Reading Challenge Update- February

I can't believe that February is over already!  Here's how I stand on my Reading Challenges:

I've read only one debut book so far in 2015.  

A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Finishing the Series Challenge hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews.

I'm still making good progress on the number of series I'm finishing.  
So far in 2015, I've finished 8 series!
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Rebel Belle

Miss Mayhem

In the Garden by Nora Roberts
Blue Dahlia
Black Rose
Red Lily

Confessions by James Patterson
Confessions of a Murder Suspect
The Private School Murders
The Paris Mysteries

Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
The Wishing Spell
The Enchantress Returns
A Grimm Warning

Unremembered by Jessica Brody
Unremembered
Unforgotten
Unchanged

Point Last Seen by April Henry
Body in the Woods

Vivian Apple by Katie Coyle
Vivian Apple at the End of the World

The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks
Of Poseidon
Of Triton
Of Neptune

Shades of London by Maureen Johnson
Name of the Star
The Madness Underneath
The Shadow Cabinet

2015 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

I'm up to 38 (big) books read so far this year.  I've got a long way to go before I hit my goal of 150!

 Contemporary Challenge hosted by The Book Belles

Books read in February

1. The Private School Murders by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

2. Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

3. The Body in the Woods by April Henry
4. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer

A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer
The Land of Stories #3
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on July 8, 2014
Narrated by Chris Colfer

Summary: "The Brothers Grimm have a warning for the Land of Stories.

Connor Bailey thinks his fairy-tale adventures are behind him - until he discovers a mysterious clue left by the famous Brothers Grimm. With help from his classmate Bree and the outlandish Mother Goose, Conner sets off on a mission across Europe to crack a two-hundred-year-old code.

Meanwhile, Alex Bailey is training to become the next Fairy Godmother... but her attempts at granting wishes never go as planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Fairy Council?

When all signs point to disaster for the Land of Stories, Connor and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle... or for the secret that will change the twins' lives forever."

Holy bazinga!  I loved this book!  I listened to the audiobook, and I have to say it was really well done.  I normally dislike when authors read their own creations, but I really enjoyed Colfer's rendition.  I could tell that he really thought about how these characters sounded, and he did make an effort to make them all sound different.

Alex and Connor have definitely grown a lot over the course of this novel.  Gone are the kids who accidently popped into the Land of Stories back in the first book.  They take matters into their own hands and fight for everything that they love and believe in.

Overall, this series is getting pretty good.  There were a couple of bombshells and MAJOR feels in the third book.  Now I have to wait patiently (yeah... right) for the fourth book to come out.  There's not even a title yet, and apparently book four comes out in July?

Disclosure: I borrowed the audiobook from my local library.

The Body in the Woods by April Henry

The Body in the Woods by April Henry
Point Last Seen #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on June 17, 2014

Summary: "Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for an autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own." -- From Goodreads

I loved the unique premise of this book: the fact that teens could join a Search and Rescue group.  I really liked the character of Ruby, our amateur Nancy Drew-esque detective,  Alexis was also interesting, with her mom's mental illness to deal with.  I think Nick was the shallowest character of them all.  All he wanted to do was be a hero like his dad who was killed in Iraq.  That led him to doing things without thinking them all the way through.

Overall, the characters were good, the plot was okay, and the murders were not really detailed.  I know that will be a factor for some teens reading this book; they want the suspense but not the detailed gore.  I tend to love mysteries and suspense novels of any kind, and I definitely plan on adding the sequel to my TBR.

Disclosure: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unchanged by Jessica Brody

Unchanged by Jessica Brody
Unremembered #3
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on February 24, 2015

Summary: "After returning to the Diotech compound and receiving a successful memory transplant, Seraphina is now living a happy life with another synthetically engineered human like herself, with whom she is deeply in love. She has no recollection of Zen. But the nagging feeling that something is missing from her life continues to plague her. Diotech's newest product is about to be revealed—a line of genetic modifications that will allow people to live longer, fight disease, and change any unfavorable physical attribute they desire.

As more secrets are revealed, more enemies are uncovered, and the reality of a Diotech-controlled world grows closer every day, Sera and Zen must find a way to destroy the company that created her, or they’ll be separated forever."  --From Goodreads

What a stunning conclusion to this series!  I marathoned books 2 & 3, and I'm still in shock about the ending.  I loved Sera, and how she transformed from being this numb robot into becoming something more.  A person with her own memories and feelings.  I thought that the story behind her "birth" was sad and perfect all at the same time.  

Overall, this series is a series that I'm going to recommend to anyone who really likes science fiction.  Time travel is a large part of this series, along with genetic modification.  

Disclosure: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody
Unremembered #2
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on February 25, 2014

Summary: "After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long." --From Goodreads

It took me a bit to get back into this series.  When Sera and Zen were in 1609, it was more problematic to keep Sera's abilities hidden.  I felt that the story was slow during this time, mirroring Sera's problems to keep hidden.  She needed to become human, and that meant moving slower.  After Sera and Zen travel back to the future, that's when things move into high gear.

I was really disappointed when Sera met Kaelin.  I was really hoping to get through a series without another love triangle.  We'll see how their relationship develops in the third book.  The ending was sad, but I have a feeling that we'll see Zen again in the third book.

Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from my library.