Friday, February 28, 2014

Best of the Bunch & Challenge Update - February 2014

Best of the Bunch is a book blog hop hosted over at Always Lost in Stories on the last day of each month, where we can look back over the books we have read over this past month and give a Best of the Bunch award to our favorite book of that month.

February 2014

I've been on a great book streak for the past week or two!!  Read lots of amazing books this month!

This month I reviewed the following:

  • Grimnirs by Ednah Walters | Review | Rating: 4/5
  • Never Let You Go by Michele G. Miller | Review | Rating 4/5
  • City of Bones by Cassandra Clare | Review | Rating 4/5
  • My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Tethered by Brandi Leigh Hall | Review | Rating 3.5/5
  • My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling | Review | Rating 5/5
  • Undying by Valerie Grosjean | Review | Rating 3.5/5
  • An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan | Review | Rating 4.5/5
      • Five - Out of the Dark by Holli Anderson | Review | Rating 3.5/5
      • Masked by Janelle Stalder  | Review | Rating 4/5
      • Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta | Review | Rating: 5/5
      • That One Summer by C.J. Duggan | Review | Rating 5/5
        • American Girl on Saturn by Nikki Godwin | Review | Rating 5/5
        • Defining Destiny by Deanna Chase | Review | Rating 4/5
        • Waterborn by Kimberly James | Review | Rating: 4/5
          And my February 2014 Best of the Bunch winner is . . .

          Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

          I had a tougher time picking this month's winner, since I read a few books I really enjoyed, but I settled on Finnikin of the Rock.  It had been a while since I'd read a really great epic fantasy and this one definitely fit the bill!

          Summary: Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

          Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

          But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.
              buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery



          Now that you know what I read in January, here's how those books fit into the various challenges I've entered for 2014:

          Hosted by: The Mad Reviewer
          Goal: Mad Reviewer (104 books)
          Read So Far: 29

          Goal: 50 Books
          Read So Far: 22

          2014netgalleychallenge 
          Hosted by: Ariel Avalon
          Goal: 
          Read So Far: 3

          Goal: Gold (7-11 Series)
          Read So Far: 0 (I don't think I've finished any series yet!)

          Hosted by: Fiktshun and Phantasmic Reads
          Goal: Adept (40+ books)
          Read So Far: 20


          Hosted by: Blog of Erised
          Goal: Leader (19+ books)
          Read So Far: 4

          Hosted by: Bookish
          Goal: Married With Children (50+ books)
          Read So Far: 9

          Hosted by: Falling for YA
          Goal: Bronze (10 books) - though I might try for Silver (25 books)
          Read So Far: 3