Angela's Favorite Covers of 2015

The phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" is one of the best... but it can be so much fun! So, I went through my 2015 reading list and chose my favorite covers. Most of these were published this year, but there are a few that are from other years. I only based this list off what I read during the year not off what year they were published. This is the first year I've done this, but I liked it so much that I'll probably make it a tradition. Also keep an eye out for our complete 2015 choices.

 

  

I have reviews posted on almost all these books on our site. For any title

A-L click here and for titles M-Z click here.

-Angela

The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar

"They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. They lie.
For 21 days she held on. But on Day 22, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death.
Because on Day 22, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves."

"You can either choose love or you can choose hate, because where one lives, the other will die"

The Paper Swan I think so far this year has one of my favorite covers and titles. Then I read the synopsis and I knew I had to have it. It took me forever to find but at least it is mine...

This book messed with my mind yall. We start off with our main character leaning on the ground after getting kidnapped and about to have her head blown off. After reading that I was a little set back and confused. From the full synopsis on goodreads I thought this was going to be a book about a girl who dies and then has to choose between two guys and I assumed that one would be from when she was alive and one would be when she was dead. You know what they say about people who assume... Well that's what happened to me. It is not at all what I thought it was going to be... This is both a good and bad thing. The story bounces back and forth between present and past. It also switches POVs throughout the story. I thought all these things would turn me off, and the first half of the story it kind of did. 

We start with Skye's point of view and with her having been just kidnapped. Skye is this full of herself-snarky-rich brat. The first half I hated her!! No that's an understatement, I loathed her on a whole new level. Every time she spoke I wanted to peel my skin off. However by the end of the book I was completely on her side. Why the dramatic change? Because later on the Pov switches to her childhood and we get to see her and how she grew up as a child. Seeing these beautiful scenes with her, her nanny, and childhood friend Esteban living in Mexico are heartbreaking and so sweet. It slowly over the course of the book made me see her in a new light. Also the entire last half of this book had me loving her. She goes from this vile nasty human to this touching sweet realistic one. Then we have the kidnappers POV, Damian. He was beyond creepy when we first met him. So SO creepy. Then we get his backstory and a light shined on why he is the way he is, and it will floor you. I want to go so deep into his story and what got him to this dark place, but I wont be able to. He was another character that went from one that I wasn't easily relating to, to this amazing character with an extreme amount of character development. 

The best part of this novel was it's setting. I've never (at least I can't recall) have read a book set in Mexico. This automatically set the story apart from others I've read. Loved this. As far as the books pace it was constantly go go go. Again, another plus. It is a constant stream of action and thrilling moments. But the things I found flawed weren't just with characters in the first half. It was a lot of the scenes in the first half. Things would happen and I would seriously just think... 

Then something predictable would happen and I would just get annoyed all over again! Thankfully Attar made a huge comeback with the last half of the story. You start to realize how important those moments that might not have been your favorites at first really are. Things start tying together and all these little moments you didn't realize were bread-crumbed through out the book are revealed and it will just shatter you. The last half of this book is a complete five star read.  It makes up for so many things I thought were lacking in the first. Plus the twist are a 100 times stronger in the second half as well. The Paper Swan made me angry, then happy, then killed me, then had me crying, then had me falling in love with the story all over again. 

The Paper Swan was thrilling and gripping story about love and revenge. This story is bold and not one I will easily forget. 
 
8.5 Stars 
-Angela 

Lovely Vicious Series by Sara Wolf

Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she’s lost eighty-five pounds,changed her wardrobe/hair, and moved to the nowhere Ohio to help her mom escape a bad relationship. All the girls in her new school want one thing and that's Jack Hunter. The only thing Isis fells for him is her fist against his face... and now it's game on.

I fell upon this book after seeing the reviews and I knew it would be a book I'd read in the near future... Seeing the cover had me move it too the top of my list... I Cover Lusted hard for books one and two. Oddly, even though this isn't a perfect book series, I'm pretty sure it's the one that just got me out of my reading slump.

The Lovely Vicious Series was surprisingly good! The lack of polish is actually what won me over with this read. The story follows two main characters. Isis and Jack. When I first started this series I thought, "Jack is a great character and all... Like Jack you're cool, BUT DAMN! Isis stole the show!", She is amazing! I haven't laughed that loud while reading in so long. Isis is the "ex-fat girl" who has recently moved to a new town. She winds up at one of the parties the popular girl from school throws. While at this party she ends up sticking up for a girl that our leading male, Jack, is making fun of. By sticking up for I mean she punches him in the face. AND IT IS AMAZING! From then on out Isis and Jack are in a prank war. Isis though a little insecure, due to being burned in the past, is still a strong leading protagonist. Doesn't hurt that everything she says is hilarious!

“Did you have fun? How many boys did you make out with?” She asks. “Seventy. At least.” “How many shots did you take?” “Fourteen. I let go of the wheel halfway home and Jesus drove me the rest of the way.” 

For the most part she oozes confidence. I absolutely love that she doesn't take bullying laying down. She stands up for herself and doesn't let the haters get her down. I love that she says everything she's thinking, and every time she thinks out loud I died... Just so funny. I liked that even through all that witty banter she finds ways to slip really quotable beautiful lines in. Jack is your typical Ya hottie. He is the Ice Prince that leaves a trail of broken hearts all while looking like an Abercrombie model. Their relationship was something I would usually complain about because there is a lot of build too it, but I really enjoyed their banter and overall loath for one another. The sub characters like Wren, Kayla, Sophia, and Avery I personally didn't care for. Kayla is Isis' only friend, Avery is her enemy, Sophia is Jacks kind of gf, and Wren is the nerd. That's all you really need to know about them. Sophia does become a little more important in book two but I still stand behind not caring about any of them. I will admit that as the series went on my point of view on the leading characters changed. Books one and two I was in love with Isis, but by book three I was over her. Jack however I loved by the end. Book three really made him stand out. I didn't think he was swoon worthy till the second half of Brutal Precious (book 3). He stole my heart in that last novel.

“Living is really weird. You never get used to it. But it happens anyway. And sometimes you find things that make it a little more comfortable, and you try to hold on to those things, and the tighter you hold, the faster they slip away.”

As far as the plot went I thought it was enjoyable. It stayed constant. I will say that if it wasn't for Isis in Lovely Vicious and in Savage Delight and Jack's development in Brutal Precious I would have had a laundry list of complaints about it. The bullying aspect was a little much. Some parts of the story

become a little too convenient. Any and everything involving the principal got on my nerves. Along with any part about Isis' ex, Will... And the story for the most part is rather predictable. Even with all that I still enjoyed reading it. For the most part I knew what the big secrets were, and I saw most of the endings events coming... I did not see that last few sentences in book one or two occurring however.

I mean seriously when everything starts happening at the end of Savage Delight I was like "WTF?! NO SARA NO! YOU CAN'T DO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO! NO! WAIT NO!!!!!!" The ending of book two, of all three, was my favorite. It got really deep and ended wonderfully. I do think that book one and two were way stronger than book three, and I wanted more out of the last book. With how the first two ended I was hoping to be wowed by the finale. Sadly, I got an ending I saw coming and was a little underwhelmed. I do think the great thing about this series was it left me wanting more and had me wanting to finish the series. Again I wish they would have gotten stronger as it continued, there were a lot of predictable moments, but the way Sara Wolf writes will have me reading her writing in the future. Overall I was pleased with this book and it gave me the push I need to rock out April.

8/10 Stars 
-Angela