Reviewing GoodReads Choice Awards Winners

 

Remember that time that I decided that my book challenge for 2017 was to read and review all finalists in a Goodreads category and see if I agreed with the line-up and winner?  If you forgot, you can catch up here!

I chose the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award Category of YA Sci-fi/Fantasy.  And I did it.
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Man oh man was that a bigger undertaking that I imagined.  In order to review the finalists, I had to read all prior books in series so that I knew what was going on.  49 BOOKS!! In one category. Whew!!  But I want to let you guys know how it turned out.

My original theory was that the popular books were those books with bigger budgets, which leads to bigger marketing campaigns.  Bigger marketing campaigns lead to more readers reading those books.  With more readers, some books were more likely to win a popularity contest whether or not it was actually a good/better read. 

Here are my thoughts in a nutshell:
1.  I'm never doing this again.
2.  YA fantasy/sci-fi has gotten even darker.
3.  YA books have TONS of great writers as authors.  So much has changed since the Twilight Saga.
4.  Some of these books are separated by the smallest of margins.
5.  I'm not telling my favorite.  YET.

I'm going to do a coundown putting the books in the order that I think they should be.  And I will finish with my favorite. Stay tuned!

The finished voting order by Goodreads readers is below (and my order is definitely not the same):

Mini-Reviews: The Twilight of Avalon, Requiem, and The Things We Cherished (DISAPPOINTMENTS)

Here are a few reads I've been reluctant to share.  Each have disappointed me one way or the other so I decided to just group them.




Source: e-book shelf

The Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
Series: Twilight of Avalon #1
Genre: Fantasy, Medieval, Historical Fiction
Pages:  448 (ebook)
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

In Twilight of Avalon, Anna Elliott returns to the roots of the legend of Trystan and Isolde to shape a very different story -- one based in the earliest written versions of the Arthurian tales -- a captivating epic brimming with historic authenticity, sweeping romance, and the powerful magic of legend. Source

Review:  While grieving the death of her husband, King Constatine, Queen Isolde must also watch her back as she is sure Constatine was murdered.  A power struggle as erupted as many want both Constantine's thrown and Queen Isolde as a wife.  In the mean time, a different betrayal is brewing and the Queen must work to unveil the truth to save the lives of many.

This read was just okay for me.  It was longer than I wanted and I didn't get all the way into it.  I love historical fiction but I've always struggled with this time period.  The back-stabbing and mystery was interesting.  I expected this to be similar to Game of Thrones (which I've only seen and not read) so maybe that's why this one didn't meet expectations.  Here the drama was depressing and not exciting.  I wasn't rushing to get to the end and a few parts dragged.  This is one where the end doesn't matter as much as the path to get there.  If you like fantasy, you might like this one.

Review: The First Phone Call From Heaven

Source: TLC Book Tours

 The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom
Genre: Christian Fiction, Inspiration, Adult Fiction
Pages: 323 (ARC)
Author's Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

The First Phone Call from Heaven tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief--and a page-turner that will touch your soul--Albom's masterful storytelling has never been so moving and unexpected.

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Review: A Shade of Vampire

Source: Review Copy from Author in exchange for an honest review

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forest
Series: A Shade of Vampire #1
Genre: Vampires, YA, Paranormal
Pages: 149 (ebook)
Author's Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains. Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night. Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

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Review: Birthmarked (Audiobook)

Source: eLibrary

Birthmarked by Caragh by M. O'Brien
Series: Birthmarked #1
Genre: Dystopia, YA, Young Adult
Length: 12 hours and 42 minutes
Narrator: Carla Mercer-Meyer
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future. In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish

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Review: Out of the Easy

Source: Purchased

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 346 (Hardback)
Author's Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

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Check-In with the In Death Series: Holiday and Conspiracy

Source: eLibrary


Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #7
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 308 (ebook)
Author's Website
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours. As the murders continue, Eve enters into an elite world of people searching for their one true love--and a killer searching for his next victim. A world where the power of love leads men and women into the ultimate act of betrayal...

My Rating:

On the story...A killer who targets participates of a dating service is an interesting thriller set during the Holiday season.  With lots of secrets, Eve has tons on her plate ,but this killer gets too personal.

Reaction...It took me too long to figure out the killer.  The ending is the most memorable part of this one and had me sitting on the edge of my seat.  I'm loving the evolving relationship between Peabody and Eve and the hints of McNab and Peabody.

Roarke Check-in...Roarke had his moments as always but this one didn't have any that were especially memorable.  Though, I did feel for Eve in trying to figure out a Christmas gift for a man who buys planets.  Eek!

Review: Under the Never Sky (Audiobook)

Source:  eLibrary

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Length: 9 hours and 39 minutes
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne Flagler
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

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Review: Wicked Appetite (Audiobook)

Wicked by Appetite by Janet Evanovich
Series:  Lizzy & Diesel #1
Genre:  Paranormal, Chick Lit
Length: 6 hours and 13 minutes
Narrator:  Lorelei King
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins.

With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.

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