TTT Rewind: Villains/Criminals/Other Nasties

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Originally, I had planned to post a review today, but since I seem to have a total writer's block when it comes to them, I thought I might as well check out TTT's topic. When I saw that it was Top Ten Tuesday Rewind, which means we can pick any past topic, it felt like the perfect thing for me to do. After looking through all the older themes, I found one I particularly like. So, without further ado I give you my

Top Ten Villains/Criminals/Other Nasties

There is no real order to these and I will probably group a couple together since they are from the same series.

 

1. Avari from Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series

Someone from this series always seems to be able to sneak into my TTT, no matter which topic it is. Avari is the kind of villain I love to hate. He is so obsessed with Kaylee Cavanaugh, the heroine of this series, and her soul that he doesn't shy away from anything to achieve his goal. He doesn't care about anyone but himself and it's not for no reason he is the hellion of avarice...

Photo Credit: Alexander Gordon Smith

2. Warden Cross, Alfred Furnace, Wheezers, and Berserkers from Alexander Gordon Smith's Escape from Furnace series

None of these fit into the "love to hate" category. They are all just plain and simple terrifying. It's all of theirs fault I had a hard time breathing through all of the books. The looks of the Wheezers are especially unsettling. Just take a peak at the picture of the author with a replica of a wheezer. It's so incredibly creepy. It gives me the chills just looking at that thing... Add to that the ever dark presence of Alfred Furnace looming over everyone and everything and there is no way, you come up feeling totally unaffected...

3. Luke from Leah Clifford's A Touch Trilogy

Luke definitely falls into the "love to hate" category. He is the singer in a rock band how could that not be alluring? You can't ever forget that he is also pure evil - never, ever forget that...

"Spill it, or I carve out her eyes."

Gabe hesitated, his eyes shifting from maroon to gold and back.

"If you'd like," Luke added, "I'll save them for you in a jar."

4. Bishop from Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series

As if the ordinary Morganville vampires weren't scary enough already, all of a sudden you have Bishop and his entourage showing up, hell-bend on taking over the whole town and making all humans into snacks on legs. He is a crazy, old vampire who I wouldn't even want to be in the same room with...

 

5. Valentine Morgenstern from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series

If he isn't evil, then I don't know who is. The stuff he did to his own children is despicable - not to mention all the other terrible things he's responsible for. I don't think I need to say anymore about him...

 

6. Victor Dashkov and Strigoi from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series

I loved Richelle Mead's idea of Moroi and Strigoi vampires. You definitely wouldn't want to come face-to-face with a Strigoi - at least not if valued your own life. As if Strigoi weren't bad enough, you also have to look for Morois like Victor Dashkov who is willing to sacrifice pretty much anyone just so he can live a longer life.

 

7. President Snow from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series

He is plain cruel and you know it's all fun and entertainment for him to watch kids kill each other. It would have been very interesting to watch him fight in the arena. I wonder how far he would have gotten...

8. Gary Soneji and Kyle Craig from James Patterson's Alex Cross series

How I love this series. It has been one of my favorites for years and years. I am always astonished about the new kinds of evil characters James Patterson comes up with. You think you've seen it all, but then... bam... and the wind gets knocked right out of you. These are two of the cruelest lunatics he has ever written about.

9. Jack Torrance from Stephen King's The Shining

Looking back at it, I think I was definitely way too young when I read this book. I believe I was about 9 or 10 at the time and it completely terrified me. It was so hard to finish it, and when I now put Jack Nicholson's face behind the name of Jack Torrance, it makes it all the more frightening. He did such an incredible job at portraying this character and just looking at his face makes me shudder.

10. The Tiger from James Patterson's Cross Country

Even though he is also part of the Alex Cross series, I had to give him his own number. He is the most vicious, brutal, sadistic, and heartless character I have ever encountered in a story. I cannot even start to describe the things he does - or has somebody else do - to others. This book was one of the toughest Alex Cross books to read, and it completely and  utterly terrifies me to know there ARE indeed people like him out there in the world. It took me a few weeks to pick up another book after this one, I just couldn't let it go.

*****

Wow, I cannot believe how many hours it took me to get this post done. Who would have thought? So, but this is my top ten. There are a ton more I could have put on this list, but I settled on these ones.

Which are some of your favorite villains or nasty creatures? I would love to hear from you!

TTT: Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I haven't participated in this feature in a while and was actually working on a review when I stumbled upon this week's topic. As soon as I saw it, I knew I couldn't not do a post for it. My review will have to wait one more day.

Top Ten Tuesday for this week:

Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books

My character choices are mainly from YA books, however, there are two who are not YA. Apart from the first three there is no particular order.

1. Tod Hudson from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series

Oh, how I adore this reaper! He is hilarious, caring, passionate, and also extremely infuriating at times. I just love him. He is definitely my favorite book character.

2. Carter from Richelle Mead's "Georgina Kincaid" series (NOT YA!!!)

He is a very close second to Tod. Even though he is only a secondary character in the series, he is by far my absolute favorite. He's an angel with so many amazing lines. I cannot get enough of him!

Looky here, I just noticed I have a reaper and an angel in my first two spots - everybody has a place in my heart.

3. Donovan "D" from Alexander Gordon Smith's "Escape from Furnace" series

He is another minor character who captivated me right from the start. There is just something about him that draws you in. He can seem very cold and distant when he has to, but he has a very big heart and deserves a place in my top three for sure.

4. Kaylee Cavanaugh from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series

It's time for a girl and who better than bean sidhe Kaylee Cavanaugh. She is an incredible heroine - she is fierce, selfless, loyal (sometimes more so than it is good for her), fearless, and so unbelievably strong - and I don't mean physically. She is amazing!

5. Gabe from Leah Clifford's "A Touch Trilogy"

I adored him in "A Touch Mortal" and am dying to find out what's going to happen in "A Touch Morbid". He always had this intriguing aura about him, and after the way things ended in book one...

6. Adrian Ivashkov from Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy" series

He is this loner, bad boy type and I always had a soft spot for him. There is something about him that simply makes him special.

7. & 8. Rose Hathaway & Dimitri Belikov from Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy" series

I cannot talk about Rose and not include Dimitri and since I love them both very much, I might as well put them both on my list. I don't think I even need to explain why they made my list. She is strong-willed, courageous, fearless, and he his handsome, strong, and an incredible fighter.

9. Ponyboy Curtis from Susan E. Hinton's "The Outsiders"

This book is one of my all time favorites, one I can read over and over again, and still enjoy it like the first time. I love Ponyboy. Everybody should read this book and see for themselves.

10. Alex Cross from James Patterson's "Alex Cross" series (NOT YA!!!)

I have devoured each and every Alex Cross book I could get my hands on. James Patterson is an incredible writer and the way he brings his characters to life is amazing. Alex will always be one of my favorite male characters.

This time I even have to include a few honorable mentions: Alex and Aiden from Jennifer L. Armentrout's "Covenant" series; Tris and Four from Veronica Roth's "Divergent" series; Emma Marshall from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series; Jules Marchenoir from Amy Plum's "Revenants" series, and so, so many more.

*****

Who are your favorite characters? What makes them so special in your eyes? I would love to hear from you.

TTT: Books On My Spring To-Be-Read List

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and every week there is a new topic.

 

Here is this week's Top Ten theme:

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read List

Quite a few of the books on my list are older instead of new releases, but since I intend on reading them this Spring, I figured they would fit perfectly on this list. Besides, there is no time like the present to get caught up on books.

1. Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith

Seriously, this is the book I want to read RIGHT NOW! It sits on my shelf, taunting me, but as much as I would love to read it right now, I have to finish two other books first. It is so super hard to stay strong and I'm not sure I'm going to make it...

2. The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

I won a proof copy of "The Fury" a little while back, but haven't had the chance to read it yet. It sounds like an amazing story and I cannot wait to get lost in this world.

3. A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford

I am so desperately waiting for my copy of "A Touch Morbid" to arrive. The suspense is killing me. "A Touch Mortal" was awesome, but from what I've heard "A Touch Morbid" surpasses it by a mile. I'm so excited for this one!

4. Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

I feel kind of embarrassed I still haven't read this one. I absolutely adore Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series, and this adult series sounds so amazing as well. I already know I'm going to love it, I just haven't found the time to pick it off my shelf yet.

5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I have been wanting to read this book for months, and with "Pandemonium's" recent release, and the fact, my library actually carries it, it's back on my very-soon-to-be-read pile.

6. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I have been thinking about this series ever since the YA Crush Tourney, but my library never had the first book - they had all the other ones, but not this one. Finally, when I saw it a few weeks back, I grabbed it right away.

7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

"Wither" is another one of those books I've heard great, great things about, and I can't wait to discover it for myself. I hope I will enjoy it has much as everyone else already has.

8. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

This book really belongs on my "Wishful Thinking" list since I don't own it and I don't see my library getting it any time soon. I absolutely love the cover though, it's so captivating.

9. Touch Of Frost by Jennifer Estep

I received this book for Christmas, but had been meaning to read it for months and months even before that. The name "Mythos Academy" alone makes me want to dive into this world and explore it.

10. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Honestly, I cannot believe I still haven't read this book. I devoured all the Vampire Academy books in a flash, but this one has been sitting on my shelf for months. I want to read it before the next book comes out, for sure. I'm already looking forward to more Adrian-ness...

*****

This is my Top Ten, though there are many, many books I had to leave off the list. What about you? Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring?

TTT: Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens

I haven't done a "Top Ten Tuesday" post in a while, so I thought it was time for one again. "Top Ten Tuesday" is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 Here is the theme for this week's Top Ten:

Top Ten Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens (or any other natural disaster...you get the drift. )

I tried to keep this mostly in the YA genre, but a few others found their way in as well. As always, even though I forgot to mention it before, all the pictures link to Goodreads.

1. If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Along with some other books on this list, this book/series shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me. I cannot and will not hand over any of my Soul Screamers books to any aliens. They might appreciate the read as much as I do, but my heart cannot part with these. Ever.

2. Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Of course, I couldn't leave the "Escape from Furnace" series. Thinking about it, this series might actually be able scare the aliens away, but I wouldn't want to take the chance of loosing these books and the roof over my head all in one swoop.

3. The Outsiders by Susan E. Hinton

I cannot even count the years for how long I have loved this book. This one is just a classic that never gets old. It is such a gripping story. It always brings me to tears, no matter how often I read it. So, again, it's not a book I want to part with.

4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Who could ever leave their house behind without this trilogy in their bag? Yes, I do realize it is one heavy book, but it is so worth it.

5. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This is another book/series I would never leave behind. I could not live happily, knowing I left Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Adrian, and everybody else in the hands of scary aliens.

6. When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

Seriously, I wouldn't want to leave ANY of my James Patterson books behind, but since I could only pick one, I went with this one. It was just so different from everything else he had written at the time, it captivated me right from the start.

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I am pretty sure Tris and Four could face down any alien that would step in their way, but I still wouldn't want to take the chance. I would stay on the safe side and pack them up as well.

8. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I love all my books, and this one is no exception, so "Keep your hands off my books, Aliens!!!" There, I had to get that off my chest.

9. The Dark Half by Stephen King

There are so many great Stephen King books, but for some reason this book, especially, has always stuck with me. The cover alone lures me in. It would find its way into my bag without me having to move a finger, I'm sure of it.

10. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

This one is definitely NOT YA, but I absolutely love this series. It is one of my favorites by one of my favorite authors, so there is no way I would ever leave these books behind.

So, there you have it. This is my top ten, even though I could have added a TON more. I'm not sure I would actually be able to carry all these books at once, but I would find a way to make it work.

What about you? Which books would you save from an alien invasion?