Top Ten Tuesday #7: My Fall TBR list!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. You can find more TTT lists from book lovers and bloggers by clicking their blog name. 

This week's topic:

Top Ten Books On My Fall  TBR List

I haven't been doing TTT memes for a while now, but I saw this topic and I knew I had to do it! Thinking about the books I'm going to read next make me so excited! This list is a mixture of fall releases, fairly new releaeses, and older books.

(I don't have a picture for Homecoming because it's just a short story.)

#1 & 2 (plus some): Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5), Last Sacrifice (VA, #6) & Homecoming (VA #6.5) by Richelle Mead: I'm rereading this series with a friend who is reading them for her first time! I love this series and it's been a lot of fun reading and discussing them with someone else. I'm behind so I hope to catch up by next week! :)

3.) This Girl (Slammed, #3) by Colleen Hoover: My paperback arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and I was planning on sitting down right then and there and crack it open, but one thing after another has made me put it on hold. If not this month, I will read it right before...>>>

4.) Losing Hope (Hopeless, #2) by Colleen Hoover releases in paperback October 8th! Then I'll be able to read TWO CoHo books back to back! How glorious does that sound? Sounds pretty bad ace to me.

*Aaand just to emphasize my excitement for these books, these are my reaction pictures when my This Girl paperback and Hopeless/Losing Hope dooodle came in the mail!! Dooodle courtesy of Dooodles by Christina via Colleen Hoover!

5.) Greed (Seven Deadly, #2) by Fisher Amelie: This one I have been highly anticipating for months now because I love Fisher Amelie's Vain (Seven Deadly, #1). I was a part of the Greed cover reveal and will be participating in the blog tour and I am STOKED! It releases October 29th so keep an eye out.

6.) Tandem by Anna Jarzab: I received an eARC of this about a month ago but have had no time to read it! It releases the same day as Losing Hope so I will probably make this a priority to read after I finish VA.

7.) The Universe Versus Alex Wood by Gavin Extence: Another eARC I have. I got it a few months after it released though so I'm not on a crunch of time to get to it.

8.) A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons: Have heard great things, got it for free on Amazon, really excited to read!

9.) Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller: I think this is going to be a book I read for a guest review soon...I hope so at least! :)

10.) Dare You To by Katie McGarry: I say I will get to this book but never do...maybe this fall? Or this year? Or...some day? I need to some day at least! I loved Pushing the Limits!

As always, leave a link to your TTT list in the comments below so I can check it out and let me know if you've read any of these books. Hope you have a great week. Happy reading!

Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Official Synopsis 

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose... 

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. 

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

Pages: 327

Published by: Razorbill (April 10, 2008)

Genre: YA paranormal + romance

My rating for Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2):

I really enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time around. Loved the characters, the conflicts, the action, the romance. Rose develops more in this book, stronger mentally and physically. You can see her slowly mature and act more like a guardian would. I love the side characters and the portrayal of friendship and how they're just as important to the series as the main characters. I really liked being introduced to Adrian again. That was surely interesting. The action/fighting was wonderful. Everything that I look for in a good book was there, but just like last time, I'd give it a 4 star, and I realize now the main reason why.

I think it could have used more romance. 

Not for the sake of it simply making this book more romantic instead of the good balance of action, friendship, and love that it is, but for the sake of the romantic development that IS present throughout the series. Rose and Dimitri's relationship begins as a mentor and student relationship in Vampire Academy. As they train together, they're relationship of respect and formality takes a turn because Rose and Dimitri can understand each other on a deeper level. They each have that deep need to protect who they care for, to perform their duty and responsibilities. They connect to each other in a way that no one else has ever been able to connect to each other and that's how their love begins to take form.

But although I can feel this connection between them, there really aren't THAT many scenes that they share together. The ones they do share, they're phenomenal in serving their purpose. They show how Rose and Dimitri are able to understand each other, how they just get each other. I don't think there were enough though because at the end of Frostbite, when  they finally make their choice (whether they are going to ignore their feelings for each other) I almost felt like it was a bit unrealistic. I knew that enough time had past and they had spent enough time with each other to feel how they did for each other, but I wish I had been able to see more of it for myself. The first two books are pretty short anyway and since the romance isn't the main focus, I just felt like their wasn't quite enough there...

Like I said, I don't really even know how to describe it. I LOVE Rose and Dimitri to DEATH. I think they bring out the best in each other. I think what they have is beautiful, strong and vulnerable at the same time. They will forever be one of my favorite fictional ships. I just know that as I read this book for a second time, there was something missing there and I think the story really could have benefited from more of it.

Recommended to readers who like: strong female lead character, paranormal, vampires, magic, good mix of action and romance.

Sexual content: mild-medium (nothing major, but some sexual references here and there. You know, high school stuff.)

Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Official Synopsis: 

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger... 

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Pages: 332

Published by: Razorbill (August 16, 2007)

Genre: YA paranormal + romance

My rating for Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1):

I first read Vampire Academy around 2009 and had the urge to reread it! So since I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish it, I figured why not write a review too? :)

I enjoyed Vampire Academy just as much as I did four years ago if not more because this time around I was highly anticipating my favorite aspect of the series: Dimitri Belikov. Dimitri is the most badass, makes-your-heart-stutter love interests ever! I love him beyond comprehension and I loved him even more as I started the series again! I internally squealed every time I read Dimitri's name, which ended up not being that often because the first book doesn't contain much romance; that was a disappointment, but I KNOW what happens throughout the rest of the series and I cannot help but internally squeal at that!!

The main character though, Rose Hathaway, is probably the strongest leading woman I've ever read and I love her so much as well! She doesn't put up with crap and that often lands her into trouble, but she's so determined and fierce when there's something she wants that I cannot help but admire who she is. She has awesome comebacks and smart remarks and actually, the writing itself is witty. I'm not very witty or quick-on-my-feet so that's something I really admire about Richelle Mead's writing. Rose is observant, which grows even more throughout the series; she sees through people and society and that's refreshing to see a character see things for who they are and not just how she wants to think. Rose also has a soft side that comes out when she's with her bestie, Lissa, or Dimitri. As I said, LOVE her!

As I said, there wasn't much romance in this book, but it had a lot of other strong elements. There was vampire-lore, action, suspense, social and political issues within the vampire society, school drama with boys, girls, and cliques, friendship, and I've always admired the character development! Sometimes I don't care so much about the side characters in books, but the side characters in this series all hold a great purpose and I can feel that as I read. I'm not bored reading scenes where there are only side characters involved because they're entertaining. I love the dynamics of the vampire society and I recently found out that Richelle Mead did extensive research on Romanian folklore and mythology to create the vampires in her book! 

Some things that might bother readers? There are more than a few times when Rose flashes back to something that happened previously and some may find those parts boring. You may even miss the transition from present to past if you aren't reading carefully enough. But I found all those scenes pertinent to the story so they didn't bother me. I don't have much about this book (or series) to complain about! It has lots of strong qualities!

Recommended to readers who like: strong female lead character, paranormal, vampires, magic, good mix of action and romance.

Sexual content: medium (references and an "almost" situation, but next to no description).

~
**Did you know that Vampire Academy is being made into a movie? Filming started on May 28, 2013 and it's expected to release on February 14, 2014!

Learn more about Richelle Mead and her books (she writes adult and young adult fiction) HERE.