Top Ten Tuesday (#5) - Top Ten Books You Wish Were Thought In School

Top Ten Tuesday is Hosted @ The Broke and The Bookish

This Week's Topic:
"Top Ten Books You Wish Were Thought In School"

1.) Divergent by Veronica Roth - It honestly feels like this book is a classic! There is so much to learn from Divergent like bravery, courage, etc teachers should be teaching these types of books. Plus, it has a kick butt heroine and tons of action with romance. Love Divergent!

2.) Everyday by David Levithan (or any of his other books) - David Levithan is a true to honest author. He nails every contemporary perfectly, and Everyday is an example of one. If this was thought at school, people would value life so much more.

3.) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green - *Mind goes crazy* John Green is such a brilliant author for writing this book, it's wickedly smart and engrossing. If my English teacher gave me a John Green book, I'm a happy camper!\

4.) Speechless by Hannah Harrington - I think Speechless will hit home to everyone no matter what. It's about a girl using gossip to spread a juicy rumor about a series topic and vows to take an oath of silence. It was poignant and real. 

5.) Grave Mercy by Robin La Fevers - If I was handed Grave Mercy to read for history, I was be mind blown. The book was amazing and so in depth, I really would like to see a more in depth history of the era the novel takes place in! :D

6.) This Is Not A Test (or any of Courtney's books) by Courtney Summers - I love Courtney Summers, and This Is Not A Test is why. I love the emotionality and realism in her writing and in the story, it's a real eye opener! P.S Dying to read her new book!

7.) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - *Dances* *Cries* Dances again* If I were to read Shatter Me at school, it would be amazing! I think there a lot of things you can learn from a book if it was thought at school. Plus, there would be some Team Warner and Team Adam hype!!

8.) 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 13 Reasons Why is such a must have on this list. It was one of the most ground breaking books I read a while back, and I still love it a lot. It's talks about suicide  which is a series topic for teen, and I think it would really give students something to think even after. 

9.) Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer - I really loved Rival and it's one of my favs of all time. Rival is of course about rivalry between two girls and I can see it being something relatable to teens in school who could read it. 

10.) Any Classics - All the classics are a great book to teach at school, after all they are the classics and we still read them today. Why not throw it in? :)

Now..What's On Your Top 10? 

A Good Ending: Winds of Salem - Melissa De La Cruz

Winds of Salem by Melissa De La Cruz
Date Released: August 13, 2013
Publisher:  Hyperion 
Pages: 228 Pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: For Review
Rating: Really Liked
Series: (The Beachamp Family #3) 

Goodreads Synopsis: Modern-day witch Freya Beauchamp is cast back in time to 1692 amongst the Salem Witch Trials by an enemy spell, as her present-day family attempts to reopen the passages of time to bring her home.
SOON TO BE A LIFETIME TELEVISION SERIES!Freya Beauchamp is trapped in 1692, in Salem of all places, with no recollection of her past. A powerful enemy spell has sent her spiraling away so that she is separated by centuries from her mother, Joanna, and sister, Ingrid. This is not good news for a twenty-first-century witch. Not to mention the immediate threat she faces from the wealthy and influential Putnam family. When little Annie Putnam is one of the first to make accusations of witchcraft, her landowner father jumps at the opportunity to consolidate his power and expand his holdings in Puritan Salem Town. If Freya is caught using magic, she will be forced to relive the witch trials, and this time, even her immortality is in question. 

Meanwhile, twenty-first-century North Hampton has its own snares. Joanna and Norm consult the Oracle for advice, and Freddie and his pixie allies search for a missing totem that could reopen the passages of time and help bring his sister home. When Ingrid bumps into an old flame, she finds that her new love for Detective Matt Noble is in doubt.
Moving between past and present, Winds of Salem's dizzying plot twists and page-turning suspense is sure to bewitch fans old and new. 

From Goodreads

In Winds of Salem, Melissa De La Cruz raises the stakes for Ingrid, Freya, Joanna, and Freddie. Winds of Salem wasn't one of the best in the series, but it had a great ending that ties up all the loose end in the whole series and I love Mel and this series a lot! Even as an adult book, it expanded my reading horizon and it's easy to open up to newer books.

Freya is back in the past, all the way to the Salem Witch Hunts, and everyone back in the Hamptons is doing everything they can to get her back. I love that aspect in the book, it ways always moving and I liked seeing how the witches did everything to get her back. New alliances were formed and it does wonders to the story when authors do this. There's also plot twist throughout the novel which were done really great and Mel didn't hold back. Mel didn't also hold back on her characters, like Freya who did everything to get back home, and after finishing the series I love all of the witches a lot! What a great cast!

I was expecting a bit more for the ending to the series, and I was happy for the ending, but it was a real wowzer, that would make me want to pick it up. Maybe since it was an adult book, I didn't have the same connections than an older reader could make. I think any reader wanting to expand their reading range, should start with Mel's Witches of East End series. It's promising, racing, and bubbly perfect for upcoming readers :) 

Find Winds of Salem On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (#42) - Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

Praise for the Shatter Me series:

"Dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense. I dare you to stop reading."-Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures series

"Tahereh Mafi's bold, inventive prose crackles with raw emotion. A thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love, the Shatter Me series is a must-read for fans of dystopian young adult literature-or any literature!"-Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

"Addictive, intense, and oozing with romance. I'm envious. I couldn't put it down."-Lauren Kate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen series

 Why I'm Waiting For It: OMFG..we finally got the title & cover and I'm seriously dying right now!



And the idea that Juliette is going to need Warner's help? *Dies* *Gets up and dances* Honestly, Adam will flip out over this...

First off, this cover is seriously KILLER



I honestly think it was one of my favorite cover of 2013, it's so eye - catching, and the Fincolor really pop! I really love it! :))

Second, it time for me to make some predictions:

1.) Kenji could possibly die? (Let's hope not)
2.) Adam will push away Juliette since she now has to ask for his help, but then there's going to be a scene where they get all close and he forgives her.
3.) Warner is going to have some steamy scenes with Juliette
4.) A Big Finale fight scene (please Tahereh!)
5.) Someone is going to pay for Juliette choices
6.) Lots of hot, steamy scenes
7.) Kenji finally gets a girl?
8.) Juliette's parent make an appearance? (Possibly??)

So far, those are my prediction and I already know Ignite Me will definitely be the perfect Shatter Me book! 

Also, Ignite Me? 
a.k.a many hot and steamy scenes with either Juliette or Adam? Yes please!

Juliette is such a kick butt character, I love her. :)

Find Ignite Me On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Bubbly & Racing: Serpent's Kiss - Melissa De La Cruz

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa De La Cruz
Date Released: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 384 Pages
Format: Paperback
Source: For Review
Rating: Loved
Series: (The Beauchamp Family #2) 

Goodreads Synopsis: The powerful Beauchamp family, introduced in the New York Times bestselling Witches of East End, returns in The Serpent's Kiss, with dizzying plot twists and the spell-binding magic that have made both Witches of East End and Melissa's Blue Bloods series such enormous successes.

Just as things have settled down in the off-the-map Long Island town of North Hampton for the magical Beauchamp family, everything gets turned upside down once more when Freya's twin brother Fryr, or "Freddie" as he's called now, returns from Limbo with shocking news - that it was none other than Freya's fiancé, Killian Gardiner, who set up his downfall.
He begs Freya to keep his presence a secret, even from their own family, but somehow the irascible Freddie is still able to conduct many affairs with the town's young lovelies from his self-imposed exile. Until he falls for the wrong girl.

While Freya tries to keep her brother from exacting revenge on the man she loves, Ingrid has her own problems. Her human boyfriend, Matt Noble, becomes entangled in a complicated investigation, and when the magical creatures at the center of it come to Ingrid for help, she has a difficult choice to make.

To top it off, a dead spirit is trying to make contact with Joanna - but does it mean to harm or warn the witches? All hell breaks loose at the family reunion over Thanksgiving, and much mayhem ensues, but when the culprit behind Freddie's imprisonment is finally revealed, it may already be too late to staunch the poison that's been released by the serpent's kiss. The spells cast by the bestselling Witches of East End continue in this bewitching follow-up that Melissa de la Cruz's many fans won't want to miss.

From Goodreads

Serpent's Kiss was so much better than it's preceder, more action, a building suspense, and an ending that turns heads. I love how there was more focus on the characters personalities and it felt more well rounded than the first. So far, Serpent's Kiss has been my favorite in this series and I really loved it a lot.

I love the depth and personalities that Mel gave Ingrid, Freya, and Joanna in her second book. They get more relatable and honest, and they really connected with me. There's also a lot going on the book, which is either a miss or a hit, and for me it hit pretty good. We see that Ingrid's brother, Freddie is in the North Hamptons, a dead spirit is connecting with Joanna but she doesn't know why, and Freya is busy with her human boyfriend, Matt Noble and whether he'll accept her. One of the best scenes I loved, was Thanksgiving! Mel really got her characters perfect in that scene and so much was going on I loved it! *claps* 

Even with some high points, there were some things I just felt didn't go well with Serpent's Kiss such as the deal with the fairies and the trident. The way the events lead up to finding out who stole it and why the fairies were here took forever, seriously. One chapter they think they know why, but no, they don't go and stop that person already. There was just too much delaying of the main plot itself, suspense wasn't as suspenseful as it was going to be. 

The ending definitely makes up for the slow plot and I was so excited for book 3! I think it was well written and balanced out well with the rest of the book. There was so much action and revelations revealed it was really climatic and I loved every second of it! The witches go through a lot and after reader Serpent's Kiss I'm definitely sad but happy for book 3! The characters really grow with the reader and the situations they go through :)



Find Serpent's Kiss On:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads