Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #24)

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's post is:

Top 10 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

In no particular order...

What Are Your Picks?

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #13)

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's post is:

Top Ten Underrated Books

Sci-Fi

1. The Program by Suzanne Young

The Program was one of those books that you are a little apprehensive about reading. For starters the plot deals with a suicide epidemic that starts affecting the teens across the nation and what the government decides to do about it. With that being said this may not appeal to everyone, but I can say that I went into it with an open-mind and I LOVED it!

2. Altered by Jennifer Rush

Now when reading the synopsis to Altered, a couple words jumped out at me. Hot Teenage Boys..... Experiments..... Genetically Altered..... plus look at that cover.... need I say more?! I was definitely interested and I wasn't dissappointed.

3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Unwind was a completely random pick up from the library one day. I thought the premise sounded different from what I had read and I was right. This book is full of suspense and twists and the ending I could have never guessed. Need to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy!

Dystopian
1.The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
I LOVE this cover! I don't know why, but I love its uniqueness. The Forsaken is one of those books that from the beginning gives me a sense of suspense and thrill. It reminds me of The Maze Runner and even The Hunger Games in a way while being captivating on its own.

2. The Testing by Joelle Charboneau
Also if you liked The Hunger Games and want a similar type of storyline, this is the book for you. Although the plots are similar, this book was still good on its own. I read through it pretty quickly and am interested to see how the story progresses in the rest of the trilogy.

3. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
This book caught my attention first by the map/diagram on the inside ( I have a thing for maps in books!) and then by its interesting storyline. I was caught off guard by how much I liked this story about a group of kids in an unfortunate situation. The thrill and suspense kept me wanting more and by the end of it I really wanted book 2. 

4. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
I push this book on so many of my friends, I'm guilt! I really like how this book compares to the modern world and the division of social class by the language you speak. I was very intrigued by the plot and find The Pledge to easily be one of my favorites!

5. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
This was one of those unlikely discoveries that I made while at the library. I was actually surprised at how much I really liked the storyline. I think it is underrated because of the cover.... well that would be my reason for glancing over it. But don't judge a book by its cover and check it out!
View my thoughts on Article 5!

Paranormal

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 The Raven Boys was one of those "well the book I want isn't on the shelves so I guess I'll try this one" type of books. I was on the bottom of my TBR list for a while because from the premise I felt that it would be boring to be honest. Boy was I wrong! I really loved how the book progressed and the twists throughout blew my mind because I couldn't see them coming. I recommend you try it out!

2. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
When I first heard Julie Kagawa was coming out with a new book, I jumped on it the minute it hit my local library. I had been a fan of her books ever since I read her Iron Fey Series and I was interested to see how she took on vampires. It was nothing like I expected and I really loved it!
View my thoughts on The Immortal Rules! 

What Are Some Of Your Top Underrated Books?

The Immortal Rules

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Pages: 485
Challenge: A-Z Author Challenge/ Goodreads Challenge
Genre: Paranormal
Acquired: Library
Rating: ★★★★

Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads

*****

Goodreads Summary:

 To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

  *****

 My Thoughts:

From the beginning, I was hooked! I had previously read Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series (1-3) and loved them. I was very interested as to how she would tackle vampires.

Alison in the beginning proves to be a strong female protagonist. She is the backbone and more importantly, lifeline for most her group/crew. Throughout the plot Allie remains level-headed and strong. As she learns to transition from human to vampire she runs into a bit of a rough patch and has to flee. During this time Allie is met with the brooding question of if she is truly a monster. For example, she struggles with the dilemma of can she feed without killing and continue to live and act human. 

The other characters in the book, Kanin and Zeke were completely loveable and different. Their connections to Allie tie in the story more completely and allow the story to connect back to its beginning.

The writing style was really well developed and flow so well that I sometimes had to force myself to slow down and process everything that had just happened. The ending made me develop this strong and crazy sense to want to hop into the story and go along with Allie.

Allie is a complete badass and deserves her own leather jacket and bike. With this being said, I will definitely read the next book(s) in the series. I would recommend this book to any vampire lover who is looking for a novel with an original plot and strong female character.

*****