Top Ten Tuesday #4

Hey everybody! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. This week, I'll be listing the
top ten books that were totally deceiving. 

10. ReVamped by Ada Adams

Synopsis from goodreads.com:
A simple mission turned deadly. 

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue. 

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.


Why this is on my top ten:
I'm going to be honest. I generally don't like self-published books. The novels are usually poorly edited and poorly written. Most self-published novels that I've read have so many plot holes that I can't even follow what's supposed to be going on. The characters are usually under-developed, and the story (or lack thereof) is just boring. Also, they are more often than not unoriginal. I know, this isn't going to earn me any fans in the indie publishing world, but it's true. However, I took a chance on ReVamped, and I'm so glad I did! I thought I would hate this book, but the synopsis was so interesting that I had to give it a try. This novel is fantastic! Adams really cares about the quality of her work, and it shows. Also, the book was original, fast-paced, and intriguing. In a world that's over-saturated with vampire lore, Adams had a challenge ahead of her, but she prevailed. I'd recommend it to anyone! 


9. Fracture by Megan Miranda

Synopsis from goodreads.com:
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? 

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death. 

Why this is on my top ten:

I really thought I'd love Fracture, however, I thought wrong. I didn't hate it, but the characters kind of sucked. I didn't like any of them. The synopsis sounded so intriguing, but the book fell very flat. It just wasn't that mysterious. There was no suspense really. The pacing dragged, too. Also, I was hoping some cool power or something would come out of this, but nope. I finished this book with a total "blah" feeling about it. Miranda isn't a terrible writer, but she could have done so much more with this idea. 

8. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Everything is in ruins. 

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. 

So what does Araby Worth have to live for? 

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. 

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. 

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Why this is on my top ten:

I thought this was going to be another gloom and doom depressing book, and while the world Araby lives in is depressing, the book itself is hopeful. I thought I'd hate this book and not even make it through the entire thing, honestly. Since I love Poe, I had to give it a try. This novel is about so much more than a post-apocalyptic emo-fest. It's about a freaking revolution, and I love revolutions! As the brilliant Thomas Jefferson once said when talking about the American Revolution, "God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion." You know what Mr. Jefferson? I agree. Revolutions are good for the soul, and so is this book. It is a gothic dystopian that gives you hope. There's nothing better. 

7. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Blessed with a gift...cursed with a secret.

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

Why this is on my top ten:

I thought I would simply adore Born Wicked. The plot sounded amazing, and I love the cover! However, the book itself couldn't live up to the hype. It was pretty terrible, and one of the worst stories I've read all year. Major disappointment. 

6. The Thirteenth Sacrifice by Debbie Viguie

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

When young women start dying, Boston cop Samantha Ryan is the perfect person to investigate, for only she knows what the archais symbol carved into their flesh means. The last in a long line of ruthless witches, she grew up in a coven seduced by power and greed. And now she's sure that bad witches have returned to Salem. Reluctantly, Samantha goes undercover-into a town obsessed with black magic, into her terrifying past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil.

Why this is on my top ten:

I really wasn't expecting to like this book. I mean how cliche can one be? There are about 10 billion Urban Fantasies out there where the female lead is a cop. What makes this one any different? Well a lot makes it different, actually. This is more of a horror and suspense story than an Urban Fantasy, and I liked that. It's light on the romance and heavy on the darkness. I really loved this novel, and I can't wait for the sequel!

5. The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

Why this is on my top ten:

I love me some steam punk, but I did not love this book. It just fell flat for me. The characters, plot, and writing didn't grab me. I was a bit disappointed with this one. 

4. Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything--the dark, heights, the ocean--but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge.  That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day. 

Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident.  After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers.

But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.  
Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid.  All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.  

As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

Why this is on my top ten:

Great... another mermaid story. Great... another Bella Swan-like leading character. Those were my first thoughts when I read this synopsis. I literally checked this book out from the library because I had nothing better to read at the time and the cover was shiny. I got home and opened the book and was hooked. I could not put the novel down until the very last page. Rayburn has a unique way of letting you get to know Vanessa, and Vanessa is no pushover. She stands up for what she needs to do. Sure, she has fears, but she faces them. She's a great leading character. I love the flashbacks of her interactions with Justine. Those, along with the mystery and suspense, totally made the book. Everyone should read this.

3. Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…” 

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before. 

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her. 

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden… 

Why this is on my top ten:

Oooo I love angel stories! And look at that mysterious sounding synopsis. I can't miss with this one! I was so freaking wrong it isn't even funny. I hated this book. The characters are underdeveloped and repulsive, the plot is nonexistent, the pacing is slow-as-molasses, and most importantly, this book was just boring. Runner up for Worst Read of 2012 right here. 

2. Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Why this is on my top ten:

Well, normally I don't really like contemporary. The cover is kind of meh, but it is a mystery. Maybe this book will be OKAY. It takes on an important social issue, but what are the chances that it's handled correctly? These were my first thoughts about this book. I kept coming back to it on Net Galley, though, and I finally requested and received it. I am so glad I did! This novel was amazing. She handled this issue beautifully, the mystery is hard to figure out, and the plot is extremely suspenseful. Allie is an inspiration, and so is Wolf for writing this masterpiece. 

1. The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Seraphina has been alive since the 1300's, made immortal when the boy she was beginning to love back then, Cyrus, saved her from death with a strange liquid - a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. But now, in modern day America, Sera has decided that she can no longer bear the weight of stealing people's lives so she can keep living on. So she decides to run away from Cyrus and end her stolen existence once and for all. Her plan goes awry when she accidentally takes the body of a dying teenager and feels forced to take over her life. When the lines between Sera and Kailey's identity begin to blur, Sera finds a reason to desire to live once more. But she can't shake the guilt of having taken Kailey's life, even if she was dying. And what if Cyrus finds her?

Why this is on my top ten:

Wow, that cover is awesome. This also sounds like a really interesting take on reincarnation! Not much has been done with alchemy yet, so it's sure to be unique. I bet I'll love it. I have never been more wrong about anything in my life. I physically hate this book, and even looking at the title right now nauseates me. This is, by far, my most hated book EVER. I hated the characters, the stupid and predictable plot, and the horrible writing.  I know a lot of people seem to like it, but apparently they read a different book than I did because this thing was AWFUL! Simply terrible! I have never had such a strong hatred of a book before in my life! HATE HATE HATE HATE it. I can't say that enough. Disappointment doesn't even begin to cover it. YUCK.

Okay, I'm going to shut up about that horrible book now. What were your top ten biggest surprises?