#0by16 Project

Over the past year I have accumulated a vast amount of books which I've yet to read, this project named #0by16 is a way to shrink your TBR (to be read) pile to zero by the end of the year. I believe the project was created by BookTuber's Dylan Books, Maureen Keavy, Well Done Books, and Liz Loves Lit. So far my combined physical and electronic books total at 78, which isn't as bad compared to some TBR piles. I will also be restricting my book buying limit to books that I'm highly anticipating this year, which will be listed up in a follow up post. Fingers crossed that I'll actually be able to read the majority of these books, though either way it is a fun project to participate in.

Christmas Book Haul

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by  Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by  Gillian Flynn

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

These are all the books I received for Christmas, all of which had been on my wish list for quite some time. I'm definitely excited to read Gillian Flynn's novels as they have achieved worldwide success and even two movies adaptations! Next up is the first book in the Mara Dyer trilogy, this is another spooky story, questioning the protagonists sanity.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I've literary been waiting all year to read Don't Look Back, so when I received it for my birthday I was ecstatic!

Sam wanders around helplessly with no memory of how she got there, so when it is revealed to her that she's been reported missing for a few days along with her best friend people start to question what happened. But in order to learn the truth of that fateful night Sam has to surround herself around normality in order to regain her memories. Though what she wasn't expecting is that someone close to her knows the truth and will stop her by any means necessary to keep her silent.

I enjoyed this book so much that I sped right through it, I was constantly suspicious of everyone that knew Sam, and I was actually right about some theories, though I was not expecting that explosive ending, really I had no idea.

Sam was really fun to read along with, definitely a character relatable to everyone, the fact that you're following her journey of self discovery and redemption is one hell of a roller-coster that at times you question her sanity.

I don't think theres anything else more to say or I'll end up spoiling you, but definitely check this book out because it constantly keeps you on edge, and its now on my list of favourite books of this year, so what's more to say and read this book!

*****

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You can get Don't Look Back online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

Heir Of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I've never sped through a series as much as I've sped through this one, so as soon I had finished Crown Of Midnight I was relieved to find out the next sequel, Heir Of Fire, was due to be released in a few days time. I must say, even though I've probably mentioned before, the covers for this series are absolutely amazing and I think whoever designs them need to be awarded for how visually stunning they truly are, especially my UK editions, how I wished they made them in hardback over here!

In this instalment we find that Celaena has already been in Wendlyn for a couple of weeks and has since been scouting Prince Galan's palace, though still contemplating on how to handle the situation she's been tasked to do by the King. But Celaena isn't the only one scouting in Wendlyn as it turns out she has been summoned by Queen Maeve, the Fae Queen and her long distant aunt, who's sent Prince Rowan to retrieve Celaena. Celaena will have to face her fears to unleash her true self in order to defeat the King and find the answers she is looking for, but the most lingering question of all is which persona will she chose in order to take down the his kingdom. Will she be Celaena Sardothien, the worlds most lethal assassin and potential Kingslayer, or Aelin Galathynius the heir to Terrasen who's returned to take back her kingdom thats rightfully hers to rule.

However I did find this one very slow to begin with that I almost put it down, but as I kept reading it certainly picked up the pace. But it was only towards the end when I flew through the pages, every page kept me hooked and once I eventually got to the end I wanted more. So Heir Of Fire has left me thinking of how long I have to wait and I'm especially looking forward to the title and cover revelation, again another readers struggle waiting for sequels.

I like how with every book Celaena is slowly maturing and thinking of others for once, something that she has not done in a long while. Of course the mature factor has to do with the fact that she's getting older every two books, as she turns nineteen in Heir Of Fire and before we know it she'll have turned twenty by the end of this series. Celaena definitely struggles with the responsibilities she's been tasked with and often contemplates of other ways out of her duties, even resulting in her downfall.

We also got a few new characters, Aedion, Celaena's cousin, Manon a Blackbeak witch, Sorcha a healer, and Rowan a full blooded Fae. Now I must say I really liked Aedion and Rowan as some new additions to the story and who's perspective I loved reading from, but I found Manon's part a bit lack lustre. I found her story so boring at times I wish I could of skipped her parts, but I'm guessing she's going to be a major player in the game soon so I couldn't really miss any of the vital details. I also felt that Sorscha was just added just so Dorian could have some company, but her role does spark something at the end, so maybe it wasn't that pointless after all.

The fact that theres always death in these books mean that everyone is mortal, something none can come back from, there are so many books from this genre that have one or two deaths. But I swear this is constantly like Game Of Thrones, no I haven't the books just the TV series, the point being you never know who will be safe, that no one is ever safe in any world.

SPOILERS below...

So we found out from Queen Maeve that the King of Adarlan can use the Wyrdstone collars on the living or dead, and with the power he demonstrates he could easily conjure an army. So I was thinking about an earlier scene, we heard that the king had ordered the slaughter of the slaves at Calaculla and Endovier. Now the King has got thousands of dead slaves to dispose, and he loves testing out his new experiments, well now that he knows his Wyrdstone collars work I'm guessing he's going to use all this dead weight as his own personal army.

Now that Celaena is heading back to Rifthold I'm looking forward to her reunion with Arobynn, he will truly feel her wrath descended upon him, though I do feel he will have a few tricks up in his sleeve, so I wouldn't consider him out of the picture just yet.

I could not absolutely believe what happened to Dorian at the end, whenever he ever gets taken down I hope there are no casualties but Celaena and the others are going to have to do it soon before he rots himself from the inside before its too late to ever come back from.

And one more thing before I sign off from the spoiler/theory department, Celaena said to Rowan she's going to call in as many favours in as she can, so as you can probably guess I think we're going to see all of the characters from The Assassins Blade combine forces with Celaena to fight through this war and settle it once and for all.

****

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You can get Heir Of Fire online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

The Queen Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

I think at this point now everyone has heard of The Queen Of The Tearling due to it being announced at the beginning of this year Emma Watson would star as the titular character, as well as executive producer along with the crew of the Harry Potter franchise. The Queen Of The Tearling is a trilogy piece, though the author, Erika Johansen, could essentially add on another trilogy or even prequels or future novels told from the descendants or fan favourite characters should it gain an already greater success.

For a debut novel, I'd say the writing is up to par with a lot of already influential and established authors, who have taken an even longer time to get where they are. The fact that a film adaptation is in the works really says something when the novel hadn't even been released yet, so the studio have a lot of faith with this trilogy. I would definitely recommend The Queen Of The Tearling to the fans of Game Of Thrones and Throne Of Glass. Though I must point out that some of the material within the novel is explicit, so if your comfortable with reading about some heavy scenes and language then this book is for you!

Kelsea Raleigh has spent her entire life secluded in the forest, living in a little cottage with her foster parents Carlin and Barty Glynn. Both of her foster parents were selectively chosen for their individual skills to help mould Kelsea into a person who can wield these skills when she reaches her nineteenth birthday. When the day comes Kelsea will be escorted by the Queen's Guard, as she is the last living heir in Tearling fit for the royal throne, a throne she has known about her entire life which she has ultimately been training for. With a bounty on Kelsea's head since the day she was born she must reach her throne before her enemies come to end her.

The beginning did seem rather slow but as usual I kept pushing myself until I got to the hundred page mark, which is where things got pretty interesting, so if you end up having the same problem just keep pushing on through.

I found that the more I read the more I was warming up to Kelsea, she always went through the many different scenarios that could play out if she made the wrong choice, a choice that could effectively ruin her kingdom. The fact that Kelsea stood by her decisions and forced them by any means necessary meant that she would not for a minute be told what to do, she didn't want to become her mother, Queen Elyssa, who ruined their kingdom into turmoil.

I also really liked that we had some historical passage at the beginning of each chapter, these passages reference to Kelsea's ruling. Thus meaning that she will make a great Queen, a True Queen, one that will forever change the ways of her kingdom.

I did find Kelsea's infatuation with The Fetch rather annoying because she really didn't know him at all and that she's constantly thinking over the conversation they had, but I won't say anymore or I'll ruin it for you. I really liked Kelsea's relationship with the Queen's Guard and of course Lazarus, however I had to remain weary of some characters because of a traitor that laid in their midst.

The character development in the first book alone was beautiful done, Kelsea went from being defenceless to becoming a warrior who tested her limits, a banished girl who became a leader. Kelsea gained everyone's trust and loyalty, the fact that Lazarus was amused by her since the moment they met but now totally respects her really says something.

At first I was confused with the P.O.V switchover but then as I kept reading it was easy to tell who's perspective I was reading from, the P.O.V's ranged from Kelsea, to the Red Queen, to The Fetch, to complete strangers. It was really interesting reading from the Red Queen's perspective as she is the neighbouring Queen who wrecks havoc among her kingdom that her own people are afraid of her. But to be honest she only seemed to be interested in the slave trade and how that would effect the economy and how it would reflect badly on her, not the makings of a true Queen.

Kelsea's decision to honour her foster parents really touched me when she announced to the public that she would now be referred as Queen Glynn, Kelsea Raleigh Glynn. So as you can expect I now cannot wait for such a long time for the as of yet untitled sequel.


SPOILERS below...

The question remains, who is Kelsea's father? It seems that everyone wants to know and the people who do know are either sworn to secrecy or dead. But I do have one theory and another outlandish theory, so I'll start with the more plausible one. I think it may be Lazarus the Mace, it just a feeling I have as his character is still quite a mystery, though my other theory is The Fetch, but when I did read through a particular scene I had to cross him off the list unless it was a red herring. Also we've learnt that The Fetch is someone who is dead but still among the living and we know Thomas knows him, so who is this other mysterious character?

****

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You can get The Queen Of The Tearling online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

I've been wanting to expand my bookshelf with a new post apocalypse series so I decided to pick up the first instalment of the Monument 14 trilogy, which is about the weather taking an unexpected turn for worse and causing chaos for the world. Somehow through all that chaos fourteen kids survive the deadly hail storm and take refuge at their local supermarket, but without adults how will these kids cope.

The book takes place within twelve days, so we get to see how the kids survive as each day passes by, especially since the kids range in ages from sixteen to about six. This meant that there was a lot of tension between the big and little kids because of how they treated each other and dealt with heavy situations. I also really liked the fact that it included a map of the supermarket, so I could use it as a reference when the characters would mention a part of the store.

The beginning was quite difficult to get into because of all this new terminology I was given and to be honest I was kind of bored but I persevered and kept reading, which was an excellent choice because of how everything leads up to an ultimate decision and well... cliffhanger.

The main protagonist is Dean who is one of the older kids, however he is known for being a loner at his high school which he is determined to change by being involved in the decision making process by voicing his suggestions and concerns. Though at times I did find Dean to be quite annoying but it kind of subsided over the course of the book.

Sometimes I would forget about the existence of some characters and even merged some together, so I'm hoping they'll have more involvement in the upcoming books.

I was completely surprised when Astrid made her shocking reveal at the end, I was not expecting it at all. I wonder how that will play into the scheme of things over the next two instalments.

In all I think I will stick around with this trilogy as I really want to know whats going to happen with these characters in the next stages of their survival adventure.

****

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You can get Monument 14 online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from The Works.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

The Hate List has been on the top of my wish list for awhile and I finally managed to get a pretty decent second hand copy considering this book is quite expensive to get a hold of in my country. I've always been intrigued by the story and how it can told as it's quite a delicate matter.

After a traumatic experience Valerie has spent the summer secluded away attending therapy sessions to relive her mind of the awful day when everything changed in her small suburban town. Now Valerie must return to complete her last year of school, but she must face the guilt of the infamous Hate List she created with her boyfriend Nick which so happened to leave a wake of tragedy behind them. Will her classmates be so forgiving and will she forever forgive herself.

The theme of Hate List is quite tricky to write especially since it happens the most in America, so it has to be written in a delicate way which I thought was beautifully done. I really liked the fact that Jennifer Brown chose to write flashbacks, which lead up to the events of the shootings and the major fallout afterwards. This definitely had a nice steady pace, which I thoroughly sped through and that I now consider one of my all time favourite books.

Throughout I followed what Valerie had to go through, emotionally and physically after the shooting, as she had to come to terms that her trusted boyfriend Nick wrecked havoc on school grounds taking out all the people that were listed on the Hate List. Valerie hated the fact that she indeed was responsible for the tragedies because of that list, something that was created to take out her anger on but majorly backfired when Nick used its entirety for something dark and sinister. The fact that Valerie thought she knew Nick so well but indeed only knew one layer of him and not actually what his true intentions were, another thing she feels guilty about because she didn't pick up on his behaviour sooner.

Of course with such a complex theme Valerie had to deal with the hate campaign against her, which subsided with time and even became civil with her peers again, which was mainly due to popular girl Jessica, the girl she saved. Val also had to struggle with the fact that her friends from before had abandoned her in her time of need and tried so hard to make amends of a somewhat fragile relationship with them.

Overall I thought this book was very realistic as we get the insight of Valerie's thoughts and memories before and after the events. I'm still unsure about the ending, as I'm not overtly keen on open endings, but because of Valerie's roller coaster life I like to believe that she's making a better life for herself somewhere faraway without being known as the personal reminder of what went wrong in her town.

*****

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You can buy Hate List online.
I brought my copy used from eBay.