The Fantasy Book Post Part 2

Here is my first Fantasy Book Post. In it, I rambled for a while about fantasy and gave some book recommendations. In this post, I'll be giving some more recommendations. For each book recommendation, I have included a (very short) description of the book, a rating in five different categories (characters, plot, setting, writing and overall) and my opinion on which fantasy category it fits into (high, medium or low fantasy).

The Falling Kingdoms series (6 books, 3 books published) by Morgan Rhodes
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Falling Kingdoms, Rebel Spring, Gathering Darkness (and three unpublished books)
Short Description: This series has been said to be like a young adult version of Game of Thrones. I don't know whether or not that's true, since I haven't read Game of Thrones, but I can tell you that literally everyone except the four main characters dies. Unlike many other epic fantasy series, this one has a fast-paced plot, so it's fairly easy to get into.

The Inheritance Cycle (4 books) by Christopher Paolini
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance
Short Description: This series is really long, and the plot is pretty slow, so if that bothers you, do not read this book. This is a dragon book, which means that it's about dragons (obviously). It's kind of similar to the Lord of the Rings. You know, lots of walking around a kingdom and epic battles.

The Graceling series (3 books) by Kristin Cashore
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 7/10
Setting: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 7/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue
Short Description: This isn't really a series, it's just three novels that are in the same world. The books do connect to each other, however. I would suggest reading them in publishing order (Graceling, then Fire, then Bitterblue). You might find this series a little boring because the plot is pretty slow. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't suggest it to those who are new to fantasy.

The Elemental Trilogy (3 books, 2 books published) by Sherry Thomas
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 9/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: I have no idea
Books in Series: The Burning Sky, The Perilous Sea and a third unpublished book
Short Description:I have no idea what this series is, but I like it. It is basically made up of magic and questions. I don't really know how to explain it. It's unlike anything else I've read. Is it historical fantasy? Parallel universe fantasy? I have no idea. It has romance and a pretty fast plot.

The Grisha Trilogy (3 books) by Leigh Bardugo
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
My Overall Rating: 7/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising
Short Description: This series is very plot focused. It's pretty fast paced and easy to get into. Magic is a big part of this series. I would recommend it to those who haven't read much high fantasy. It's a pretty good introduction to the genre.

The Seraphina series (1 book published and a sequel coming soon) by Rachel Hartman
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Seraphina, Shadow Scale
Short Description: Dragons. That's all there is to say. Seraphina is great, but I would not recommend it for people who don't read a lot of fantasy. This book is interesting and engaging, but I would only recommend it to those who are big fans of high fantasy or dragons.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy (3 books) by Laini Taylor
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: Medium Fantasy
Books in Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, Dreams of Gods & Monsters
Short Description: Angels and demons and parallel universes. I really enjoyed this series. Some people say that it's confusing, but I don't agree. The plot is a little slow at times, but it's pretty easy to get into. This series is kind of a bridge between low and high fantasy. I would recommend it for fans of either genre.

Eon series (2 books) by Alison Goodman
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 10/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: High Fantasy
Books in Series: Eon, Eona
Short Description: A girl dresses as a boy and there are dragons. It was a little bit hard to get into the first few chapters, but after that I got hooked. Engaging plot and writing. I highly recommend it to fans of high fantasy.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 9/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: Medium Fantasy
Short Description: This book is about racing water horses. I enjoyed it, but not as much as The Raven Cycle (a series by the same author). I found the book interesting, but I can see how other people might find it a bit boring.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Setting: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
My Overall Rating: 8/10
Type of Fantasy: Medium Fantasy
Short Description: This is a fairy book. I haven't read many books with fairies in them, but I really enjoyed this one. It's a fun, quick read and I suggest it for anyone is likes urban fantasy.

Shadow and Bone, John Green and Other Updates

This post is basically just about what I've been reading and watching recently.

I read Four: A Divergent Collection. I thought I might find it difficult to get into because I read the rest of the series so long ago, but I actually really enjoyed it. Tobias is a great character and I am more than ever convinced he's an ISFJ.

I also finished the Shadow and Bone series. I liked it, thought it wasn't my absolute favourite. I was really absurdly happy about a random thing that happened in the last book. I'm planning on doing a "YA Epic Fantasy" post soon, once I read a few more series.

I have been reading the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I read Sabriel, which I enjoyed and I have also read Lirael, which I enjoyed even more (even though the end was a bit predictable). I am going to read Abhorsen soon.

I have also read a bunch more books by Agatha Christie. I don't know when I'm going to stop reading Agatha Christie, but it won't be soon.

I read Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead. The Vampire Academy/Bloodlines books aren't really the type of book I generally read, but my friend loves them so I read them. The fifth book (or eleventh, depending on whether or not you count Vampire Academy and Bloodlines as the same series) was okay. The ending (while exciting for Sydrian fans) was a bit annoying, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the re-education stuff, though.

I am currently reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. I finished An Abundance of Katherines the other day. I enjoyed Katherines, thought it's realistic fiction and that will never be my favourite. It had math in it, which was fun. Looking for Alaska is good too. I'm going to read Paper Towns next. I put all the John Green books on hold at the library and they all came at the same time.

I am very close to finishing the TV show Merlin. I have three more episodes left. I will post a lot of Merlin stuff once I finish.

Shadow and Bone and Pottermore

I am reading a trilogy called Shadow and Bone. It has magic and stuff and it's pretty good. I've read the first two books so far. While I do like them, I feel like they're too short (I have that problem with books a lot). Annoyingly, my favourite character is the villain. I hate it when that happens because then I can be sure they will die.

On a completely unrelated note, Pottermore has just been updated! (At least for Ravenclaws, I'm not sure if the other houses can see it yet). This new update finished The Goblet of Fire and has some of my favourite moments so far including The Maze, Merpeople and the Golden Thread.

My Own "Best Books of the Year" Awards Round 2

Epic Reads is doing their first annual book awards for young adult books published this year (Book Shimmy Awards Final Round). There are many different categories, and I liked the idea, so I have used it myself.I used some of the same categories as Epic Reads and I created some of my own.
This round is the second round of my awards. Here is a link to the first round:

My Own "Best Books of the Year" Awards Round 1

Best of Shelf:
The 5th Wave
Clockwork Princess
The Dream Thieves
Eliminated: Champion and Crown of Midnight

Leading Lady:
Cassie from The 5th Wave
Blue from The Dream Thieves
Celaena from Crown of Midnight
Eliminated: Tessa from Clockwork Princess and Elisa from Bitter Kingdom

Leading Laddie:
Ronan from The Dream Thieves
Will from Clockwork Princess
Day from Champion
Eliminated: Tobias from Allegiant and Magnus from Rebel Spring

Secondary Character Most in Need of His/Her Own Book:
Storm from Bitter Kingdom
Nehemia from Crown of Midnight
Charlotte from Clockwork Princess
Eliminated:  Captain Carswell from Scarlet and Nickolai from Siege and Storm

Most Badass Hero/Heroine:
Celaena from Crown of Midnight
June from Champion
Tris from Allegiant
Eliminated: Elisa from Bitter Kingdom and Cassie from The 5th Wave

Best Friendship:
Will and Jem from Clockwork Princess
Ronan, Gansey, Adam, Noah and Blue from The Dream Thieves
Ruby and Vida from Never Fade
Eliminated: Celaena and Nehemia from Crown of Midnight and  Cinder and Captain Carswell from Scarlet

Best Couple:
Percy and Annabeth from The House of Hades
Tessa and Will from Clockwork Princess
June and Day from Champion
Eliminated: Elisa and Hector from Bitter Kingdom and Liam and Ruby from Never Fade

Best Villain:
Queen Levana from Scarlet
Warner from Unravel Me
The Darkling from Siege and Storm
Eliminated: Clancy Grey from Never Fade and Mortmain from Clockwork Princess

Book to Look Forward Too:
Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Heir of Fire
The Infinite Sea
Eliminated: The Young Elites and City of Heavenly Fire

Most Emotionally Crippling Ending:
Clockwork Princess
Allegiant
The Fall of Five
Eliminated: Rebel Spring and Champion

The Feels Award:
Champion
Clockwork Princess
Allegiant
Eliminated: Rebel Spring and Crown of Midnight

The Hangover Award:
The Dream Thieves
The 5th Wave
Crown of Midnight
Eliminated: Scarlet and The Burning Sky

Best Book Fandom:
The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
The Hunger Games
Eliminated: Percy Jackson and The Mortal Instruments

My Own "Best Books of the Year" Awards: Round 1

Epic Reads is doing their first annual book awards for young adult books published this year (Book Shimmy Awards Final Round). There are many different categories, and I liked the idea, so I have used it myself.I used some of the same categories as Epic Reads and I created some of my own.
List of Books I've Read Published in 2013:

1. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
2. Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
3. Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
5. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
6. Champion by Marie Lu
7. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
8. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
9. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
10. The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
11. The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead
12. The Elite by Kiera Cass
13. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
14. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
15. Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
16. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas 
17. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy 
18. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Best of Shelf:
The 5th Wave
Clockwork Princess
Crown of Midnight
The Dream Thieves
Champion

Leading Lady:
Tessa from Clockwork Princess
Cassie from The 5th Wave
Celaena from Crown of Midnight
Blue from the Dream Thieves
Elisa from Bitter Kingdom

Leading Laddie:
Will from Clockwork Princess
Tobias from Allegiant
Day from Champion
Ronan from The Dream Thieves
Magnus from Rebel Spring

Secondary Character Most in Need of His/Her Own Book:
Charlotte from Clockwork Princess
Captain Carswell from Scarlet
Nickolai from Siege and Storm
Nehemia from Crown of Midnight
Storm from Bitter Kingdom

Most Badass Hero/Heroine:
Celaena from Crown of Midnight
Elisa from Bitter Kingdom
Tris from Allegiant
Cassie from The 5th Wave
June from Champion

Best Friendship:
Celaena and Nehemia from Crown of Midnight
Will and Jem from Clockwork Princess
Ronan, Gansey, Adam, Noah and Blue from The Dream Thieves
Ruby and Vida from Never Fade
Cinder and Captain Carswell from Scarlet

Best Couple:
Percy and Annabeth from The House of Hades
Tessa and Will from Clockwork Princess
Elisa and Hector from Bitter Kingdom
Liam and Ruby from Never Fade
June and Day from Champion

Best Villain:
Mortmain from Clockwork Princess
Queen Levana from Scarlet
Clancy Grey from Never Fade
The Darkling from Siege and Storm
Warner from Unravel Me

Book to Look Forward Too:
City of Heavenly Fire
Blue Lily, Lily Blue
The Young Elites
Heir of Fire
The Infinite Sea

Most Emotionally Crippling Ending:
Clockwork Princess
Allegiant
Champion
The Fall of Five
Rebel Spring

The Feels Award:
Rebel Spring
Clockwork Princess
Allegiant
Champion
Crown of Midnight

The Hangover Award:
Scarlet
The Dream Thieves
The Burning Sky
The 5th Wave
Crown of Midnight

Best Book Fandom:
The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Percy Jackson
The Hunger Games
The Mortal Instruments