy The Wheel of Time books, they look so pretty on the shelf :).

 

Yeah, I'm a bit ashamed of it too, but I was never the biggest fan of the films so heh. I prefer fantasy with lots of magic. Haha, I look forward to hear (read) what you think of The Hobbit.

 

I can't read multiple books at the same time either, I find it so confusing.

 

That's true, fantasy books often are quite long. It makes sense that makes it a bit scary. I find YA is generally shorter than adult fantasy books, on average (at least, when I look at my own collection that's the case).

 

Thanks :readingtwo::)!

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Uprooted by Naomi Novik is a great read, and the cover is really pretty too. His Dark Materials is worth going back to - I haven't read it in years myself, might give it a re-read at some stage.

What cover of Uprooted do you like better? Cause..Im not sure which one to get! Both US and UK cover are beautiful..Maybe Ill get them both eventually  :giggle:

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I hope you have a wonderful reading year in 2016, Shyora! :smile2: And I hope you have a lot of fun with your reading log and writing reviews :smile2: I've not read The Clan of the Cave Bear myself, but I've seen it often compared to Linda Lay Shuler's She Who Remembers, both dealing with similar era and themes. I've read that book and would highly recommend it in case you're looking for more books like TCotCB :smile2: 

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I hope you have a wonderful reading year in 2016, Shyora! :smile2: And I hope you have a lot of fun with your reading log and writing reviews :smile2: I've not read The Clan of the Cave Bear myself, but I've seen it often compared to Linda Lay Shuler's She Who Remembers, both dealing with similar era and themes. I've read that book and would highly recommend it in case you're looking for more books like TCotCB :smile2:

Also wish u an awesome year of reading :)

Thanks for the recommendation! Looked it up and sounds really promising. My TBR list is already growing xD

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Yay for you being able to edit your posts now. It's nice you wrote mini-reviews of the books you read last year :).

Thank you! Im not really a reviewer (yet) so I thought this might be a good way to practice a bit  :blush2:

 

 

That's what happens when you join this forum.... :D

Yes! Same as for Goodreads! I told myself not to buy any more books untill I finished every book on my shelf..but..Not sure if Im going to be able to hold on to that :lurker:

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I love your reading list, and the fact that there are so many series of books in it - saves the disappointment of finishing a good book, if you can then read the next one.    Good luck with attaining your goal  :reading:

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I love your reading list, and the fact that there are so many series of books in it - saves the disappointment of finishing a good book, if you can then read the next one.    Good luck with attaining your goal  :reading:

 

Thank you! Yes, I love reading series :) 

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January in Books:

 

This month I have read 4 books, and well, Im pretty proud of that! Most of them I really enjoyed, but sadly I ended this month with a book I did not like, at all.

My favorite book of this month; I'll pick Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo. I liked both Siege & Storm and Ruin & Rising, but because this one is the last in the series, I think it made me a bit more excited. Although I did not like the end of this book and thus this series, I kept on reading till late at night. This was one of these series that made me gasp and swear because of things happening to favorite characters. A great series if you're in to YA fantasy. The powers of these Grisha people reminded the Avatar series on Nickelodeon   :giggle:

My least favorite book of this month is definitley Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (Throne of Glass #4). So, I began to like this series after reading the second and third book. Was so excited about this one! But.. No. Just, no. It was slow, there was so much drama between the characters and you have to read about how gorgeous some of these characters are every few pages. The beginning was great and I enjoyed the action in the end as well, but everything in between..naah..  :dunno:  

 

 

Plans for February: Upcoming month I want to read at least one book from The Wheel of Time series. To me, these books are very thick so I'll be very happy if I finish just one  :D Also started His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik which is book one of the Temeraire series (now about 8 books I think?) Besides this not a goal of how many books I want to read. Just want to enjoy them :)

 

 

Goal 2016: 30      Read: 4      Have to read: 26

 

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Great summary of January! Such a nice idea :). I've done a summary for every quarter of the year, but a monthly one is a good idea too :).. I might have to nick your idea if you don't mind :D.

 

I just borrowed The Grisha books from the library (I spotted all three, so I couldn't resist :D), I intend to give them a go in February :).

 

I hope you enjoy The Wheel of Time books :). I love them, but they are not for everyone.

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Thanks  :blush2: 

 

Of course feel free to copy this to your own threads!

I hope you will like The Grisha trilogy, its not high fantasy but I really enjoyed it. Would like to read what you thougt of it.

Never really reviewd books before, so Im still kind of figuring out which way of rating and reviewing I prefer  :lurker: 

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I hope you will like The Grisha trilogy, its not high fantasy but I really enjoyed it. Would like to read what you thougt of it.

Never really reviewd books before, so Im still kind of figuring out which way of rating and reviewing I prefer  :lurker: 

I will be sure to leave a little review and let you know :).

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