THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2014

2014 is a year which brings an end to many of series and trilogies we have grown to love. There is so many amazing books coming out this year, that my credit card is already preparing and resting for the huge spending coming its way. Here is the list of books I am most excited about.

Warning! Amazing stories are coming your way !

10. THE FOREVER SONG by Julie Kagawa (1 May 2014) :

Although I am not the biggest fan of THE BLOOD OF EDEN series, I am looking forward to the last (?) part in this story of one of the internet most favourite vampire Allison Sekemoto.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? 

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. 

MONSTER 

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. 

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.


9. BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION by Jamie McGuire (1 July 2014)

We all fell for Travis Maddox in the Beautiful Disaster. His roughness and softness in his heart, made sure that all the girls in the world dream about meeting their own Maddox themselves. Now Ms McGuire is bringing a new series about the Maddox brothers. First one on order is Trenton.


Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt. 

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red. 

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

8. PANIC by Lauren Oliver (6 March 2014)

Lauren Oliver brought us Before I fall and Delirium Series. She took us on a beautiful journey throughout these amazing stories and this year she is competing her works with two brand new novels.  First is PANIC which is another story about love and friendship and coming of age in extraordinary circumstances.

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.


7. ROOMS by Lauren Oliver (23 September 2014)

ROOMS is the second novel our well-known author Lauren Oliver releases this year. Rooms is a little bit different from what I got to know about the novel. She brings us her Adult Novel Debut with mesmerising story compared to The Lovely Bones and Her Fearful Symmetry. It will be dark. Thrilling and full of suspense. And it promises to be shocking!

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. 

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. 

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.


6. THE SON & THE TRAITOR by Veronica Roth (8 July 2014)

Two mini stories from the Divergent world. You all know how much love I feel for Tobias Eaton aka Four. I have fallen in love deeply and truly. He is the one fictional boyfriend I beg to date! And although The Divergent Series has ended last year, Veronica Roth didn't put the pen down and pinned us a series of short stories from Four's point of view before he met the famous Tris. I have already read the first two and they were very engaging. I cannot wait to find out more from Tobias' world.


5. THE IRON TRIAL by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black (9 September 2014)

When two best-selling authors collide and start to work together, we can expect exciting things. And one of these brand new things is A MAGISTERIUM series written by Cassie Clare & Holly Black.  And they are going to reinvent every thing you thought about the world of magic!

From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that? It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil. 



4. MORTAL GODS by Kendare Blake (1 September 2014) 

This woman brought us Anna Dressed in Blood series and last year she made sure that we all fall under the spell of Greek Mythology in her new series - THE GODDESS WAR. The first book was amazing. ANTIGODDESS got under my skin and I was hooked immediately. Of course I am hyped about this second instalment and what the destiny has in story for Cassie and the gang. Is Aidan really dead? I hope not. But we will see...


3. HEIR OF FIRE by Sarah J. Maas (11 September 2014)

THRONE OF GLASS book series came to my life unexpectedly and forever changed my life. This book series is just purely amazing and I cannot wait for the new instalment. I want to find out more about Celeana's new adventures. And will she and Chaol find their way back together? What will Chaol do with the newfound information from Celeana's past?

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien's only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan's Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. 

Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King's Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan's biggest threat - and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love? 

This third novel in the Throne of Glass sequence, from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, is packed with more heart-stopping action, devastating drama and swoonsome romance, and introduces some fierce new heroines to love and hate.


2. THE INFINITE SEA by Rick Yancey (9 September 2014)

THE 5TH WAVE took the world by a storm last year with its unusual story. For the first time there was no saving and preventing the whole situation. Will Smith didn't kill all the aliens, instead the invasion has happened and the human population has been nearly erased. Only couple of us are still living. And they are on the run.  INFINITE SEA is the second instalment in this book series and I cannot bloody wait for it to come out. September can't come quick enough.

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

1. CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare (27 May 2014)

We have spent years obsessing about the world of shadow hunters and their friends. Now here is the final instalment in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series. The great battle is coming and we don't know who will die and who will survive. Ms Clare mentioned six deaths of named characters. Do you have any ideas who's life will be cut short? May is around the corner and we will find out the big ENDING to the amazing book series.

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. In the long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Dark Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris — but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee — even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned . . .



Honourable mentions: 

John Green's new YA novel which title hasn't been released yet.
Third book of the Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee.
THE ONE by Kiera Cass - third book in the Selection Series.
IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi - third book in Shatter Me Series.
HOLLOW CITY by Ranson Riggs - a second instalment in Miss Pelegrine's Home for Peculiar Children.


So here are my picks for the most anticipated books of this year, but I would like to hear the books you are most excited to read this year! Please leave in the comment below your most anticipated list! I am always up for a suggestion :)

Julie Kagawa : THE IMMORTAL RULES

WARNING! Don't expect Vampires to sparkle or Werewolves to be hunky in this story. This is not that type of a YA novel.

THE IMMORTAL RULES is the first book in A BLOOD OF EDEN trilogy written by American author JULIE KAGAWA. Julie is famous for her IRON FEY series but she put her fingers into the usual suspects as well.

The Immortal Rules has been recommended by many Vloggers and Bloggers online. I only heard praises about this book, so me being me, I had to find out for myself for is the fuss about. I was excited to get hands on my own copy and read it for myself. 

But I have been massively disappointed.... Unfortunately!!

It's a story about dystopian world and mainly USA. The world and its population has been struck by RED LUNG disease and people either died or been change to Rabbits (don't think about the cute little fury bunnies!) Rabbits are creatures created with vampire and human blood and then infected with red lung disease. They are pretty nasty things which, of course, crave human blood. SURPRISE!!

Now in this world, Vampires rule it. They created vampire towns and gather their food (humans) and slaves (humans again) around them. And in one of this town - New Covington to be exact - lives a girl named Allison Sekemoto. Allison is one of the Unregistereds living on the outskirts of the city, in the fridge. Well if you can call it living? She is surviving. You see, when you aren't registered or belong to a vampire in the city, your life is pretty crazy. No food. No place to live. No right for education....It's not exactly what you would call a happy place. But Allison is surviving with her little group of friends. One day she discovers a hidden stash of food outside the city and when she goes to collect it with her friends, they get attacked by rabbits. And Allison is saving by one thing she hates the most and she becomes one of the things she hates the most - a vampire.

The vampires in this story are REAL vampires. They don't sparkle in the sun - they burn. They don't stay up all night - they have to sleep in the dark (ground or dark rooms - it's your preference). They are strong and fast. They can blend with the humans, but they also need to, I repeat NEED TO, drink human blood. They cannot be so called 'vegetarian' vampires by drinking animal blood. They have to drink human's blood.

The writing is also easy to follow and explains itself and the story. But, the story itself is lacking the usual excitement of YA novel. It's missing the page-turnover essence which usually accompanies a story about vampires and dystopian world. 

The characters in the book are quite bland and boring. They failed to impress me and I couldn't warm up to any of them. Usually, I can imagine myself as one of the characters, but this time I am finding myself on sidelines watching a film, which I can happily live without. I am reading about these people and their lives being thrown upside down but I cannot find even a little bit of sympathy for them. My emotional quotient is on minus five. Seriously, the author failed to bring the connection to her imagined heroes. Zeke is too goody-goody and Allison is the worst vampire ever. Even Bella Swan was more interesting as vampire. And had more fun as a vampire. Jeb is a fanatic, who has his mind closed to any possible new development in his situation. So as far as the characters go, I am dying of boredom.

The story of Allison and her life first in the fringe fighting for everyday survival as one of the Unregistereds, then looking through glass as she struggles to come into terms of her being what she hates the most - a vampire, and then finally finding someone she cares about is very, very boring. I had to force myself to read this book and it took me a whole two weeks to read it. This hasn't happened with YA novel before!!

There is a sequel to this story - THE ETERNITY CURE - and a third instalment is coming out this year - THE FOREVER SONG. They both will remain on my book shelf untouched for quite some time until I am ready to get lost for two weeks in this tragedy of a book.

Sorry Ms Kagawa but  I was not impress with your work. I was left disappointed as I was really looking forward to reading this book, but instead I was left with a boring story with bland characters I couldn't find a little bit of empathy for. 

Some quotes from the book I kinda of like  : 

“The mighty hunter,” I quipped as we snuck out the backdoor, escaping into the yard. “He can take down vicious rabids and rampaging boars, but one old lady can make him flee in terror.”
“One scary old lady,” he corrected me, looking relieved to be out of the house. “You didn’t hear what she told me when I got up — you’re so cute I could put you in a pie. Tell me that’s not the creepiest thing you’ve ever heard.” His voice climbed a few octaves, turning shrill and breathy. “Today for dessert, we have apple pie, blueberry pie and Ezekiel pie.”

“You don't dwell on what you've lost, you just move on."

“You are a monster.” Kanin’s deep voice droned in my head again, as I forced myself to move, to walk away. “You will always be a monster, there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.”

“The closer you got to someone, the more it would destroy you when they were inevitably gone.”

“We are vampires, Kanin had told me, on one of our last nights together. It makes no difference who we are, where we came from. Princes, Masters and rabids alike, we are monsters, cut off from humanity. They will never trust us. They will never accept us. We hide in their midst and walk among them, but we are forever separate.
Damned. Alone. You don’t understand now, but you will. There will come a time when the road before you splits, and you must decide your path. Will you choose to become a demon with a human face, or will you fight your demon until the end of time, knowing you will forever struggle alone?”

“He smiled, a real one this time, though his voice remained teasing. “So, what do you think I am?” Naive, I thought at once. Naive, brave, selfless, incredible and much too kind to survive this world. It’ll break you in the end, if you keep going like this. Good things never last.” 

“Words define us,' Mom continued, as I struggled to make my clumsy marks look like her elegant script. 'We must protect our knowledge and pass it on whenever we can. If we are ever to become a society again, we must teach others how to remain human.” 

“And sometimes, hope is the only thing that gets us through the day.” 

“It seemed Lady Luck hated me worse than usual.”

“It is useless to offer words of hope when you have none yourself.” 

“It was fine and good to be defiant to the end, but it was better not to get caught in the first place.” 

“It was almost better to be caught by the hungry, soulless vampires; the most they would probably do was drink your blood and leave you to die. Humans were capable of far, far worse.” 

“Sometime in your life Allison Sekemoto you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?" I didn't then, not really. I do now.” 

MARCH Book Bonanza

March is here. I can see and smell spring all around me. My favourite time of the year is here. After weeks of cold, rain and wind, we are finally looking around and seeing first signs of spring. Blossoming flowers in the most beautiful vibrant colours. Trees with gorgeous green leaves are getting fuller and fuller after being stripped for the winter. People are more smiling. Animals are happier. Not the mention, that fashion is spring is the most inventive and we can look forward to some great designs. 

With that in mind, authors are also finding more inspiration and we can look forward to some great books this year. I am preparing THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2014 so you should be able to read about it soon. 

In the meantime, I have been a busy bee (before being struck with a flu) and purchased some new books for my brand new library. And of course, I need to share my findings with you!

MARCH BOOK BONANZA

The New Books in my library :

UNSTICKY by Sarra Manning

State Of Grace

Money makes the world go round - that's what twenty-something Grace Reeves is learning. Stuck in a grind where everyone's ahead apart from her, she's partied out, disillusioned, and massively in debt. If she's dumped by another rock-band wannabe, squashed by anyone else at her cut-throat fashion job, or chased by any more bailiffs, Grace suspects she'll fall apart...

Grace Under Pressure

So when older, sexy, and above all, wealthy art-dealer Vaughn appears, she's intrigued against her will. Could she handle being a sugar daddy's arm-candy?

Saving Grace

Soon Grace is thrown into a world of money and  privilege, at Vaughn's beck and call in return for thousands of pounds in luxurious gifts, priceless clothes - and cash. She's out of her depth. Where's the line between acting the trophy girlfriend, and selling yourself for money? And, more importantly, whatever happened to love?

JUST A GIRL STANDING IN FRONT OF A BOY by Lucy-Anne Holmes

'My love story may not be the sort you read about in books or see in films. Love stories have glorious highs and ghastly lows. But when it comes to my own life, I'd have to say, you can keep your fabulous highs and i'll happily steer clear of the terrible lows.'

After a rocky start in life, Jenny Taylor, twenty-seven, star receptionist at the local doctor's surgery, has things all worked out thanks to a list of ten things she must do every day to keep the blues at bay. But her life is turned upside down when she meets aspiring musician Joe King. And reliable boyfriend Matt proposes. And then her mum leaves her dad and moves into Jenny's flat, determined to bond.

STARCROSSED by Josephine Angelini

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton meets Lucas Delos for the first time, she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life, second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

An ancient curse means Lucas and Helen are destined to loathe one another. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen next...

BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young

In the Dustlands, you fight or you die.

There are no laws in Saba's world. When her twin brother is stolen, she pursues his captors through a wild, wasted land. She must become a warrior to survive. On this dangerous road she can trust no one. Not even the handsome thief who saves her life - and steals her heart.

WITCH FINDER by Ruth Warburton

Sworn to a loveless marriage. Sworn to avenge the death of a parent. Sworn to kill the one you love...

London 1880

Witches killed Luke Lexton's parents and he is determined to avenge their death by becoming a Witch Hunter. But first he must prove his loyalty and pick a name from the Book of Witches to track down and kill within a month or face death himself. Luke picks Rosa Greenwood, a young witch-girl who is almost impossible to kill.

A NEW YORK WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin

One night in New York, a city under siege by snow, Peter Lake attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks it is empty, the daughter of the house is home...

Thus begins the affair between this Irish burglar and Beverly Penn, a young girl dying of consumption. It is a love so powerful that Peter will be driven to stop time and bring back the dead, A New York Winter's Tale is the story of that extraordinary journey.

VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi, the fiercest and most dangerous vampires - the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's - inside the Academy's iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey

Will Henry is the orphan apprentice of a doctor with an unusual speciality: montrumology, the study of monsters. When a midnight visitor brings them the body of a young girl entwined with the corpse of an Anthropophagus, it is the start of the most mysterious case of Will Henry's life. Anthropophagi are headless monsters whose razor-sharp teeth are in their stomachs - and they are supposed to be extinct in this part of the world. Now Will and the monstrumologist are in a race against time to put a stop to the plague of monsters before they kill again. 

Creative projects on the side by KERI SMITH :

THIS IS NOT A BOOK

FINISH THIS BOOK

I have heard all about WRECK THIS JOURNAL and even purchased two copies for my creative friends Heidi and Kay. I wanted to try something different, so when I discovered these two, I knew I made the right choice. I will try to start one of them soon and keep you updated with my works.