2012 Wrap-Up

It's hard to believe that 2012 has come to an end!  What an amazing year this has been for me and for Silver Wings Reviews.  I started this blog in April, simply as a place for me to put my thoughts into words, and to have an outlet to connect with others that love reading as much as I do.  I  never really expected to fall in love with blogging the way I have.  I have made many new friends, and I've had so much fun this year.  Not to mention, I've read some amazing books!!  Here are a few of the highlights of my amazing year:

First of all, I'm amazed to say that in only a few short months SWR went from being a brand new baby blog to a blog with a following of over 500!  I find that astounding, and I want to thank each and every one of you!  Knowing that there are people out there that actually care what I think...that's quite humbling.

If there is one thing I've discovered this year, it's that Indie authors totally rock!  I've had the opportunity to connect with several Indies that I find utterly amazing!  If you haven't already, you should be sure to put these at the top of your reading list for 2013.  And yes, I realize some of these are now traditionally published, but when I read them they were still considered Indie. 

Colleen Hoover has managed to wiggle her way into my heart, and her books have touched me like no others.  I had the opportunity to meet Colleen at the Decatur Book Festival in August, and this was absolutely the highlight of my blogging year!  I got signed copies of Slammed (my review) and Point of Retreat (my review), and I even got a hug.  Colleen is not only an amazing writer, but a crazy sweet person.  Her newest release, Hopeless, is still with me a week after finishing it.  I haven't written the review for it yet because I simply cannot find the words.  It was THAT good.   

I also got to meet Abbi Glines at the Festival and got signed copies of Breathe, Because of Low and While it Last.  I hadn't actually read the books yet at the time, and I kick myself now.  I wish I'd known what an amazing author she was while I was standing there chit chatting with Colleen!  While I haven't gotten the reviews on the blog yet, I can tell you that this series is wonderful...along with the newest, Just For Now!!  And I won't even get started on her sexy Vincent Boys Series...holy moly.  Read them all!!  You won't be sorry! 

While we haven't met in person, Claudia Carozza and I have become great friends.  Her books, The Twenty (my review) and The Forgotten (my review), should definitely be added to the top of your to-be-read pile, especially if you're a fan of dystopian!  This girl can write!

Other great Indies that I've read this year:  Jessica Park, Jamie McGuire, Robert J. Crane, Nyrae Dawn, Tammara Webber, Tracey Garvis Graves, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Katja Millay, Jessica Sorensen...the list goes on and on!   

I read 109 books this year!  There is no way I could ever choose a Top 10, but I have to give you a list of the books that I absolutely adored.  Some of them may not have reviews on the blog yet, but I promise, if they are on this list, the gushing review is coming soon!  In no particular order,

My Faves of 2012:

Medusa Girls Series (Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows) by Tera Lynn Childs
The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Barronlands Trilogy (The Twenty and The Forgotten) by Claudia Carozza
Easy by Tammara Webber
The Girl in the Box Series (Alone, Untouched, Soulless and Family) by Robert J. Crane
Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck
Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
What a Boy Wants and What a Boy Needs by Nyrae Dawn
Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines
Sea Breeze Series (Breathe, Because of Low, While it Lasts, and Just for Now) by Abbi Glines
Lux Series (Obsidian, Shadows, Onyx and Opal) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Ok, that's it for my year!  I can't wait to see what wonderful reads 2013 brings us!

 

Happy New Year!!

REVIEW: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

I feel as if I should begin this review by explaining that I was (and still am!) a major fan of the Vampire Academy series.  But, when it came to the love triangle between Rose, Dimitri and Adrian there was no contest.  I was a Dimitri fan all the way!  I liked Adrian, but the relationship between him and Rose was just irritating.  Adrian could never stand up against Dimitri and win, not in my eyes.  So, when I found out that Richelle Mead was doing a spin off series, while excited to still get to continue with this world she's created, I was quite wary.  And then I found out Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian were going to be at the center of this series.  Now I'm even more wary!  Sydney?  Really?  Of all of the characters in the Vampire Academy books she was one of the most forgettable and unlikeable.  When Bloodlines (Book #1) was released I didn't run out and grab my copy.  It wasn't until a friend that loved Vampire Academy as much as I did told me "You have to read it!" that I finally broke down and bought the audiobook.  While I still found Sydney pretty unlikeable and Jill's constant whining drove me crazy...there was Adrian.  Oh so heartbroken, Adrian.  I really loved Bloodlines!  And thus began my addiction to another Richelle Mead series.

So, what did I think of The Golden Lily?  It was AMAZING!!  There are just so many things right about this book!  First of all let me say that Sydney totally redeemed herself in my eyes.  Yes, she's still an alchemist with all of the alchemists' negative feelings towards all things "unnatural".  But she is slowly but surely changing her way of thinking.  She's realizing that there are humans that are just plain evil, that some Moroi and Dhampirs make great and loyal friends, that magic can be used for good and that maybe the Alchemists are (gasp!) wrong!  Jill does a lot of growing up in The Golden Lily.  She's come to realize that the entire reason they are in hiding is to protect her and that as the last remaining relative to the Queen it's her duty to stay safe so that the crown is secure, even if that means putting her personal life in the background.  She resigns herself to this fact even though it's not always what she wants.  I've always been a fan of Eddie, even back in the Vampire Academy books.  He's a loyal friends, an amazing fighter and he'd risk his life to keep the people around him safe.  I love how the relationship between him and Sydney has developed into a true brother/sister bond.  He confides in her when he wouldn't to anyone else.  They've come to like and respect each other, and I think that's a big reason for Sydney's attitude changes.  And then we have Adrian.  The changes in him from the beginning of Bloodlines to the end of The Golden Lily are so profound, it's absolutely amazing.  I liked him in the Vampire Academy books, I grew to love him in Bloodlines, but in the Golden Lily I began to respect him.  He is an amazing character and I am so excited to see where he goes in the future.  This book is without a doubt my favorite from BOTH the Vampire Academy and the Bloodlines series.  I cannot gush enough about just how much I loved it! 

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Emily Shaffer, did a great job!  I'm a huge audiobook fan and I love it when I find an amazing narrator to add to my favorites list. 

5 Stars * * * * *