Calamity (Reckoners #3) by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I little while ago, I read the first two books in the Reckoners series and really enjoyed them: Steelheart (book 1) and Firefight (book 2). I'd definitely recommend them, if you haven't' read them already. Calamity, the last book in the trilogy, was also great.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows the bright star that is Calamity over modern-day Atlanta, the setting of Calamity. It fits with the series's theme of an exploding circle, which I appreciate. A- cover

Official Description:
When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy.
David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when the Reckoners’ leader struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back…
But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.

My Review:
I loved Calamity. It continued the drama of Firefight while also adding some new developments.

David is one of my favorite characters of all time. He is lovable, yet flawed. A really interesting character to read about. The supporter characters are also all well fleshed out. I enjoyed ready how they all developed in this book, as well as how their relationships changed. 

The conclusion was satisfactory. It summed everything up very well, leaving me happy with both the ending and the lack of loose ends. While the final battle was a bit cheesy, the conclusion was fulfilling. It was definitely an interesting way to finish the series.

Overall, I'd recommend Calamity if you liked the previous books in this series. I thought it wasn't quite as good as Firefight but still really good.  It's definitely worth reading!


Phrase:
Space Station

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Steelheart and Firefight
The Rest of Us Just Live Here

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

2016 A Year in Books

Hello! As this year wraps up, I wanted to give you my book highlights from this past year. Here are my top ten favorite books and/or series that I read this year in no particular order. Just click on the title to see my review. Hope you enjoy!

Thirteen Reasons Why 

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

The Wrath and the Dawn / The Rose and the Dagger

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Ready Player One

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the  OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

The Knife of Never Letting Go / The Ask and the Answer/ Monsters of Men

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

More Than This
A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.
Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.
How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?
As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.
Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.
Now there are secrets.
There are lies.
And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen. 
This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.
All will be revealed. 

We Are the Ants
There are a few things Henry Denton knows, and a few things he doesn’t.
Henry knows that his mom is struggling to keep the family together, and coping by chain-smoking cigarettes. He knows that his older brother is a college dropout with a pregnant girlfriend. He knows that he is slowly losing his grandmother to Alzheimer’s. And he knows that his boyfriend committed suicide last year.
What Henry doesn’t know is why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button. 
But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind.
The question is whether Henry thinks the world is worth saving. That is, until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that.

Steelheart / Firefight
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.
Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

The Fever Code

Once there was a world’s end.

The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.
Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.
Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.
Now there are secrets.
There are lies.
And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen. 
This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.
All will be revealed.

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?


Previous Years:
2015
2014

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

Firefight (Reckoners #2) by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I finally decided to pick up Firefight, the sequel to Steelheart. It's been on my to-read list for about a year, and I was finally able to read it. I'm glad I did; I really enjoyed it!

The Cover:

The Cover:

It doesn't show a particular scene, but it stays with the theme of the Steelheart cover of a circle of destruction. It also has the New Babylon skyline underneath, showing the change in location in this book in the series. It's a cool cover but to be honest, Firefight is more about water than fire so it's not entirely relevant. B- cover.

Official Description:

They told David it was impossible—that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart—invincible, immortal, unconquerable—is dead. And he died by David's hand. 

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. 
Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic—Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

My Review:
I enjoyed Firefight even more than Steelheart. It doesn't spend as much effort building the world, and, instead, focuses on mysteries and relationships. This caused the book to move much faster and builds a sense of urgency.

The characters were also developed much more in this instalment. Their personalities and secrets were brought into light, which was fascinating to witness. David and the characters from the first book were expanded upon in a way that made the content of the book really resonate. 

The story was full of mysteries and plot twists. I was constantly surprised by this book. The plot twists were really well crafted and always caught me off guard. Much more unexpected than the plot twists of Steelheart!

Overall, I loved reading Firefight and would definitely recommend it! It's a fun twist on superhero stories that is well-written and has great characters.

Phrase:
Indoor jungles

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

The Dark Talent (Alcatraz #5) by Brandon Sanderson 4/5 stars

Hey, guys! The last Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians book has finally come out. (If you haven't read the series, click here.) I read the previous four book in sixth grade. That was six years ago! On top of the insanely long wait time, the four book ended on a cliff hanger. I have been wondering about how this children's series would end for years and, in the meantime, built my expectations too high. The series is still wonderful, quirky, and fun, but it did not meet my unrealistically high expectations.

The Cover:

The Cover:
I hate the new covers. Sometime in the period between book four and book five, the series changed publishers. The new publishers decided to give them all new covers, all of which are like this one. It is just terribly designed. Half of the images in the cover do not even relate to this book, and it looks incredibly corny. I was trying to read it on a plane and kept it flat the entire time, as it embarrassed me. F cover

Official Description:

Alcatraz Smedry has successfully defeated the army of Evil Librarians and saved the kingdom of Mokia. Too bad he managed to break the Smedry Talents in the process. Even worse, his father is trying to enact a scheme that could ruin the world, and his friend, Bastille, is in a coma. To revive her, Alcatraz must infiltrate the Highbrary–known as The Library of Congress to Hushlanders–the seat of Evil Librarian power. Without his Talent to draw upon, can Alcatraz figure out a way to save Bastille and defeat the Evil Librarians once and for all?

My Review:

This latest Alcatraz book had everything that I've learned to love about this series. It's bizarre sense of humor and flawed/relatable characters. 

The plot was fast-paced and the book only 300 pages, so it is a quick read. As the characters plan their overthrown of the Library headquarters, the action gets more intense. One of the things about this series is that while the majority of the scenes are of the action and adventure variety, there is an element of silliness. The Dark Talent doesn't take itself seriously, which is what makes this series so enjoyable.

The characters remained great. One of my favorite characters wasn't really in this book (Spoiler: Bastille was in a coma for 95% of The Dark Talent), but the other characters were enjoyable. I always love Alcatraz's self-deprecating remarks throughout the story, and this book was no different.

My only problem with this series was the ending. Everything happened at once, and it felt incredibly rushed. Also, the conclusion to the continued cliff hanger (the altar of encyclopedias) was a bit disappointing. It is slightly redeemed by a fold-out note at the very end of the book, which I won't spoil, but that note is the true ending. 

The Dark Talent was a mixed bag. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read it a few years ago, but it was still fun to read. The ending was a bit disappointing, but the note makes it much better. I'd recommend reading The Dark Talent if you enjoyed the other Alcatraz books, and I'd recommend the entire series if you have not.

Phrase:
An altar of encyclopedias

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
A World Without Heroes
Five Kingdoms series

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I recently finished reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.  I really enjoyed it.  The writing was great, and the plot was really refreshing.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows David, the protagonist, standing inside a great steel wall that has a big rip in it.  The cover works symbolically, with the steel resulting from Steelheart.  It is an interesting cover, but it doesn't relate very well with the actual book.  B+ cover

Official Description:
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.
Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

My Review:
Steelheart takes a different take on the superpower trope.  Instead of heroes, all those with superpowers, the Epics, are evil.  In a world of supervillians, normal people have to fight for their own freedom.  I loved the idea of this book, and it was executed well.  
The characters were interesting.  I really loved David's personality.  He is a closet-nerd who is obsessed with Epics, yet he is still strong and capable in battle.  His personality allows the book to have a relaxed and witty tone throughout.  The other characters were all interesting and unique, but in the first book, we didn't get too much exposure to them.  I've found no faults in them so far.
I really enjoyed this book, it was quirky and intense.  In fact, my only complaint about this book was its predictableness.  That being said, I was still surprised by some turns in the plot, but on others, I saw it coming quite a few chapters before David did, which was frustrating.  I only predicted a few developments, but it impended my ability to enjoy certain parts of this book, making the book in general have a 4.5 rating instead of a 5.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you like adventure books.

Phrase:
Pen-detonator

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 stars

Alert: Stop! Do not go away because of this title!

Hey, guys! I haven't yet read anything new so I thought I'd cover an old favorite, that I think is terribly underrated.  Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians was one of the funniest, and most worth-reading books I've ever read.  It's at the level that I managed to convince my real-life friends to read it (they don't read much), and they loved it!  All I ask is that you give this book a chance, at least in this review.

It is true that I have already reviewed this book, but I am both dissatisfied with the job that 12-year-old me did and want to celebrate the eventual release of book five.

Anyway, I was really skeptical to begin this book because I think that I thought I was too cool to read a book with this title.  (Who was I kidding?)  I reluctantly picked it up and started reading and couldn't stop.  It is just fantastic!  It's the first book in a five book long series; however, there was a few year long pause between books four and five because the author also writes New York Times bestselling books for adults.  Imagine taking the writing style of Lemony Snicket (Series of Unfortunate Events) and combining it with a first person book and fantasy.

The Cover:

The Cover:
I really hate this cover.  It's just so lame.  Sure, it has the main character, Alcatraz Smedry, wearing glasses (significant!) in a library.  I feel like it could be better, but at least it has something to do with the book's plot.

Official Description:
A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians. 
Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutzines

My Addition to the Description/ Review:
In order to understand, you all need examples of this book.
The Talents in these books are FANTASTIC! The talent of breaking things is not just a simple "talent".  It's extreme.  For example, at one point, a man points a gun at Alcatraz and the gun breaks apart.  Alcatraz's grandpa also has the talent of... being late?  Sounds awful, right? Meetings are terrible, until you realize that you can be falling out of a plane and be late on hitting the ground. Therefore, not dying, just being a little bruised.
I wrote like ten more examples and erased them because you need to be surprised.
You will rather love this book or despise it.  It will rather seem hilarious or very stupid or both.  I suggest reading the first few pages to get a feel of the book.  You will know early on if which type of person you will be.
I have a pet peeve of first-person books that don't explain how/why the person is recording the story; however, this was one of the only books that bothers to explain itself.  (Note: I cannot remember when/ in what book it explains it, so sorry if its not book one.)  I really appreciated that.
The writing style was, for lack of a better word, sassy.  It's just really ironic/critical/self-aware (similar to Lemony Snicket/ Obert Skye).

Basically, this book was, surprisingly, not awful and actually pretty fantastic!  I consider one of my missions in life to increase the popularity for this book/series.  It is not appreciated nearly as much as it should be!

In related news, I joined Brandon Sanderson's newsletter a few years ago so that if he ever wrote book 5, I would know.  Usually all the notices are about his adult series that I haven't read.  Yet.  However, a few months ago, he released the first chapter of book five solely on the newsletter.  This, of course, was beyond exciting.  Even though it will be forever until I can read the next book, I am pretty hyped.  Make that really hyped.

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (Awesome)

I read this book for Battle of the Books.  To tell you the truth, I had already decided that I didn't want to read it because of the title/cover.  This book is living proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.  And in case you were wondering: Yes, I did love the book.  Yes, it was funny.  Yes, I did go to the library and read all the rest of the books in the series.  And, yes, I will also review those.  Here is the cover:

There is no way to review this book without it sounding cheesy, so I think I'll give a quick overview of the first chapter and then go to the general book description.

The beginning of the book starts with the main character, Alcatraz Smedry, being tried to an altar about to be sacrificed.  Then he has a "flashback" and the story starts.  At the beginnning of almost every chapter Alcatraz says (the book's first person) something really funny: why he is a bad person, his opinion on fishsticks, how he thinks it's funny that now you have to read the whole rest of the book to find out what happened with the altar, etc.

Alcatraz Smedry has a very rare and special talent- for breaking things.  When his long-lost grandpa arrives to take him home, he realizes that he lost his inheritence- a bag of sand.  In a dangerous mission to get it back, they will have to go to- the downtown library.  Alcatraz learns there that the librarians are trying to take over the world and influence the cultures of the world.  After all, they already have the Hushlands (Americas, Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa).

This is one of the funniest books that I have read in a long time.  Not only is it funny, but it also has a gripping plot (a weird one at that).  I would definitely recomend this book to anyone, don't let the title/cover/description scare you away.  If you don't believe me, go to a libray and read the first couple of pages, you'll love it.

I've already read the rest of the series, all that's out.  I'll review them shortly.

Happy Reading!