Top Ten Tuesday (#3): Books I Was Surprised I Liked/Didn't Like

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly (super fun) book blog meme hosted by the awesome folks at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is a REWIND, so I decided to do one I missed from an earlier TTT topic.

TOP TEN BOOKS I WAS SURPRISED I LIKED/DIDN'T LIKE

1. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

I adore Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series so naturally I figured I'd love her newer vampire apocalypse series. Well.... It's really good and I like it, but I didn't feel like Kagawa brought her A-game in this book. The characters were not as interesting as the Iron Fey characters and the story spent a lot of time with certain uninteresting characters while ignoring the only truly interesting one in the entire story. Oh well... Can't win 'em all.

2. Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Before I read this book, I had it sitting on my shelf for several months. I figured it was a book I'd like, but until I read it, I didn't know just HOW much. I LOVE this book and the next two something fierce! It really surprised me, even though I had a good feeling I would like it beforehand. The characters are amazing and it's just so hilarious.

3. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

This YA steampunk fantasy is set in a Japan-like world with all the good stuff I've come to love from anime. I figured this book was a shoe-in for an all-time fave. Nuh-uh. Once I cracked it open, I felt like I had to slog through mud up to my ears just to get anywhere with this story. Slowest book I've ever read, ever. Too much description of everything and very boring, unrealistic characters. I was very disappointed (and kinda mad) at this book, as it felt amateurish at best. 

4. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

 
Let's face it. Sometimes authors can do better, right? I really thought I'd love this book to pieces. I loved the free ebook prequel, so why not the first actual novel? No. I just couldn't get into it. All the characters were superficially designed and felt like they barely stuck to the pages. The story had no purpose and it was just an unoriginal mess. The premise had potential, but the execution was lacking.

5. Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker

I read this e-novella a couple of years ago because I happened to get it for free (it's still free) and decided to give it a shot. I didn't expect anything to stand out for me, but... Wow! This book was really awesome and the characters were so fun and hilarious together. I liked how the main character, Kali and the bounty hunter, Cedar got along. Very surprisingly interesting stuff here. (Lindsay, if you're reading this, you NEED to continue this series!)

6. The Collector by Victoria Scott

I was so excited and hyped about this book before it came out recently, so I preordered my copy back in January. I loved how the main character seemed to be cool and funny, reminding me of a favorite character from a video game series I love. I totally devoured the first half of this book, but the steam just dissipated after that. I realized I just didn't like this character all that much. The book ends very deus ex machina-like, depriving the protagonist a chance at "saving the day" himself. He was a bad boy going through major reformation, but I didn't end up believing it. Disappointing.

7. The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan

I didn't have any expectations going into this YA faerie novel, but it ended up being so flippin' great! I had started out reading the free Part 1 ebook version and was totally hooked after that. I loved the character Oryn, who is the protagonist, Violet's, sort of faerie rival. As you can see, I'm big on characters and this book delivered surprisingly well. 

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 
Everyone was going nuts over this book just after it came out and I figured I'd like it, too. I'd heard about the villain character being particularly interesting and I love me some great villains. But, when I read it, it was all about insta-love and an overly emotionally drawn out heroine who didn't seem very heroic to me. It was too shallow. 

9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

This one is really low on my list because it's not like I hated this book, or anything. I really liked it, actually. It's a book that has so much charisma going for it that even though I didn't love it, I knew it was special, nonetheless. I have a ton of respect for this book and I will read the remaining six sequels, but having heard so much hype for so many years prior to reading it, I expected to be blown away. I wasn't so much. It's awesome, but I suspect it's because I can't fully appreciate Middle Grade fiction, and it hampered my ability to completely love this very popular book. Don't kill me!

10. The Emerald Atlas by John Stevens

I suppose this book deserves to be on my list, too, because it was being touted as "the next Harry Potter" before it came out. I expected it to be phenomenal, but it was lukewarm at best. It's a nice enough book, but it's nowhere near as charming as Harry Potter. Again, I have trouble loving Middle Grade fiction, but even I could tell this book was never going to become another HP. 


Which books let you down or totally left you blown away unexpectedly? Read any of these books and feel the same as me? 

             

Top Ten Tuesday (#1): My Spring 2013 TBR Pile

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly (super fun) book blog meme hosted by the awesome folks at The Broke and the Bookish.

This post is a book list I made based on the "Top Ten Tuesday" bookish meme created by the book bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish. I used to do this meme on my book blog back when I was blogging over there and it was always my favorite one. I figure, why not do it again? It was fun and it's not like my writing blog isn't about books. Obviously, I'm an avid reader or I wouldn't be a writer. So, here we go with this week's topic:

TOP TEN BOOKS AT THE TOP OF MY SPRING 2013 TBR PILE

  
 

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I just started reading this and I'm really liking it so far. It's such a high quality story, which I appreciate. I've been reading books that just aren't quite wowing me, lately. They've been good but not great. I hope this one is great for me. Since I love me some cyborgs and robots and Cinderella, it really stands a good chance.

2. Wake by Amanda Hocking

I bought this recently on my Kindle for a few dollars, so I want to get into this to see if it lives up to my love of Amanda's Trylle Trilogy. Also, the second book comes out in paperback in April, so it's a chance to get that book cheap, too, if I like this one.

3. Ascend by Amanda Hocking

This is the third book in the Trylle Trilogy, which I haven't read yet, but I love the first two, Switched and Torn. Call me crazy, but these books are good! I love the characters, even if the writing isn't dazzling. Amanda is more of a storyteller than a writer. Writing is how she tells her stories, so I don't hold that against her.
  

4. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

This YA trilogy is my absolute favorite! I completely adore everything about these books, especially the characters. Jem Carstairs is my favorite and this books should bring the entire debacle created in Book 2 to a conclusion, hopefully a happy one for him. (I'm so worried. Please don't let me down, Cassie!)

5. The Kensei by Jon F. Merz

I've had this book for two years now and still haven't read it. How is that possible when it has samurai and vampires in it? And Japan in it? I can't even... I don't know why I've neglected this book for so long, but I won't this spring. I'm all about swords and katana and samurai and vampires. How many animes have I seen with all these elements combined and loved them? (Hint: a lot.)

6. The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

This is the first book in the new Iron Fey spin-off series, which I adore. Read those Iron Fey books, people, if you love YA fantasy and faeries. They are THE YA faerie books to be reading. This book series is about the first book series' protagonist, Meghan's, little brother, Ethan as a teenager dealing with menacing faeries like how Meghan did when she was a teenager. I should have read this by now, too, but it's only been out since last October, so I'm not being that bad, am I?

7. The Warded Man by Peter Brett

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway, so I better read it soon. I considered buying it because another favorite author of mine, Kevin Hearne of Iron Druid Chronicles fame, loves these books. Well, now I can read my copy before I'm considered delinquent to the First Reads people, although I probably already am. It sounds like a good read.

8. Hourglass by Myra McEntire

I bought this book really cheap last year on my Kindle and need to get around to reading it soon. It seems to be about time travel, which is a favorite subject of mine. Hopefully, it'll be a book series to replace the three trilogies I follow that are ending this year.

9. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

This is another one of my favorite YA book series and this one is the last in the trilogy. This one and a few others, like The Infernal Devices series, are ending this year, which is great, but sad, too. The first two books in Across the Universe are so amazing! Everybody's said awesome things about this one, so I hope I can get to it soon. 

10. Sanctum by Sarah Fine

I found this book when it was really high on the Amazon best-seller list and it looks like something I'd totally love to read. I'm a huge Bleach manga and anime fan and the plot sounds a lot like how it goes, so.... Here's hoping I will like it, but appreciate it for what it is. I don't expect it to be like Bleach or anything else. Just hoping it's as good as the reviews claim it is.

      


Hey, it was fun to do this meme again! Maybe I'll keep it up from now on over here at this blog. What are you guys planning on reading this spring?