Book Challenge Day 16: Favourite Female Character

All right so for today I have to pick one female character... That's is hard. But so far the whole challenge consisted of pretty tough decisions...
First off all I would like to say some things about female characters in books. They do get a lot more hate than male characters. No matter what, someone always disliked the actions of female characters. They are too bossy, they are too ladylike, they fight too much, they fight not enough... Something is always wrong.
I think a lot of fictional heroines deserve a lot more love than they are actually getting...

But anyway, this wasn't about defending all but picking one...
You may remember that I once made a list called "My Favourite Heroines Of All Time", you can find that list here. Back then Arya Stark from the A Song Of Ice And Fire Series. But I am pretty sure she does not hold that throne any longer...
Which great character throw her down, though? Of course it was another ASOIAF character. I do not know what is going on with G.R.R Martin, but he writes great characters!

I just adore Ygritte. I love the way she speaks and acts, I love the way she is able to love and hate so purely. And "You know nothing, Jon Snow" was definitely the best thing that happened to this fandom.
And she made me cry. I do not want to spoiler... oh forget that!

ATTENTION SPOILERS!

I cried so hard when she died! And Jon just wanted to save her and she never got to see a castle *sobs*
They really should have stayed in that damn cave!
She was so brave and fought for what was right in her opinion, no matter what. She was a strong female character. I would have loved a POV chapter from her. Just to know how she was dealing with Jon's betrayal... And now I will curl up in my little cave an sob because of that terribly sad character death.
Yes, that is the reason I read G.R.R. Martin. He always makes me cry...


Make sure to check the Challenges Page in order to read all my answers!
Who is your favourite female character?
Love and Words
KJ

Just a quick update: COVERFLIP!

I am really sorry for the radio silence in the last few days. I have been really busy with real life and did not have time to read a lot. I know that's crazy, right?
Well since I am currently catching up on beeing a responsable adult while  my mom's away, keeping the house clean and mown the lawn and all that boring stuff, I have to neglect this blog a little. But I am trying to get back to posting regulary once a day before the weekend hits. Thanks for sticking around :)

But now the important update: Have you heard about the Coverflip movement started by the amazing Maureen Johnson? I do not know if it already is a movement but I think we should call it one because it deserves to be one.
The idea behind Coverflip is pretty easy: The author Maureen Johnson thought that book covers are often gender based. Books for girls look like books for girls and books for boys look like books for boys. But most books are not simply girl- or boybooks. You can read whatever book you want no matter the stereotypes. So Maureen Johnson thought someone should do something about the gender biased covers. And she started Coverflip.
Long story short: Follow this link to find out more about, because I am really bad at explaining this.
And then do the Coverflip!

What have you been up to the past week? Have you ever read something though the cover did not look like something you would like to enjoy?

Love and Words
KJ

Cover Revealed: Allegiant and What's

Just a quick update:

Two gorgeous YA covers have been revealed in the last few days.
The first one is Allegiant by Veronica Roth. It will be published in October and is the last book in a triology that started with Divergent.
I am not posting the official summary because of spoilers for those that haven't read the first two books yet. Here is the scoop on Divergent, for those that haven't heard about it before (Seriously are you living on the moon? This book is everywhere! If you live on the moon, can I come and visit?):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I am really looking forward to read Divergent this summer. It is already waiting on my shelf. So expect a review, soon :)

The second one is Once We Were. It is the sequel to What's Left Of Me and the second book in The Hybrid Chronicles. It will hit shelves on
Summary for What's Left Of Me:

I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren't they settling? Why isn't one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn't. . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she's still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable—hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

I adored the cover for the first one but I think the second one is even better. And the story sounds really interesting, it is definitely on my TBR pile.
Both books will be published by HarperCollins
I really like how both books fit in with the covers of the other in their series. I just think that you need to see which books belong together.
What do you think of these two covers?
Love and Words
KJ

All covers and summaries taken from Goodreads

Book Challenge Day 15: Jace vs. Aaron

Argh. I have to pick my Favourite Male Character for today. How am I supposed to pick ONE? There are sooo many swoon worthy men in YA it's unbelievable!

For a long time Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments was my favourite fictional male character. But Aaron from Pretty Dark Nothing is unbelievable great, too. I would tell you why he is so great, but I cannot, since that would mean telling you everything about the ending. And we do not want that, do we?

Let's just say he is great and you better go and read the book by Heather Reid like right now! 

What are you still doing here? Go and read it!

I loved Jace because he was so funny and smart. He had that kind of a Bad boy attitude and was a really tortured soul. I love tortured bad boys. I have a thing for them :)

But I am slowly (like really really slowly) growing up  and I know realized that being a tortured bad boy is great when you are 16, but not that great when you are getting older and want to settle down. 

So Aaron is not an average bad boy. But he is really tortured... That poor guy!

And there is a similarity between those two, I am not telling you what, though! We do not want spoilers...

Who is your favourite male character?

Love and Words
KJ

Cover Love: Masque Of The Red Death

So I recently started reading Masque Of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin. I am really enjoying it so far and no matter how  hard I try I cannot find something bad. Which made me stop trying to find something.
I looked at the book the other day how it was sitting there on my nightstand and I knew: It is time for another Cover Love post.
The thing is, I really think the English cover is beautiful. But I bought the book in my local bookstore which means I have the German copy. And I just love the German Cover! It is so gorgeous!

The German title is Die Stadt des roten Todes - Das Mädchen mit der Maske, which translates to City of the red death - The girl with the masque.
I really love the font and the tattoo of the girl, the colours look beautiful together and the whole atmosphere is intriguing. I love the ruins of the city in the back. The cover captures the story.
The only thing I dislike: There are too many models on YA covers. What happened to the good old fonts? And the cover makes the book look like a romance story. Which it might be. I haven't read much so I do not know anything about the romance going on between the pages...

Let's compare it to the original American Cover:
The model stayed. The colours stayed, which is a great thing since does colours look amazing together! I just don't get why it looks like she is standing in a swamp... Well maybe I get to that part of the story when I keep on reading :)

Which cover do you prefer?
Love and Words
KJ

Book Challenge Day 13: Hobbit, Thief Lord and Blood Promise

Today's prompt for the 30 Day Book Challenge:

Favourite Book Of Your Favourite Author

I already told you that I can not decide who my favourite author is in the last post. So I am telling you my three favourite books  by my three favourite authors!

1. The first one was Richelle Mead and I already told you that Blood Promise is my favourite book by her. I really think I should read her other series, too, so my answers will get a little variety :)
I loved Blood Promise because of all the great character interactions. Some of the best scenes of the whole series go down in this book. And let me not get started on all the tragic...