My Favourite 2011 Reads!

Hi everyone!
Since its the last day of the year, I thought what better way to end my first year of blogging than to do a post of all my favourite books that I've been lucky enough to read this year! I haven't done reviews on all of them since I only started blogging in June, but I have reviewed most of them!

I want to thank you all for sticking with me since June, I honestly didn't think that I would last this long, or enjoy it as much as I have been, I've met some amazing people, got my first snippet from my blog published in a book (Obsidian!), and experienced my first ever book signing since starting up my blog!

I hope that you'll all continue to stick with me in 2012!

Happy New Year everyone!

~

And so I shall begin!! My favourite book of the year... is *drum roll*

#1. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (my review)
Its always a hard choice thinking of what your favourite book of the year is, but Obsidian wins hands down for me! It was just everything that I love all meshed into one book of awesome sauce!

Also, I'm very excited to show you all (check out above), but It's also the first book Nomalicious Reads was mentioned in! I would be happy to have a snippet from my reviews in any book, but Its even more exciting since its my favourite of the year! (I don't even care that Nomalicious was turned into Normalicious haha)

#2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (my review)

This book was breathtaking, it will be in a lot of favourites of all time, its just one of those books that is so magical and touches you to the core. I can't wait to read more of Erin's amazing writing!

#3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (my review)

Shatter Me was one of my most anticipated novels of the year, and I was over the moon when I won the ARC, it didn't disappoint and it was absolutely mind boggingly amazing!

#4. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (my review)

Maria will always be one of my favourite authors, she's an amazing writer and I just love the worlds that she creates, be it in some far off land or in a ship in space.

#5. The Agency Series by Y.S Lee (my review for #1 & #2, review for book 3 will be out next week!)
I'm so glad I discovered this series, it is simply amazing, Y.S Lee is a genius and I can't wait to read more in this series and anything else that she types up!

#6. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (my review)
I love ghosts and everything supernatural, so this book was right up my alley, Kendare blew me away with her quirky characters and amazing writing! Can't wait for the sequel!

#7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (my review)
This one shocked the hell out of me, I was expecting nothing great since I didn't really like Shiver, but wow, just wow.

#8. Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep (my review for #1 & #2)
This series always makes me light up and feel happy inside whenever it is mentioned or I think about it. It's just an amazing series full of laughter and fun, but has its serious moments as well!

#9. Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson (my review)
I adore this book to pieces, I'm shocked that it took me so long to read this but boy was I glad when I did!

#10 Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (my review)
Jennifer is an amazing author, as you can tell for my love of Obsidian above, I love Half Blood also and can't wait to get my hands on Pure! While all you lovely people are here please go
VOTE ALEX
in the YA Heroine Tourney! She needs to beat Katniss!!

#11 Touch by Jus Accardo
(my review)
#12 Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
(my review)
#13 Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
(my review will be up soon! Even though its not out yet, I read it in 2011 and It had to go into my favourites!)
#14 Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
(my review will be up next week!)
#15 Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
(my review)
#15 Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
(my review)
#16 Raised by Wolves Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
(review for Trial by Fire)

And that finishes off my top favourites for 2011, I love these all and I couldn't narrow it down to just 10, so there you have my list of 16 haha, I'm pretty hopeless!
I hope that you all have a nomalicious new year and I'll see you all next year! ;)
-Kate

Review: Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Title: Birthmarked
Author: Caragh O'Brien
Series: Birthmarked
Pages: 361
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: May 2nd 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future.
In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.
A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

I was very excited to get my hands on Birthmarked, I got to read the first chapter as a sample when I took a quiz over at the Simon and Schuster's Australian facebook page. I was hooked and couldn't wait to see what would happen next, so I quickly made my order for the beautiful paperback edition and waited.

It wasn't long until I had Birthmarked, although I don't know if it was the mood I was in at the time, but I read it quite slowly, at times I was glued to the page and other times I had to put it down and have a break.

Gaia was a good character, she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but a young heroine with scars on the inside and outside of her body, I think that she had an amazing inner beauty and was such a kind hearted person who would stand up for what she believed in.. Although I admit at times I just wanted to shake and and yell at her to mooove!

Leon, was an indecisive idiot (albeit a very yummy one) at the the start of the book, and I wanted to slap him around a bit too, but once he got his act together ooh boy it got good! Gaia and Leon make such a fantastic team that I can't wait to see how Caragh will develop that in (hopefully) Prized and the future books.

Birthmarked isn't centered around the romance, in all honestly it's barely there at all, and at the start you wonder if it will even be there. I swear at times I wasn't even sure that Caragh would take Gaia down that path at all, but in the end I liked the development, even if at times I thought it was painstakingly slow, it suited Gaia.

The ending just about killed me, I pre-ordered Prized as soon as I'd finished reading it and I've been dying to read it since, I'm actually quite shocked that I haven't pounced on its pages already, but I suppose I'll wait a bit longer, and torture myself.

All up Birthmarked was a fantastic dystopian world drenched in secrets, strange customs and societies with a feeling of much more lurking right under the surface, I'm insanely interested and equally terrified to see what Caragh has install for us all next!

Birthmarked
By Caragh O'Brien

nomalicious nomnom noms

Waiting on Wednesday: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: Dark Frost
Series: Mythos Academy
Author: Jennifer Estep
Release Date: May 29th 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me — again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects — and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me — and I’m in for the fight of my life.

I'm absolutely in LOVE with Jennifer's Mythos Academy series, so of course I can't wait to get my hands on the third installment of this spellbinding series! If you haven't read it yet I highly suggest that you go out and get a copy of Touch of Frost (my review) as soon as you can! or get the novella for 0.89 on amazon! I just love all the covers in this series also, the cover for number three, looks just as stunning as the previous two!

Review: The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y.S Lee

Title: The Body at the Tower (Book Two)
Author: Y.S Lee
Series: The Agency
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: August 10th 2010
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


Mary's second adventure as an undercover agent forces her to relive some harrowing childhood experiences as she seeks the identity of a murderer. Mary Quinn is back, now a trusted member of the Agency, the all-female detective unit operating out of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. Her new assignment sends her into the grimy underbelly of Victorian London dressed as a poor boy, evoking her own childhood memories of fear, hunger, and constant want. As she insinuates herself into the confidence of several persons of interest, she encounters others in desperate situations and struggles to make a difference without exposing -or losing -her identity. Mary's adventure, which takes place on the building site of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, offers a fictional window into a fascinating historical time and place.

One of my favourite girl detectives is back in book two of The Agency series! As you may have noticed from my review of: A Spy in the House, my IMM's, or tweets... I'm a bit obsessed with this series!

Mary Quinn is back on the scene, and this time around she's no novice! But our girl has a big job ahead of her, and she's the only woman for the job... and that job may hit a bit too close to home for Mary and she will have to overcome some ghosts of her previous life to be able to do her job properly in this one!

Just when things are getting started and she settles into her role as a young working boy, another ghost from her past, albeit a more recent one, walks right into her life once more, which could jeopardize her whole mission... It's James, and he's not the man that she remembers.

I really enjoyed The Body at the Tower, because you could see how both Mary and James had grown up in their time apart; in book one, James was very much a typical young man with an up front, fly by the seat of your pants attitude, this James however, was more of a think before you speak man, his travels in India had changed him in more ways than one, and watching Mary not know how to handle this side of him at first was quite amusing.

When Mary is introduced to James as Mark Quinn to be his assistant, there's an instant spark of recognition, but when he didn't say anything, and treated her like the boy she was pretending to be, Mary thought that she may have gotten away with her deception, as the James that she used to know would have blurted out something straight away (It's hilarious when he actually says something to her when he runs into her later when she's dressed as a woman, which makes her so shocked that he hadn't said anything sooner).

Everything that I loved about the first book is present in the second, plus so much more! I also love the little hints that so much more is yet to come! Hidden in every page there's a feeling that Y.S Lee hasn't even started to delve deeper into Mary Quinn and James Easton's story yet, and I can't wait for more!

I don't know if it will be the same for you guys, but the ending of The Body at the Tower had me screaming for Traitor in the Tunnel, I was so sad that I hadn't received it in the mail yet, and so relieved that i ordered it around the same time that I did The Body at the Tower, then pounced on it in relief when I received the book later that same afternoon.

The Agency
The Body at the Tower
by Y.S Lee
Is the second book in an amazing series, which I hope that I've convinced you, with this review to give it a go, because I can hardly do it the justice it deserves!
it gets:
 
nomalicious nomnom noms

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you all have had a very Merry Christmas!& that Santa was good to you!

I was going to name this my Christmas In My Mailbox... but I didn't really get all my goodies from Santa in the actual mail, so I thought I would just share a picture of all the goodies that i got with you all!

As you can see I got a few book vouchers! annnnd I got the Nancy Drew Starter Set!! Which is the first six Nancy Drew books in hardcover! I can't wait to re-read them once more!

I also got Storm Glass and Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder, I've read these before and I love them! Just needed to get a copy of it for my bookshelf so I can re-read them both many times! 

Funny thing about the new Zelda game, is that my brother got it for me, and I don't have a wii motion plus part for my remote haha, but have already ordered one online, but i was so devastated when I put the game in and can't play it.

I wont go through everything else, but I hope that you all have a fantastic Christmas!

VOTE ALEX in the YA Heroine Tourney!

This is very late, and there's not long to go! Damn christmas getting in the way of my awesome, epic VOTE FOR ALEX post! but nevertheless VOTE NOW!

and you can get some awesome sauce things from the goddess Jennifer L. Armentrout!
Big thanks to Momo for organising the troops, we are almost there!!

Jennifer said:

500 Votes: If Alex reaches 500 votes, I will give you a juicy scene from Pure. It involves a pool, but will be edited to avoid spoilers.

750 Votes: If Alex gets 750 votes, I will give you Chapter 16 from Half-Blood in Aiden's POV. Yes, that chapter.

1000 Votes: If Alex get 1000 votes, I will give you Chapter 26 from Obsidian in Daemon's POV.

Yes, that chapter.

Winning votes: If Alex wins against Rose, I will write a very lengthy scene/ basically a freaking novella from Aiden's POV about a trip he and Leon took that involved searching down a certain daimon that got away at the end of Half-Blood. Now. If she wins, all of this will take me some time, of course.

Cover Reveal: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Title: Chosen Ones
Author: Tiffany Truitt
Release Date: April 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishers
Goodreads

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

    Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

    But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

I think this sounds like another Entangled Publishing masterpiece! I'm happy to be a part of the cover reveal for Chosen Ones and I can't wait to get my hands on it and see if it is as amazing as it sounds!

Waiting on Wednesday: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22nd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.

What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.

I've only just recently heard of this one, but I think it sounds amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

Manga Mondays #2: Skip Beat by Nakamura, Yoshiki

This is my Second Manga Mondays, hosted by Alison Can Read! I was horrible and forgot about it last week :( I need to get into the habit! (I almost forgot this week also, but that's what trusty to-do lists are for!)

Title: Skip Beat
Author: Nakamura, Yoshiki
Volumes: 30 and still going!
Anime-Planet | Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Kyoko moves to the big city with the prince of her dreams Shotaro; he wants to make it big in the entertainment business, so she works hard at many different jobs to support him as he achieves his dream. However, one day, Kyoko accidentally discovers the horrible truth: the love of her life thinks of her as a 'plain and boring woman!' Outraged, Kyoko swears revenge - she will make it even bigger than Shotaro in the entertainment world. The only question is, how will she fulfill her desire?

Skip Beat is one of my most favourite manga's of all time. (for the record, I'm not reviewing vol.22 I just like this cover out of all of them, but I'll be reviewing my enjoyment of the series as a whole, without any spoilers!)

I'm a big fan of any manga or anime revolving around the entertainment industry or the arts and crafts, I have no idea why, it just intrigues me I guess... and I highly enjoy it!

Anyway, Skip Beat is a great manga. It is absolutely hilarious, but also has its sigh-worthy and sad moments in all the right places, the characters are amazing, the plot is fantastic and the romance is frustrating.... in a good way.

Sometimes manga can be really fast paced with the romance and other times really slow, and of course you have the perfect paced romance mixed in the middle of these... Skip Beat falls along the lines of slow paced romance... now don't let that turn you off this masterpiece, as I mentioned above, Skip Beat has a lot of other things going on, and you can understand after you witness the emotion turmoil that Kyoko has gone through with Sho that she isn't ready for any kind of romantic interest... just yet.

Basically this manga is about a sweet and innocent girl that gets betrayed by the guy that she loved and swears revenge on him. The start we see how Kyoko changes into an independent woman (the picture on the right is Kyoko throwing her old 'innocent' 'angel-like' selves at Sho after she discovers his rotten character, and that he's just using her) She decides to work hard to become a top-notch actress and make Sho pay for treating her badly.

In this process her personality becomes somewhat warped, she still has her sweet and innocent side and loves making new friends and has an obsession for make-up and all things with a fairy tale-like story, she hates love and romance and is told that she'll need to get this feeling back if she wants to become a good actress and is thrown into the 'love-me' section with other people who have the same problem that she does.

Kyoko has to do lots of odd-jobs in the 'love-me' section and is at anyone in the entertainment industries beck and call in order to regain the feeling of 'love' before being able to branch out into bigger productions. As a result of this Kyoko meets a lot of different people and makes a lot of new friends.

Tsugara Ren, is one of the most popular actor's in Japan and Sho has always seen him as a rival, which is why Kyoko wanted to work in the same company that Ren is in.

Ren makes Kyoko want to be a better actress for herself instead of for revenge because at first he looks down on her for entering show business for something so petty, and makes her want to gain his trust and approval and eventually Ren comes to see her for the hard working girl that she is and they form a friendship. Kyoko see's him more as a senpai (senior co-worker)  to look up to than anything else and watching their feelings slowly evolve is really worth the read!

It's been so hard to write this review without spoilers, because it's one of my favourites and also because so much is going on in the manga and it's really quite long and unfinished. But there you have it, a basic run-down of Skip Beat, I hope that it isn't too confusing for you all and that I've interested you into picking up this amazing manga if you haven't already!

Skip Beat
by Nakamura, Yoshiki

nomalicious nomnom noms

Signed Hush Hush - INTERNATIONAL Giveaway!

Title: hush, hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: hush, hush #1
Pages: 391
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: May 27th 2010

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I was lucky enough to go to the blackhand ball in Sydney to meet Becca Fitzpatrick, you can read about my adventure: here. Also if you want to check out the signed book that I'm giving away you can look at my IMM#16 if you want to see the book in question!

This giveaway is going to be International, will be my first giveaway that isn't via The Book Depository, you'll be notified when you win, and I'll get your details then and I'll let you know when I post it!

Goodluck Everyone!!

In My Mailbox #17

 In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

I was right last week when I said that I would only have a small week this week! & I only got one book in the mail.

Shattered Souls
by Mary Lindsey
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
I wasn't too sure about this at the start, but any book involving a malevolent spirit out to get the main heroine is going to be interesting in my book! Excited to start this!
What did you guys get in your mailbox this week!?

Review: Legacy by Molly Cochran

Title: Legacy
Author: Molly Cochran
Pages: 464
Format: Net Galley eARC
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: December 20th
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When her widowed father dumps 16-year-old Katy Jessevar in a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts, she has no idea that fate has just opened the door to both her future and her past.
Nearly everyone in Whitfield is a witch, as is Katy herself, although she has struggled all her life to hide her unusual talents.
Stuck at a boarding school where her fellow studens seem to despise her, Katy soon discovers that Whitfield is the place where her mother commited suicide under mysterious circumstances when Katy was just a small child. With dark forces converging on Whitfield, it’s up to Katy to unravel her family’s many secrets to save the boy she loves and the town itself from destruction.

I was really excited to get my hands on Legacy, so I was really happy when I recieved the eARC via Net Galley!

I think that this is going to be a tough review to write, because although I really enjoyed Legacy, some parts in the book made me rage something chronic!

I'm partial to anything with a witchy tale and magic involved, so as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the intriguing cover, I fell in love.

Katy is our typical heroine, she's thrown into a situation and is expected to know things that she doesn't understand, after her (asshole) father dumps her in a boarding school after shacking up with his new bimbo bitch girlfriend, Katy discovers that she may not be the normal girl that she thought she was.

Everyone at Katy's new school seems to know not only that she is a witch, but about something dark in her past, that she herself doesn't even know and has something to do with her mother.

In all honesty I hated her father for being an asshole and keeping her in the dark about her mother, her mothers family and the potential powers that Katy herself may have, he treated her like shit and in the end had a cry and pretended to be a good Dad, after being completely selfish and unreliable.

Then there was Peter, the complete and utter douchebag at the start, he also had a cry: 'oh I'm so attracted to her but hate her cause I hate her mother, and she doesn't deserve a chance', then when he gets a clue that its not her fault he's all 'lets make out, but don't come near me because something big and nasty wants to destroy the world and I love you so much that I don't want you to be in danger.'

Yes, my bitch-switch was flicked quite a few times while reading Legacy, but I actually loved Peter haha, even though he was a major douche at the start of the book... you could understand why... eventually. It was also was worth it watching his and Katy's relationship evolve from hate to a more warm and squishy feeling.

I really enjoyed reading Legacy, even if I had to put it down a few times so I could cool down, it evoked so much emotion from me, in good and bad ways.

I recommend this book for everyone who likes the boarding school twist thrown in with yummy scenes, magic and mayhem and a world threatening plot thrown in for good measure!

I'm pretty sure that Legacy is meant to be a standalone, but I'm kind of hoping for more, if not I'll definitely be looking forward to more of Molly Cochran's books in the future!

Legacy
by Molly Cochran