Tuesday Talks: Favorite Books or Series for 2015 (January 05, 2016)

January 7, 2016June 4, 2019 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hey guys!

I’m really sorry about disappearing for pretty much an entire year. It sucked for me probably as much as it did for you, especially since I love coming on here and writing about my thoughts on books and literature. Even though there were many books that I did end up reading, I didn’t have a chance to write about it as thoroughly as I wanted to. The same thing ended up happening with Tuesdays Talks. I’m going to try to bring it back into my schedule this year, even though I am a couple days late this week. It’s the first Tuesday Talk segment of the year, so at least I don’t have that much catching up to do. Same as before, please feel free to leave me any comments you have, as I would love to have a discussion with you all.

Favorite books or series of 2015.

I read almost 40 books in the span of last year, and pretty much all of them were series. I may not have finished all of them last year, but there was one that really stood out in my mind. That series was The Selection by Kiera Cass. When I first read the description of the first book, The Selection, I felt like it was a cross between The Hunger Games and Cinderella, or something else that dealt with royalty and princesses. This series takes place in our future, long after The United States of America has fallen from the face of the Earth. Funny enough, the main protagonist of the series is named America, and by the time you read through her stories, you find out exactly why her parents named her after this country.

This series was also a little weird for me because it felt like it could have ended with three books instead of the future five books in total. In actuality, Cass herself even mentioned that it was supposed to be three books but ended up writing two more. The last two books, however, don’t have America as the main character. This could have potential to cause some confusion, but not for long. It all becomes a matter of which protagonist you like better.

All in all, this was my favorite series of last year and I honestly can’t wait to read the final book, which comes out later on this year. I know that there were many more series to look out for and if I had more time to read last year, I would have read them all. I will say that an honorable mention for favorite series of 2015 would have to be Vampire Academy, but since I only read two books in that series last year, I won’t consider it my favorite. Don’t get me wrong though, Rose Hathaway will always be my number one girl, but this year it was all about America Singer.

Dropped the Ball….

January 6, 2016June 4, 2019 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Wow guys. I’m actually really ashamed of the fact that I stopped posting on this blog almost a whole year ago. And I was doing such a good job too. Granted, a lot of life events happened that took me away from really sitting down at the computer and writing down my thoughts on each book I read last year. I also had to stop GoodReads too, and that was very depressing.

Suffice it to say, even though I did not keep up with this blog, that doesn’t mean I stopped reading completely last year. I actually surpassed my initial goal of reading only 10 books and read a whopping 39 books by the time December 31 came around. So throughout this year, when I get the chance, I will be writing my reviews on the books I read last year, and the books that I will read this year.

For those who want to know what I read last year, and what to see my immediate thoughts on what I thought of each book, go ahead and follow my Instagram handle: @miyukinightshade and track my personal tag #LeelynnReads2015 . In keeping things consistent, this year’s tag is #LeelynnReads2016 so check that out too 🙂

Thanks guys and again I am really sorry for this blog dying.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – Book Review

March 10, 2015March 10, 2015 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 1 Comment

“No. If I let myself love you, I won’t throw myself in front of her. I’ll throw myself in front of you.” -Dimitri Belikov

What would you do if your best friend had the power to heal you from the brink of death? Would you tell the proper authorities, or run away from the most heavily guarded place you know and risk the anonymity of the outside world to protect her from being exploited by those who may try to take advantage of her? This is exactly what Rose Hathaway had to decide on when she received disturbing news from a teacher at St. Vladimir’s Academy (fondly known as Vampire Academy by its students). So what did she do? The only logical thing she could do:

Break out.

This story takes place after they have been living in the real world for some time, and how they are found and whisked back to the Academy, where they find that their troubles are only just beginning, and not just in the form of petty high school drama. It is one event after another, things that make both Rose and her best friend Lissa cringe in disgust and realize that maybe they were safer outside the Academy’s iron gate. But will they be able to figure out who is after Lissa, and why, before it’s too late?

This has got to be one of the best vampire book series I have ever read. Not only does Mead completely give us a whole new look on vampires and what we know about them, but she brings a completely new species to the mix in the form of Dhampirs. The main character Rose is one such Dhamphir, and she is training to become Lissa’s guardian come graduation. But since she missed out on so much while they were away, the only way for her to catch up and graduate on time would be to have extra training sessions with the Russian God Dimitri Belikov. Now there’s a story all on its own that is enough to make you want to read the book, and it doesn’t take away from the main issue: Lissa is being hunted and it is up to Rose to protect her.

This is Book One of the Vampire Academy series, and I know that there are only going to be more dangers headed their way. I can’t wait to read them all.

Rated: 5/5 Stars