Gale Reads: Top 10 Series I Haven't Finished

For this week's Gale Reads, I wanted to answer Pixie's (The Bookaholic) question:

"What is your Top Ten Series that you haven't finished (because either you didn't like them, you just have procrastinated, etc.)?"

I have read a lot of books and I personally love book series. Knowing the succeeding events in the character's lives after that first book is such a pleasure for me especially if I really love the characters so much :)

Here's my Top 10 Series that I haven't finished reading (in no particular order):

1. The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

This series consists of 10 titles already released and an 11th title expected to be out next year. 
I think I've read until book 6 only and I can't force myself anymore after that. I really hated the author's style of writing and there's really no deep story to fall in love with. You can read my full review on this series here.

2. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

This is a 4 book series and the last book, Finale, will be out next month.
I was able to read book 1, Hush Hush, and I liked it. I'm just not sure why I didn't continue reading the succeeding titles. I even forgot to post a review on it once I finished reading it. I hope I will have the urge to read this series soon and I will definitely re-read the first book so there's a flow on the stories :)

3. The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series/Shiver Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

I have just posted a full review on this trilogy and you can check it out here.
In summary, I was able to read 2 1/2 books and I can't make myself finish the last book, Forever. It got too slow and boring for me :(

4. Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

This is an ongoing series. I didn't exactly enjoyed the first book, Delirium, so it didn't inspired me to read the next 2. It would just be a waste of my time and effort if I forced myself to read a story about a character that I don't enjoy, right? I just got so irritated about the lead character that I needed to force myself to finish book 1. 
If you are interested to read my full review, click here.



5. Matched Trilogy by Allie Condie

Another trilogy that I started reading because of great reviews that I ended up not liking. I really liked the plot and idea but I got so bored reading Matched because everything is so predictable. I didn't dare pick up the sequel coz I'm afraid it would bore me to death too.
My full review of Matched here.

6. Halo trilogy by Alexandra Adornetto

This is a classic example of "Judging the book by its cover" ...To be honest, I was so in love with the book cover of Halo that I really searched hi and lo for an ebook copy in order to read it immediately. Well, I still am in love with the book covers but the story was really disappointing, IMO. I was hoping for a better fallen angel book since there's a lot of competition in the market. 
My full review here.

7. Paranormalcy Trilogy by Kiersten White

I loved Paranormalcy! I don't know what happened and I forgot all about it being a series. I will definitely get a copy of the next 2 sequel so that I can finish reading the story of Evie :)

8. Wondrous Strange Series by Lesley Livingson

This is another series that I totally forgot about. I have read the first book and I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the story. I love fairies and the author did a great job of making them realistic at present time. I will get my hands on these books soon :)
 
9. Covenant Series by Jennifer Armentrout

This is an ongoing series as of the moment. I have read the prequel and half of book 1. I am still contemplating if I will continue reading it because I got a little annoyed with its the super close similarity with Vampire Academy which I love. What attracted me to it was the book covers and the story line. I really liked warrior-type characters and I enjoyed smart and kickass leading ladies. BUT, again, it has too many similarities with VA that I'm put off as of the moment. 

10. Clarity Series by Kim Harrington

I have read Clarity and I really enjoyed it...I still haven't picked up a copy of Perception which was just released this year. I am also not sure how many books this series will be :)


I can't believe I was able to fulfill all 10 spots! I really need to contact my ebook supplier soon so I can get a copy of all the books I needed to read. There are so many ongoing series that I really enjoy following ^_^


What about you guys? Have you read a series that you can't seem to finish? Share them with me on the comment box below! ^_^


Thanks for dropping by!

Gale Reads: Matched by Ally Condie

Hello! I will be doing a lot of book reviews this week since I have finished reading a lot already and I am still unable to post my thoughts on them so I will do it one or two books every day.

I will start with this popular Young Adult book called Matched by Ally Condie. This book received great reviews from other bloggers so it was included on my To-Read-List (TBL) but since my bf's sister also suggested this to me I have decided to bumped it up on my list.

SYNOPSIS (from matched-book.com)

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK:

GENRE: Dystopian / Young Adult

COVER TALK: 5/5 - I love the cover of this book. The apple green color is soothing and the girl inside a glass ball really signifies the life of Cassia and everyone in the society. I think having her hands on the walls of the ball created a great symbolism about the whole story because it shows her struggle and feeling of suffocation and fear with the society rules.

I have quite a high expectation for this book because of the great reviews it received. I was also excited to read another dystopian novel wherein the author created a new world where everything is controlled by the government: your work, your life span, who you will marry (match), what songs and books to read and even how many portion and what kind of food you eat. The society Ally Condie created in this book is really interesting and made me appreciate the freedom we are experiencing in our world. I can't imagine having a life that I don't have any control whatsoever.

And that's the only interesting thing in the story. I just like the plot and the idea but not the characters. I had a hard time finishing this book because it was quite boring for me. I was looking for a more exciting love-triangle-Romeo-and-Juliet-love-affair kind of thing but I was really disappointed. I did not feel any conflict whatsoever between Cassia, Xander and Ky. I already knew who Cassia will end up loving on the first part of the book because there's not enough emotional conflict that happened when she was "choosing" between her best friend Xander who she was Matched with by the society and will mean safety and Ky who is an Aberration and is forbidden. I think Condie really failed to create the love triangle she wanted to show and promoting the book for.

Another sad part is that, even though I know that the world she created in the story is supposed to be bland (muted earthly toned clothes, etc) and serene (no crimes, no kids running and playing on the streets, prepacked meals, etc), I can't help but feel bored to death. If that's what I'm supposed to feel in the first place and was her intention for the readers to feel in order to know how Cassia feel, then I will give her 5 stars for that. BUT if that is so, then it just made me want to stop reading halfway through the book. I just finished it because I was hoping it would redeem itself and will have an amazing ending...and again, I was disappointed. Even during the separation that happened ala Romeo and Juliet, it still seems bland.

The story has a lot of of potential to become a great book but I guess they just fell short to capture my feelings.

OVER-ALL RATING: 2/5 - I'm giving it points for the originality of the story and the cover. That's it. I don't know what's the hype is all about. I'm just happy I didn't bought it and just read it in ebook form.

WILL YOU READ THE SEQUEL? Hell no! If I can't get myself to like the first book of this trilogy, why would I go and read the next 2 books? I'll probably get bored again from lack of action :(

WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS TO? I think this is perfect for young teenagers aged 15 and younger. The pacing is not so fast and there's no inappropriate scenes and language in the book so parents won't need to worry. It also gives a nice lesson to the kids to appreciate what they have and not take advantage of the freedom of choice they experience.

What about you? Have you read this book already? What's your opinion about it? Did you like it?