Reviews in a GIF: Top Five Favorite Reads of 2015

2015 was a pretty great reading year for me; Out of the 40 books I read, there were only a few that disappointed me, and I gave most of them four and five star ratings on Goodreads. After some deliberation, I managed to make a list of five books I read this year that stood above the other 35.

Instead of making a normal list and writing a couple of heartfelt paragraphs about each book, I chose five different GIFs that express how I feel about them more than words probably could. Honestly, choosing the GIFs was harder than choosing the books themselves. XD


5. The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

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Synopsis: DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....

In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out.







In short: I expected this book to be filled with action and suspense (and it definitely was), but I didn't expect to get so emotionally invested in the pain and struggles of the three main characters.

The GIF:





4. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman


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Synopsis: When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal.












In short: Like The Walled City, Vengeance Road had plenty of grandiose action scenes, but the way Kate deals with her internal conflict and her relationships with the other characters makes the book truly shine.

The GIF:






3. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer


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Synopsis: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?








In short: Winter is the last book in a series of fairytale adaptations. Of course the plot was a bit predictable, but it's the journey in between that counts, right? Marissa Meyer gave four well known and well loved characters a fresh start, and I couldn't get enough of this story.

The GIF:





2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab


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Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?







In short: Two antiheroes with a complicated past are determined to hunt each other down. Filled with twists and turns, this book stressed me out in the best way possible. 
I know I already featured this in a previous reviews in a GIF post and gave it a full review, but Vicious is so wonderful that it deserves plenty of attention.

The GIF:





1. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3) by Brandon Sanderson


Synopsis (WARNING-SPOILERS): Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the world.This adventure brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy to a dramatic and surprising climax as Sanderson's saga offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility.














In short: Like I said in a previous Reviews in a GIF, The Hero of Ages (and the Mistborn series in general) ruined me. I'm still not over the ending. I LOVED IT. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I CAN'T PUT A COHERENT SENTENCE TOGETHER ABOUT THIS BOOK.

The GIF:





What were some of your favorite reads this year? Were any of them on this list? Let me know in the comments!


Thanks for reading,

Annie
Indoor Sojourner
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(Spoiler-Free) Book Review: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Rating: 4/5 stars

Published: September 22nd, 2015 by Quirk Books

DescriptionAs the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

Goodreads | Amazon

Other books in the series: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Book 1), Hollow City (Book 2)



Before I read Library of Souls, I had pretty high hopes based on the previous books in the series; they were so eerie and mysterious that they seemed like a strange and wonderful dream. As if this trilogy couldn't get any more peculiar, Library of Souls features more evil villains, mysterious creatures and wild adventures than ever.

When I think of my experience reading Library of Souls, the first thing that comes to mind is the detail behind the story. The lore behind the peculiar world was fascinating; without giving too much away, we get a thorough description of the origin story behind peculiardom which adds even more depth to the plot. I also adored the characters and was satisfied with the way they completed their arcs. There are quite a few peculiar children in Jacob's group, but they all have their own little quirks that make them unique and endearing.

One problem I had with this book (and the series in general) was Jacob and Emma's relationship. They're both great characters, but the "romance" between them seemed like an afterthought compared to the rest of the story. I think their dynamic would have been a bit less clunky if they were just friends.

I also found the pacing to be a little slow towards the middle of the book. I'm used to reading books with relatively short chapters, and this 458 page book was split up into just 11 of them. Because I have a pretty short attention span, I would struggle to finish a whole chapter in one sitting. As a result, I would forget what was happening the next time I picked up the book because I usually would have to stop reading in the middle of something important. However, the plot in the second half picked up drastically that I got to the point where I couldn't put it down!

Despite my complaints, Library of Souls and the Peculiar Children series is written wonderfully with a unique plot and lovable characters. If you enjoy fantasy and haven't read it yet, I think it's definitely worth the read!


Have you read Library of Souls? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Annie
Indoor Sojourner
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Monthly Musical Musings #4: Jane Eyre!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know of my obsession with Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre. As soon as I read it, I obviously had to make a playlist about it with all of the songs that bring be back into that world. This playlist features a variety of different genres that range from quirky pop to brooding alternative ballads. This playlist is a bit different from my others in that I put the songs in order of the plot of the book, so the playlist basically tells an abbreviated version of the story. Click the picture below if you'd like to listen to it!

jane eyre book playlist indoor sojourner

  Tracklist

1. When I Grow Up · First Aid Kit
2. Die Alone · Ingrid Michaelson
3. I Found · Amber Run
4. Clarity (Acoustic) · Zedd
5. I'm Not Calling You a Liar · Florence + the Machine
6. Landfill · Daughter
7. Ungodly Hour · The Fray
8. The Chain (Live from Webster Hall) · Ingrid Michaelson
9. Misguided Ghosts · Paramore
10. Aprés Moi · Regina Spektor
11. Human · Daughter
12. Fix You · Coldplay
13. Set Fire To The Third Bar · Snow Patrol
14. Latch (Cover) · Kodaline

(Spoiler Free) Book Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer


Rating: 5/5 stars

Published: November 10th, 2015 by Feiwel and Friends

Synopsis: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?
 


Goodreads | Amazon

Other books in the series: Cinder (Book 1)Scarlet (Book 2)Cress (Book 3)


Honestly, I was reluctant to pick up the last installment of The Lunar Chronicles.

It wasn't because I was afraid it would be disappointing, or because the 827 page book was intimidating; I simply didn't want these fantastic fairytale retellings to come to an end. The Lunar Chronicles was one of my favorite series, and I'm a little sad that it's all over (for the most part). However, Winter was everything I wanted and more in a series conclusion.

Even though this book was massive, the pacing was perfect. Whenever the group solved a problem, it seemed like five more would come along and there was never a dull moment in between. Meyer also managed to properly balance the multiple points of view; in other books with lots of perspectives, I tend to favor at least one over the others, but I found myself enjoying the voices of Winter equally.

With that said, my favorite part of this book was its complex characters. Winter and Jacin brought even more perspective to the Lunar Chronicles world, and I especially loved reading from Winter's unreliable point of view. However, the award of Most Developed definitely goes to Cress and Thorne; While Cress began to gain a sense of courage and self worth, Thorne put his brash, overconfident persona to the side and showed a bit of vulnerability. Of course, I loved all of the pairings in this book, but I think these two couples really shone.

As a whole, the Lunar Chronicles series is a completely unique twist on four of the fairy tales many of us have grown to love, and Winter blends all of them together in a cohesive way. While the premise will bring you in, you'll get hooked by the wild plot and lovable characters.

Thanks for reading,

Annie
Indoor Sojourner
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