Series Breakdown

You guys, I think I have a problem. I love to start a new series. Unfortunately, I'm less skilled at seeing it through to the end. As a result, I am very behind on many series. I know it. But then I saw this post by Jessi from Novel Heartbeat, where she bravely quantified just how behind she was (please give her credit for inventing this post, not me). Now I'm being brave too.


Completed - Not Caught Up
Anna by Kendare Blake - 1 book to go
The Witch Avenue by Karice Bolton - 3 books to go
Canterwood Crest by Jessica Burkhart - 19 books to go (including super specials)
Florence Waverly by Ciye Cho - 1 book to go **
The Frost Chronicles by Kate Avery Ellison - 3 books to go
Jessica by Beth Fantaskey - 1 book to go
As the World Dies by Rhiannon Frater - 2 books to go
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - 1 book to go
Elemental by Shauna Granger - 4 books to go
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - 2 books to go
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - 1 book to go
Riders of the Apocalypse by Jackie Morse Kessler - 3 books to go
Kandrith by Nicole Luiken - 1 book to go
The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare - 2 books to go
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - 4 books to go
The Protector by M. R. Merrick - 1 book to go
Across the Universe by Beth Revis - 2 books to go
Solus by Devri Walls - 3 books to go

Total books to read: 54

Incomplete - Not Caught Up
The Oxford Trilogy by Marion Croslydon - 1 book to go
Bridger by Megan Curd - 1 book to go, book 3 releases 2013(?)
Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee - 1 book to go
Living Dead Love Story by Rusty  Fischer - 1 book to go, book 3 releases April 15, 2014
Gone With the Respiration by Lia Habel - 1 book to go
Vampire Born by Angeline Kace - 1 book to go
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne - 1 book to go, book 3 releases May 6, 2014
Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan - 1 book to go, book 3 releases April 8, 2014
Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson - 1 book to go
White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland - 2 books to go, book 4 releases July 2014
The Legend of Drizzt by R. A. Salvatore - 18 books to go, book 25 releases March 4, 2014
Lillith Straight by Michelle Scott - 1 book to go
The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood - 1 book to go, book 3 releases August 14, 2014
Annie Loves Cham by Sheryl Steines - 1 book to go
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - 1 book to go, book 3 releases February 4, 2014

Total books to read: 33

Incomplete - Caught Up
Twisted Lit by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes - book 3 releases January 18, 2014
Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan - book 2 releases March 4, 2014
Finishing School by Gail Carriger - book 3 releases 2014
Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green - book 2 releases May 6, 2014
Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle
Acrania: Trial by Fire by Liz Maverick
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Icons by Margaret Stohl - book 2 releases July 8, 2014
Emilie by Martha Wells - book 2 releases March 4, 2013

Completed!
Isis by Monica Hughes
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Not Continuing:
Unremembered by Jessica Brodie
Vampire Agape by Georgia Cates
Ava Delaney by Claire Farrell
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Amerias Adventures by Amy Green
Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore
Pretty in Black by Rae Hachton
Madison Avery Trilogy by Kim Harrison
Counterattack by M. G. Higgins
Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
Yesterday by C. K. Kelly Martin
Broken by A. E. Rought
Returner's Wealth by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
The Destiny Saga by Heather M. White
Imperfect Darkness by Kim White

Completely finished series: 3
Series I need to finish (all books published): 18
Series I need to catch up on (unread published books, unfinished series): 15
Series I’m caught up on (have books unpublished yet): 9
Series I don’t plan to finish: 15

So what have we learned? I don't finish series nearly as quickly as I start them. I've completed 2 series since starting this blog. Two! I also have a couple of huge series on the go. The Legend of Drizzt is up to book 25! Also, there's a surprisingly high number of series that I don't plan to continue. And I have 87 books to go before I'm caught up, not including the 14 books with releases dates announced in the new year (2 of which I have ARCs for already).

I'm planning to post an update in 6 months to see if I've made any progress. Wish me luck.

2014 Monster Reading Challenge Post

Rather than do individual posts for every reading challenge I want to participate in, I've decided to make one huge monster post for all of them.

TBR Pile Reading Challenge


My bookshelves are FULL of unread books that I want to read so bad but keep getting distracted by shiny new books.

Goal: 20 books


Review Pile Reading Challenge

My review list is way too long. I'm not sure if I'll even catch up on all those ebooks I requested when I first discovered Netgalley, but I definitely plan to catch up on my physical review copies this year.

Goal: 15 books

Prequel & Sequel Challenge



This one runs on a points system. If I read all the books I have planned, I'll end up in the Advanced category

Goal: 64 points

2014 Series Challenge

You guys, this has badges. BADGES! I'm in!

Goal: Silver (complete 4-6 series)

Dystopian Reading Challenge


Maybe this year...

Goal: Rebel (7-12 books)

The EPICest reading challenge ever...

Well, I'm all about this reading challenges this time of year, but I think it's time to embark on the EPICest of all reading challenges.

1 million pages!

It may take a few years, but I am commited. Bam! I'm starting this one retroactively to the book I'm currently reading. No takesies-backsies!

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from Megan Likes Books. Unfortunately, I'll be working through Christmas this year, but I'm going to give the blog a bit of a break as well. I should have posts starting again on Monday!

Source

Review: Allegiant

Info:
Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #3
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Source: Purchased.


Synopsis: 
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Review:
I almost don't even know what to say about this one. Unlike a lot of people, my lower rating is due to the middle, not the end. I liked each book in this trilogy a bit less than the previous one. Divergent - loved it! Insurgent - pretty good, but the characters started to annoy me. Allegiant - I kind of stopping caring about the characters a much about a third of the way through, which is probably why I didn't mind the ending.

My main issue with this book was the characters. Tris and Tobias really got on my nerves in the middle. Like so many of their issues could have been solved by just talking to each other instead of shouting and walking away. I realize that they are both meant to be flawed characters, but that doesn't mean I don't get to be annoyed at them!

I also felt a bit bored through the middle part of the book. I'm not sure why, there were even explosions. Maybe that was part of the problem. The book went from one high action to the next and maybe I didn't have enough time to recover from one action sequence before the next and it all blurred together. I'm not sure on that one. But it took me like a month to read this one and I read Divergent is a couple days.

I also wasn't a fan of the alternating POV. I generally don't really like this, so nothing against Veronica Roth. Although I did think it was weird to suddenly switch to alternating POV in the final book of a triology. I kind of understand it now, but I can't say I liked it.

And the ending! I'm going to try to keep this spoiler-free. I can see why some readers were angry, but I actually wasn't. Partly because I was annoyed with the main characters and had started to feel an emotional distance from them. Partly because I was prepared. I didn't have it spoiled for me, but I knew something big and bad was coming, so I think I prepared myself for that unconsciously. And finally, I like books with sad endings. One of my favourite books I read in english class was Ethan Frome, which has one of the most depressing endings I can think of.So some combination of these meant no anger, no throwing the book across the room, no screaming and, amazingly, no tears. That truly is amazing. I cry during sad country songs I've heard a hundred times (like Holes in the Floor of Heaven and Don't Take the Girl).

Overall, I though Allegiant was ok. I definitely felt like this series slipped downhill as it progressed. On it's own, I didn't think Allegiant was anything that special, but the series overall is still worth reading. Divergent is still one of my favourite books.

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Don't Just Take My Word For It:
Burning Impossibly Bright | Novel Heartbeat | Happy Indulgence

Cover Compare: Divergent Series

In honour of the fact that I *finally* finished Allegiant (review on Thursday), I decided to feature the Divergent series for this week's Cover Compare (sorry for missing a few lately!).

Divergent:

US cover

UK cover (I think)

Insurgent:

US cover

UK cover (I think)

Allegiant:
 

US cover

UK cover (I think)

Overall, I prefer the US covers. I love that the faction symbols are included and I like the city pictures on the bottom. And I love that they don't really look like any other covers around (Well, kind of like the Legend series, but). The other covers (I think they are UK, but I actually had a lot of trouble finding out) are okay, but they look like a lot of YA covers. I also feel like I'm missing some symbolism on them. What do the leaves mean? What do the feathers mean? Symbolism has always been my weakest point in English class. I also don't like that the first two are similar in colour and the third on is drastically different.

What do you think?

Review: Fangirl

 Info:
Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Source: Purchased.

Synopsis: 
 From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review:
The best word I can think of to describe Fangirl is: lovely. It really was a sweet read. I loved the characters and I loved the representation of fans and our fandoms. I can definitely see why this one has been so popular in the blogosphere. I think a lot of us book bloggers can relate to Cath because we've been there. At least I know I have.

Cath was a flawed but compulsively likeable character. I could definitely relate to her social anxiety, although my own is to a much lesser degree. I also loved her dedication to her love of Simon Snow, Rowell's fictional world within this contemporary book.

And Levi! He really deserves the title of "sweetheart" (if you've read it, you'll understand). He's so sweet and friendly and kind and even though he made a few mistakes, I'm glad he was able to redeem himself. Plus he's a ranch kid studying range management which gains him a heap of bonus points from this ranch kids with an unfinished degree in animal health.

There were also a couple characters that I wanted to climb into the book and shake. Wren, although she gets some redemption (with a ton of help) and Laura who I still can't help but hate.

This one is still a contemporary and I did cry in a couple spots (both in combinations of sad and frustrated). PMS probably didn't help.

Fangirl is a fun read with something to offer fans of contemporary growing up stories and fans of fantasy. 

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Don't Just Take My Word For It:
The Daily Prophecy | Xpresso Reads

December Paranormal Reading Challenge: Other

Yikes! I can't believe it's already December 12!  definitely apologize for being so late posting this! My life has been a bit crazy the past couple weeks and blogging has fallen behind.

Anyway, this month is our Others month, so any paranormal creature that doesn't fit in any of the other categories. Examples are: Gods/goddesses, centaurs, etc. Whatever you can think of! Remember to link up below.

This month we have a prize kindly donated by author Kaitlin Bevis. She has donated an ebook of her novel Persephone, a YA read featuring gods and goddess. Thank you so much Kaitlin!

Also, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the challenge. It was both Jessi and I's first time running a reading challenge and I can definitely admit that there were a few mistakes made. I'm hoping to run the challenge again next year with a few improvements! I'd really like to hear everyone thoughts and whether or not you'd be interesting in participating next year. Thanks!

Blog Tour: Scion of the Sun

I'm excited to share a guest post with you from Nicola Marsh, author of Scion of the Sun! I'm always interested by the research authors do for their books and I love to hear about all the cool stuff they've learned along the way. Read on for the guest post, some info about her new book and a giveaway!

10 (or whatever number really) Things I Learned While Writing Scion of the Sun

1. Crystals have so many uses.

2. Tom Welling is perfect inspiration for a sexy warrior.

3. Everything does revolve around the sun.

4. The Celtic calendar is based on solar equinoxes.

5. Ogham (ancient Celtic alphabet) represents sacred trees.

6. Biokinetics can alter human DNA.

7. Astral projection/teleporting means you get to meet hot guys in two planes of existence.

8. Sororities aren’t so bad.

9. Clairsentience means you can see the future, not the past.

10. World building is incredibly hard work.

A language based on sacred trees?! That sounds pretty awesome to me. I'm a big fan of the Celts actually. Thanks so much to Nicola for being on my blog today and I hope you enjoy the rest of the tour.

ABOUT SCION OF THE SUN:

Title: SCION OF THE SUN
Series: THE SOLAR SNATCHERS SERIES
Publication date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9850294-3-2
ISBN eBook: 978-0-9850294-2-5
Author: Nicola Marsh

When she least expects it, sixteen-year old Holly Burton’s unremarkable life is shaken to the core. A vision of the mother Holly never knew leaves her questioning everything she believes.

Eager for answers, Holly enrolls at a boarding school for highly gifted students in Wolfebane, New Hampshire. But things will get worse before they get better, as Holly accidentally transports to a parallel existence where she's confronted by a dark and ancient evil.

With the help of Joss, a sexy alpha warrior sworn to protect her, and her new BFF, the equally swoon-worthy Quinn, Holly faces her fears and an unlikely adversary in a showdown that is worse than anything she could’ve possibly imagined …

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

ABOUT NICOLA MARSH:

USA TODAY bestselling author Nicola Marsh writes flirty fiction with flair for adults and riveting, spooky stories for teens.

She has published 43 contemporary romances with Harlequin, Entangled Publishing and indie, and sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Her first mainstream romance BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD was nominated for Romantic Book of the Year 2012. Her first indie romance, CRAZY LOVE, was a 2012 ARRA finalist.

Her debut young adult novel, a supernatural thriller BANISH, released with Harlequin Teen August 2013, and her YA urban fantasy series kicks off with SCION OF THE SUN, November 2013, with Month9Books.

She’s also a Waldenbooks, Bookscan and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a 2013 RBY (Romantic Book of the Year) and National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and a multi-finalist for a number of awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and has also won several CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, and her favorite, curling up with a good book!

Goodreads | Web | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway
One (1) print copies of Scion of the Sun by Nicola Marsh and Endless by Amanda Gray, and one (1) $15 Starbucks Gift Card (US Only)

One (1) ebook copy of Scion of the Sun by Nicola Marsh and Endless by Amanda Gray (INT)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

 Info:
Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: September 2011
Source: Purchased..

Synopsis:
Cas Lowood, armed with his late father's athame knife, kills ghosts. In Thunder Bay, Anna, forever 16, drips blood on her white dress from throat slit in 1958, and rips apart anyone who enters her house - except Cas. He makes new friends - high school queen Carmel, jock Will, admiring nerd Thomas and Tom's voodoo grandpa Morfran - to fight this demon.

Review:
Anna Dressed in Blood is another case of a book not quite living up to the hype. Everyone I talked to loved it and as Halloween approached, it felt like everyone was talking about it as their favourite scary read. It didn't help that I also had the ending spoilered a bit.

Now, I didn't think Anna was a bad book. It just didn't come close to the hype surrounding it for me. I didn't really connect with Cas and at time I found his voice to be unrealistic, even for someone who's life is as messed up as his. Anna felt a bit flat to me; she didn't have tons of personality. She went from being crazy-ass-scary to feeling a bit bland to me.

The other major issue I had was with the romance. I kind of got blind-sided by it. While I wouldn't classify it as instalove, it felt very sudden for me. Maybe I'm really dense and missed some clues, but it felt like Cas woke up one day and was suddenly in love.

I did like the plot, although I wish Cas had killed more ghosts though the book. That part of the story reminds me of season one of Supernatural, which I loved. Also, the baddie at the end was pretty bad-ass. Voodoo freaks me out a bit anyway, which made things even creepier.

Overall, I'm finding this one difficult to review. I'm not sure how I would have felt if I'd read this one right when it came out, but as it stands, it was nothing special for me. With that said, I do still plan to read Girl of Nightmares and I already have a copy of Blake's new book, Antigoddess, which I'm excited for.

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Don't Just Take My Word For It:
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Cover Compare: Beautiful Creatures

This is a common thing, but I rarely actually like the movie version of book covers. I like imagining my own faces for the characters, rather than having Hollywood stars planted in my mind before I even start reading. Today's example? Beautiful Creatures, which I own and still haven't read. Original is so much prettier than the movie cover. No contest this week!

Movie tie-in

Original

Paranormal Reading Challenge: Werewolves/Shifts Month

I apologize for posting this a bit late, but here it is! Shifters month. Or werewolves. You pick!

So far I haven't fallen in love with any werewolf books. I did enjoy Skulk by Rosie Best, so that's going to be my recommendation for shifters. Because who wouldn't want to be able to shift into a fox to run around London thwarting evil!

This month I'm planning to read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I've read The Raven Cycle books and really enjoyed them, so I'm excited to try another Maggie series. Apparently at the end I will be posting an ugly-cry photo on twitter at some point in the series as per Maggie's personal instructions (seriously, she told me to and therefore it will happen).

I can't wait to see what book you guys will be reading. Link up here!

Review: Offside

 

Info:

Title: Offside
Author: M. G. Higgins
Series: Counterattack #5
Publisher: Lerner Classroom
Publication Date: April 1, 2013 (Originally published December 28, 2012)

Synopsis:

Between finishing late school projects and looking after her brothers and sister, Faith Patel barely has time to play soccer. And when she's at practice, surrounded by girls who can afford to play in club leagues, she doesn't even feel like part of the team. So when Coach Berg starts to give Faith extra attention, she feels . . . really special. It might be crazy, but suddenly Faith has a crush on her coach. Can she keep her head in the game? The situation gets worse after Faith's frenemy Caitlyn decides that Faith's getting special treatment. Will Caitlyn tell the rest of the team--and make Faith into a total outcast?

Review:

I didn't know this was a novella when I started it. I usually don't bother reading novellas because I find they often lack depth. I also didn't know it was part of a series, although I don't think I lost anything by starting with #5.

Offside wasn't a bad read, but neither was it very memorable. I did enjoy the soccer aspects and I also liked how important family was in this novel.

The 'romance' aspect of this one didn't do it for me. I know lots of girls develop crushes on teachers, but Faith went a little crazy with it. I mean, she was fantasizing about cooking him breakfast every morning! Also, the ending felt super rushed, which likely has a lot to do with it being a novella. 

This book had the potential to hit on some major issues, such as inappropriate relationships (such as teacher-student) and bullying, but it definitely felt like it stayed in a very 'safe' place and didn't push the boundaries.

Over, Offside was a quick ok read that I likely won't remember a few weeks from now. Read it if you're a soccer fan who likes novellas. Also, why is the girl on the cover white? She does not look like Faith at all!

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