Stars Above

Well, I'd been anticipating this book since I read Winter in November. I honestly think my heart stopped beating for a second when I got my hands on it. And the cover. It's gorgeous. I was so excited about the epilogue that I jumped right to the last story. It was amazing. I couldn't bring myself to be as psyched about any other short story. I just wish we had more epilogues!

The Little Android

Okay, the little android happened to be my least favorite story among all these short stories. Firstly because it wasn't about any of the characters I love oh so much. 

And secondly, I didn't quite understand it. I mean, I got the gist but I didn't quite understand the ending. 

Oh and Cinder made a small appearance, and Iko was mentioned.

It was like the sad version of Little Mermaid. I didn't connect with the characters or find myself lost in the story.

Glitches

Well, guess there's no redemption for Adri. It's like she never gave Cinder a shot. But she did love Garan and her daughters. 

And how could Adri treat Cinder the way she did. Cinder was the last thing, person, Garan left her. Couldn't she care for Cinder for Garan's sake?

I really liked Peony here. She was so sweet and nice to Cinder. The only one other than Garan that treated her like a human. I wish Pearl died instead of her!

The Queen’s Army

Z. Well, a new nickname for Wolf. This gave us a little back story on Wolf and Ran. I hated how his life was forcibly changed because of stupid Levana. 

Watching him as a part of Levana's army, training, trying to fit in, becoming the Alpha...

I wish he has a happy life with Scarlet because he deserves it. PS. I hate Ran.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky

Thorne has always been awesome. I mean how many people can say they were so awesome at thirteen. 

This story gave us a backstory for Throne, I get that he didn't have a tragic past like Wolf, Cinder, Cress and the others but he was neglected. He had no idea what real love was. His parents treated him like a roommate, not a son.

So, we meet his parents. Did not like them. 

They don't seem interested in their son. It's like they didn't even care. They were so heartless. I was absolutely frustrated by them and their coldness.

Also. We met his crush! Thorne always the player. ;)

The Keeper

I really liked Scarlet's grandma in this but this story kind of left me wondering. 

Did Logan find out who Scarlet was? I mean Michelle only mentioned Scarlet in passing once and she seemed to think he knew but they never confirmed it. I kind of wanted him to confront her about it.

Logan was a great character. I kind of felt bad for him. The poor man caught Lunar sickness! I was curious about what happened to him. I wish things were clearer.

We also read about Scarlet's father. Still not a huge fan.

Michelle, on the other hand, was an awesome person!

After Sunshine Passes By

Little Cress goes to the satellite. I kind of felt bad for her. 

The poor girl was sent there and told she had hope of returning one day. 

It's so sad. 

We saw a little bit of Cress's childhood at the place where the Shells were kept. I hate Sybil so much.

I felt bad that even among others like her, she was treated as if she was different. I'm glad she found the Rampion!

The Princess and the Guard

Winter and Jacin were never really my favorite characters but it was still nice reading about them as children but it wasn't a grasping story. 

It only fired my hatred for Levana.

Winter's childhood was burdened by Levana and her people. She thought that when she saved that maid she did a good thing but she was a kid. I feel so bad for everyone on Luna. Not only did they have to live under such a tyrant but they also had to tolerate people like Aimery.

Jacin sacrificed so much to protect Winter, to be there for her. He gave up his dreams, became a slave to Levana just so he could protect Winter.

The Mechanic

Kai. We saw their first encounter from Kai's point of view. It was kind of cute. 

It was like a recap of book one from a different perspective. 

Not much to say but it was absolutely sweet.

Something Old, Something New

This story had me anticipating the release of this book the moment I read about it. I mean a sequel to Winter. Hell Ya! 

A wedding of the century, definitely. 

I kind of hoped it was Kaider but I had a feeling it was Wolflett. It was sweet. 

The impromptu wedding. God. I never thought Wolf could make me swoon like that. Wolf was amazing in this. I kind of wish that we delved further into how everyone accommodated to his transformation in Winter. We never saw the whole turnout for that. 

I loved this story. All parts of it. It was a cutesy, drama free, amazing story that touched base with a lot of things. 

I still wish Cinder played a bigger part in Luna's government. I understand why she's an ambassador but I wish she was at least a minister. 

The Lunar people are being introduced to a whole new concept. They need her. 

Also, I still wish one seat on the government was for the Royal family representatives. You know, they'd have equal power as anyone else in the government. 

Anyways. The ending. Kai. God. Amazing. His proposal. I was so happy. It was amazing. Kaider was so cute and perfect in this! I love that Kai is such a great person even though he was raised in a royal household and always had what he wanted. He ended up being a kind man.

Also, what was going on with Kinney and Iko.

Kaito & Linh Cinder: Day 4: Teddy Day

Shipname: KaiderDay 4: A cute ship

Cinder and Kai are the cutest.

From the very beginning, there was this awkwardness around them that made my heart melt. It was relatable. Not everyone has the confidence thing working for them.

When Cinder and Kai first meet, I wasn't really sold on them but as the book progressed I saw potential.

They had such hurdles to face that neither of them truly seemed their age. Cinder was sixteen! Having to start a revolution, running from your evil aunt, evading the authorities of Earth and moon must be hard. Also, taking over a kingdom.

Their relationship kind of made them more their age. They actually did seem young. They were unsure and scared. That's normal.

I really hoped that Kai would've reacted better. But even I had to let him off about that one. Not only did he find out that the girl he had a crush on was a Cyborg, but she was also a Lunar. And the only way to save his people was to marry the evil tyrant.

I love that Kai still believed in Cinder even though he had no reason to. A part of him didn't care about anything other than her.

I love the ending scene of Cress. I have no idea how many times I re-read it. That scene when she reveals her identity to him and explains things. Sigh!

I love that her computer system was counting their every kiss. That was so romantic. I know it's cheesy and stupid but it's cute.
I hate that he actually did get married to Levana though. It's gross.

Deep in my heart, I really hoped somehow he'd get away with not marrying her. I hoped Cinder would succeed before the wedding.

When I was reading Winter, that scene. I was literally in pain. My heart was beating so fast. I was a mess. I'm not usually that emotional. I remember the person in the room with me while I was reading it looking at me like I was crazy. I had to take a break from reading every few minutes to gather myself.

I told everyone I knew about Kai having to marry the woman he loved's aunt in order to save the world and how I wish he could be saved from her. And how he knew she'd kill him as soon as she got what she wanted. I think people started to think I was a little nuts.

I know he mentions having it annulled, that's something that brings me immense peace.

I keep wondering how they'll make it work though when they're on different planets. I know she said she'd dissolve monarchy but I don't want her to. She worked so hard. I mean a government is needed but I think alongside that, there should be a monarchy too. I mean a seat for the Queen on the government, as an equal.

So, in Stars, Above we found out Cinder became the Ambassador for Luna on Earth. I still wish she played a bigger part in Lunar Politics.
Anyways, the scenes between Kai and Cinder in Something Old Something New were amazing. The moment when they saw each other again.

"You're an expert on the sound levels of spaceships now, are you?"- Cinder
"Nah, I've just been waiting to hear that sound all day."- Kai
"Aces. They haven't even kissed yet and they're already making me nauseous."- Thorne

I love that scene in the hallway where they properly reunite.

"Is that an acceptable amount of small talk?"- Kai
"Acceptable to me."- Cinder

I love their scene in the end, where he proposes to her and Cinder's retina scan tells her it's his mother's ring. I love everything about that short story!

I love that Cinder shared the Hanger with him! God, I could gush about them forever if I had to!
For now, I hope they live a happily ever after.

Top 15 Favorite Books 2015

TOP 15 of O'15

So, this is a list of my top 15 books of 2015.

15. Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I came across this book on Goodreads and I was like, what the hell, let's give it a shot. I totally loved this book. This series could've been on my top list if not for the spin-off series. I don't like the spin-off. The excitement I felt with Meghan and Ash I couldn't with Ethan. I kept imagining the four year old kid. I was put off by what happened in the spin-off, so my love for this book didn't prevail.

14. Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin

My first New Adult novel. I had been so used to the YA world that I refused to read anything else, but this book was fantastic. I fell in love. I loved the characters, the story line. I loved the entire theme of the story. For me, it was the Anna and the French Kiss of the NA world. 

13. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Even though I'm crazy about TLC Cinder's quite low on the list. It's #13 because my love for Cinder wasn't instant. It took me a while to get me to get used to the cyborg thing. But about 25% into the book I was a goner. The theme was fantastic. Everything was so interesting and ultimately dragged me into their world.

12. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

It was the first book series I read in 2015, and I loved it. It brought me back to reading. I liked Rose and Dimitri's part the best, the ending wasn't so bad, and I was overall happy with it.

11. The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

I thought it was a perfect spin off to Vampire Academy, and I had a fun time reading this series too, especially the last book even though it could've been so much better. I had many unanswered questions about Dimitri and Rose. I mean how can you drop a bomb like that and not tell us more!

10. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Wow! It was such an amazing book. It's the first book that was translated from another language. It was a perfect translation. That was incredible. I loved the concept of the story line. The whole time traveler aspect of it was incredible. I loved Gwen but thought Gideon was a total jerk!

9. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

I totally loved the entire Harry Potter series, but this book definitely was my favorite. Honestly, it was because of Sirius and Lupin. They are siriusly amazing!

8. Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I liked Percy Jackson and HOO and Kane Chronicles but I loved this series. It was probably because I totally fell in love Rick Riordan's writing before hand so it was easier to get into the book. I liked the Norse mythology aspect of it, I mean, I'm a huge Marvel fan, thus Thor! Anyways, I'm kind of anticipating Annabeth playing a bigger part in it.

7. Cress by Marissa Meyer

Captain Thorne! Oh, you perfect person. You're unbelievable. Cress is just so naive and I love it. I love Cinder in this book, she was so much better. This book got me so riled up about Winter which is amazing.

6. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

I fell in love with Gideon in this book, I was so frustrated with him in beginning of the book, but he got better. The Count was awful. This was my favorite in the series even though it felt like the last few pages had been ripped out

5. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

      This was my favorite in the series even though I liked Anna and the French Kiss better. I loved their story and everything. I loved their story. I loved how they got together at the beginning itself, and I loved it. I loved that Anna, Etienne, Cricket, and Lola were present.

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

      Well, this was a great book, it's amazingness was lessened due to the fact I read Anna Lola and Isla right after this. It was actually the first contemporary book I ever read. I liked it. As a fanfiction writer myself, I could totally connect with Cath. I could see myself in her, the same awkwardness and everything. I could totally see myself as her.

3. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

I had so much fun reading a contemporary novel after so many fantasy ones. It was incredible. Finding Audrey was such a quick read and so entrancing. I loved the theme of the story. I loved reading about how she overcame her disability. It was so cool. Their family was amazing and so easy to relate to.
And I loved the romance aspect of it. I'm a sucker for romance! Anyways, pick this up if you want a quick fun read.

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and Etienne are my favorite contemporary book couple. I audiobooked this series, so it felt like I was watching a movie. Oh, what a beautiful movie it was. I loved every second of it. It was such a perfect story. I liked their dynamic and everything. Ellie though, I hated her. She shouldn't exist. Well, I guess I'm biased. I love Anna!

FINALLY

The Best Book of the Year (According to Me)...

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer

'Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the best among them all?'

WINTER IS THE BEST AMONG THEM ALL.

Oh my god! What a perfect ending. It was unbelievable. It had me on the edge of my chair every second of the read and it was so hard to put down. I loved Winter. The dynamic between the characters was perfect. It made me feel things I'd never felt before, it was so intense.

When I was reading that scene with Levana and Kai, I was literally in pain. To me, it was as real as any book can be!