Book #22: Kalona's Fall

Title: Kalona's Fall (companion novella to the House of Night series)

Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Date started reading: July 31, 2014
Date finished reading: August 1, 2014

Publish date: July 2014
ISBN: 978-1250046116
Number of pages: 160

Official summary: "FROM WARRIOR AND LOVER TO ENEMY AND BETRAYER, THE TERRIBLE SECRETS OF KALONA’S PAST ARE REVEALED He was laughing with her as he spread his wings and lifted her from the ground, twirling her. Nyx gasped and clutched his neck. Kalona tightened his arms around her. 'Trust me, Goddess. I would never let you fall.' From the Sun and from the Moon, two winged brothers are born: golden Erebus, playmate and friend, and mysterious Kalona, Warrior and lover, companions of the Goddess Nyx. From the first, Nyx loves them both deeply, but differently. With Erebus, she can talk and laugh and dance, and take joy in the games he plays among the humans of the Earth. With Kalona, the fire in her body burns bright, and she can rest in the solace of his strength and protection. But for Kalona, Nyx’s nights are not enough. Every second he is not with her he is filled with doubt and longing, and every time he fails to please her, he cannot forgive himself. Ruled by anger and jealousy of his brother, and consumed by his love for his Goddess, Kalona seeks the power to prove his worth, and to claim once and for all that Nyx eternally belongs to him. And at the edges of the Earth, a Darkness is stirring, waiting for its chance, for the doorway in through a heart that it knows will welcome it…" (http://www.houseofnightseries.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $8.18 from Amazon using a gift card I got free through Plink.com.

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes: --

Buy on Amazon.com: Kalona's Fall: A House of Night Novella (House of Night Novellas)

Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as a book set in the past on the YA card.

Book #21: The Angel Stone

Title: The Angel Stone (Book #3 of the Fairwick Chronicles series)

Author: Juliet Dark (Pseudonym of Carol Goodman)

Date started reading: July 16, 2014
Date finished reading: July 24, 2014

Publish date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-0345533395
Number of pages: 320

Official summary: "For Callie McFay, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove — a sinister group of witches and their cohorts — many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust. With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school — a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to 17th-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear." (http://www.carolgoodman.com)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

• "Do you believe in fairy tales?"  ~ Student to Callie
• "This guy's got more degrees than a thermometer." ~ Frank about Duncan
• "The plaid can withstand anything." ~ Mac 
• "The house wasn't haunted by a ghost; it was haunted by time." ~ Callie

Buy on Amazon.com: The Angel Stone: Book Three of the Fairwick Trilogy (The Fairwick Trilogy)



Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as "a book at the bottom of your to be read pile" on the normal card. I literally wanted to read almost anything before finishing this series, so that works.

Book #20: The Water Witch

Title: The Water Witch (Book #2 in the Fairwick Chronicles series)

Author: Juliet Dark (Pseudonym for Carol Goodman)

Date started reading: June 30, 2014
Date finished reading: July 14, 2014

Publish date: February 2013
ISBN: 978-0345524249
Number of pages: 352

Official summary: "After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the honeysuckle forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine stream, more trouble is stirring... The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance; but Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college. To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring academic who cultivates her vast magical potential — but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit — risking all, even the needs of her own heart." (http://www.carolgoodman.com)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

My commentary: I only read the first book in this series (The Demon Lover) because the cover was pretty, and now I feel like I have to finish the series. The author basically threw every single mythical creature ever created into this series, and I feel like it's really overdone. She should've stuck to, I don't know, 10 or less supernatural creatures instead of everything possible. It's like really bad alphabet soup but for fictional creatures.

Also, another thing bothers me about this series. Why bother creating a fake name to write a book if you're just going to put your real name on it to? Someone please explain that to me!

Memorable quotes:

• "You have only to love me to make me human." ~ Liam to Callie
• "The danger of Faerie is that the longer you stay, the harder it becomes to leave." ~ Liam

Buy on Amazon.com: The Water Witch: A Novel (Fairwick Trilogy)



Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as "a book with non-human characters" on the normal card.

Book #19: Toxic

Title: Toxic (book #15 in the Pretty Little Liars series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Date started reading: June 21, 2014
Date finished reading: June 28, 2014

Publish date: June 2014
ISBN: 978-0062287014
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "High school seniors Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna barely survived their most recent encounter with A. And it’s not over yet. . . . The police don’t believe that the real A is still out there, but the girls know what — and who — they saw. If they don’t track down this final tormentor soon, A will silence them forever." (http://alloyentertainment.com)

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $14.68 on Amazon using a gift card I earned through Plink.com.

My commentary: How is this series still going? I guess it must be everyone else's guilty pleasure like it is mine. The ending of this book was totally predictable to me. I hope the final book in the series (#16) is more surprising.

Memorable quotes: --

Buy on Amazon.com: Pretty Little Liars #15: Toxic



Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as a book set in summer. That's honestly one I didn't think I'd get to cross off.

Book #18: The Immortal Crown

Title: The Immortal Crown (book #2 in the Age of X series)

Author: Richelle Mead

Date started reading: June 8, 2014
Date finished reading: June 20, 2014

Publish date: May 2014
ISBN: 978-0525953692
Number of pages: 432

Official summary: "Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect — special humans marked by the divine — are turning against one another in bloody fashion. Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity. Meanwhile, Mae — grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine — has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission — and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret." (http://richellemead.com)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

My commentary: Part of me really wants to hate this series because it's all about alternative religions and stuff, but Mead's writing is so good that I can't help but love it.

Buy on Amazon.com: The Immortal Crown: An Age of X Novel


Reading Bingo Challenge: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as "the second book in a series" on the normal card.

Book #17: While We Run

Title: While We Run (sequel to When We Wake)

Author: Karen Healey

Date started reading: June 3, 2014
Date finished reading: June 6, 2014

Publish date: May 2014
ISBN: 978-0316233828
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "Abdi Taalib thought he was moving to Australia for a music scholarship. But after meeting the beautiful and brazen Tegan Oglietti, his world was turned upside down. Tegan’s no ordinary girl – she died in 2027, only to be frozen and brought back to life in Abdi’s time, 100 years later. Now, all they want is for things to return to normal (or as normal as they can be), but the government has other ideas. Especially since the two just spilled the secrets behind Australia’s cryonics project to the world. On the run, Abdi and Tegan have no idea who they can trust, and when they uncover startling new details about Project Ark, they realize thousands of lives may be in their hands." (http://www.karenhealey.com)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

My commentary:

• I think the author chose the wrong narrator for the book. Abdi isn't near as interesting as Tegan's narration would have been. Abdi's point-of-view left me bored through about 75% of the book. I really wish it would've been Tegan's voice I was reading.

Memorable quotes:

•  "Tegan was good at becoming the center of everything, without even trying. The center of attention, the center of a publicity campaign, the center of a movement. It would be so easy to let her be my center, too. But if I did that, I might finally lose myself." ~ Abdi
• "I thought the future was going to be so much better than this."  ~ Tegan

Buy on Amazon.com: While We Run


Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as "a book set on a different continent on the normal card. It's a YA book, but it doesn't fit what I have left unmarked on the YA book, and I sort of doubt I'll read any other books this year that are based on different continents.

Book #16: The Fault In Our Stars

Title: The Fault In Our Stars

Author: John Green

Date started reading: June 1, 2014
Date finished reading: ------

Publish date: January 2012
ASIN: B005ZOBNOI
Number of pages: 337

Official summary: "Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten." (http://johngreenbooks.com)

Official movie trailer:



How I obtained the book: Checked an eBook version of the book out of the library. I kept trying to find a cheap print version of the book, but I couldn't find a cheap one, and I really want to read it before seeing the movie later this week)

My commentary:

• I'm shocked that this is the first book I've read by John Green. I've been meaning to read his books for quite a while. I got acquainted with his books through tumblr, and I love watching his YouTube videos, but I've been putting off reading his books because I know they're heartbreaking. 

Memorable quotes:

• “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” 
• “My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” 
• “You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world ... but you do have some say in who hurts you.” 
• “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.” 
• “The marks humans leave are too often scars.”  
• “It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” ~ Augustus to Hazel
• “The world is not a wish-granting factory.” 
• “You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.”  
• “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.” ~ Augustus
• “Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them.” 
• “Pain is like fabric: The stronger it is, the more it’s worth.”  
• “You realize that trying to keep your distance from me will not lessen my affection for you.” ~ Augustus to Hazel

Buy on Amazon.com: The Fault in Our Stars



Reading Bingo: On the Reading Bingo Challenge I am going to mark this book off as "a book that became a movie" on the young adult card. That's probably the most obvious choice. It could probably also fit the "book that made you cry" square, but I knew the ending to the book before reading it, so I'm not sure how much it will actually make me cry.