Friday 31 January 2014

Reading Wrap Up | January 2014

Aside from one book I didn't really stick to any of the books I intended to read this month, but January was a really fun reading month for me nonetheless because the books I did read I loved. It was a great start to the year!



by Neil Gaiman

My Rating: 

Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

I managed to finish American Gods in the middle of January, and though it took me a while to read - it's rather dense - I absolutely loved it. If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's and you haven't read this yet then I'd definitely recommend it, and it's also a great read for any lover of mythology out there!

Even though this was the first book I read in 2014, it could very well be one of the best books I read this year and I can't wait for it to be adapted into a television show!



by Marissa Meyer

My Rating: 


Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Since reading Cinder at the end of 2013 The Lunar Chronicles has become my new obsession, so I was determined to read Scarlet this month in time for the release of Cress next month. I just can't believe I'm going to have to wait until the end of 2015 for the final book in the series!

This was a brilliant continuation of Cinder's story, and I absolutely loved what Meyer did with the Little Red Cap story. Just like Cinder, Scarlet was such an original reinterpretation of a very popular fairy tale. I can't wait for my copy of Cress to arrive!



by Marissa Meyer

My Rating: 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. In Glitches, a short prequel story to Cinder, we see the results of that illness play out, and the emotional toll that takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch...

I don't have an e-reader, so when I discovered Marissa Meyer's short stories were on Wattpad I was ecstatic - I could finally read them!

Glitches takes place before the events of Cinder and follows Cinder as a little girl when she is first taken to her new family in New Beijing. It was such a sweet, sad story, and little Cinder broke my heart. I've never wanted to give someone a cuddle so much.

Some people on Goodreads recommend reading this before reading Cinder, but I think it's actually better to read Cinder first; by the time you've finished the novel you've already developed an attachment to Cinder, and Glitches has more poignancy.



by Marissa Meyer

My Rating: 

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen—and to himself—that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.

Once I read Glitches I immediately dove into The Queen's Army, another of Meyer's short stories that takes place before the events of Scarlet. Like Glitches, however, I would recommend reading Scarlet first, because I think The Queen's Army can easily be considered spoiler material if you'd rather let yourself be surprised by the events that unfold in Scarlet.

I really enjoyed this story too, though I didn't find it as emotional as I found Glitches. It's still a great little addition to the series and well worth a read if you haven't gotten around to it yet!

As you can see, January turned into something of a Lunar Chronicles month for me to prepare me for the release of Cress. I am so unbelievably excited for that book.

What did you read in January?

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