THE BEST OF 2013.

Where I get to recap my fruitful year and compile all the best ones I've read!

Hi Blurbies!!

I know. I've been missing in action for the past few weeks yet I have never felt so enthusiastic in a while. It was never my intention to take a break from reading, book hauling or blogging but I've been really lazy when it comes to these things. The usual blogging burn out welcomed me again at the beginning of the month and I gave in to it. I haven't read a single book even though I received a ton of review books because I don't want to test the waters that I know would eventually lead to complete breakdown. I felt so pressured and I no longer enjoy what I do so instead of "wasting" my time reading, I started going out with friends and focusing on doing things not related to books. I might do this annually. Like one whole month of break. It really feels so good and I know I would be the best that I can be after this break. I am so excited to go back and be involved in a lot of book blogging activities. Plus, I miss talking to you all through Twitter. I am still engrossed with my personal Facebook account but again, I will be back in a week or two!

To those of you who were concerned and were still visiting this page: THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH for your continual support!

I missed a lot of my personal blogging goals and scheduled posts because of the said blogging hiatus so here I am, I would try to be familiar once again in all this. These are the books I thought are the BEST ones I read this year and a little bit of recap. Let get on with it, shall we?

January

Hemlock (Hemlock #1) by Kathleen Peacock

"Kathleen Peacock made a mark with her debut novel, Hemlock. It is such a wonderful read that I seriously cannot put down. The novel is paranormal slash mystery slash romance rolled into one. It is incredibly written and honestly, there are no dull moments in it! It is beautiful from inside-out that one would wish for book two right away. I would definitely read it again. Over and over and over again."

I loved not only this book but Kathleen to bits. She's such an amazing person who is full of kindness and sweetness. I hope someday I would be able to meet her and give her the best panda hug she deserves!

February

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

"The Raven Boys is the novel everyone should read right now. It is enthralling, hair-raising and phenomenal paranormal plotted story perfectly crafted to entice every hearts brave enough to be swept away with it! A must read!"

I was so surprised that I loved The Raven Boys even after learning that the premise is too slow. I hate slow paced stories but Stiefvater did transform me from the first page! There are just a million things to love about this adventure and to take these 4 oozing Raven Boys for granted is simply a mistake you would want to avoid!

March

Fallen Too Far (Too Far #1) by Abbi Glines

"Fallen Too Far is a very sensual novel with such unexpected twists. Its fun to read and is written beautifully. It also full of surprises and a little bit of drama that kept it well balanced. There's no words right enough to use on how painful the ending was which would definitely push you to crave for more!"

Fallen Too Far is my first Glines novel and first New Adult read. I am telling you, it is absolutely HOT! I loved everything about it even the sexy parts! The story is compelling and come on, RUSH FINLAY? He's the bomb! He makes me melt and truly, he's the one I want to spend my bookish life with. He's not perfect but his imperfections are beautiful.

April

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes

"My review wouldn't make justice to how wonderful Falling Kingdoms is. It's full of mystery, action and blood. Its heart-shattering romance, knee-buckling loses and mind-blowing magical tyrannies would keep one holding on from page one till the very end! Asking for more wouldn't suffice how much I itch to read the sequel! At this point, I am damaged beyond repair!"

I've always loved High Fantasy plots and Falling Kingdoms did exceed my "requirements" when it comes to this genre. Politics, romance and action bundled into one fantastic story sure did amazing things to me. The world building is unique and rich and it deserves a lot of recognition!

May

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan

"Riordan never fails to amaze me. His writing is just right to the core and his adventures always leave me catching my breath. Mark of Athena surely gave me all the goosebumps and mini heart attacks. The world building is getting better and better and the characters positively progresses every chapter! This third book to his Heroes of Olympus series is definitely the best yet among the books and I couldn't wait to read House of Hades!"

Aside from Harry Potter series, Heroes of Olympus would be my next favorite Middle Grade read. Riordan just simply brings out his expertise with Roman/Greek mythologies in such an outstanding way! I loved everything he writes!

June

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

"Anna and the French Kiss unraveled my love for being in love! It exploded with so much romance that I wanted to cuddle and kiss and hold hands! It is the epitome of love despite differences and it is truly a wonderful read! The experience from reading it was priceless!"

This novel is one my favorite Contemporary reads for the year mainly because of the so many FEELS it gave me. This is definitely a contemporary story anyone would want to be their story. Ethienne is beyond dreamy! If it wasn't for the annoying experience I had with the author, this book would have topped my favorites.

Defiance (Defiance #1) by CJ Redwine

"Defiance is a stunning debut novel that captures one's full and undivided attention! It is magnificently laid out and gravely consuming! I let it give me emotions I never thought I would ever feel again and the adrenaline rush every page turn is terrifyingly addictive! I was at the edge of my seat the whole ride!"

Defiance series seriously rocked my world. It is truly THIS close to my heart, especially Deception. Rachel's journey and emotion took a huge part of me because I can relate to her so much. A beautiful series plus and awesome author equals unforgettable reading experience. It is almost like getting a tattoo. After reading it, the whole thing just branded my heart with so much awe.

July

Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

"Hopeless is the enigma of one's capacity to love after being shattered to pieces. It brings empowerment to those who have been destructed yet survived such horrific incident that leaves an unalterable scar. It breathes healing and it shows that even after a tornado that wrecked every bit of one's soul, there's still a very brilliant rainbow in one's heart. Magnificent novel, entertaining and moving. Most of all, the novel hits home."

The most amazing story ever!! Hopeless made me create a new rating system which was previously a crown but I eventually changed it to 8 stars. It deserves the highest rating and I felt like 5 stars wasn't enough. One of the best stories ever written.

August

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

"All Our Yesterdays is a highly recommended novel that would twist your innards and make your brain cells go haywire! It was such dark, dangerous, action-packed and fast-paced story that would keep you hyperventilating with every flip of the page! It totally loved the nerve-wracking combo of Time Travel and Sci-Fi! And the unrequited romance? HEART-SHATTERING! This, I think, is one of MY novels for the year!"

Seriously? All Our Yesterdays is my TOP favorite Time Travel novel. It blew my mind away! As in my brain just melted by how EXTRAORDINARY this is! Super fantastic, mind wrecking story!

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah Maas

"Crown of Midnight is such highly (repeat "highly" 1 million times) recommended book to everyone, whatever age-bracket you're at. This is a all-in-one series: bone-breaking action, mind-blowing quests, heart-breaking romance and magical surprise elements that will surely leave you AWED, I cannot express how much I love love love this novel and even though waiting for book 3 is almost the same as being a slave in the Salt Mines, I would willingly and patiently wait -- WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF DOUBT IT'D BE AWESOME AND WORTHWHILE."

ALL TIME FAVORITE SERIES. ENOUGH SAID. HUGS BOOK.

September

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

"Eleanor and Park is one novel I would surely not forget. It pinched my heart that the mark will be there forever. Engrossing, romantic and witty kind of a story, it is surreal, subtle and nostalgic. It hits the right spot! I will never find the right words to proclaim how much this novel embraced me but it is one you would come back to over and over again!"

The FEELS this book gave me! The ravings over Rowell's novel were all correct and goodness, I loved every single page of it! Rowell knows how to play with emotions and I absolutely recommended this to a lot of people. Luckily, they loved it too! Rowell's books are all must reads!

October

Deception (Defiance #2) by CJ Redwine

"Deception surely tops my Best Sequel of 2013 list. It is overflowing with raw emotions, full blast actions and powerful analytical concept. It is truly a mind-blowing sequel that no one would forget easily. It tore my bookish defense wall brick by brick and didn't leave me with sufficient strength to move on. IT IS MY KIND OF SEQUEL. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SEQUELS EVER WRITTEN."

Did I tell you I love this series? This one connected to me stronger than Defiance did because of Rachel. Truly loved this! And I will never forget my ever loving Logan. He's one of the best male characters ever!

November

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

"Splintered is definitely one of the awesomest novels I have read this year. There is no way and no one can stop me from raving about this ever! Such magnificent retelling of a story we all fell in love with turning it into a story I am in love with. No recommendations high enough will amount to the fantastic story I got sucked in to! Absolutely worth all the praises and it is a story not only exceptionally written but a story one will never ever forget. *standing ovation*"

THE BOOKAHOLIC BLURBS' BOOK OF THE YEAR!

So there you have it guys! These are the books that made so much impact on me this year! Thank you so much for sticking with me through thick and thin and I love you all so much for all the bookish goodness you share with me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

REVIEW: ARCLIGHT BY JOSIN MCQUEIN.

Title: Arclight
Author: Josin L. McQuein
Series: Arclight #1
Edition: Hardbound
Publication: April 23, 2013 by Greenwillow
Pages: 403
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Category: Romance, Dystopia

Synopsis:

No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

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I've only seen Arclight several times and only heard about it a few times. I wasn't really familiar with the book at all because embarrassingly as it is, I wasn't THAT interested about it. I don't honestly know what it is about. Though I admit the cover pretty much did the job of convincing me to get it. And at this point, I am awed by it. AWED TO THE CORE.

Arclight is a facility that has so much light. It is surrounded with Grey and then the Dark where deadly Fades live. These Fades are humans poisoned when they entered the Dark and according to the humans in Arclight, no one survives the Fade. But Marina did. She is rescued from the Grey but the people who helped her didn't come back. Everyone in Arclight loathes her for being an anomaly plus she can't remember anything from her past. When the Fades attacked Arclight, they captured one Fade, Rue. They are dumfounded that he looks like a regular boy who can speak and only talks gibberish to Marina. Curious enough, Marina tries to know more about her past, about Tobin's father and the Fade and she's gone back to the Dark with Rue. She finds the truth she never expected to have happened and what she truly is.

Arclight is so fascinating. Arclight itself was built after the world and civilization's destruction after a science experiement gone terribly wrong. The nanites that are supposed to me a medical breakthrough in curing illnesses only it got out of hand and turned into a weapon that created the Fade and killed 90% of the human race. What I simply couldn't understand are: how are these nanites can't be exposed to light and how can they disintegrate a human body to pass through walls and still be whole afterwards. If it weren't for Rue, I will always imagine them just like the Death Eaters in Harry Potter.

The plot of Arclight moved as slow as a snail but that didn't annoy me or stop me to finish the novel. This is the first time it happened to me because I hate slow-paced stories. I devoured Arclight page by page and moved along with it slower than usually because Arclight kept unravelling mysteries and secrets as I go through it. The romance isn't so bad at all. Even if I felt like there's a brimming love triangle in one corner, it is a love triangle like no other. The story did focus on much important aspects such as the war with the Fade and the Fade itself and brought touches of intriguing romance in between. Arclight is so good on its own am afraid a sequel would just ruin it!

Marina is a tough chick. Without her memories to answer her questions, she braved facing her new life in Arclight. No matter how badly people treat her because of being different, that didn't stop her to care. She cared about her friend's safety but most especially Tobin. I loved Tobin's courage and emotional control and Tobin's father is so ideal. It isn't hard to fall in love with these amazing characters.

Arclight is suprisingly good that one book satisfied my bookish needs. It is thrilling and magnifyingly amazing! Arclight is more than that beautiful cover and even though I wouldn't want it to be a series, I can't help but be excited for book 2! I want more Tobin!

"Someone's attention shouldn't have a physical weight, but it does. Hate's a heavy burden; hope is worse."

"I wasn’t home. Home wasn’t that bed and that pain. Home didn’t hurt. There were no strangers who hid their faces or their voices from me. Home held no secrets."