Friday Freebie #36 The Island (The Island #1) by Jen Minkman

Tags

dystopia, friday freebie, jen minkman, mg, middle grade, novella, the island, ya, young adult

I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.

But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?

Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

Also available in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Afrikaans!

 

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

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Review: Hidden (The Hidden Series, #1) by M. Lathan @hiddenseries

Tags

dystopia, futuristic, hidden, hidden series, indie author, m lathan, paranormal, self-published, ya, young adult

Sixteen-year-old Leah Grant has given up on being normal. She’d settle for stopping the voices in her head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her seventeenth birthday.

That’s the thing about pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment, her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the witches.

Everything changes when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in. She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now the hunters won’t give up until they find her.

Making friends for the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.

Let’s hope she can stay hidden.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

Whoever said indie books aren’t quality should take a shot at this one. I was extremely impressed with Ms. Lathan’s storytelling and her ability to weave a tale riddled with twists and turns and yet keep it focused. In the beginning, when Leah is taken to the mansion, her rescuer’s explanation for the deed felt a bit contrived and awkward as well as the whole set up at the house. However, that proved to be part of the plot, so I shan’t hold it against my overall rating. I greatly appreciated the elements of forgiveness and mercy in the storyline and think they are greatly underrated themes.

The plot:

Hidden is a book that kept me guessing. I confess I didn’t see the twist about the parents coming, though I wasn’t quite sure about CC. The storyline stressed me in the way that I felt I had to know the ending. It was a book that grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go and I think that is sure sign of the author’s talent.

The characters:

Leah is a girl burdened by the belief that she is evil and that she is a cursed being without a soul. Having grown up in a girls’ home where the nuns preach the evils of witches with a vehemence, guilt and a desire to “be good” is what keeps her from lashing out against the constant bullying of the other girls. Then one night she finally loses it, but before she can harm anyone, a mysterious old woman teleports into the school yard and whisks her away to a California mansion. There we see the true depths of Leah’s self-hatred and her desire to atone for the most minute of things. Her journey to self-acceptance and discovery was one that progressed beautifully and it was impossible not feel for her through her struggles.

Nathan, a shapeshifting boy who turns into a dog, is just what Leah needs. He doesn’t try to push her into anything, he’s considerate, funny, sweet, and understanding. Though he has plenty of unresolved issues of his own and a good many things he has to get sorted for himself. He was the cause of many “aww” moments and I thought their friendship and later romance was an adorable addition to the story.

There are a number of minor characters who appeared on the side as well as several other major characters who were unknown in the beginning. The twist about Leah’s parents was startling and their story heart wrenching. All the major characters were clear-cut and defined, making me worry about them—sans villains—from the beginning.

The bittersweet ending to this book left me with a sad smile and I look forward to the sequel and the author’s future work.

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Release Day Review: Salvation (The Captive, #4) by Erica Stevens

Tags

awesome, dystopia, Erica Stevens, indie book review, paranormal romance, the captive series, vampires, young adult

4th and last book in the Captive Series.

Imprisoned by Caleb and at the mercy of the king, Aria is determined not to let them break her. However, the more atrocities she witnesses, the more she realizes there are some horrors no one can withstand, and sometimes survival isn’t always the best option.
Tormented by the loss of Aria, Braith is forced to choose between his need to rescue her, and the impending rebel war he’s been chosen to lead. Fighting against the darkness which threatens to drag him into its tempting depths, Braith struggles not to become like the one thing he hates the most, his father.
Faced with their own separate challenges, Aria and Braith must come to terms with who they are, what they want, and the likelihood that they can never be together as the inevitable war looms on the horizon. A war that all of them will fight but not all of them will survive.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

Oh, yes, I’m on another severe Reader’s High (a sense of lingering euphoria resulting from reading an outrageously good book) and suffering a wicked Book Hangover (the inability to start a new book because one’s mind is still trapped in a previous book’s world). I received an ARC of Salvation from the author and I admit I kind of giggled in excitement and ridiculous self-satisfaction when I got to read it nine whole days before everyone else. I am a huge fan of this series, ever since I read the first one last autumn and this is by far one of my favorite series of all time. I finished Salvation in about five hours (probably more like four if you subtract dishwashing time, stopping check on little brother, stopping to chat with another little brother, etc.) and I don’t even mind that it’s the last in the series because I’m so happy right now! There were quite a few places where I actually laughed (especially in the parts told from Jack’s perspective and the banter between Aria’s brothers) and I may very well have enjoyed the finale more than the others.

The plot:

This book stressed me out. I was in a state of absolute agony, up until about the 97% mark because I was so scared about how it would wrap up. At around 43% I was freaking out because I kept thinking “alright, that was too flipping easy, where’s the catch? I demand to see the catch!” It turns out I was right, but we won’t talk too much about that for fear of spoilers…

The characters:

It was interesting to see how everyone had matured a bit since the beginning, particularly Braith. Yes, the nine hundred and fifty-two-year-old vampire still had a little growing up to do and I liked how by the end he was finally willing to consider everyone else, but still made Aria a priority.

I started to like Ashby in the previous book, but I grew quite fond of him in this one. Same with Xavier, Max, and Aria’s family. I thought the side characters became much more fleshed out and dimensional in this one and I was surprised to find myself worrying about them almost as much as Braith and Aria (because who are we kidding, I always worry about the couple the most).

I liked the part where everyone gets the chance to take revenge on the people who’ve wronged them and they show mercy while the bad people still get their comeuppance (eventually). The line between vengeance and justice can get a bit blurry at times and I was pleased by how well I thought the author handled the subject.

All in all, this was an incredible finale to an incredible series. I highly, highly recommend all these books to fans of vampire romance, upper YA romance, and maybe even dystopian romance. This series will forever hold a place on my bookshelves and I cannot wait for the author’s next book!

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Review: The Witches’ Sleep (The Witches’ Sleep, #1) by Kaitlyn Deann

Tags

book review, dystopia, fantasy, indie author, kaitlyn deann, shape shifters, The witches sleep, witches, ya

At only seventeen, Ella Barnes is shot and killed for an unknown reason. She is shocked when she wakes up in a different world, a world of witches. Ella has to learn to adapt to a new body, new life and new world, surrounded by new people. As Ella gets to know Raena, the world of the witches and its people, she realizes they aren’t the perfect creatures they believe themselves to be, and she’s not the type of person to stand around and twiddle her thumbs. Will Ella succeed in changing the mindset of the people? Or will she be doomed to die another cold and tragic death because of her rebellion?

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again—dystopia and I have a bad history. Suzanne Collins broke my heart and I haven’t been especially drawn to any dystopias since forcing myself to read about Katniss. That being said, this is nothing like any of those or really anything I’ve read in a long time. It was centered much more around mercy, forgiveness, and justice than other titles in my literary diet have been lately and it was refreshing. In fact, the messages Ms. Deann conveys greatly remind me of those in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, which is one of my favorite series of all time and is the only one I have ever read twice. (Even if I have a much less pacifist view than either author promotes, I can appreciate non-violence.)

The plot:

This story was inspired by the theme from the DiCaprio thriller, Inception—“When we die, we wake up.” It was a new and fascinating storyline and I found it to be original with sweet romance, a shot of mystery, and an adequate dose of suspense. It moved along very quickly for being 400+ pages, not lagging yet not quite reaching the pace intensity of a thriller or adventure novel. I really had no idea how it would end, but thought the conclusion was satisfying and gratifying. There is this one part where the main character talks about the American Civil War and I kind of got mad because it WAS NOT about slavery, but that’s a history lesson for another time.

The characters:

This story is told in first person present tense from the perspective of Ella Barnes/Sunlight Reflecting Off The Moon (Sunlight). I thought she was a relatable, engaging MC and it was made easy to relate to her as she tried to adjust to her new life, new planet, new family, and even new body.

Kindness is Sunlight’s soulmate and intended and their romance was adorable, sweet, and yet you could see that they had a strong and fireproof love that would get them through the tough times. Kindness was an astute diplomat and unwavering activist and I thought their determination in their fight against slavery was admirable.

My favorite characters were Tuck and Sea-Anna. Tuck was such a sensible and caring persona and he made me think of a cuddly little tiger cub that you just want to hug like a teddy bear. Both he and Kindess really reminded me of Maggie Streitvfer’s Sam Roth and I think he’s just one of the sweetest love interests ever.

Sea-Anna was timid, small, and easily frightened, but she was stronger than she thought and had a good heart and I wanted to put her some place safe and keep her away from all the villains who didn’t seem to care that she and the others had feelings, hearts, dreams, and fears. Together they made the cutest couple ever and I found it impossible not to smile when they were being sweet. Tuck and Sea-Anna are the MC’s for the second book, World of the Beasts, and I’m excited because I just adore them!

This book will appeal to fans of dystopia, fantasy, and maybe even sweet, clean paranormal romance. It certainly appealed to me and I look forward to the next in this series!

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Review: Girl with the Golden Eyes ( I Am Alive book 2 Episode #1 ) (I Am Alive serial #4) by Cameron Jace

Tags

cameron jace, dystopia, girl with the golden eyes, i am alive, increscent, sequels, serials

in·cres·cent (n-krsnt): [Latin incrscns, incrscent-, present participle of incrscere, to increase; see increase.] especially the moon. An Increscent Moon.

Decca made up her mind. Did she choose to become a Ten or stay a Monster? Leo has a lot of explaining to do; was the attraction real? Woo has grown to be someone else entirely with a lot of secrets about Faya, himself, and Decca. Why was Decca special, and why did he help her in the first place?

A year later after the Monster Show, the three of them face a new unexpected danger, consequences that are greater than they would have ever imagined. Decca finds herself struggling with a new choice.

This time, staying alive is not enough. You have to BE alive.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

Read from November 18 to 20, 2012

First of all, a HUGE thank-you to Cameron Jace for giving me a free copy of this book for review! =D

Note: Contains minor spoilers for the first book in this series, I AM ALIVE.

This serial finds Decca one year after surviving the Monster Show, her hands cuffed behind her back to a chair, and Leo about to kill her. Talk about getting your attention, right? But after seeing Decca’s current predicament, we go on a journey to learn how she got there.I enjoyed this book (or at least this part of it) more than I did the first one, I AM ALIVE. Though there were still a few typos and minor thematic inconsistencies (a character being a Six in one scene and a Five later, a video being mentioned before the characters were supposed to know what it was, etc.). The pacing was excellent and I am looking forward to the rest of this serial novel!

The plot:
I was wondering how the writer was going to pull it off, having a year-long gap in the timeline between the two books since I AM ALIVE ends with a pretty hefty cliffhanger. But it made perfect sense and there was never a dull moment! It most certainly did not lack THE HUNGER GAMES-like feeling of intense, imminent danger. (Is that normal in dystopias? I haven’t read a whole lot.) But I did take issue with some of the world-building elements. For example, I don’t think (based on observation of contemporary society) that gays would be downgraded in this futuristic society, but that’s just my opinion. *shrug*

The characters:
It was interesting to see how Decca had changed since becoming a monster. She’s struggling with finding her place in a world where she is both a revered celebrity and a slave to the entertainment of the masses. She pines after Woo, who is acting strangely distant, and tries to keep Leo, who is acting strangely not-distant, at an arm’s length. I’m fairly sure my allegiance lies with Team Leo, but there IS the whole thing about him with a rifle about the blow off Decca’s head at the beginning, so we’ll just have to see what happens when the next serial comes to Amazon.

We didn’t really get to meet Woo in I AM ALIVE. He was present in Decca’s retrospective inner musings and was the reason she voluntarily went into the Monster Show to start with, but we didn’t really get to meet him. Here, we are properly introduced to this mysterious character who is described as “Peter Pan.” Though he’s still a teenager, he has the aura of a hardened general about him and I often shared Decca’s frustration when he refused to give her an explanation as to why he, Xitler, and the elusive Breakfast Club think she’s so special.

Leo has really changed since I AM ALIVE. He’s more affable and less Rambo-esque, and keeps after Decca with an unwavering persistence. It is a complete mystery as to how he ended up with the aforementioned rifle, about to kill the girl he apparently loves, but again, I guess that just means I’ve got to get that next serial when it comes out…

I LOVE PEPPER! In this one, she was less sarcastic and pessimistic and more the unwavering optimist. There’s a new, sad development in her romance with Woodsy, but for some reason, I wasn’t overly saddened by it. I’m not sure why. Still, I am sorry for the way things turned out. 😦

Bellona is hilarious. Know how most girls are glued to their phones? Well, she’s glued to her machine gun. She’s become very resentful of Decca over the past year, and Pepper’s little quips about Bellona and her beloved martial accessory might’ve been what endeared the latter to me, but ether way, I really like her, too.

And I like Vern. He’s cute in a video-game addicted little-boy way. =)

Dang, that was a long review! Not sure where all those thoughts came from. Anyway, I recommend this book and his series to fans of dystopias with strong female protagonists, lots of mysteries and l do plan on looking for the next installment in this series.

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