Monday, June 30, 2014

Best of the Bunch - June 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.

June 2014

I've felt l've been in a little bit of a reading slump this month (no horrible books, just books that were good, but not great).  But when I look back over my reviews, I realize that it was better than I remembered.  It's nice to put it in perspective!

This month I reviewed the following:

  • The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker | Review | Rating: 5/5
  • Of Stardust by February Grace | Review | Rating 4/5
  • I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff | Review | Rating 4.5/5
  • Time Return by Micah Caida | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Time Lock by Micah Caida | Review | Rating 4.5/5
  • Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Rematch by Janine Caldwell | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Double Fault by Janine Caldwell | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Deuce by Janine Caldwell | Review | Rating 3.5/5
  • Afterlife Academy by Jaime Admans | Review 3/5
  • Talented by Sophie Davis | Review | Rating 3.5/5
  • Invisible Magic by Mary Buckham | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
  • The One by Kiera Cass | Review | Rating 4.5/5
  • Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke | Review | Rating 3.5/5
  • Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta | Review | Rating 5/5
  • This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner | Mini Review | Rating 5/5
  • After the Parch by Sheldon Greene | Review | Rating 3.5/5
    And my June 2014 Best of the Bunch winner is . . .

    This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner



    I wasn't sure if I should include This Shattered World this month or not because I didn't do a full review of it yet (the book's not being released until December).  But, I eventually decided that I just had to include it because December is just too far away and it didn't seem fair to wait six months after I read the book to include it in my Best of the Bunch.  I loved this one even more than These Broken Stars (which won my Best of the Bunch just last month)!

    Summary: The second installment in our epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

    Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

    Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

    Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

    Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

    The stunning second novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.
        buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

    Runners Up:

    Comments (14)

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    Great books! I see that you miss that amazing book, the stunning read that comes by only occasionally. I've had quite a good reading month. But I've read less than I wanted to.
    My recent post Don't Tell the Groom by Anna Bell
    1 reply · active 558 weeks ago
    I did read some really good books actually. I just FELT like I had a reading slump because I read several books in the 3 star range in a row.
    Just read I AM THE WEAPON and am currently reading and enjoying I AM THE MISSION!

    Enjoyed THE ONE!

    So so so envious that you've read THIS SHATTERED WORLD! AHHHHH!!!
    My recent post Melody's June 2014 Wrap Up
    2 replies · active 558 weeks ago
    I just finished I Am the Mission and really enjoyed it as well. Plan to put up a review for that one this week!
    Can't wait to read your review!
    My recent post Melody's June 2014 Wrap Up
    Love this!! I have a copy of These Broken Stars and the Golem and the Jinni, but I haven't gotten to read them yet. Definitely need to move these up on my list now!
    My recent post Review; The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
    1 reply · active 558 weeks ago
    I know - there are so many books on my shelves that I really want to read and when I read a review for one of them I feel like I need to get to them NOW! :-)
    You had a full reading month-great job on getting through so many books!
    1 reply · active 558 weeks ago
    Thanks!! I've been doing LOTS of reading this year!
    I haven't read your Best of the Bunch (nor These Broken Stars) but your runners up are two of my favorites!
    My recent post Review: Alias Hook
    1 reply · active 558 weeks ago
    I know - it was a hard choice this month. Some months I don't bother with a runner up, but I had to acknowledge TGatJ and Froi!
    I believe I snagged The Golem and the Jinni for my Kindle, and I really want to read it. Glad it came in as a runner up!
    1 reply · active 558 weeks ago
    Yes, you should definitely read it. It was fantastic!
    Froi of the Exiles! I hope you'll read Quintana soon. I re-read this series during my hiatus, they're just oh so good!
    My recent post Hoarders, 117: The One Where I Came Back From the Dead

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