Best Reads of 2012

I am now officially starting my 2012 lists with my BEST READS of the year. I will include all books I've read starting January 2012 even though some are released years ago. I hope you can share yours too so I can check them out :)

*In order*
**CLICK on the title to view my in depth review of the book


10. Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

READ ON: August 2012

Julie Garwood is always on my auto-buy list since time immemorial. I have loved her since I was in High School and I have re-read all her books countless of times. I especially love her historical romances and even her contemporary ones like Heartbreaker and Shadow Dance. I just don't know what happened to her latest releases starting from Shadow Music. They are still good but I felt, like, her writing style changed or something. I still enjoyed reading them but the depth and captivating story that I loved were kind of short. So, even though I liked reading Sweet Talk, I can't put it on my top 5. BUT This is still a good read. I just miss seeing her old style. Still waiting for her 2013 release :)


9. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

READ ON: June 2012

"Of Poseidon" is Anna Banks debut book as a writer and I'm glad I was able to read it. This is my first "adult" mermaid book...my last was Disney's Little Mermaid haha. Anyway, this is the only mermaid book I have read  since I became an adult so it's quite entertaining for me. I loved her writing style and her world building. I can't wait for book 2 of this series. Definitely a must-read book for those people who love fairytale-type of book and loves mermaids as much as I do :)


8. Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter

Book 1-3

Book 4

READ ON: July 2012

This is a surprisingly good book for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did while reading the series. What I loved about this story is that it has a really good fluidity and it felt like I'm reading a Japanese manga wherein each book means just another chapter and you need to pick it up asap to know what's next. It really is a page turner for me and I can't wait to read the finale of this 5-part series..This series felt like X-men because it consists of all supernatural beings studying in one school and trying to live civilly with each other. I really love the concept and I'm so glad it was well executioned too  :)

7. Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

READ ON: March 2012

Now, this is a faery book. I really enjoyed Julie Kagawa's writing skills and her character building. She was able to create a beautiful but dangerous land, Nevernever, to serve as the perfect backdrop for her characters. I enjoyed reading about Megan, Ash, Puck and Grim's adventures and character development. I also liked reading the short stories for this series, they are that entertaining. I definitely recommend this series for those people looking for an adventure fantasy book :) 

6. Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlainne Harris

(aka True Blood Series)

READ ON: April 2012

After reading a lot of Young Adult books about vampires and shapeshifters, I really was quite happy to have found a good adult version through this series by Charlainne Harris. Book 13, the finale, will get released on May 2013 and I am looking forward on how she will end this very long series about Sookie Stackhouse. If you loved watching True Blood on HBO, you should definitely read this coz this is way better! The TV Series sucks big time since it's so R-18 but these books are great and it really was told in a way that it seems realistic even though it's fictional :)

5. Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead

READ ON: April 2012

This is a spin-off from the popular Vampire Academy Series. This is still ongoing and is following Sydney, the alchemist who if a friend of Rose. I just love reading these books coz the way Richelle Mead created another side for the same world as with Vampire Academy is superb. I can also see glimpses of what happened to the characters  I loved like Dimitri and Rose through this as the setting for Bloodlines happened right after the events in VA ended. I can't wait to read Book 3 and 4 next year coz there's a rumor that 2 books will be released consequently. Yay! :)

4. Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

READ ON: February 2012

As I have said, this is what started my love for Bloodlines. This series made me cry, laugh and feel every emotions that a book could give you while reading. Richelle Mead is a fantastic writer and I love her female characters because they are strong willed and knows what they want. Rose and Dimitri's love story is epic and I really enjoyed the way how her character evolved from being an immature teenager to a mature woman. Love it so much! :)

3. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

READ ON: September 2012

This is one of those books that I can't wait for it to arrive. I actually ordered a hard copy instead of an ebook for this one the moment it became available in the US. I really was so happy with Raphael and Andrea's story because it is full of sparks and action. This is also the best cover for all the books in the Kate Daniel's series! I really love having this on hand coz I can re-read it anytime and I didn't regret the long wait because it's worth it :)

2. Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh

Book 1-3

Book 5

READ ON: January 2012

This is the best angel book out there in the market because this does not have any religious stuff integrated. It is sort of like a dystopian genre because Nalini Singh created a world wherein Earth is ruled by Archangels with Vampires as workers and humans are just there like "pets". I specifically love  the stories about Raphael and Elena so this being in 2nd place is because of the first 3 books. I just love Elena's character because she is full of spunk and she is a warrior through and through. I can't wait for book 6 because the author said the story will go back to Elena and Raphael instead of one of the Seven (Raphael's elite guard unit). I can't wait!

1. Kate Daniel's Series by Ilona Andrews

READ ON: June 2012

I have been contemplating whether my top 1 will be this series or the Guild Hunter one because I love both and I have re-read them over and over again since I got them...I just can't decide but I nitpicked my criteria and Kate Daniel wins! This won because I loved each and every book in this series even the novellas (Jim and Dali, Raphael and Andrea, and even Curran's POVs) and I can't get enough of them even though I have re-read them countless of times already. While I only am in love with Raphael and Elena's books in the Guild Hunter Series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading book 4 and 5 too but they are not on my top 10. 

This is definitely the top book series of 2012 and I can't wait for book 6 to read more about Kate and Curran and also the other member of the pack :)

You can follow me on GOODREADS if you wanted to see a more regular update on my reading. It's more updated than on my blog because I don't review all of the books here in detail especially those that I have read a long time ago before I started Gale Reads. 

Thank you for dropping by!

Gale Reads: The Lost Prince [Iron Fey: The Call of the Forgotten #1] by Julie Kagawa

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all would have a great weekend ahead..Me? I'll probably be with the bf tomorrow to celebrate his birthday :)

So, remember the Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa that I reviewed months ago? No? Hmm You can read it here. Anyway, I loved that series! Even though it is for teens (young adult genre about fairies), I really got hooked in it because Kagawa's writing technique is superb. I love her way of describing the world of the fairies (Nevernever) and since it is the first fairy book I've read as an adult, it actually placed the bar up high. I can't seem to like the less detailed works of other authors coz I tend to compare it with this series. So imagine my excitement when I've learned that Kagawa started a spin-off of this series-- The Call of the Forgotten. And this time, the main character is Ethan Chase, the little brother of Megan (the Iron Queen and the lead character in the Iron Fey Series) who had experienced a lot of problems with the fey since he was little. I grabbed an ebook copy as soon as it got released in the US because I can't wait for the paperback copy to reach Manila hehe :)

TITLE: The Lost Prince
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
GENRE: Young Adult, Fairies, Fantasy, Adventure
SERIES: The Iron Fey Series #1

COVER TALK:
I am not a fan of the cover. I liked that it is blue and the detailing is beautiful, but as I've mentioned before, I don't like books that have real people on the covers.

MY REVIEW:
I'll start with the good stuff! I loved the fact that I could still read about Megan, Ash, Puck and the other fey like Grimalkin, etc and get some updates on how they lived after the fourth book ended. I liked knowing snippets of information about them and I'm happy that through this spin-off they will still be part of the story even though they are not in focus anymore. 

I also liked the fact that this new Iron Fey series will star a male character. I believe it is a breath of fresh air to read it in a male point of view instead of a girl like almost every other YA book out there. 

The mere mention of Filipino traditions and cultures in this book made me smile a lot. The terms, "guro" and "manghuhula" is fun to read every time it arises. The use of arnis in fighting of evil is funny too haha :)

BUT after reading the story, I actually got a little disappointed. I can't seem to relate with Ethan and I hated his personality, to be exact. I got the point why he chose to act like that but it irritated me a lot because even though everything was already revealed, he still decided to act like a jerk. It is really pointless, in my opinion. The flow of the story is repetitive too especially in the first 2/3 of the story in a sense that the happenings between the two main characters (Ethan and Kenzie) seemed like a cycle of violence -- fighting, guilty feelings, honeymoon then repeat again.

Also, I don't know what happened but it seems like this book is written by a different author. The exciting world building, the adventures and the magical fey got lost in this one. The way it is written is in the view of Ethan and since he doesn't like the Nevernever and the fey, all the self talking he did all throughout the story rubbed off me. I started disliking the fairies too and it got a little hard to finish this one. I hope book 2 will be better since the first one of a series is usually full of preparations for the next books.


OVER-ALL RATING: 3/5


I love the series but this spin-off is a let down. It drags a little and got boring compared to the first 4 books. I will still read the next book just because I want to know how the prophecy will come about.


WILL I RECOMMEND THIS? 
I will recommend this to the fans of the Iron Fey series. I don't think it will appeal to other readers aside form the fans, to be honest.


Thank you for dropping by!
 

Gale Reads: Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

Good morning everyone! It's Friday at last so time to relax and lounge around with family and friend. I really love weekends because I get to watch my favorite dramas and also be able to read uninterrupted ^_^

For today, I will be reviewing the Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa. I haven't seen these books in any bookstore (NBS, Powerbooks or Fully Booked) so I'm not sure if it's available locally...but please do tell me if you have seen these around, okay?

I read them in ebook form because I tend to have a very impatient nature when it comes to series and I love to read books continuously. I hate waiting for the next one hehe.

The series consists of 4 books and 2 mini stories in between that is only available as an ebook, I think.

Now, the reason why I searched this series out and read them is because I super love fairies. Since I was a little girl, I've loved reading about fairy tales and magic. I love stories like Peter Pan with Tinkerbell, mermaids, etc. I don't think I can get over my fascination with them because they are so beautiful and lovely. Reading about magical worlds intrigues me so much. Then one day, while I was searching through the net for the next book to read, I came across a review about this. I told myself that it is now time to try out another genre of books since I'm feeling a little saturated with all the vampires & werewolves I was reading. I needed a break, something different from all the things I've read and so I ended up with this.

COVER TALK: 5/5. I love love the book covers! They are so colorful and magical. I love the Narnia feel of the design. You can definitely see that the books will take you to a magical world.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS SERIES:

- It is very entertaining and really a page-turner. I can't stop myself from finishing it. It makes me want to finish it in one seating (which I did hehe) because I really wanted to know what happened next.

- Julie Kagawa is great! I love how she described everything in detail. I can imagine the sceneries, what the characters look like, and most of all, she was able to make me feel everything I'm reading is "reality." I had a feeling I'm reading facts instead of fantasy because she made it so realistic.

- There are almost no errors in grammar and spelling so I love that.

- There are no unnecessary events in the story. No fillers to make the book longer. Everything that happened has a meaning and plays a part on how the story unfolds.

- The story is a cross between Narnia and Alice Wonderland, definitely, IMO.

- You might also be familiar with some of the characters: Oberon, Titania, Mab (the King and Queens of the fairy world) & Puck who are famous in plays...The sith cat Grimalkin who is like the striped cat in Alice in wonderland, and the different types of fairies like the mermaids, boogeyman, unicorns, etc.

- The story itself is very well written and unique. I know there are other fairy books for young adults but I believe this is by far have the best concept and well executed too. I have read other fairy books and they tend to be boring and a little messy unlike this one who makes you think it's real.

- I love the main heroine. She is strong willed, loyal and very very smart. The leading man Ash is also an eye-candy based on my imagination :)

- Can be read by anyone - all ages. So moms, you can definitely let your kids read this.

- Julie Kagawa gave me another side of the fairies to see. Yes, they are beautiful and powerful but they can also be cruel (especially to humans) and selfish. These are not the typical "lovely and helpful" fairies that kids love in fairytale books, but they are the magical creatures that we should fear if we crossed them.

WHAT I DON'T LOVE ABOUT THIS:

- I can't seem to find a hard copy locally. I wanted to buy a box set of this series to add in my collection.

- This is a story that I'm nost sure if I will re-read in the future because it is an adventure book and adventure books tend to lose it's exciting feature once you know what will happen next.

- The love story between the 3 main characters is not the focal. And I would love to read more about Ash and Meghan's love story.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5. I don't regret reading this. I love love everything about it...from the cover to the writing style to the story and characters. I just wished there is more events pertaining to their love haha.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS? Definitely! I can't help but rave about this. Perfect for all age group. It is not too complicated for teens but not too childish for adults. It can definitely entertain everyone.

- perfect for people of all ages

- a must read for those who love adventure and magic

- If you love fairies, then you should definitely pick this up.

You can download it at 4shared.com but if you find it hard to find, just leave your name and email address in the comment box below and I will send you through email a copy of the 6 books as soon as I can ^_^

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you can all try and read this series. It is definitely worth a try and you won't regret it.^_^