Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Series that I'd Like to Start

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind.  So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

There is just never enough time in the day to fit as much reading in as I would like to and I know I'm not alone in this feeling.  Whether you're a student who would rather be reading what's on your bookshelf as opposed to what you're assigned in class, or someone who works that would rather spend their time curled up with a book of their choosing instead of reading technical documents at the office or counting the clock until you can go home.  No matter the situation, there will always be books and series that I don't get around to reading because when push comes to shove something will always be left out.  So here are just a few of the series that I've been wanting to start that I haven't been able to get around to just yet.

Series I'd Like To Start #1:  The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

After enjoying her Iron Fey series so much I'd love to give Kagawa's work another go.  I'm excited to see if she can pull off a great series around vampires like she did around the Fae.

Series I'd Like To Start #2:  Legacy (Legacy, #1) by Molly Cochran

When her widowed father dumps 16-year-old Katy Jessevar in a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts, she has no idea that fate has just opened the door to both her future and her past. Nearly everyone in Whitfield is a witch, as is Katy herself, although she has struggled all her life to hide her unusual talents. Stuck at a boarding school where her fellow students seem to despise her, Katy soon discovers that Whitfield is the place where her mother committed suicide under mysterious circumstances when Katy was just a small child. With dark forces converging on Whitfield, it's up to Katy to unravel her family's many secrets to save the boy she loves and the town itself from destruction.

After coming across this title thanks to a great recommendation from a good friend I knew it was a series I wanted to read.  Why it took me so long to find I don't know, but now that I have I don't plan on wasting anymore time.  I'm ready to dive right into this unique and creative world that Cochran has created.

Series I'd Like To Start #3:  Infinity (Chronicles of Nick, #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

I've been a huge fan of Kenyon's adult series for longer than I can remember and when I first heard about her branching out into YA literature I was over the moon.  But anyone that is familiar with Kenyon's work knows that she's got so many books out there already that I always opted to continue her long standing series instead of starting this new one.  I'm hoping to work it out so that there is time for both, fingers crossed because I'm sure to fall in love with this series as much as I have with her others.

Series I'd Like To Start #4:  Gone (Gone, #1) by Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no Internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Looking back I think I shied away from this series because to me it falls into the dystopian genre and at the time I came across this series I wasn't interested.  Now that I know how wonderful this genre can be I'm all about revisiting this series to see if it falls into my new favorite genre.

Series I'd Like To Start #5:  Unwind (Unwind, #1) by Neal Shusterman

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

A friend of mine recommended this series to me and I hate to admit it but I passed on it due to that very fact.  She's one of my very good friends, but when it comes to books, she seems to love what I suggest she read, but the few previous suggestions she passed my way fell kind of flat for me.  There are just too many great books out there to settle.  But I don't want to hold my opinion against this series, and I've heard some good things so maybe I'll revisit this one in the future.

Series I'd Like To Start #6:  Intertwined (Intertwined, #1) by Gena Showalter

There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High…

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can possess another human.
One can tell the future.

Everyone thinks he’s crazy, which is why he’s spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.

Together they’ll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger... but not everyone will come out alive.

Again another author who's adult titles I've really enjoyed but have yet to check out her YA literature.  A mistake that I'll have to correct soon...if only I could get through my TBR list just a little bit faster....ugh!

Series I'd Like To Start #7:  The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine, #1) by Bree Despain

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

How could you not want to read this series with cover art like these babies are sporting?  I'm not sure if it's the colors of the clothing or the way it flows, who knows?  All I know is that I'm sad all over again that I haven't gotten a chance to read this series yet and I think that's about to change.

Series I'd Like To Start #8:  My Soul To Take (Soul Screamers, #1) by Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Oh boy, yep this countdown has officially depressed me, because I'm now reminded of all these great titles that I've fallen so far behind on and want nothing more than to catch up quickly.  I love the sound of this one and can only hope that I can find time to squeeze this series in to find out what happens for Kaylee and what kind of connection she has to Nash....will there be some romance?  I hope so.

Series I'd Like To Start #9:  Wondrous Strange (Wondrous Strange, #1) by Leslie Livingston

17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks... In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley's off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

A series and author who have made quite the name for themselves.  I can't help but get excited over a series like this one when every review you read gives it nothing but glowing praise and it's impossible not to want to be in on the secret.  The secret of what made this series so wonderful and praise worthy.  Hopefully I can find out sooner rather than later.

Series I'd Like To Start #10:  Strange Angels (Strange Angels, #1) by Lilith St. Crow

In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

I hate to admit it but while I love a strong and independent, go-it alone kind of female lead, I also have always been a fan of the male characters that can't help themselves when it comes to a girl they care about.  If that means they go out of their way to try to be brave and protective so they can feel like they're doing their part in keeping the girl they care for safe, I say go for it.  This sounds like the type of book that has both, and I'd like to see how that ends up playing out.

In My Mailbox (52)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

Timepiece (Hourglass, 2) by Myra McEntire (Thanks to Egmont USA)

A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa (Thanks to Harlequin Teen)

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.


Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (1)

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across lately. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I'm looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the majority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc... if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa (04/24/2012)

You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

Who doesn't love Kagawa's books? I mean come on, The Iron Fey series was chalk full of fantastic writing, interesting characters, suspense, humor and of course romance. So now that Kagawa is branching away from the Fae, and moving on to vampires, I can't wait to see where this series will go and what kind of crazy ride she takes us on this time. I know I'm not the only reader with this title on their countdown radar and TBR lists. And while this is just a teaser cover, I'll be on the lookout for the real deal in the future and will post the announcement as soon as I get wind of the reveal.

Countdown Pick #2: Dead To You by Lisa McMann (02/07/2012)

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

While this one grabbed my attention it scares me even more. The whole idea around this book and it's characters is sad, terrifying and almost impossible to imagine or even try to begin to comprehend. I'm not sure how much fun this one will be to read, but I value McMann's writing and her attempt at such a serious and devastating situation is sure to be done with the utmost talent and consideration. It's sure to be emotional and hard to get through at times, but I can only say that with McMann's ability to speak to her readers, this could be a story that everyone should read.

Countdown Pick #3: Starling (Starling, #1) by Lesley Livingston (2012)

"Love is just the beginning... of the end."

Mason Starling is a champion fencer for Gosforth Academy, but she’s never had to fight for her life. Until now. When a ferocious storm rips through Manhattan and unleashes terrifying creatures onto Gosforth’s campus, Mason barely escapes alive. Without help from the mysterious stranger who appeared in the midst of the storm, she might not have made it at all. But now, in the aftermath, Mason’s life begins to spin dramatically, mystically out of control, and the only one who seems able to help her is the stranger who can remember nothing but his name: Fennrys Wolf.

As Mason and Fenn uncover more about Fenn’s past and the strange events that surround them, they realize that Mason’s family — and its dark allegiance to the ancient Norse gods — is at the center of everything. A predetermined fate seems to be closing in on Mason, but is it possible to change one’s destiny?

Readers who fell in love with Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange trilogy and those who love Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series will be captivated by the sweeping romance and pulse-pounding action of Starling. 
Not too much to go on with this one huh? But I do know that the Bourne series rocked and I love paranormal elements. So these are two very promising starting points as far as teasers go. I'm also going to admit that any movie or book revolving around crime families are ones that I'm always tempted to see and read and usually end up loving. You name it, The Godfather trilogy (obviously), Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, loved them all. They're scary, violent, and tension always runs high, but I can't ever get enough of them.


Countdown Pick #4: Slide by Jill Hathaway (03/27/2012)

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

What a cool idea, right? Someone with the ability to dip into other people's minds while everyone is none the wiser? I get that it might be just as much of a curse as it could be considered a gift given the nature of this book's plot, but I still think it sounds like a really neat idea. I can't imagine how Hathaway is going to play this one out, but it sure sounds like it'll be an exciting journey to see how it unfolds.


Countdown Pick #5: Above by Leah Bobet (04/01/2012)

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above--like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe's history and the shadows' attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home--not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

This one's got me totally excited! It sounds like X-Men don't you think? I'll admit that while my dad I'm sure was hoping for a boy and instead got two daughters, decided to pawn some of his guy hobbies off on me. For example: comics. So I did collect and read my fair share, and my favorite quickly became the X-Men series and all spin offs related. Yep, I'm a dork and I'm OK with that. So while I was younger I always seemed to gravitate and still do it would seem, to the same elements. Bobet's characters and their super powers sound like fun to me. The world of Above, however, does not. I'll be rooting for these characters as soon as it hits the shelves.