Book #44: Unseen

Title: Unseen (The eleventh book in the overall Vampire Diaries series, first in the Vampire Diaries: The Salvation trilogy)

Author: "Created by L.J. Smith, written by Aubrey Clark"

Date started reading: June 30, 2013
Date finished reading:  July 3, 2013

Publish date: May 2013
ISBN: 978-1477809679
Number of pages: 306

Official summary: "The greatest threats are the ones unseen... For what seems like the first time, Elena and her friends are happy. Elena and Stefan have built a home for themselves in Dalcrest, and all of Elena’s friends are as in love as she and Stefan are. Even Damon is enjoying visiting his favorite old haunts in Europe, and is more surprised than anyone that he’s traveling with Katherine. But lately, Elena’s Guardian senses are on edge, and she can’t ignore the feeling that danger is coming. When a new threat arrives in Dalcrest, Elena’s worst fears become a reality. Soon, she and Stefan are battling a vicious Old One who is always just out of their reach. And when Damon and Katherine are confronted with a strange and mysterious enemy, Elena worries the attacks are linked. As dark forces close in, Elena, Stefan, and Damon struggle to survive the only way they know how — together. But their lives are hanging in the balance, and every moment they share could be their last..."

How I obtained the book: Paid $9.98 through Amazon using a gift card I basically got free from Plink.com.

My commentary:

• I am ticked off that I didn't hear about this book before it was released. I'm shocked that I didn't hear about it earlier, but I guess it's a different publisher. I looked up the publisher's name, and it appears to be owned by Amazon, so you can only get it on Amazon. I couldn't understand why I didn't see it on epicreads.com or on any other website. I spend tons of time looking at books on Amazon, and it finally showed up in the "people who bought this, also purchased these" section.

Memorable quotes: --

Buy on Amazon.com: The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation: Unseen

Book #43: Insurgent

Title: Insurgent (second book in Divergent series)

Author: Veronica Roth

Date started reading: June 27, 2013
Date finished reading:  June 30, 2013

Publish date: 544
ISBN: 978-0062024046
Number of pages: May 2012

Official summary: "One choice can transform you — or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves — and herself — while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable — and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so." (http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com)

Official book trailer:


How I obtained the book: Bought for $2.50 at a Friends of the Library charity book sale

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

• “Cruelty does not make a person dishonest, the same way bravery does not make a person kind.”  
• “People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.” 
• “We both have war inside us. Sometimes it keeps us alive. Sometimes it threatens to destroy us.”  
• “It reminds me why I chose Dauntless in the first place: not because they are perfect, but because they are alive. Because they are free.” 
• “Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged.”  
• “The truth has a way of changing people's plans.” 
• “Sometimes, people just want to be happy, even if it’s not real.” 
• “Killing you is not the worst thing they can do to you. Controlling you is.” 
• “The Candor sing the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs.”  
• “I have done bad things. I can't take them back, and they are part of who I am. Most of the time, they seem like the only thing I am.” 
• “I think we cry to release the animal parts of us without losing our humanity.”  
• “I feel bare. I didn't realize I wore my secrets as armor until they were gone and now everyone sees me as I really am.” 
• “You die, I die too.”  
• “Evil depends on where you're standing.” 
• “Nothing else is all right. But we are.”   ~ Tobias to Tris
• “Arrogance is one of the flaws in the Erudite heart -- I know. It is often in mine.” 
• “No factions? A world in which no one knows who they are or where they fit? I can't even fathom it. I imagine only chaos and isolation.”  
• “Something about him makes me feel like I'm about to fall. Or turn to liquid. Or burst into flames.” 
• “I get the strange urge to hit my head against the wall. Other people's sobs make me feel uncomfortable.”  
• “Inquisitiveness is self-serving, Johanna.” ~ Marcus 
• “Blood is a strange color. It's darker than you expect it to be.”  
• “No matter what you believe, there's a technology out there for you.”

Buy on Amazon.com: Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2)

Book #42: Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Date started reading: June 24, 2013
Date finished reading:  June 26, 2013

Publish date: February 2012
ISBN: 978-0062024039
Number of pages: 487

Official summary: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue — Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is — she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her." (http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Bought for $2 at a Friends of the Library charity book sale

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

• “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”  
• “I might be in love with you. I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.” ~ Tobias to Tris
• “Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.” 
• “I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.”  
• “Politeness is deception in pretty packaging.”   ~ Tris' mother
• “I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am Divergent. And I can’t be controlled.” ~ Tris
• “Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up” ~ Tobias to Tris
• “Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.” 
• “People tend to overestimate my character. They think that because I'm small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can't possibly be cruel. But they're wrong.”  ~ Tris
• “Two things you should know about me; The first is that I am deeply suspicious of people in general. It is my nature to expect the worst of them. And the second is that I am unexpectedly good with computers.” ~ Tobias
• “Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it.” 
• “If Eric thinks I did something right, I must have done it wrong.”   ~ Tris
• “Learning how to think in the midst of fear is a lesson that everyone needs to learn.” 
• “Leaving us with Eric is like hiring a babysitter who spends his time sharpening knives.”   ~ Tris
• “Humans can't tolerate emptiness for long.” 
•  “What's worse: to be idle while someone dies, or to be exiled and empty-handed?” ~ Tris
• “There is power in controlling something that can do so much damage - in controlling something, period.” ~ Tris
• “What do I believe? I do not know; I do not know; I do not know.”  ~ Tris
• “Half of bravery is perspective.” 
• “Sarcasm is always at someone's expense.”  
• “Sometimes it isn't fighting that's brave, its facing the death you know is coming.” ~ Tris
• “What good is a prepared body if you have a scattered mind?” 
• “I would rather be dead than empty” 
• “Sometimes pain is for the greater good.” 
• “No one is fearless, that's impossible. But learning how to control your fear, that's something even your Stiff family should learn how to do.”  ~ Tobias to Tris
• “She is well practiced in the art of losing herself.” 
• “I would only go if there was cake.”  ~ Tobias 
• “I chose Dauntless not because they are perfect, but because they are alive, they are free.”  ~ Tris
•  “I will be my undoing. If I become my obsession.” 
•  “We believe in the ordinary acts of bravery.” 
•  “If you don't like something, change it. You are not a tree.”

Buy on Amazon.com: Divergent

Book #41: Goddess

Title: Goddess (Third book in Starcrossed trilogy)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Date started reading: June 14, 2013
Date finished reading: June 17, 2013

Publish date: May 2013
ISBN: 978-0062012036
Number of pages: 432

Official summary: " After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas's life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores." (http://www.josephineangelini.com)

Book trailer:

 

How I obtained the book: Paid $14.67 using a Barnes & Noble gift card that I got basically for free through Plink.com.

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

• “In order to save (Lucas), she’d made him stop loving her. Tears spilled down Helen’s face.” 
• “The queen may be the most versatile piece on the chessboard, but if she gets taken out the game doesn’t end. It’s only over when the king gets cornered and someone calls checkmate. Belatedly, Helen realized that she was the king in this game, not the queen.” 
• "It's like I woke up the other day with this whole new bunch of magic tricks to deal with, but no instructions for getting the blasted rabbit back in the hat." ~ Helen
• "An honest buck may not buy any more groceries than a dishonest one, but it'll always be worth more." ~ Helen
• "I'm so glad testosterone isn't contagious." ~ Helen
• "Just when (Helen) thought she was getting accustomed to how blindingly beautiful (Orion) was, she'd see a new expression on his face, and a huge part of her nervous system would seize up."
• "I can't think of anyone in the world who deserves to be loved -- loved more -- more than you." ~ Helen to Orion
• "(Helen) had power over the most magnificent forces on Earth, but she still didn't feel like she had power over the most important thing of all -- her own heart." 
• "It doesn't matter that the Furies are gone -- you all still act like a pack of wild dogs. Everybody's got to sniff everybody else's butt." ~ Noel
• "You may be all-powerful, but nothing beats plain old logic." ~ Lucas to Helen
• "I had to ask myself, what would make me do anything? Love, obviously." ~ Daphne
• "It's like the gods are getting off on watching people who love each other fight to the death." ~ Ariadne
• "It's like I have a built-in heckler in my head. I can't even make out with another guy without hearing this stupid voice, telling me I'm an idiot and I'm screwing everything up. You're the only one I'll ever love. The only one I'm capable of loving completely. You're it for me." ~ Helen to Lucas
• "I don't want to be immortal. I'm terrified of forever." ~ Helen
• "How powerful you are. The clouds twist with color at your command, but they still pale in comparison to your beauty. They'd cry with jealousy if you'd only let it rain." ~ Zeus to Helen
• "I figure spending eternity trapped in any one place, even paradise, is the same as hell after long enough. In a thousand years, I bet even a field of wildflowers begins to feel like a festering bog." ~ Helen
• "Forever is a long time, Helen." ~ Poseidon

Buy on Amazon.com: Goddess (Starcrossed)

Book #40: Elegy

Title: Elegy (Third book in Hereafter trilogy)

Author: Tara Hudson

Date started reading: June 11, 2013
Date finished reading: June 13, 2013

Publish date: June 2013
ISBN: 978-0062026811
Number of pages: 400

Official summary: "A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths — Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does. Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again. Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands — and fight back." (http://www.tarahudson.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Bought for $13.03 using a Barnes & Noble I got free through Plink.com

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

•  "I love you. And hell itself won't stop that. Sorry to put it so dramatically but, well, it's the truth." ~ Joshua to Amelia
• "In our world, love is most certainly a weakness." ~ Belial

Buy on Amazon.com: Elegy (Hereafter)

Book #39: The Host

Title: The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Date started reading: June 3, 2013
Date finished reading:  June 11, 2013

Publish date: January 2013
ISBN: 978-0316218511
Number of pages: 864

Official summary: "Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed. When Melanie, one of the few remaining 'wild' humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves — Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love." (http://www.stepheniemeyer.com)


Official movie trailer:

How I obtained the book: Got through Listia.com (It's like eBay but uses credits as currency instead of money)

My commentary:

• I'm surprisingly not going to read this book just because I liked the movie. But I did really love the movie. 

Memorable quotes:

• “It's not the face, but the expressions on it. It's not the voice, but what you say. It's not how you look in that body, but the thing you do with it. You are beautiful.”  
• “I, the soul called Wanderer, love you, human Ian. And that will never change, no matter what I might become.” 
• “Perhaps there could be no joy on this planet without an equal weight of pain to balance it out on some unknown scale.”  
• “No point in ignoring the truth. Doesn't make it worse to have it said out loud.” 
• “Sometimes the best hiding place is the one that's in plain sight.”  
• “Storytelling was the most honored of all talents, for it benefited everyone.” 
• “Humans were always surprising me.”  

Buy on Amazon.com: The Host: A Novel