Top 5 Tuesday | Main Males

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing Bionic Book Worm!

Today’s Top 5 is probably my favorite topic so far. I get to talk about my Book Boyfriends in ALL their glory and you are not prepared for how hard I’m about to fangirl. Please be warned that you will see a lot of all caps and text screaming as I share my love for these fictional men.

Jace Herondale from The Shadowhunter Chronicles

In case you didn’t already know, the #1 LOML is Jace Herondale. He first shows up in The Mortal Instruments and makes appearances in all of Cassandra Clare’s later books. He’s a sarcastic, half-angel warrior and I’m obsessed. If I have a book boyfriend type it’s the self-sacrificing hero with maximum-level wit & humor. He is also a fellow Gryffindor and I approve. See below for more evidence that Jace is an amazing, magical warrior-angel.

Simon Randell from The Empirium Trilogy

Simon is a new addition to my favorite male leads list. He’s also my favorite Slytherin love. If you’re into moody, bossy heartbreakers who do whatever it takes to get their end game, you will love Simon. *Side note: I DIE for baby Simon. This series has some time travel involved and seeing Baby Simon transition to adult Simon GIVES ME LIFE.

Nik Malikov from The Illuminae Files

Introducing my Hufflepuff boyfriend, Nik Malikov. He’s meant to be the comedic relief in Gemina & Obsidio (those books get INTENSE) and his humor DOES SOMETHING TO ME. He is also part of a Russian Mob family and has tattoos galore and I’m here for that sort of thing. Everyone needs a Nik Malikov in their life.

Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses

Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. That is all. He is the definition of a feminist and will do anything to protect his family. He might need way more time to primp than I do, but I love him. He’s a great male lead.

Finian de Seel from Aurora Rising

I’m SO obsessed with Squad 312. It was hard for me not to cheat and do a 2-for-1 combo here with Tyler and Fin, and my heart told me that Fin was my main man. He’s an alien tech whiz with white-blonde hair and dashing wit. Yeah, he can be kinda annoying sometimes, but he is the Ravenclaw I want around!

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? Do we have any main males in common? Any boys you think I’d love?

TL; DR | May Speed Reviews

Hey, look – I actually remembered to post my monthly wrap up! 10 points for Gryffindor! I spent a lot of May reading NetGalley Arcs to bump up my review score and then the rest of the month binging my highly anticipated releases. It was definitely a good few weeks of books. (Yet, how I’m still 2 books behind on my 2019 reading goal, I cannot figure out.)

Sorcery of Thorns

By: Margaret Rogerson

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

If you enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s first novel, An Enchantment of Ravens, you will LOVE Sorcery of Thorns. There are magical books, evil (and not-so-evil) demons, sassy sorcerers, and a strong-willed heroine. The feminist themes, slow burn romances, and unlikely friendships will leave you bewitched and wanting more.

Aurora Rising

By: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (ALL THE GOLD STARS)

The Verdict

When it comes to modern sci-fi stories, I didn’t think I would find anything that I loved as much as The Illuminae Files, but guess what? Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman knocked my socks off with Aurora Rising, and it’s my favorite read of the year so far. It’s sassy, humorous, fast-paced, full of amazing characters, and just 100% SPACE-TASTIC. If you love any of the following, you’re sure to love Aurora: The Breakfast Club, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Dramas/Soap Operas (BUT IN SPACE). Do yourself a favor and read this book as soon as humanly possible. And then recommend it to everyone you know!

The First Girl Child

By: Amy Harmon

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

If you enjoy epics, Norse mythology, magic, and rich world building, you’ll definitely want to pick up The First Girl Child! Spanning 30ish years, the novel is centered around Dagmar & his nephew Bayr. Bayr’s mother is a woman scorned, and places a curse upon the land of Saylok. There won’t be any baby girls born to the men of Saylok and Bayr will be the land’s savior. There’s an evil king, a precious princess, and strong supporting characters you’ll love.

Finale (Caraval #3)

By: Stephanie Garber

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

Ooookay, so Finale wasn’t the best series ending that I’ve ever read, but it was definitely a solid book. There were twists, turns, high-stakes gambles, love, hate, magic, gods, and even a Legend POV! While I’m still salty about that Legend reveal, I can say that I 110% love Jacks and he needs his own story ASAP. The world of Caraval is mystical, fun and you won’t ever want to leave. If you decide to start the series be sure you have all the book in hand, because you won’t want to stop reading!

Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5)

By: Victoria Aveyar

Overall Rating: ★★★

The Verdict

In all honesty, I pretty much only read this for the Cal/Mare and Maven stories. The Barnes & Noble special edition has a family tree in the back and information on Cal and Maven, too, which I love. Did I find out that Cal’s favorite song is come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners? Yes. Does that make me love him even more and realize he is the f*ckboy of my dreams? 100% YES. Was this entire book worth the read? No, which is why I skipped through and read the bits and pieces I wanted. If you’re looking for some Red Queen in your life after finishing up War Storm, definitely pick this up. It’s fun, light, and you don’t have to read in order!

Furyborn

By: Claire Legrand

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

The Verdict

Excuse me while I go cry in a corner over this book. This feminist fantasy is filled with magic, time travel, multiple POVs, and some of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever met. It starts of with a bang and only gets more intense as it progresses. If you aren’t a fan of switching between character chapters or having multiple storylines happening at once, you may want to put this aside. But, I promise you if you give it a try you will fall in love. The main characters are broken, vulnerable and you won’t be able to stop yourself from rooting for their redemption. The second book in the series, Kingsbane, is out now. So, if you do decide to pick this up, know that you can keep continue the story as soon as you want!

Talk To Me

What did you think of my reads this month? Will you be adding any to your TBR? Have you read any of these already?

Book Tag | Wonderstruck

Thanks to Jess from Fiction No Chaser for tagging me in this! Do yourself a favor and check out her blog. She’s snarky and amazing and full of spoiler-free reviews!

Guidelines

• Link back to the creator (Olivia)
• Answer as many or as few of the questions as you’d like.
• Feel free to use any of the graphics in this post. 🙂
• Tag however many people you’d like at the end!

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You’re Not Sorry: A book that un-apologetically broke your heart

The ending still keeps me up at night.

Back to December: A book you still think about even after you are finished

Does Harry Potter count? Because I’m pretty sure I think about something Harry Potter related at least once a day.

If This Was a Movie: A book you really want to become a movie

I NEED THE ILLUMINAE FILES TO BE A THING STAT.

Gorgeous: A book with the most beautiful cover

The 10th Anniversary Edition of City of Bones will forever be the most amazing cover.

Shake it Off: A book that gets hate but you still love

The Red Queen series gets a lot of hate – for the characters, plot, etc. – but I love it!

Never Grow Up: A book that gives you childhood nostalgia

I started reading A Series of Unfortunate Events in elementary school and I haven’t been able to find anything better.

Sparks Fly: A book you instantly clicked with

Aurora Rising is a book I INSTANTLY fell in love with. Squad 312, Fin, Tyler, Auri, SPACE, aliens, humor. It’s totally my kind of book and I need the sequel ASAP.

Style: A classic that will never get old

The Picture of Dorian Gray is dark, moody, and I love it.

End Game: A book with romance you love

Mary E Pearson knows how to WRITE. I loved the entire Remnant Chronicles series and the romance weaved into it.

I Knew You Were Trouble: A book you couldn’t help but become obsessed with

The Raven Cycle series is one that I was instantly obsessed with. The characters, the magic, the atmosphere, the writing. It’s all so good.

Bad Blood: A book where you loved the first one and hated the sequel

I don’t think I have a series where the first book was amazing but I hated the second book, BUT I do have plenty of series where the first book was amazing and the second book didn’t live up to my expectations. One said series, Caraval. Legendary wasn’t as good as book 1 (though I still loved it).

 

Tagging

Kal | Arin | Jessica | Anyone else!

 

Top 5 Tuesday | I Could NOT Put These Books Down

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing Bionic Book Worm!

Today we’re talking the top books I could not put down. You are probably going to see a lot of familiar titles on this list, because I definitely rave about my favorites whenever I can (so they probably made some of the my other top 5 lists).

Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Illuminae Files is one of my favorite series is ALL TIME. It has crazy artificial intelligence, aliens, evil space corporations, and ALL the sassy characters. My favorite is the second in the series, Gemina. The stakes are high, Nik Malikov is the best, and did I mention the aliens?!

A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a solid 3-star book in my opinion, BUT the sequel is such an amazing book. There are unexpected twists & turns, hot faerie boys, and so much emotion. And did I mention the hot faerie boys?

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Another series that I’m obsessed with. I couldn’t put down any of these books, but the first book is my favorite. Rich boarding school boys, feminist badass heroines, and tons of magic.

Roar by Cora Carmack

This series is about magical storms, a princess with epic powers, and a kingdom that needs saving. I’m SO excited for Rage and all I can think about is Prince Cassius, Aurora, and probably the most creepy villain I’ve ever encountered.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This series involves X-Men like storm powers, one of the WORST betrayals I’ve ever felt, and a monarchy that is just dying to be taken down. While the series has its ups & downs, the first book is amazing. I could not stop reading.

BONUS: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

If you know me, you know I cannot go one post without talking about something Shadowhunters-related. So, I’m adding a bonus section to talk about my love for all things Cassie Clare. There were so many to choose from, but I went with Lord of Shadows because it’s an EPIC sequel. I lie awake at night thinking about how my heart was ripped out of my chest at the end…

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? Do we have any of the same unputdownable books? Any I should consider?

Review | Aurora Rising Is The Breakfast Club In Space

Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) 

By: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

“They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.”

It’s the year 2380, Tyler Jones finds a derelict space craft and manages to rescue one Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley from the wreckage. Auri is 200+ years old, has some freaky mind powers, and apparently, her only hope of survival is to hitch a ride with Ty and his crew. Ty’s crew isn’t the optimal squad. So, naturally, there’s in-fighting, tons of drama, sabotage, teen feels, and all the sarcasm one can possibly want in 400 pages.

Theme Song

TL;DR:

When it comes to modern sci-fi stories, I didn’t think I would find anything that I loved as much as The Illuminae Files, but guess what? Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman knocked my socks off with Aurora Rising, and it’s my favorite read of the year so far. It’s sassy, humorous, fast-paced, full of amazing characters, and just 100% SPACE-TASTIC. If you love any of the following, you’re sure to love Aurora: The Breakfast Club, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Dramas/Soap Operas (BUT IN SPACE). Do yourself a favor and read this book as soon as humanly possible. And then recommend it to everyone you know!

The Good

Squad 312 – The Delinquents You Didn’t Know You Needed

THIS BAND OF MISFITS IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN LIFE. Okay, enough of the caps, but I needed to get my point across. Squad 312 is a mix of the Breakfast Club gang, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and every Star Trek crew out there. Which means one thing: they are the most sarcastic, lovable weirdos to fly across the galaxy. There is a character for everyone to root for (and mine are Tyler and Finian just so we’re clear.)

Was I Actually Watching A Space Soap Opera?

This book starts off with a bang – literally – and does not slow down. It’s so action packed, I felt like I was watching a space drama. There are space battles, human vs. alien fist fights, squad drama, heists, and some glitzy intergalactic paaartaaayys. It had me on the edge of my seat from page one and I fell off said metaphorical chair multiple times.  Then I died at the end and was revived by thinking of book 2. If you’re looking for something to keep you reading into the early hours of the morning – you’ve got it!

The Intergalactic World

The Milky Way is a big place and Kaufman & Kristoff make it their own. There’s a new first contact, new alien species (hallelujah for hot space Legolas), crazy space languages, and a fresh take on Warp Speed and space travel! To my fellow space nerds, be sure to keep an eye open for other Easter eggs I’m sure I missed.

The Ending

Jay is notorious for not believing in happy endings and some of that shines through at the end of book 1 (Amie must be the ray of sunshine in this duo). The bittersweet cliffhanger gave me a heart attack and who knew it was possible to have ALL THE FEELS  in less than two pages.

The Bad

Angsty Teen Romance

*Le sigh*. Am I getting too old for the angst?! I found myself not digging the romance elements of this story. I’m going to blame this one on me, though because everything else is just SO. GOOD. But, still. This would have been a 5-star read even without the bizarre love stuff.

The Ugly Truth

I have one thing to say: READ AURORA RISING. It’s an amazing beginning to a sci-fi series and I need book 2 like yesterday!

Talk To Me

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it? If not, will you be adding it to your TBR?