Top Ten Tuesday: Expectations, Expectations

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the girls over at The Broke and The Bookish. This meme feature features a different theme every week, showcasing book-related lists. And hey, who doesn't love a good list?

This week's top ten:

Books I Thought I'd Like More and Less Than I Did

You can't help but have expectations for certain books, whether you thought it was going to be the most amazing thing ever or you thought it would suck like crap. I decided to split the list this week and do half of each category because why not?

First up are the disappointments. All of these books have a massive following and maybe it is because of the massive following and the hype that made me expect so much awesomeness. Then it falls flat. It happens. Warning: Rants Ahead



Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
-This was my first angel-type novel and I was so disappointed. Almost all of the characters annoyed me and I just didn't care about any of them. I didn't care if they died or lived, if she filled her purpose or not, Christian or Tucker. It was too slow for my tastes. I wanted more action and a quicker pace. I admit, I got swept up with the hype of the third book's release and I almost started the trilogy again. I didn't but NOBODY TELL ME WHO SHE PICKS BECAUSE THERE IS STILL A POSSIBILITY THAT I WILL.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
-Yeah, this one I don't understand the hype at all. I couldn't stand Aria. Perry was a little bit better, but his smell-thing creeped me out so much. I couldn't get over the fact that he can smell her period. Cannot. Get Over. It. The romance was ok and the world-building was simply confusing.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
-Me and sci-fi doesn't really have a good relationship. It is a hit and miss, most of the time, a miss. I thought this one would be one of the few that would hit the mark since everyone was recommending it to me. Yeah... No. The setting just didn't click for me. I couldn't imagine the spaceship in my head properly. The writing didn't flow well, the mystery wasn't a very good mystery and the insta-love was even worse than usual.



The Archived by Victoria Schwab
-I belong to the 00.01% of the book blogging population who didn't think this book was amazing. The premise is definitely original and Schwab can write like no one else. But with the amount of praise it was getting, I was expecting fully-developed characters and a more believable romance.

Iron King by Julie Kagawa
-Once again I'm in the minority for Iron King, and the whole series. I hated Meghan. I hated the romance with Ash. I hated the the writing. I'm sorry for hating this so much. The only thing I didn't hate was Puck. I gave it a second chance though! I read the second one, thinking it would get better. It didn't. Especially with how it ended with Puck. Just, no. I was angry and I don't think I should read the rest of the series anymore.

So, enough bitching about the books I thought I would like more than I did. It's time for the books that surprised the crap out of me.. Warning: Gushing Ahead


Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz
-Like I mentioned in my review, I had read Gone, Gone, Gone by Moskowitz but I thought it was just an ok book. I decided to give her another shot since everyone insists her writing is just amazeballs and the cover looked really cute. They were 100% right. She's amazing. this book is amazing. Rudy is amazing. Teeth is amazing. Her writing is fucking amazing.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
-I thought Twilight completely ruined 'vampires in high school' for me. Turned out Twilight only completely ruined Twilight for me. I don't need to tell you all how unique Vampire Academy is. There are some holes in the lore but it's refreshingly different and Rose's character is interesting and dominant enough to balance out the imperfections in the novel. She can be annoyingly stubborn and so damn rude but at least she actually does something when trouble is there instead of just standing off to the side and bitting her lip while the men take care of everything.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Oh. My. God. Everything about this book just took me by surprise- the topic, the characters, the writing, the crying. I am so glad I read this. I am sorry I can't remember who insisted I read this but I will forever be grateful for it.



Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
-I love Peter Pan so I knew I was at least going to enjoy the book but I was so unprepared for the feels I was forced to endure when I read Tiger Lily. The book should come with a warning label: "Read at your own risk. Tiger Lily will make you cry for twenty minutes after the last page has been turned. Plus, you'll end up questioning all previous views about the classic Peter Pan. Truly dangerous." It's an extremely long warning but fitting. Actually, I think the warning should just replace the cover entirely. Yeah. We don't need any more hearts broken.

Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
-I'm sure you understand why I thought I was going to like Immortal Rules a lot less than I did. If I hated her Iron Fey series so much, why did I even bother with this one, you ask? Well, Meghan isn't in it, there are vampires and the vampires are living in a post-apocalyptic world. While the rest of the world was riding on the dystopia high, Kagawa took it a step further and mixed it with paranormal. Just great. Allie is a badass bloodsucker.


That's all for me, folks. What books took you by surprise, both in the good or bad way? Sound off in the comments or leave a link to your own Top Ten post and lemme know!

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Review -- Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Teeth
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publisher: 01 January 2013
Date Read: January 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

Be careful what you believe in.

Rudy’s life is flipped upside-down when his family moves to a remote island in a last attempt to save his sick younger brother. With nothing to do but worry, Rudy sinks deeper and deeper into loneliness and lies awake at night listening to the screams of the ocean beneath his family’s rickety house.

Then he meets Diana, who makes him wonder what he even knows about love, and Teeth, who makes him question what he knows about anything. Rudy can’t remember the last time he felt so connected to someone, but being friends with Teeth is more than a little bit complicated. He soon learns that Teeth has terrible secrets. Violent secrets. Secrets that will force Rudy to choose between his own happiness and his brother’s life.

I didn't really know what to expect from Teeth. Not a clue. I was just going by the cover because look how pretty that looks. And I had heard everyone shout such high praises for Moskowitz but after reading Gone, Gone, Gone, I thought she was just... ok. She's good, yes, but certainly nothing to be so damn excited about.

Never have I been more wrong. And never have I been more happy to be wrong. After reading Teeth, I literally smacked my head on the forehead and went, "Ohhhhh..." It's like the veil was lifted and gone is the false truth I believed in. I finally understand.

What I learned very early on (pg 4) in the novel is that Moskowitz writes so damn beautifully.

We are a groan away from a watery death and, we'll all drown without even waking up, because we're so used to sleeping through unrelenting noise.

It's the kind of beautiful that doesn't even realize it's beautiful because it's too busy not realizing how beautiful it is. It's also very dark and gritty with dry humour that made me cringe because that really wasn't an okay thing to make fun of but dammit I'm chuckling anyway. The writing is raw, simple and had the power to knock the breath out of my lungs and rip my heart out. But it's ok. I mean, it's not like I needed a heart to function. Go ahead andkeep it, Moskowitz.

He would know that without him, nine of us will be as good. Me, without a friend; and the fish, without a brother; and the island, without a story; and Diana, without her something real, we will all be a little but less than we were before we knew him.

Rudy's family hears of legends about magical fish who can cure any sort of illness. Dylan, Rudy's little brother, suffers from cystic fibrosis and they're desperate to try anything. Desperate enough to move to the little lonely island and leave their life behind for a legend. Rudy is an instantly likeable character. He's sixteen and his voice felt so real. His mannerisms, his speech, his thoughts were ones I could so easily relate to. Rudy is a lonely teenager and he always has been, even in the presence of his old friends. He meets Diana, the only other in the island close to his age. He thinks that Diana will fill the void the lack of human contact created. He thinks he will be happier with her around. He thinks they will develop a romance, at the very least a close friendship, because they're of the same age and who knows when they'll get off the island. But it's not with Diana that he finds these things. It's with Teeth, a fish/human/merman/fishboy. Some might not be content with the explanation Moskowitz provides regarding Teeth's origins but like she said in the book, sometimes it's not about the transformation. It's just happened and you just have to accept that because, that's not what the story is about. The story is about the loneliness, friendship, family, sacrifice and above all, love.

Kudos to Moskowitz for crafting such realistically developed and interesting band of characters. Rudy, I just can't get enough of. His love for his brother, Dylan and his even greater love for his whatever, Teeth. That was the most heartbreaking of all, the relationship between Rudy and Teeth. I wasn't really sure what to make of Teeth at the beginning. He did flirt with Rudy during their first encounter and in my experience, flirty creatures of the fish variety are something to be very wary of. But, like Rudy, I can't believe I used to doubt, even be scared of Teeth. He is one of the sweetest, most loveable, most fucked up character I've ever had the pleasure of reading. His past and predicaments are slowly revealed throughout the novel but it's long before that when I've completely fallen in love for him. I don't know how many times I cried for and because of these characters. Is it too much to ask for these people to exist in reality as my friends?

The romance is so different. Rudy didn't really like Diana. She was just there and so was he. It doesn't sound like a particularly nice incentive to be with someone, because they were there, and it's not at all. They craved human touch and for someone to want to be with them for a change instead of some responsibility they felt they needed to fulfil. They were just so lonely.

There's just so much in this tiny little book with its 246 pages that whatever I say couldn't possibly be enough. Nowhere near enough. You just have to read it for yourself. Please, you need this in your life. Just... read it, okay? Because that fucking fishboy.

Oh, who am I kidding? I would go through all that pain again. I'm a sick masochist that way.

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Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is hosted by Paranjunkee & Alison Can Read every Friday. Complete Rules and Instructions are here: Feature and Follow

This week's question:
 What is the last book that kept you up late into the night just to finish it?

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz. I was too sucked in the story and I was crying and there was just too much awesomeness for my brain to calm down and sleep. I'll be posting my review so you can read more of my thoughts for this book then.

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Library Loot (6)

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they have checked out from the library.

This week, I've got:

• Just One Day by Gayle Forman
• Frostbite by Richelle Mead
• Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
• Saving June by Hannah Harrington
• Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

I don't have as much this week but that's ok since I've still got a bunch from last week. The sad thing is that most of last week's books will end up being pushed back by the ones I got this week. Ive been quite slow in my reading lately. I haven't read as much as I want to and sooner than later, I'll have even less time to do so. Sigh. Reality always get in the way of everything.

Here are they are, along with last week's stuff I haven't yet read.

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