New Release! Released from the Darkness

If you read my review of the ARC that I read of this book, I hope you are excited to know that Released from the Darkness is now available to purchase!  I really enjoyed this book, as well as the first book in the series, Concealed in the Shadows.  If you love dystopian novels, this would be a good choice to read!

Get it on Amazon:  here

Get it on Smashwords:  here

I did not see it on B&N earlier, but maybe it will be up soon on there.

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

I loved Fangirl so much, that I could not wait to read Eleanor & Park by the same author.

Eleanor & Park is a teenage love story between two seemingly unlikely kids.  Eleanor is the outcast with body image issues and Park is the popular kid afraid to be who he really is.  As fate would have it, Eleanor transferred to Park's school and ended up on his bus route.  As luck would have it, the seat next to Park was the only place Eleanor could sit.  Begin awkward silence for what seems like forever.

Their relationship did not start as a relationship typically does in a book.  There was no immediate flirting or witty banter back and forth.  They sat in silence for awhile, just thinking.  Park thinking how weird Eleanor looked and dressed, Eleanor just thinking about life and Park and school and how much she hated everything.  Then Eleanor started reading Park's comics while he was reading them on the bus.  Then Park started letting her read the comics with him on the bus.  All the while pretending not to notice each other.

Eventually they moved beyond their awkward silence and actually talked to each other.  Park had to deal with issues of being embarrassed to be with Eleanor, when really he was embarrassed that he worried what others thought.  Eleanor had serious body issues.  She kept describing herself as a big girl and that she was not pretty, but I feel like from Park's thoughts and his father's comments, Eleanor probably was not that big and probably was not that ugly.  I think, like many teenagers, Eleanor did not see herself as she really was.

Eleanor had a rough home life, one that I know too many people who have had to deal with that kind of life.  Eleanor's dad left, and her mom married the ultimate abusive creep.  Eleanor was poor, scared, and to top it off, she got bullied by the obnoxious girls in her school.

I liked this book because it was not the conventional eye-rolling romance.  It was realistic.  It was sweet.  Park really, genuinely loved Eleanor and they made each other mixed tapes, which, let's be honest, was the most romantic thing someone could do for you when we were all growing up in the 80s and early 90s.  It was sad and emotional because I could visualize Eleanor's home life and the agony she felt going to school everyday with the girls who bullied her.  I liked how at the end, Eleanor made a decision that was best for herself, even if it meant losing everything she had gained.

All in all, I really liked this book, though not as much as I liked Fangirl.

Daimon (the Prequel to Half-Blood) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

I kept hearing how awesome Jennifer Armentrout is and I just never got around to reading one of her books.  One of my friends who is an avid reader insisted that I check out The Covenant Series.  I saw this prequel at the library and decided to give it a shot.

Alex is a partial demigod (daughter of a mortal and a demigod) whose duty in life is to kill daimons; however, she has lived among mortals for years with her mother, who seemed to want to keep Alex from that life.  Alex and her mother used to live at The Covenant, a place for people like Alex.  For some reason, Alex's mother wanted to escape and live unnoticed.

A tragic event occurs which sends Alex on the run back to The Covenant.  As she is running, she encounters a group of daimons and is forced to recall what she learned in training to remain, well...alive.  End of story.

There is not a long synopsis because this is a very short novella.  It is meant to lead up to the events that start the book Half-Blood, the first actual novel of The Covenant Series.  While I felt this prequel was entirely too short, it was long enough to get me into the story line and make me want more.  I will definitely try to read the first actual book.

Because I loved this little snippet of Jennifer Armentrout's work, I purchased another of her books, White Hot Kiss, yesterday on my lunch break from the last day of the WV bar exam.  I had no idea until I got home that the book actually just came out this week.  It appears to be more demon hunting and awesomeness.  I mean the first page talks about demons eating Big Macs.  Who doesn't love a Big Mac eating demon?

The Woodlands - Lauren Nicolle Taylor

I found The Woodlands free on Amazon so I downloaded it.  I think it is also free on B&N and Smashwords.  I zoomed through this book pretty quickly.  It was an interesting take on a dystopian society.  It was not at all what I expected, but I still enjoyed it.

Rosa lives in a dystopian society where families are only permitted to have one child.  When that child reaches 18 years old, he or she is sent to the Classes to learn a trade and contribute to society.  Rosa's father left when she was young and Rosa's mother married a horrid man.  Unfortunately for Rosa, her mother and the step-monster became pregnant.  When she was 16.  Because the family could only have one child, Rosa had to leave for the Classes early.

Before Rosa left, she met Joseph, a hot older guy from her area.  She finds out that her father was actually Joseph's teacher.  She falls for Joseph despite knowing that two people from the same hometown cannot marry.  The government wants to prevent different "looks" (code word for races) to exist, so the government matches couples to mate so that their children will look similar.  I guess this is sort of like creating a super-race of people.  No diversity, no feelings.

In the Classes, things are not what Rosa expected.  She gets placed in construction, which seems odd to her, but actually, she enjoys building things and she is quite good at it.  Joseph was picked for medical, so she doesn't get to hang out with him anymore.  After dealing with that, something happens in Rosa's class and Rosa wakes up in a hospital underground and pregnant.  When she discovers that there are many girls who are pregnant, Rosa is determined to get to the bottom of what the government has done to her.

The remainder of the book takes place after Rosa and her friend Clara manage to escape with Joseph and some others.  They have to walk endless miles and survive without the amenities they are used to.  Tension is high because Rosa doesn't trust some of the people she is travelling with, as one of them was a nurse in the hospital that Rosa was trapped in.  When the truth comes to light, Rosa flips out and has difficulty dealing with things.

I found myself in a love-hate relationship with Rosa.  She has attitude and makes it difficult for anyone to like her.  She pushes people away and is snarky and angry.  This is why I loved her.  She is not the typical heroine in a novel.  She has been through so much in her life that I couldn't blame her for having the hateful attitude that she had.  On the other hand, sometimes I just wanted her to get over herself and be nice to the others for a change.

I was appalled at the situation where all the girls were trapped in the medical wing and pregnant.  These were underage girls who were artificially knocked up.  It was chilling to think someone could abuse a young girl that way.  I had a hard time stomaching the concept, but it made sense for a dystopian society.  Governments in these fictional worlds are harsh and this proved just how harsh they really are.

All in all, I enjoyed this book.  The end was a cliffhanger, so I will likely pick up the 2nd book in the series.  

Fallen - Lauren Kate

I realize I am a little behind the times. Both with this book that's been out for awhile and with it being Thursday...I completely thought it was Wednesday today. President's Day threw me off. But I digress. I usually like to read newer books, but this one was our book for this month's book club so I decided to add it into my blog posts for today. 

After a tragic accident with Luce's sorta-boyfriend, Luce is sent to an alternative-type school for troubled teens. The school is dark and mysterious and not at all where Luce thought she should be. Of course, it doesn't help that Luce keeps seeing creepy shadows everywhere and usually when she sees them, something bad is about to happen. When she gets to the school, Luce meets all sorts of strange people, one of which is the dark and mysterious Daniel Grigori, who just so happens to be hot. Unfortunately, Daniel is pretty rude. I mean, he flips Luce off the first time she looks at him. Despite Daniel's rudeness, Luce is intrigued by him. After all, who wouldn't want a hot guy who is rude to her and flips her off? Sign me up.

 Progressively throughout the book, Daniel has his nice moments, but it seems like he is constantly trying to push Luce away. Another classmate, Cam, is constantly trying to not push Luce away...he stays in her face and is a bit clingy. Typical situation for a teenage girl. Lust after the bad boy and push away the boy who tries to pay too much attention to you. Fortunately for Luce, this is exactly what she should be doing. Cam gets weird, clingy, and downright creepy throughout the book. I'd try to get rid of him too.

 Finally, after pages of this Daniel-Luce-Cam triangle mixed in with the weird school atmosphere, the book finally gets to the real point: there is a battle of good and evil among the fallen angels. Luce is caught in the middle and then finds out that because of a curse, she is destined to keep falling in love with Daniel and then dying. She gets reincarnated in a sense every 18 years. When she comes along, Daniel tries to push her away, but it always ends the same way. They still fall for each other and she still dies. Talk about toxic relationship! However, this time something is different. When Luce and Daniel get closer, she doesn't die. This foreshadows that the upcoming battle will be the most epic battle yet.

 What did I think about this book? Well, it started off with an interesting premise. It got me engaged, but then it lost me. The middle of this book was boring. Luce is a pretty boring character. The majority of the book was just her describing the school or longing after Daniel or trying to get rid of Cam. Nothing too exciting happened apart from a disaster in the library. The ending was much more captivating. The truth about who the characters are was revealed and a battle ensued. Damage was done, a life was lost. It was the type of excitement that I wish had been laced throughout the book. All in all, I did not love this book but the ending was intriguing enough that I will probably read the next book.

While I am already procrastinating, here are some more free e-books

As the title suggests, I am seriously procrastinating to avoid doing work or studying (I've already been shopping, made some soup, baked a cake, cleaned my apartment, etc.).  One of my favorite things to do is to discover free books on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  I thought I would share my discoveries with everyone else.

1.  Project ELE - Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels.  If you read my blog post about this book, you might be intrigued to read it.  I really enjoyed this book and the next book in the series is on my to-read list.  I didn't find it on B&N, but it is on Amazon for free here.

2.  Meant to Be (The Saving Angels - Book 1) - Tiffany King.  I've read this book as well and I enjoyed it.  I purchased it in a box set with the other two books in the series.  I haven't had a chance to begin the second book yet, but I am looking forward to reading it.  You can get Meant to be on Amazon here, or for $0.99 at B&N here.

Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter Novel - Book 1) is also by Tiffany King and is also free on Amazon.  I snagged that up today and can't wait to read it.  Jordyn is $2.99 on B&N.

3.  The Woodlands - Lauren Nicolle Taylor is free on both Amazon and B&N.  It sounds like a good read based on the reviews.  It has 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon and 4.5 out of 5 stars on B&N.  You can get it here at Amazon and here at B&N.

4.  Silence - Natasha Preston is also free on both Amazon and B&N.  I downloaded this and the next book, Broken Silence, awhile back.  At that time, Broken Silence was free, so maybe one day it will be free again.  I haven't had a chance to read these two yet, but the reviews seem mostly positive.  You can get Silence here on Amazon or here on B&N.

Okay, that should be enough to keep everyone busy for awhile.  I know it will keep me from doing anything productive for a few days.

Double Star is free on Amazon!

If you read my review on Double Star by Cindy Saunders and haven't had a chance to read it, it's now free on Amazon through Feb. 12th, according to the book's Facebook page!  I don't think it is available at B&N, but if you have the free Kindle app on your tablet, laptop, or phone, it's worth checking out!  Link is below:

Double Star for Kindle

Someone Like You - Addison Moore

While we all know that New Adult books aren't really my thing, everyone also knows that I love Addison Moore books.  I had Someone Like You on my "to-read list" not only because of my fangirl obsession with Addison Moore's books, but also because I genuinely enjoyed Someone to Love, the first  book in this series.  I was prepared to purchase it when I checked my email one day and was surprised to find that I had won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.  I love free books, especially from one of my favorite authors!

While Someone to Love follows Kendall on her adventure to college and shenanigans with her class's graduate assistant, Someone Like You follows Kendall's friend Ally and her brother Morgan.  There's still a little bit of Kendall and Cruise in the story, but the lucky couple in this book kind of make Kendall and Cruise seem like a thing from the past.

Ally is tired of being broke and having an unfortunate life.  Her sister's solution?  Become an exotic dancer.  Which would be fine if Ally weren't so shy and clumsy.  Her first night on the job, she plummets off the stage and into the arms of Morgan.  The lovely part of this encounter is that Ally has no idea he is Kendall's brother and Morgan of course has no idea she is Kendall's friend.  So because this is a new adult novel, Ally and Morgan have a pretty steamy one-night-stand.

Later, when Ally is moving out of her apartment and into the RV of her brother, the two meet again and discover who they are.  Ally is naturally freaked out and tries to put distance between herself and Morgan.  Ally's sister always told her she needed to end up with a guy who was rich, and Morgan definitely does not fit that bill.  Through the first part of the book, I kept shouting in my head, "Who cares?  He's HOTTTTT!"  He's also pretty sweet and thoughtful, but it's a book.  I'm allowed to be a little superficial.

Ally and Morgan carry on their summer fling and unintentionally discover each other's deepest secrets.  Rather than pushing them apart, the secrets bring them closer together and they get to team up against the villains in the book, one of which is a villain left over from Someone to Love.

As much as I steer clear of romance and "all that icky stuff," I found myself cheering for Ally and Morgan's relationship.  I was distraught at the thought that Morgan was only going to be around for the summer.  It's been my experience that long distance relationships just do not work (at least for me).  It's a book full of dramatic events and steamy love scenes.  While not my usual genre, I actually did enjoy this book and I can't wait to read any future installments of this series that the author may write.

Miss Me Not - Tiffany King

I admit that I cry when I read books, but Miss Me Not brought on a whole new kind of crying.  Maybe I shouldn't have started with that...it is a good book and I really enjoyed it, tears and all.  I do not view crying while reading as a bad thing.  When a book makes me feel so many emotions that tears are elicited, I am really impressed.

Miss Me Not is a book that discusses topics that many people choose to ignore:  teenage promiscuity and teenage suicide.  Both are important issues yet people tend to not want to talk about it.  Madison and her only friend James both have lives they wish they could forget.  So they do what seems sensible to them:  they create a suicide pact.  They intend to end their lives and disappear into nothing.  That is until their classmate Mitch beats them to the punch and kills himself.

Madison didn't really know Mitch, but his death really bothered her.  At first, it was because she saw how the kids at school who did not know or care about Mitch reacted to his death.  They used it as yet another means to get attention for themselves by feigning grief over his lost life.  Madison has no intention of letting the "populars" attract more attention to themselves by her death.  So she lives to spite them.  Or so she thinks.

Enter popular, handsome Dean into Madison's life.  Dean starts out tutoring Madison and they become friends despite Madison's idea that she is not fit for friendship with anyone other than James who is just as broken as she is.  Fortunately, Dean is quite persistent and slowly Madison learns that maybe life is worth living and maybe past mistakes can stay in the past. Maybe there is a chance for her to have a nice future. 

This is a sad, yet beautiful story of a girl trying to make sense of her own life.  She made a mistake in her past and blames herself for it, though she is not the only person who messed up.  Her mother can't forgive her, but the people that really care about her can forgive her.  More importantly, she can forgive herself.  The story makes real the topic of teenage depression and suicide.  It shows how someone's past can make other students find justification for bullying.  The story is so sad and it should be.  It should make the reader think about the issues that teens go through.  It's heart-wrenching and maybe it will make young readers realize how their words or actions make other people feel.