November 8, 2017

Book Recommendations – November 2017

Book Recommendations – November 2017

1.  The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive Series)

 

Speak again the ancient oaths, Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before Destination. And return to men the Shards they once bore. The Knights Radiant must stand again.

Roshar is a world of stone swept by tempests that shape ecology and civilization. Animals and plants retract; cities are built in shelter. In centuries since ten orders of Knights fell, their Shardblade swords and Shardplate armor still transform men into near-invincible warriors. Wars are fought for them, and won by them.

In one such war on the ruined Shattered Plains, slave Kaladin struggles to save his men and fathom leaders who deem them expendable, in senseless wars where ten armies fight separately against one foe. 

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Fascinated by the ancient text named The Way of Kings and troubled by visions of ancient times, he doubts his sanity.
Across the ocean, Shallan trains under eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece Jasnah. Though Shallan genuinely loves learning, she plans a daring theft. Her research hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

 

 

Thoughts

 

I must say, I have never heard of this author, nor have I ever hear of this series before today. But, as I have been trying to push my boundaries with the book genres that I am reading and to try to mix things up a little bit, I have decided that I want to give this book a try. I am not big on war stories as I am a romantic at heart and there aren’t a lot of war books that can retain my attention for too long as I find it always being to strategical and political, but after seeing all the glowing reviews from those who has read it, and from what I have read from the excerpt, this book definitely seems interesting enough to keep my attention all the way to the end.

So yes, I will definitely be putting this book in my to-be-read list. Let’s pray that this book lives up  to the expectation. 

 

 

The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions Series)

Click here to get “The Becoming of Noah Shaw” by Michelle Hodkin

 

2. The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions Series)

 

In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.

Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.

They’re wrong.

Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.

He shouldn’t.

And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.

They’re right. 

 

Thoughts 

 

I have read the Mara Dyer series and I can’t say I like it as much as everyone else. The Mara Dyer series is definitely unique and different from other books that I have read before. The concept of the book is also very interesting plot-wise. But for some reason, I can’t seem to be able to connect with the character. The main characters from the Mara Dyer series – Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw – just seems way too detached and way too ordinary for me. Throughout reading the Mara Dyer series, I don’t have this burning feeling to want to root for them. I don’t feel anything towards them at all really.
 
So when I heard about this series, written from Noah Shaw’s POV, I am not quite sure what to think. While I might not have thoroughly enjoyed the Mara Dyer series, it was unpredictable and peculiar enough to keep me engaged. The plot intrigues me enough to make me want to know what happens next. In the end, I pushed through and finished the series. But once I finished the book, I can’t recall feeling anything at all.
 
It was as if I was numb and was pushing through to finish the book just to know how it ends. Based on my experience with Mara Dyer series, I am quite skeptical and still am not sure whether or not I will try this series out. But of course, while I didn’t enjoy the story, there are a lot of reader who did and they loved it. So if you are a big fan of young adult and fantasy genre, and looking for an interesting, out of the box story, then give this series a try .
 
 
Little Broken Things

 

3.  Little Broken Things

 
“If you liked Big Little Lies, you’ll want to crack open this new novel by Nicole Baart.” —Southern Living

An engrossing and suspenseful novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Amy Hatvany about an affluent suburban family whose carefully constructed facade starts to come apart with the unexpected arrival of an endangered young girl.

I have something for you. When Quinn Cruz receives that cryptic text message from her older sister Nora, she doesn’t think much of it. They haven’t seen each other in nearly a year and thanks to Nora’s fierce aloofness, their relationship consists mostly of infrequent phone calls and an occasional email or text. But when a haunted Nora shows up at the lake near Quinn’s house just hours later, a chain reaction is set into motion that will change both of their lives forever.

Nora’s “something” is more shocking than Quinn could have ever imagined: a little girl, cowering, wide-eyed, and tight-lipped. Nora hands her over to Quinn with instructions to keep her safe, and not to utter a word about the child to anyone, especially not their buttoned-up mother who seems determined to pretend everything is perfect. But before Quinn can ask even one of the million questions swirling around her head, Nora disappears, and Quinn finds herself the unlikely caretaker of a girl introduced simply as Lucy.

While Quinn struggles to honor her sister’s desperate request and care for the lost, scared Lucy, she fears that Nora may have gotten involved in something way over her head—something that will threaten them all. But Quinn’s worries are nothing compared to the firestorm that Nora is facing. It’s a matter of life and death, of family and freedom, and ultimately, about the lengths a woman will go to protect the ones she loves.
 

Thoughts 

 

While I am usually not big on thriller/mysterious stories, for some reason this book just caught my attention. From the blurb alone it seems like it is one of those books that will just captive your attention from start to finish. Not to mention putting you on the edge of your seat the entire time. 
 
If you enjoy thriller or mystery genre, then this book is for you.

 

 

Bonus Book

 
Darker (Fifty Shades #5)

4. Darker (Fifty Shades #5)

 

E L James revisits the world of Fifty Shades with a deeper and darker take on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the globe.

Their scorching, sensual affair ended in heartbreak and recrimination, but Christian Grey cannot get Anastasia Steele out of his mind, or his blood. Determined to win her back, he tries to suppress his darkest desires and his need for complete control, and to love Ana on her own terms.

But the horrors of his childhood still haunt him, and Ana’s scheming boss, Jack Hyde, clearly wants her for himself. Can Christian’s confidant and therapist, Dr. Flynn, help him face down his demons? 
Or will the possessiveness of Elena, his seducer, and the deranged devotion of Leila, his former submissive, drag Christian down into the past?

And if Christian does win Ana back, can a man so dark and damaged ever hope to keep her?

 

 

Thoughts

 
First of all, this is just my own opinion. I am happy for those of you who are FSoG’s die-hard fans. 
However, I personally will not continue reading this series. It’s not because I didn’t like the plot, as the plot was actually pretty good. It is the writing style and the character that is just so bad. It never fail to surprise me every single time. Seeing how badly written these books are and yet, people just can’t seem to get enough of it. While reading this series (I only read until book 3), I have to put the book down to take a breather before I continue because if not I literally would chuck my phone on the wall just from reading Ana continue to gush about her “inner goddess” alone. And the supposedly sexy, mysterious Mr.Grey wasn’t all that interesting at all. I have read the excerpt to her 4th book, which was a retelling from Grey’s POV. And based from the blurb that I read, it is as if this man’s thoughts are all controlled by his penis.
 
” I have never slept with a woman. I have fucked many, but to wake up beside an alluring young woman is a new and stimulating experience. My cock agrees.” 
 
“…And there she is: disarming once more, surprising me at every turn. My cock concurs.”
 
No. Just, no. Dear E. L. James, it’s enough. This book was supposed to be trilogy and she somehow manages to drag it to 5 books. I don’t understand why she keeps adding books to this series. The Fifty Shades series was supposed to end years ago, accept it and move on.
 
 
Filed Under: Book Recommendation, Books, Recommendation

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