How Well I Stuck to It #201, May 27th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 22:
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow, The Swan Riders by Erin Bow, Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs, 9 Bodies Rolling by Stephanie Bond

Tour Books: NA.

Review Books: NA.

NetGalley: NA.

Edelweiss: NA.

Meme Books: MA.

Rereads: 2. Check.

New Books: 3. Check.

This is a pretty good week, not too long or short, so I'm happy with it!


Week 21:
Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong, Face Off by Brenda Novak, Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh, Simply Love by Mary Balogh, Simply Magic by Mary Balogh, Simply Perfect by Mary Balogh

vs.

Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh, Simply Love by Mary Balogh, Simply Magic by Mary Balogh, Simply Perfect by Mary Balogh, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, Authority by Jeff VanderMeer, Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer, 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs, Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong, Face Off by Brenda Novak, Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter, Freefall by Joshua David Bellin

Yeah, I read all that I wanted to read, and more! This is a good week, so yeah, I'm happy with it! What about you guys? happy reading! 

Week 21 Review: Freefall

From Goodreads:
When the 1% and the 99% clash, the fate of the human race hangs on the actions of two teens from very different backgrounds in this thrilling sci-fi adventure.

In the Upperworld, the privileged 1% are getting ready to abandon a devastated planet Earth. And Cam can't wait to leave. After sleeping through a 1,000-year journey, he and his friends will have a pristine new planet to colonize. And no more worries about the Lowerworld and is 99% of rejects.

Then Cam sees a banned video feed of protesters in the Lowerworld who also want a chance at a new life. And he sees a girl with golden eyes who seems to be gazing straight though the feed directly at him. A girl he has to find. Sofie.

When Cam finds Sofie, she opens his eyes to the unfairness of what's happening in their world, and Cam joins her cause for Lowerworld rights. He also falls hard for Sofie. But Sofie has her own battles to fight, and when it's time to board the spaceships, Cam is alone.

Waking up 1,000 years in the future, Cam discovers that he and his shipmates are far off-course, trapped on an unknown and hostile planet. Who has sabotaged their ship? And does it have anything to do with Sofie, and the choices—and the enemies—he made in the past?

My Review:
Oh, this book was so fantastic! I loved the back and forth between the now on the planet that wasn't the one they were going for, and the then on Earth with Cam and Sofie and what seemed to be their doomed relationship! It was so great!

This book, once I got about 60 pages in, I just couldn't stop read it! I had to know more, from the threats that they faced on the planet, to what was going to happen next back on Earth! It wasn't action per say, but scenes that just thrived on tension, borderline thriller. Loved it!

I really kinda hated the world that they lived in on Earth, with Upperworld and it's propaganda about Lowerworld. It's like, Upperworld probably made Lowerworld as bad as it was, and then just walked away and blamed Lowerworld. That was the impression I got.

There was one really big twist right near the end that was like a punch to the gut. Totally made things so much better to read, but much harder on the characters! Things worked out in the end, but it did cost. But they have a hopeful future!

This book was really fantastic, and I loved everything about it!

Author: Joshua David Bellin
Read: May 25th, 2018
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a 2018 Dystopia Book, SAC 2018 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: September 26th 2017

5/5 Hearts

4.5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 21 Review: Oh My Goth

From Goodreads:
A note from Jade Leighton's journal Years ago, a tragic accident robbed me of my mother and emotions. Because I find beauty in darkness and thrive outside social norms, I've been labeled a "freak" at school. I know my continued apathy hurts my loved ones, but I'm not about to change. Nothing will ever hurt me again.

Then I wake up in an alternate reality...and everything else has changed. Goth is in. I'm considered cool, and my archenemy--the formerly popular Mercedes--is the freak. But my real friends won't talk to me...and the new boy is getting under my skin. As my world spins out of control, I'm desperate to return to normal. But the more time that passes, the less I'm sure what "normal" really is. 

My Review:
I loved reading this book! I have a copy of the original, and I've read it a few times, and it was really good. But this revamped version was so fantastic, and almost unrecognizable! Like, the characters and the whole "everybody is Goth" thing is the same, but everything else, totally different! And it's a Gena Showalter book, so of course I had to read on my birthday!

Like, this book was written like her more recent YA's, so it's much longer. The tone is a mix of teenage and adult voice, which makes sense, because a teenager is still trying to figure out who they are. We got more detail, learned a lot more about these characters, and it was so great!

This book delved deeper into the characters, from Jade blocking off her emotions and having her friends, but not getting to them. Her mother and how she died was a big part of this book. We also connected more with Mercedes which was really great!

I really enjoyed Jade's efforts to change, to break down her walls and feel her emotions, not block them off. Sure, it was a difficult path, but it meant that she was really living. It all worked out so well, and was so great to read!

This book was just utterly fantastic, I enjoyed it so much, and I think I'm going to 1) buy a copy of this book when it comes out, and 2) reread the original again, just to see where more of the differences lie!

Author: Gena Showalter
Read: May 24th, 2018
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: I love her writing, and I enjoyed the book before it was rewritten! And it's a SAC 2018 Book!
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Expected Publication: September 4th 2018

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 21 Review: Face Off

From Goodreads:
Tortured and left for dead at sixteen, Evelyn Talbot turned her personal nightmare into her life's work—studying the disturbing psychopathy of some of the world's most vicious serial killers. Now a leading psychiatrist at Hanover House in a small Alaskan town, she tries to believe the past will never come back to haunt her—until a woman goes missing from a cabin nearby, and every clue points to the man who once brutalized her…

As her boyfriend, who is the area's only police, begins to investigate—and finds not one but two bodies—Evelyn can't forget that her would-be killer, Jasper Moore, was never caught. But there are no new faces in tiny Hilltop, no one who seems suspicious or potentially violent. In this twisted game of cat and mouse, Evelyn is certain of only one thing—Jasper must be hiding in plain sight. And if she can't find him before he comes for her, she won't be lucky enough to survive twice… 

My Review:
Yeah! I really enjoyed reading this book, it's the culmination of all the previous books regarding the Jasper plot line, as far as this book goes. Who knows in the future? I was really looking forward to this book, so of course I had to read it on my birthday!

Finally, the book where Jasper finally comes after Evelyn in Alaska! It's been something that's been built up since the beginning, and after the events of the last book, I had to know how it'd play out! There were a lot of cat and mouse vibes!

One thing that I really enjoyed was that we got to met Evelyn's sister. And her current situation is a pretty bad one, and I really enjoyed the elements that she brought! It made things difficult for Evelyn, but conflict drives books!

This book was more of a mental head game then previous books, more mental tension then physical, in danger stuff. Whether or not he would get away with his current actions. Would they discover who Jasper now? Which was fitting, because Jasper's kinda been haunting Evelyn since she survive what he did to her. I loved how it all culminated!

Loved this book so much, it was so fantastic, and I can't wait for the next book!

Author: Brenda Novak
Series: The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #3
Read: May 24th, 2018
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Expected Publication: August 28th 2018

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 21 Review: Aftermath

From Goodreads:
Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there's no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn't a victim; he was a shooter. 

Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don't heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend--Skye. 

Ripped apart by tragedy, Jesse and Skye can't resist reopening the mysteries of their past. But old wounds hide darker secrets. And the closer Skye and Jesse get to the truth of what happened that day, the closer they get to a new killer.

My Review:
Yeah, I loved reading this book! And because it's a Kelley Armstrong book, of course I had to read it on my birthday, I always make sure to read special books on important-to-me days! And yeah, for this book which kinda starts lower than the others given its subject matter, it needs that boost, you know?

I felt bad for Skye. The brother she knew would never have become a school shooter. And yeah, he didn't actually kill anyone, but she wasn't allowed to mourn him, because he would've. And she couldn't defend him, or try to make excuses, because that wouldn't be fair to the real victims. None of this is what I believe, but it's what others did, and forced Skye to behave like.

The school administrator guy really got on my nerves! That he would believe that Skye would set up scenarios to make it look like she was being bullied, and not investigate, even when events increased in severity, yeah, not cool! And then when he tried to pretend he hadn't heard Jesse's confession regarding drugs and sports, yeah, he really shouldn't have a job anymore! That's the exact attitude/actions of a person who should not work in a school environment!

One thing that I really love about Kelley Armstrong's main characters, are that they're strong with practical smarts. They're the opposite of the characters that you yell at at horror movies for making the wrong decisions. And Skye shows that multiple times, though there is one occasion where she let her emotions get the best of her. Though it didn't have a huge negative impact, which was good.

Is it irony when you fear something, and because of that fear, your actions cause that fear to play out? Because that's what happens in this book, and to the bad guy, so it's kinda like justice, the worst fear come true, thing. But it doesn't negate the harm caused by their actions!

This book was really incredible, and I wish that its subject matter didn't matter-that there would be no school shootings. Maybe soon there won't be any with gun control. Hopefully. Human lives deserve it.

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Read: May 24th, 2018
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a SAC 2018 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Published: May 22nd 2018

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 21 Review: 206 Bones

From Goodreads:
There are 206 bones in the human body. Forensic anthropologists know them intimately, can read in them stories of brief or long lives and use them to reconstruct every kind of violent end. 206 Bones opens with Tempe regaining consciousness and discovering that she is in some kind of very small, very dark, very cold enclosed space. She is bound, hands to feet. Who wants Tempe dead, or at least out of the way, and why? Tempe begins slowly to reconstruct...

Tempe and Lieutenant Ryan had accompanied the recently discovered remains of a missing heiress from Montreal to the Chicago morgue. Suddenly, Tempe was accused of mishandling the autopsy -- and the case. Someone made an incriminating phone call. Within hours, the one man with information about the call was dead. Back in Montreal, the corpse of a second elderly woman was found in the woods, and then a third.

Seamlessly weaving between Tempe's present-tense terror as she's held captive and her memory of the cases of these murdered women, Reichs conveys the incredible devastation that would occur if a forensic colleague sabotaged work in the lab. The chemistry between Tempe and Ryan intensifies as this complex, riveting tale unfolds.

My first review of 206 Bones
My Review:
This book was so great to read! And yeah that I finally caught up to what I'd previously read, and from now on, all the books in this series, I'll be reading for the first time! I'm so excited! Because this series is just so great!

I really enjoyed the way this book was told, going back and forth between the present where she's held captive, and then the past that lead up to that point. It was different from the other books,which gradual builds up the tension, and yeah, I enjoyed it!

One thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that we got to meet Pete's relatives and get their background. Sure, it's only a small portion of this book, but her relationship with Pete is a big part of this series, directly and indirectly, and it was so great to see his roots!

That the one bad gal manipulated things so that it made Tempe look incompetent, just so she could have Tempe's job, urgh, that was so infuriating! The idea that one person could be capable in all those disciplines, nope, not going to happen! Loved how Tempe proved that with her specialized knowledge! And her speech about certification, yeah, it's important! 

This book was fantastic, and I can't wait to read more, and new to me, books! 

Author: Kathy Reichs
Series: Temperance Brennan #12
First Read: June 4th, 2011
Read: May 23rd, 2018
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book!
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Published: August 25th 2009

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 21 Reviews: Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance

From Goodreads:
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization.

The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.

This is the twelfth expedition.

Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers — they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding — but it's the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything. 

From Goodreads:
For thirty years, a secret agency called the Southern Reach has monitored expeditions into Area X — a remote and lush terrain mysteriously sequestered from civilization. 

After the twelfth expedition, the Southern Reach is in disarray, and John Rodriguez (aka "Control") is the team's newly appointed head. From a series of interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and more than two hundred hours of profoundly troubling video footage, the secrets of Area X begin to reveal themselves — and what they expose pushes Control to confront disturbing truths about both himself and the agency he's promised to serve.

From Goodreads:
It is winter in Area X. A new team embarks across the border on a mission to find a member of a previous expedition who may have been left behind.

As they press deeper into the unknown — navigating new terrain and new challenges — the threat to the outside world becomes more daunting. 

In Acceptance, the last installment of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, the mysteries of Area X may have been solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound — or terrifying. 

My Review:
This series was so freaking weird! And I loved it! It also had very dense writing, which was a little hard to read, and I didn't get all the references, but yeah, it was a great quirky quality to these books! They were just so enjoyable!

I heard about this series because I saw a trailer for the movie, and it looked really good, so I watched it and really enjoyed it, so I was really excited to read this series. There were a ton of differences, and basically different stories, but I enjoyed both mediums!

The writing in these books was very, very, very dense. Sometimes I'd have to read something over two or three times, and I still sometimes didn't quite understand what was going on. Maybe that was because the characters didn't know? There were a ton of mysteries, and the ones that were solved, were more answers seen out of the corner of your eye kind of thing.

After the end, I still have a few questions. Like that weird scent that Control smelled in Authority, I think it might've been Whitby, but I'm not totally sure. Was the lot that the Ghost Bird appeared in the same one that the Biologist went to? Was there two different entities like as was suggested, one that created Area X, and one that created the boundary? What happened with the S&SB and the government involvement with Control's mom and grandfather? And what was the Biologist's name?

These books were amazing to read, so weird, and so great!

Author: Jeff VanderMeer
Series: Southern Reach #1, 2, 3
Read: May 22nd, 22nd, 23rd, 2018
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Books! And Acceptance is a End of Series 2018 Book!
Publisher: FSG Originals
Published: February 4th 2014, May 6th 2014, September 2nd 2014

Annihilation:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Authority:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Acceptance:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Week 21 Reviews: Simply Unforgettable, Simply Love, Simply Magic, Simply Perfect

From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the seductive world she knows so well—Regency England—in a new novel filled with her trademark wit, sensuality, and breathtaking storytelling. With this, the first in a dazzling new quartet of novels, Balogh invites us into a special world—a select academy for young ladies—a world of innocence and temptation. Drawing us into the lives of four women, teachers at Miss Martin's School for Girls, Balogh introduces this novel's marvelous heroine: music teacher Frances Allard—and the man who seduces her with a passion no woman could possibly forget.…

They meet in a ferocious snowstorm. She is a young teacher with a secret past. He is the cool, black-caped stranger who unexpectedly comes to her rescue. Between these two unlikely strangers, desire is instantaneous…and utterly impossible to resist. Stranded together in a rustic country inn, Lucius Marshall, who is the Viscount Sinclair, and Frances Allard share a night of glorious, unforgettable passion. But Frances knows her place—and it is far from the privileged world of the sensual aristocrat. Due to begin her teaching position at Miss Martin's School in Bath, Frances must try to forget that one extraordinary night—and the man who touched her with such exquisite tenderness and abandon.

But Frances cannot hide forever. And when fate once again throws them together, Lucius refuses to take no for an answer. If Frances will not be his wife, he will make her his mistress. So begins an odyssey fraught with intrigue, one that defies propriety and shocks the straitlaced ton. For Lucius's passionate, single-minded pursuit is about to force Frances to give up all her secrets—except one—to win the heart of the man she already loves.

Once again this incomparable storyteller captures a time and a place like no other. And in Lucius and Frances, Mary Balogh gives us her most unlikely lovers yet—a nobleman in search of the perfect wife and an unconventional woman willing to risk everything for an unforgettable love.

From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the elegance and sensuality of Regency England, weaving a captivating tale of four remarkable women—friends and teachers at the exclusive Miss Martin's School for Girls ...


Anne first spied him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening—a lone figure of breathtaking strength, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For teacher and single mother Anne Jewell, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows—and passions—run deeper than she could have ever imagined. As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence. Yet he senses in Anne a kindred soul, and between these two wary hearts, desire stirs. Unable to resist the passion that has rescued them both, Anne and Sydnam share an afternoon of exquisite lovemaking. As scandal looms, suddenly the unwed mother and the war-scarred veteran must make a decision that could forever alter their lives ...

From Goodreads:
On a splendid August afternoon Susanna Osbourne is introduced to the most handsome man she has ever seen . . . and instantly feels the icy chill of recognition. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is utterly charming—and seemingly unaware that they have met before. With his knowing smile and seductive gaze, Peter acts the rake; but he stirs something in Susanna she has never felt before, a yearning that both frightens and dazzles her. Instantly she knows: this brash nobleman poses a threat to her heart . . . and to the secrets she guards so desperately.


From the moment they meet, Peter is drawn to Susanna's independence, dazzled by her sharp wit—he simply must have her. But the more he pursues, the more Susanna withdraws . . . until a sensual game of thrust-and-parry culminates in a glorious afternoon of passion. Now more determined than ever to keep her by his side, Peter begins to suspect that a tragic history still haunts Susanna. And as he moves closer to the truth, Peter is certain of one thing: he will defy the mysteries of her past for a future with this exquisite creature—all Susanna must do is trust him with the most precious secret of all. . . 

From Goodreads:
Against the seductive backdrop of Regency England, New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh sweeps us into the sensual, enthralling world of four teachers at an elite academy for young ladies. 


As headmistress of Miss Martin's School for Girls in Bath, Claudia Martin long ago resigned herself to a life without love. Until Joseph, Marquess of Attingsborough, arrives unannounced and tempts her to toss away a lifetime of propriety for an affair that can only lead to ruin, embarking on a plan of seduction that leaves them both yearning for more. But Claudia knows she has no place in Joseph's aristocratic world. And now that world is about to be rocked by scandal...

An arranged marriage, a secret that will shock the ton, and a man from Claudia's past conspire to drive the lovers apart. But Joseph is determined to make Claudia his at any cost—even if that means breaking every rule for a love that is everything he has ever wanted...

My Review:
I loved reading these books again! I remembered I enjoyed them previously, and having read the Bedwyn series before hand this time, yeah, it really enhanced reading these books because of all the intersections!

I remembered the beginning of Simply Unforgettable, and the basic plot lines of Simply Love, but that was about it. So it was kinda like reading these books for the first time, which was so great, because there's something special about reading a book for the first time, you know?

These stories were character driven, the stories of these ladies and gentlemen falling in love. They all had their obstacles, from Frances and Lucian dealing with her past to Claudia and Joseph and his daughter and her school. These characters are what made each book unique and I loved them!

It's funny how they each fell in love, on after another, which, if it wasn't a form of entertainment, then it wouldn't be plausible. But it is entertainment, and the fact that it doesn't happen in real life just made it all the more sweeter that it happened at all, even if it's not really real. Just so great! 

These books were so fantastic, and I just loved reading them!

Author: Mary Balogh
Series: Simply Quartet #1, 2, 3, 4
Read: May 19th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 2018
Source: Ebook.bike, Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And they're Historical Fiction 2018 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Books! And Simply Perfect is a End of Series 2018 Book!
Publisher: Dell
Published: March 29th 2005, August 16th 2006, March 27th 2007, March 28th 2008

Simply Unforgettable:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Simply Love:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Simply Magic:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Simple Perfect:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Book Blogger Hop #33, May 25th

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, I relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Check out the hop here! 

Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

The Question of the week is: Do you remember the first book you read by yourself? (submitted by La La @ La La in the Library)

I think I do. I think it might be The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, but I'm not totally sure. My memory's pretty bad! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Leave links so I can comment back, though I'm behind on comments!

The Reward Challenge Update #349, May 25th

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I read Simply Unforgettable which counts 3 times as a Historical Fiction 2018 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Simply Love which counts 3 times as a Historical Fiction 2018 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Simply Magic which counts 3 times as a Historical Fiction 2018 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Simply Perfect which counts 4 times as a End of Series 2018 Book, Historical Fiction 2018 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Annihilation which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Authority which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Acceptance which counts 3 times as a End of Series 2018 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, 206 Bones which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book, Aftermath which counts 3 times as a SAC 2018 Book and a WoW Book, Face Off which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2018 Book and a WoW Book, Oh My Goth which counts 3 times as a Edelweiss Book and a SAC 2018 Book, Freefall which counts 5 times as a 2018 Dystopia Book, Edelweiss Book, SAC 2018 Book and a WoW Book.

So I have 37 counts which translates to $18.50 this week! I'll use it to buy books!