The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Series: No
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: July 1st 2014
Source: Edelweiss

Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.

The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.

I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.

All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.

To say that I was excited for The Vanishing Season is a massive understatement. After reading Tiger Lily at the end of last year I had extremely high expectations for Jodi's next book. The synopsis sounds fantastic and it has all of the elements to be such an amazing book, but it fell flat for me.

Maggie and her family move to the remote village Door County in Wisconsin. Girls are disappearing and turning up dead and no one knows who the killer is. The main thing that fell flat for me in this novel was the characters. I didn't connect to a single one of them and I never really got to know them.
Maggie is basically a 40 year old trapped in a teenagers body. She's so preoccupied with planning her future that she doesn't focus on doing anything fun, which made her kind of boring. Pauline is very child-like. She doesn't like making decisions and she only lives in the moment. It's true what they say about opposites attracting, because Maggie and Pauline instantly became friends the second they met.

The only part of the story that piqued my interest was the killer. I wanted to know why the killer decided to strike all of a sudden and what their motive was. The rest of the story fell flat. I wasn't really interested in the love aspect of the story - Maggie & Liam and Pauline and Liam - and the fact that the story was so slow didn't help either.

I can't really say much else about the story or anything that happened because I don't want to ruin anything. I actually felt like the ending was an anti-climax. Everything had been building up slightly towards the end and then it was just such a meh ending. I honestly didn't feel a thing at the end and I was extremely disappointed because I wanted to love this book so much.

But despite all of that, I found myself unable to put the book down. And the credit for that goes to Jodi Lynn Anderson's beautiful writing style. Yet again I found myself captivated and unable to stop reading the beautiful prose, even though I wasn't particularly enjoying the book.

Overall, The Vanishing Season was a huge disappointment for me. Despite the beautifully written prose, I just couldn't get into this book at all and I really didn't enjoy it. The Vanishing Season has probably been one of the biggest disappointments for me this year.

June Wrap Up/July TBR

Hello everyone! It's good to be back! First of all, I'd like to explain why I've been absent - in case any of you guys don't follow me on twitter. I had major problems with my internet in June and we were only getting like an hours worth of internet per day - sometimes not even that. So it got to the point that we just decided to cancel the contract we were on (since we weren't getting internet at all) and get a new internet provider. It was all set up yesterday and so far things are looking peachy (fingers crossed)! So hopefully this is me back for good.

Due to not having internet for almost a whole month, I managed to read a ton of books - which also means I have a ton more reviews to add to my already huge list of reviews to write... Oh well!

Books Read

It was so hard to pick my favourites this month, but I finally settled on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon & Ruin and Rising by Leight Bardugo. Both of these books were outstanding. Outlander was a fantastic beginning to a series, and Ruin and Rising was the perfect ending to an amazing trilogy.

July TBR

This month I'm doing Road Trippin' July with Brittany, Juhina and anyone else who wants to join in! We're basically just going to be reading a lot of road trip books because they're awesome! I also need to read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell since I'm meeting her later this month (!) and it's the only one of her books I haven't read. Brittany and I will also be trying to squeeze in Fire With Fire since we never got around to it last month. I also need to finish Where She Went and I really want to read Dragonfly in Amber. Also, I've got a few review books for this month that I need to read.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite book of June was and what you can't wait to read this month!

Showcase Sunday #73

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week.

Hello everyone! Apologies for the lack activity on the blog this week. It's been a manic week, mainly due to the fact that our internet has hardly been working - which has been super annoying. Hopefully we should be getting it fixed in the next couple of weeks, but I might not be as active as I hope to be because it's been extremely unreliable.

Bookwise, this week I actually got quite a few books! I haven't even spent that much money this week but I did buy 5 physical books and 1 kindle book (which cost me about £5 altogether!). I also got quite a few books from Netgalley this week - one which I'm SUPER excited for. I also got a physical book from bookbridgr, a library reserve that I'm really looking forward to and I won a book in a giveaway!

Bought

• physical

(All 5 only cost me £1!)

Elixir (Elixir #1) by Hilary Duff

The Demon's Lexicon (The Demon's Lexicon #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

Raging Star (Dust Lands #3) by Moira Young

The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison

Because It Is My Blood (Birthright #2) by Gabrielle Zevin

• kindle

Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Netgalley

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas

(I may have screamed when I saw I was approved for this!)

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by Stephanie Perkins - Sneak Peek

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Some Boys by Patty Blount

Review

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Library

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman

Won

Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern

What books did you get this week?

Showcase Sunday #72

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week.

Hello everyone! It's been yet another busy week for me again. The whole of May was an extremely busy month, but everything seems to be settling down now and I should have a lot more time to myself this month. I went to see X-Men: Days of Futures Past this week and I loved it! I'm a massive X-Men fan and it was just such a fantastic movie.

Bookwise, I bought one physical book and a couple of kindle books. I also borrowed a few books from my library, got quite a few review books from Edelweiss and Netgalley and I got a surprise in the mail from Brittany!

Bought

• physical

Graduation Day (The Testing #3) by Joelle Charbonneau

• kindle

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare

Take Me On (Pushing the Limits #4) by Katie McGarry

Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon

Library

Bleeding Hearts (Drake Chronicles #4) by Alyxandra Harvey

Blood Prophecy (Drake Chronicles #6) by Alyxandra Harvey

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Netgalley

Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis

Edelweiss

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

No Place to Fall by Jayne Robin Brown

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray

Deliverance (Defiance #3) by C. J. Redwine

Gifted

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1) by Wendy Higgins

What books did you get this week?

May Wrap Up/June TBR

May Wrap Up

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great month! I certainly did, and it was also an extremely busy month for me which meant I only managed to read 9 books and 1 novella.  I'm slightly disappointed with that since I read double that last month, but with everything I've had going on in May and the reading slump I've been in for about 2 weeks, I'm glad I actually managed to get some books read in May. Also, I apologise for being really absent on the blog over the past month but I've just not been feeling it. I'm planning to take it slow over June and hopefully my motivation to blog will come back.

I had two stand out favourites this month and they were obviously The One by Kiera Cass and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. Both were fantastic endings to two of my favourite series and I just loved them both so much.

June TBR

So, since I'm in a pretty big reading slump right now I'm not going to give myself a set TBR. I've got 8 books that I definitely need to read this month: 

- 4 buddy reads with Brittany

- 4 books for MHAM

I'm hoping I'll be able to read more than this though because I've got a few review books for this month that I really want to read and a few books on my TBR shelves that I've been wanting to read, but we'll see.

What was your favourite book of May and what are you most excited to read this month?

Showcase Sunday #71

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week.

Hello everyone! This week has been a pretty busy week again. I was working all week and haven't had much time to myself. I'm kind of in a reading slump again and I'm spending most of my time watching TV or playing the Sims 3 (the addiction is back!). I did go to see Godzilla with the boyfriend this week and it turned out to be a major disappointment.

Bookwise, I kind of went a bit book mad this week but who cares! I bought a few books from a local charity shop at the beginning of the week, ordered a few from amazon and picked up a couple from The Works. I also got a few books from Netgalley & Edelweiss.

Bought

• physical

The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) by Sara Shepard

Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3) by Sara Shepard

Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars #4) by Sara Shepard


Have a Little Faith (Faith #1) by Candy Harper

The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Kady Cross

Alice Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter

Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Fire with Fire (Burn for Burn #2) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

• kindle

Wallbanger (Cocktail #1) by Alice Clayton

The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game #2) by J. Sterling

Netgalley

Dollhouse (Dollhouse #1) by Anya Allyn

Extraction (Extraction #1) by Stephanie Diaz

Edelweiss

Made For You by Melissa Marr

What books did you get this week?

The One by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #3
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Source: Bought

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS.

Ever since I picked up The Selection on January 1st 2013 I've been completely in love with this series and I honestly can't believe that it's over now. When I finally got my copy of The One I honestly dropped everything else I was reading/doing and just started reading it. I'd been dying to get my hands on it for so long that I just couldn't wait any longer. As soon as I started I was pulled back into Illea and the whole Selection world, and it definitely kicked off with a bang.

America's journey through the Selection process is one that I've loved seeing. She's grown from a naive young woman into someone who deserves to wear the crown. She still has her moments where she can be naive, indecisive and slightly annoying, but I love that she isn't perfect and it's the main thing that makes me love her character. I also love her determined and passionate she is about helping the lower castes and making everyone equal. She really starts to enforce this in The One and I couldn't wait to see whether she was going to be able to do it or not. America also discovered a lot more about her father after his death (which was heartbreaking), and she starts to piece everything together when she finds out he was one of the Northern rebels. She begins to understand her father a lot more and I feel like it brought her closer to him even though he was gone.

Prince Maxon has always been my favourite of the two guys in America's life. Maxon is such a sweetheart, but he's not perfect either. Maxon has whittled the girls down to the last few and is still finding it hard to choose because he has no idea how America feels about him. So, of course, that obviously gives him reason enough to go around kissing every single other girl left. Not OK, Maxon. Even though he may have feelings for the other girls, he doesn't care about them as much as he cares about America so he was kind of using them and I did want to kick him for that. But Maxon is such a sweet, caring, thoughtful and intelligent character and I loved seeing his character grow in this book. He's learned so much since the Selection started and it's changed him into a better person with a much greater knowledge of his country.

Although Aspen has bugged the hell out of me during the previous two books and I've wanted him to disappear to some far off land and never return, I actually started to like Aspen in The One. Maybe it was because I sensed very close to the beginning of the book that things were definitely over between him and America (even though it took forever for it to be clarified) and I could finally allow myself to like him because he wasn't ruining my ship. Aspen is such a caring and protective character. He continues to look out for America even when it's clear that she loves Maxon instead of him and I just think that shows a lot about his character. 

I'm not going to lie, the will-they-won't-they relationship between Maxon and America was the main thing that kept me reading this series. I'm a complete sucker for a great romance story and Kiera Cass definitely had a winner with those two. Obviously their relationship wasn't going to be straight-forward because both of them still had a lot to work out and a bit more growing up to do. They both needed to reach that point in their lives where they weren't scared anymore and could finally admit their feelings about each other and feel comfortable about it. Their journey through The One had me laughing, crying and almost tearing my hair out in frustration because I just needed them to be together so badly and I didn't know what I'd do if they didn't. But thankfully Kiera Cass wasn't cruel and Maxon and America finally figured all of their shit out and admitted that they loved each other and I just squealed and hugged my book.

Not only did I finally find out who America ended up with, I finally got to find out what the rebels were after and why! So it turns out that there is a major difference between what the Southern and the Northern rebels want. The Southern rebels want to kill everyone in power and rule Illea themselves and make everything 10 times worse than it already is. Whereas the Southern rebels want to break down the caste system and back Prince Maxon (because they know he's a decent guy). The Northern rebels have never killed to get into the palace, but the Southern rebels have. I loved finally getting an insight in to the rebels and what they were doing and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. They added a hell of a lot to the story and the plot and I couldn't wait to see whether they would get what they always wanted.

The other thing that I really loved about this book was the other girls in the Selection. Celeste, Kriss & Elise have been a big part of this series because they've been there from the beginning. I've gotten to know these girls but I didn't really know them until this book. I made a split second judgement of Celeste in the previous books because of how she acted, but there's so much more to her character. I adored getting to hear her background and get to know more about her and I loved that she and America became really close friends. I thought that Kriss was genuinely America's only competition in the Selection and I was tearing my hair out thinking that Maxon would pick her. She does really care for Maxon, but she also has other motives. Elise really only wanted to marry Maxon to honour her family, but she's such a lovely person. All three of them were amazing in the end.

The ending was a major shock ending. Honestly, I didn't realise what was happening until America did and then when I did I was gripping my book so hard trying to take in everything that was happening. When Celeste was shot I actually had tears in my eyes. Even though she hadn't been on my good side for very long, she'd managed to work her way up to one of my favourite characters very quickly and I was devastated that she was gone. And when Aspen was dragging America away from Maxon my heart felt like it was breaking because I just wanted him to be OK but I didn't know if he would be. Finding out that Queen Amberly had been killed was the biggest hit for me. I couldn't believe that such an amazing character had sacrificed herself to save her husband (who ended up dead anyways), but it just goes to show how much she cared for Maxon's father even though he could be a horrible person. I just wish she had been able to see Maxon and America finally get together.

Maxon and America's wedding was such a sweet and bittersweet moment. I'd been waiting for this moment since they first met in The Selection and I had a stupid grin on my face and tears in my eyes. But it was bittersweet because two of the characters I'd grown to love never got to witness it: Celeste and Queen Amberly. Both of these characters should have been there to witness that moment and it slightly broke my heart that they weren't.

The Selection trilogy is now one of my all-time favourite trilogies. I was dreading the moment where I would have to say goodbye to these characters, but it was such a satisfying ending and definitely the way I wanted things to go (minus the deaths though). The One is undeniably my favourite of the trilogy and I just want to say a massive thank you to Kiera Cass for writing such an incredible trilogy full of amazing characters that I've loved following right from the beginning. I'll always treasure this series and I know it's one I'll revisit over and over again.