Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Frozen Reads: 5 Books to Curl Up With on a Cold Winter Day

FROZEN READS: Here are five books you should read.  Get under that warm blanket, curl up by the fire, and drink some hot cocoa while reading one of my favorite books.

1.  CITY of BONES by Cassandra Clare

Recently made into a movie (I will be reviewing the movie later this month), the book is awesome.  Fifteen-year-old Clary has a normal life until she sees a boy murdered in a local nightclub.  But things are not as they seem.  No one else can see the killers.  Is she losing her mind?

No, they are Shadowhunters, a young breed of warriors who fight demons while hidden from mortal eyes by ruins and spells.  The one who interests Clary the most, sarcastic but gorgeous Jace, won't leave her alone.  After her mother disappears and a demon attacks Clary, he takes her to the institute where he and his friends live.  Together they will have to figure out why Clary can see them when no one else can.

Amazon Link


2.  NEED by Carrie Jones

This one caught me off guard, and has quickly become a favorite.  It starts off a bit predictable with a young girl moving to Maine to live with her grandmother.  Then it gets interesting.  Someone or some thing is watching her from the woods, whispering her name.  Boys are going missing in town.  Her new friends are hiding secrets, including the boy she likes.

Zara learns there are things called Pixies living among them and the Pixie king wants her.  She isn't sure why. Does he want to kill her with a Pixie kiss?  And if he does, can her new boyfriend save her from it?  Or is he part of the problem?

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3.  THE DEMON'S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan

This is one of those books I can read again and again and never get sick of it.  This book is about two brothers, Alan and Nick, and their strange lives.  You see, in their world magicians are evil and work closely with demons.  These things are after the brothers because their mother stole something valuable from one of their nastiest magicians, and he wants it back.

Nick is gorgeous, rude, and sarcastic, but girls still love him.  Too bad he can't return the emotion.  Something is wrong with him, and he has trouble caring about anyone.  He just can't seem to form relationships as easily as his brother.  On the other hand, he is a much better fighter.  Any demon that tangles with him is going to be sorry.

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4.  TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer

Say what you want about it, but this book has made a lot of non-readers into obsessive readers and I like that.  This book also brought me back to reading YA.  I love the paranormal twist a lot of these books have to them.  Before I read Twilight I couldn't fathom how you could have a love story involving a vampire.  To me it was ridiculous.  Vampires drink blood.  They want to kill you.  Gross.  But this book changed my outlook on paranormal creatures.  It also inspired me to finish my vampire book, making Jack into a good guy rather than an evil guy.  Vampires Rule turned into a vampire turned hero story instead of the horror, King type book that it was originally going to be.

I don't think I need to tell you what Twilight is about.  Even people who haven't read it know all about the Team Edward, Team Jacob thing.  They've heard of Bella and how she falls in love with a vampire.  If you haven't read it, I suggest you do.

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5.  SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

I love wolves, more than vampires or any other creature in paranormal literature.  This is a book I wish I'd written.  Amazing and original, I love the story of a girl watching a wolf in the woods behind her house and wanting to protect it.  Then she meets a boy and discovers he is cursed to spend the winter months as a wolf.  They only have the summer to be together.

If you haven't tried this book yet, go for it.

Amazon Link