Top Ten Tuesday #6

I took a bit of a break from top 10 Tuesday due to spring break and midterms, but I really like this topic and had to jump back in with this one.   These are the first 10 books I reviewed on Goodreads, along with the review. 

I can honestly say that this is one book I wish I had never picked up. The main character, Mark Sway was an unbelievable character, which is the first thing that ruined the book for me. The second thing that ruined this book for me was the lack of interesting events. It was very predictable and through most of the book I just wanted to skip a few chapters to the end to see what happened instead of sitting through predictable trial after trial. The climax of the book didn’t come until about 30 pages to the end of the book and it was a disappointment. I am also not a fan of cliffhanger endings in stories that do not have a sequel and this ending was definitely a cliffhanger. I really struggled to get through this book and was disappointed, overall. 

(2/5)

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was a quick read and was entertaining. However, the narrating style was inconsistent which would sometimes throw me off. Chapters skipped around in time, which was confusing, and important events weren't always explained, such as her sister marriages and her friend Charlotte's Heroin problem. The main character, Sarah Walters wasn't really likable, she was pessimistic and pretty pathetic and I kept waiting for her to change but it never happened. If she had, then this could have been a great coming of age story. The one thing that saved this book was the wit. The writer was very witty and it made the book entertaining, if nothing else. 

(2/5)

Sadly, I was disappointed in this book. I love the Maximum Ride series and I love all the action and fighting and mad scientist stuff and I didn't get any of that in this book. None at all. Although I am all about eco-friendliness, I don't think that it is fitting for this series and this book is all about saving the planet and radiation sickness ect. What saved this book (slightly) for me was Max and Fangs romance which was predictable, but still. I don't even know what to say other than that I am seriously disappointed and I hope that the next one fits better with the series. 

(2/5)

I can't really think of much to say about this one. The character development and the storyline were amazing. I was slightly annoyed with the unnecessary detail that the author went into. I was also annoyed by the fact the no loose ends were tied up by the end of the book. He might as well have made the second and third books into one. Yes, it would be longer but I would have been a little less annoyed. Don't get me wrong though, I really enjoyed the book, and the storyline is incredible and I was able to get through it pretty quickly considering its length. I can not wait to find out what happens to Salander and Blomkvist in the third and final book in the series.

(4/5)

I thought it was cute, yes, cute. I didn't have high expectations for this book, so it wasn't a letdown or anything, it was just cute. The stories KIND OF reminded me of Asop's fables, in a way. All of the little stories had a lesson at the end and after every story, Dumbledore added his commentary. This was my favorite part. I love how clever and witty Dumbledore is! This book was not meant to be something that is out of this world, like the Harry Potter books, but it was quick and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the HP books. 

(4/5)

I absolutely adored this book! Highly recommend! 

(5/5)

Science Fiction is a weird genre for me; sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. In this case it was ehhh. The whole idea behind the alien invasion is good and the storyline is ok but it was just way to slow for my taste. Of course, the deeper meaning behind the whole story is definitely human superiority and how we think that we are the shiz, basically. It's sort of a reality check, like this universe is bigger than we can even comprehend, there is no way we are the only place with life. Anyways, I just had a hard time making it through this book and found the ending extremely anticlimactic, but I can dig the "deeper message". 

(3/5)

I absolutely loved this book! I love the main character, Jack Reacher because he reminds me a lot of Agent Gibbs on NCIS. This book is the 8th in the Jack Reacher series but is actually a prequel to all of the other books and takes place when Reacher is still a Military Cop. The book actually started a little slow and I almost put it down because of that but my Husband insisted that I keep reading and I am glad I did! This is a very face paced book that will keep you interested up until the very last page! The characters are well developed and relationships are explained and built throughout the book. I can not say enough good things about this book! If you like action and adventure or crime books this book is for you!

(5/5)

I find that people either love or hate this book, I loved it. I thought it was easy to read, as the paragraphs were broken up, and I thought it was a very inspiring story. The book is also very short and to the point which I really like, I didn't feel like there was a lot of BS filler which is so common today. While there are some parts which were a little too philosophical for my tastes, the underlying message, follow your dreams and listen to your heart, is a great message. It was just a really nice and inspiring story. The only problem that I had with this book was that the ending was very rushed and I felt like there should have maybe been an extra 10-20 pages. 

(4/5)

True Colors is one of those books that I am not really sure how to review. I liked the idea behind the story and thought the general plot was really good. However, the characters really made me angry through about 85% of the book. Winona becomes more likeable towards the end of the book but I really just wanted to slap her throughout most of it. Vivi Ann also did some things that really irritated me. I do like that it was not a hero/villain type of story, it was just very real people. I guess I would say that this book is decent. I mean really, it was basically a Lifetime movie with extremely dramatic characters and tragedy. The idea behind the relationships between the sisters is good and I thought the ending tied things up pretty well, so overall it wasn't bad. If you are in the mood for something sappy and easy to read, this would be a good book to read. 

(3/5)

Book Reviews: March

I had a decent reading month in March.  I enjoyed all of the books I read and tried an audiobook for the first time.

This was a cute story.  I understand why it's been so popular over the last few years.   It was a super easy read (I read it in a few hours), and super predictable, but still very enjoyable.  Some of the high school angst was a bit annoying, but it didn't take away from the overall story too much.  This book also realllly made me want to jump on a plane to Paris ... right now.
(4/5)

This was such a hard book to read.  Knowing that these events took place and that some of the Nazi doctors mentioned towards the end actually existed made me a bit sick to my stomach.  I had to take a break usually every 10 pages or so once Rose got to Ravensbruck.  This was such a powerful story about hope, friendship, and sacrifice while trying to survive in a reality that seems hopeless.  I feel like the journal style narration worked really well for this story because it allowed Rose to reflect on what happened to her.  I don't think the story would have been as powerful any other way.  I highly recommend this book and Code Name Verity to anyone.
(4/5)

I'd never even heard of this series until I went to buy Six of Crows and found out it was a spin-off from this series.  Overall, I really enjoyed it.  I really like the Grisha world and think the author did a great job developing it (some things could have been better, but there are still two more books).  I also like how the story just jumps right off, I was invested right away.  My only hang-up, and the only reason this doesn't get 5 stars from me, is that Alina got really whiney and annoying!  I was hoping she'd be on par with Celaena Sardothien (and sometimes she was), but I was mainly getting Bella Swan vibes which almost made me not want to read the rest of the series.  I've heard good things though so I hope Alina gets better.
(4/5)

This was my first experience with an Audio book.  I could not have picked a better book!  It was written in interview style, so I felt like I was listening to an episode of "Behind the Music" or something.   I honestly don't think I would have liked it as much if I couldn't hear all of their voices.  I could hear all the emotions which I don't think would have translated as well in print.  This oral history of a 70's rock band and their rise and fall kept me on the edge of my seat.  Daisy was a force of nature and I LOVED Karen, she was my favorite band member.  This book definitely deals with some tough topics such as addiction and abortion, but I think it was very well done.  I almost gave the book 4 stars because the bands fall was way less dramatic than I was hoping for, but the rest of it was so good I almost don't care.  I was a little afraid to "read" this because Evelyn Hugo was so fantastic, but it just proved that TJR is a master storyteller!  ... also I'm a bit bitter that this band is fictional and I couldn't listen to all of the songs :'(
(5/5)