ARC Review: Painless by S.A. Harazin

Painless
by S.A. Harazin
Published by Albert & Whitman Company
Ebook (received via NetGalley)
YA, contemporary

A first kiss. Falling in love. Going to prom. These are all normal things that most teenagers experience. Except for 17-year-old David Hart. His life is anything but normal and more difficult than most. Because of the disease that wracks his body, David is unable to feel pain. He has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhydrosis--or CIPA for short. One of only a handful of people in the world who suffer from CIPA, David can't do the things every teenager does. He might accidentally break a limb and not know it. If he stands too close to a campfire, he could burn his skin and never feel it. He can't tell if he has a fever and his temperature is rising. Abandoned by his parents, David now lives with his elderly grandmother who is dying. When David's legal guardian tells him that he needs to move into an assisted living facility as he cannot live alone, David is determined to prove him wrong. He creates a bucket list, meets a girl with her own wish list, and then sets out to find his parents. All David wants to do is grow old, beat the odds, find love, travel the world, and see something spectacular. And he still wants to find his parents. While he still can.

Synopsis promises something spectacular: a boy ridden by rare disease who is determined to actually live. A personal quest of sorts, and with unique theme as David doesn't feel pain. It made me question everything - how it works, how David takes care of himself and how does he see the world? Unfortunately, the book didn't quite deliver what I expected from it. Yes, David has a rare disease and his view of world is different and intriguing. But that's it. The plot was intermittent as it went on a little bit and then it seemed to move backwards and go to random side roads. David himself was intriguing character at first and I really liked him, but his character development wasn't enough - especially since David was very immature to begin with. Then Luna was annoying and quite cold, and she was immature as well, but she acted like she thought she was beyond that. My favourite from the characters was actually David's old grandmother, especially in the flashbacks and memories. She was caring, strong and extremely smart, and I liked her character a lot.

Overall the story was boring, I got so bored and disinterested that eventually I didn't even care about characters and what happened to them. The beginning was very promising, I mean David didn't feel pain and while it was the whole point and it was presented very well, the characters or the plot didn't hold my interest after the start. David even created a bucket list of sorts - things he wanted to do and experience before he dies, even though no one knew for sure how much he had, especially since no one expected him to live as old as he already was. But there was no climax, although one of the things David's bucket list suggested there might be conformation, a climax for the story. However, the reveal at the end did explain some things but a lot of things were left open wide and I didn't find it satisfying.

Painless had a lot potential: synopsis are interesting and left me with bunch of questions. However, the execution didn't answer those question, and the plot and the characters bored me more than kept me invested on their lives. I'd say, if you find the synopsis intriguing enough, give it a go. You might like the characters and like how the story goes on. For me, Painless was a little bit disappointment and in the end, I didn't enjoy the story as I was bored and not interested in enough of the characters lives, so that's why I'm giving Painless a two star rating.

2 of 5 stars.

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Thank you, Albert & Whitman Company, for giving me a chance to read and review Painless!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Book Blitz + Quest Post + Giveaway: How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes

How to be a Mermaid (Falling in Deep Collection, #10) 

by Erin Hayes
Publication date: July 7th 2015
YA, fantasy

All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid. 

So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe. 

Everything’s great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare — she’s turning into a mermaid herself. For real. 

Yet when she returns to the sea to seek out Finn and reverse her transformation, she finds herself in the middle of an impending war between the land and sea. Tara may have always wanted to be a mermaid, but now it’s sink or swim. In order to survive, she has to learn how to be one, too. 

*** 

Summer 2015, award-winning, and best-selling authors will bring you romantic tales of mermaids, sirens, sprites, and other creatures of the deep! Keep in touch as we reveal each title in our collection!

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Author bio

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.

She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she'll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

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Guest Post by Erin Hayes
When I first started writing How to be a Mermaid, I knew next to nothing about professional mermaiding. I looked online, watched videos, and kept an eye on forums, but I didn’t think I’d get a chance to see a mermaid in real life. And if it wasn’t for the Georgia Aquarium’s Festival of the SEAson, I probably still wouldn’t have been able to.

As part of the Georgia Aquarium’s Christmas celebrations, the famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids did a special performance at the aquarium. I went to a meet and greet with one of the mermaids and watched them do a live show.

It was one of those defining moments in my life. Watching these mermaids perform was like watching fantasies come true. Up until that point, mermaids were a thing of myth. 

The mermaids of Weeki Wachee brought them to life for me.

While I was there, I also did a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. My wonderful guide took me to areas where a lot of aquarium goers don’t venture. I got to see my favorite animals, the whale
sharks, from a whole new perspective. I learned that they ship in food everyday from New Zealand for a particular animal’s diet. And I saw the inner workings of one of the world’s biggest aquariums.

The mermaids were enchanting, but I found that the living, breathing aquarium was just as magical. There are far too many things on this earth that we take for granted. The beauty of the sea is one of them.

The entire experience was eye-opening. A lot of conservation efforts are going on taking care of the animals and our oceans.

If we don’t take care of our environment, there will be less opportunities for future generations to see the beautiful ocean and its creatures. 

Finn, Tara, King Oceanus, and King Leviathan may take care of the oceans in this book, but it is our responsibility to do more.

We have a fantastical, magical world around us. We need to take care of it, too.

Giveaway! (INTL)

A mermaid care package to help you be the best mermaid:

• A signed copy of How to be a Mermaid
• Tara's necklace
• Two Mermaid Mix soaks
• A mermaid mirror compact
• Six starfish hairpins
• A mermaid wallet
• Mermaid perfume
• Mermaid Tail Nail Polish
• A mermaid makeup bag
• Four Little Mermaid Buttons
• And one mermaid handbag to carry all your dinglehoppers

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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Naked by Stacey Trombley

Naked

by Stacey Trombley

Release Date: 07/07/15

Entangled Teen

305 pages

The best place to hide is in a lie…

I could never fit in to the life my parents demanded. By the time I was thirteen, it was too much. I ran away to New York City…and found a nightmare that lasted three years. A nightmare that began and ended with a pimp named Luis. Now I am Dirty Anna. Broken, like everything inside me has gone bad.

Except that for the first time, I have a chance to start over. Not just with my parents but at school. Still, the rumors follow me everywhere. Down the hall. In classes. And the only hope I can see is in the wide, brightly lit smile of Jackson, the boy next door. So I lie to him. I lie to protect him from my past. I lie so that I don’t have to be The Girl Who Went Bad.

The only problem is that someone in my school knows about New York.

Someone knows who I really am.

And it’s just a matter of time before the real Anna is exposed…

Buy Links:
Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

Playlist:
Naked Playlist 


The day Taylor Swift pulled her songs from Spotify was the day my book playlist went to die. Good thing I was already finished writing and almost all the edits were done at that point. I remember having one edit left and I had to make a youtube playlist because without Taylor Swift, the playlist is seriously lacking. 


I had four major songs that set the tone for this book (only one of them isn’t a Taylor Swift song). Songs that fit different aspects so perfectly they felt like they were made for it, made to help me along (one of which, I swear, could be the theme song). Here is a list of my most important playlist songs and some of the lyrics that struck me the most (because, let’s face it, it’s the lyrics that makes these songs so great for Anna’s story) 



1) Dear John by Taylor Swift 

Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone. 
Don't you think I was too young 
To be messed with? 
The girl in the dress 
Cried the whole way home 
I should've known. 


2) Begin Again by Taylor Swift 

I've been spending the last eight months 
Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end 
But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again 



3) Whore by In This Moment  

You probably thought I wouldn't get this far 
You thought I'd end up in the back of a car 
You probably thought that I'd never escape 
I'd be a rat in a cage, I'd be a slave to this place 
You don't know how hard I fought to survive, 
Waking up alone when I was left to die 
You don't know about this life I've lived, 
All these roads I've walked 
All these tears I've bled 


4) Innocent by Taylor Swift 
 (I could quote this whole song but I’ll stick to just a tid bit;) ) 

Did some things you can't speak of 
But at night you live it all again 
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now 
If only you had seen what you know now then 
... 
It's alright, just wait and see 
Your string of lights is still bright to me 
Oh, who you are is not what you've been 
You're still an innocent 




Some other songs on the play list: 

Rise by Shawn Mcdonald 
Runaway by Linkin Park 
Torn to Pieces by Pop Evil 
Somewhere Inbetween by Lifehouse 
Lean On Me by DC Talk 
Through Glass by Stone Sour 
Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars 
Never Too Late by Three Days Grace 
Psycho by Puddle Of Mud 
Fearless by DC Talk  

About the Author

Stacey Trombley lives in Ohio with her husband and the sweetest Rottweiler you’ll ever meet. She thinks people are fascinating and any chance she has, she’s off doing or learning something new. She went on her first mission trip to Haiti at age twelve and is still dying to go back. Her “places to travel” list is almost as long as her “books to read” list. 

She wants to bring something new to the world through her writing, but just giving a little piece of herself is more than enough.

Keep a look out for her debut novel NAKED, coming from Entangled Teen in 2015

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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Drawn by Chris Ledbetter

Drawn

by Chris Ledbetter 

Release Date: 06/08/15

Evernight Teen

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Jays Book Covers By Design

Caught between the sweltering fall landscape of Wilmington, NC beaches and southern illusions and expectations, all sixteen year-old Cameron Shade thinks about is art. That, and for Farrah Spangled to view him as more than just a friend. Cameron longs to win her heart through art.

After several warm interactions with Farrah, including painting together at the beach, Cameron discovers just how complex Farrah’s life is with her boyfriend and her family. Following a tense run-in with Farrah’s father, she forbids Cameron to ever speak to her again, but Cameron’s convinced there’s more behind the request.

To impress Farrah with a last-ditch effort, Cameron sketches her portrait. But the sketchbook he uses hides a dark secret. Farrah’s now in grave danger because the sketch he drew of her siphons her real-life’s soul into the sketchbook. Cameron now has twenty days to extract Farrah. To save her, he must draw himself into the book.

If he fails… they both die.

Buy Links:
Amazon│Evernight Teen

About the Author
Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended Hampton University where he promptly "walked-on" to the best drum line in the CIAA. And, without any prior percussion experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his back is not very happy about now.

After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University and earned his degree in Business Administration. He's worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout his life. While teaching high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, he taught business management, business law, marketing, and sports marketing, and also coached football.

He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.

He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. As a self-described, young reluctant reader, he writes young adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers. As a participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, he was blessed to be mentored by Suzanne Morgan Williams, 2012 SCBWI member of the year.

He now lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.

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Review: Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson

Trust the Focus (In Focus, #1)
by Megan Erickson
Published by Intermix
Ebook (purchased)
NA, LGBT, contemporary, romance

With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon. 

As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry. 

But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion. 

Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding.

Trust the Focus is a story about twenty-two year old Justin who just graduated from college with a degree he has no interested in - but one his mother pushed him to take in order to work for his mother's political campaign after graduation. The story follows Justin through a summer and a road trip across a country as Justin says goodbye to his father, and finally takes steps to become honest: to his best friend, Landry, who he loves but more importantly, Justin takes steps to be true to himself.

Basically, Trust the Focus is a coming of age -like story but Justin's just done with the college and not almost done/done with high school. I think it's important to have this kind of stories where characters find themselves or what they want to be after college instead of the usual high school or college age. Not everyone learn to be true to themselves at young age. For some it takes more time, just like it did for Justin. I think that's why Justin was so easy to identify with and I really understood what he was going through. Justin was a wonderful main characters because of that, with all of his struggles and because he was far from perfect: he did mistakes and he learnt from them. Landry, too, was a wonderful character but for a different reason. He was so different from Justin because he already was true to himself and even though he had some obstacles to overcome, he was quite confident and he was there for Justin. Also, they were so cute together, I ship them so hard!

Trust the Focus had it all: good and solid plot, important messages and themes, characters easy to identify with and who were generally amazing, a romance that was really good and not forced at all, and really good writing style. Plus I loved the blog posts that were included! It broke the usual narrator style, gave a little more insight and honestly, were so hilarious when Landry wrote them. I just fell for this one so badly that I need more. I need more Justin and Landry.

I highly recommend this one to everyone. It's just so good.

5 of 5 stars.

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Book Blitz: Schism by Laura Maisano

Schism (Illirin #1)

by Laura Maisano 

Release Date: 04/28/15

Muse It Up Publishing

Art therapy hasn’t done squat for Gabe Jones. A thousand sketches of his fiancée can’t bring his memory, or her, back to him. Nothing on Earth can. His past lies in another dimension, a world just out of sight.

Another student on campus, Lea Huckley, unknowingly shares Gabe’s obsession with the fourth dimension. The monsters from the other side attacked her parents and fled, getting her folks locked up in the loony bin. Proving this other world exists is the only way to free them. Lea and Gabe strike a deal to help each other, and together they manage to open a door to the world of Gabe’s true origin. She’d use him for proof—if she didn’t already care too much.

While Gabe tries to reconcile his feelings for Lea and his rediscovered memories of his fiancée, a much more sinister plot unravels. He uncovers his history just in time to become the unwilling lynchpin in a conspiracy to start a war. His memory holds the secret to the final riddle the would-be conqueror needs to get the upper hand. Gabe must protect the riddle at all costs, even if that means leaving Earth, and Lea, behind forever.

Buy Links:

Amazon   *   Barnes and Noble  *  Audible  *  Kobo
Goodreads  *  MuseItUp Publishing

Excerpt 

Lea packed light. Other than her phone’s GPS and a flashlight, she kept a small notepad, her lucky pencil, and the thermometer in her cargo pocket. She didn’t need to find data, now she needed proof.

She led the way down the alley where skyscrapers blocked the glowing moon and the lamps from the highway. Yellowed fixtures above each back entrance threw faint cones of light onto the cement, like holes in Swiss cheese.

Lea checked the coordinates on her phone while she walked, and the little red arrow crept closer to the flag icon she placed to mark the interaction point.

Gabe spent his time surveying the area for anything that might be a danger. He kept fidgeting behind her and turning around every few seconds, a twitchy meerkat on patrol.

“We’re only between buildings. It’s not the end of the world.” Lea checked her phone again to make sure they were headed in the right direction.

He glanced over his shoulder. “I still don’t like it. It’s night, people do get mugged, you know.”

“The statistics of that are so low. We’re really not in any danger, considering the population and how many times that sorta thing happens.”

He shifted uneasily behind her. “Whatever, we’re raising the chances by being out here at night.”

Lea rolled her eyes. “I’m not missing this opportunity.”

“I know that. Neither am I.”

“Good.”

They came to a cross section behind two major offices where the loading docks and dumpsters sat for both of them. A stream of water trickled down the concave cement into the large sewer grate. Old garbage left a fume hanging around, and the humidity only made it worse.

Lea double- and triple-checked her coordinates, cross-checking with her notes. “This is it. Within I’d say, a fifteen foot diameter, low to the ground.” She shoved the phone in her cargo pocket. “Perfect.”

“How long?”

“Roughly ten minutes.”

Ten minutes may as well have been six hours. She paced back and forth, her sneakers scuffing the gritty pavement.

Gabe continued to keep a watchful eye out for muggers or vagrants. What a dork.

She snickered quietly. For someone who didn’t know his own experiences, he sure seemed paranoid. She watched him standing straight, darting his eyes to the entrance and even up to the windows above them. Watch out bad guys, Gabe’s on to you. She smiled and turned to see what looked like heat waves rising from the cold cement. Crap. The interaction had already started.

“Gabe…” She waved him over next to the loading dock.

This interaction provided no shining lights or obvious movement. Not much stood out visually, except maybe the air glistening like summer heat waves if she squinted hard enough, but her digital thermometer found the coldest point.

“Here,” she whispered, not wanting anyone or anything on the other side to hear. She stretched her arms forward, and Gabe did likewise.

“On the count of three.” She waited for him to nod. “One…two…three.”

They both reached through the interaction point and grabbed at the thicker air. Nothing. They tried again, pulling, grasping, and making any sort of motion to trigger a rip. Finally, Gabe leaned in and pulled out at just the right angle, because the light tore across like a jagged line. Lea grabbed the edge of it and tugged, opening the tear wider until they both fell through.

About the Author

Laura has an MA in Technical writing and is a Senior Editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian Fiction. She’s excited to release her debut YA Urban Fantasy SCHISM April 28, 2015, and during the wait, she’s working on the sequel UNITY.

Her gamer husband and amazing daughter give support and inspiration every day. Their cats, Talyn and Moya, provide entertainment through living room battles and phantom-dust-mote hunting. Somehow, they all manage to survive living in Texas where it is hotter than any human being should have to endure. Check out her blog at LauraMaisano.blogspot.com.

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Wrapping the Month: June Edition

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

Argh, I'm a bad bad blogger. June started strong but then I got tired from the summer job and going to gym and then I just didn't schedule post or wrote any reviews even though I read some. Any tips how I can keep on schedule with reviews? Like actually write them? I'm so bad actually getting a grip on myself and writing them even though I know what I want to say about the book.

Anyway. I don't have a lot to say about June, I worked a lot, went to gym a lot and read a lot when I had time. Besides book blitzes, cover reveals and weekly memes, during June I had a chance to interview author J.B. Kantt, and you can read the lovely interview here.

Yay, lots of books! Modern Monster was a pre-order simply because it's a Kelley York book and I live for those. Otherwise I didn't spend much because Freshmen and Captain Hawk were review copies, and all of those other beauties I ordered with a gift card I have been saving since Christmas.

(photo by me)

June's reviews:

Without Chance (5 stars)

Remember Me (3 stars)

Omega In The Shadows (4 stars)

I finished Without Chance (by Christopher Bailey) on the 1st of June which I think is a perfect way to start a new month. Remember Me (by Nina Croft) followed shortly as did Wild (by Zoe Perdita). Death Wish (by Meghan Tayte) I read a little by little for the whole month but finished it before midsummer. Omega In The Shadows (by Zoe Perdita) was a quick read but I've discovered that all Perdita's books are quick reads for me. I also finished Painless (by S.A. Harazin) FINALLY as it's a long due ARC I've read here and there.

I think I did good this month reading wise, especially since I worked a job through whole month. Now if I could read just a little bit more next month - there's always more to read and I did have many days when I read absolutely nothing during June.

Hugs,

Henna

Review: Omega In The Shadows by Zoe Perdita

Omega In The Shadows (Lost Wolves, #1)

by Zoe Perdita

Published by Createspace

Ebook (purchased)

Adult, LGBT, paranormal, romance

Rowan Gregor is a CIA agent who vows never to get close to another wolf after his pack is brutally murdered by hunters. Enter Elijah Kane, an efficient and shadowy omega assassin on the run from the CIA. When Rowan is tasked with hunting down Kane, he ends up at the mercy of a wolf with nothing left to lose - a wolf who is sure Rowan is his mate. Elijah Kane is hell bent on proving he's stronger and smarter than every alpha he meets - including the alpha CIA agent sent to kill him. But Rowan lights a fire of lust that Elijah can't ignore. They share a rare connection - a mate connection - and he's not going to give up on Rowan until the man sees it too. Trapped in a snowy wilderness and besieged by hunters, desire sizzles between Elijah and Rowan. Can they overcome their differences, and their pasts, and forge a bond to save their future?

Omega In The Shadows is a fast paced story about Elijah Kane, who's a werewolf assassin, and Rowan Gregor, who's a werewolf CIA agent. I was intrigued especially since the assassins and overall how Perdita could make the couple work since Rowan was bound by law and Elijah listened to no one. Also it happened that Elijah stole my heart. Smart-ass, witty and rebellious assassin who didn't took orders from others, especially from alphas, was bound to make me fall in love with them.

There was twist and turns, and just when I though the plot would stop for a while - that there was no twists left - Perdita turned the story upside down, or at least brought some new aspects. I loved how it surprised me all the time without making it feel that things were brought up to be a shock value only. They only made me want to read the whole book at one sitting because I couldn't stop (it sure was hell to actually work and sleep while reading this!). The story was strong because of Elijah's character and his intriguing and dark past, but the plot and other characters, mainly Rowan, made the story even stronger.

Pleasurable, interesting and full of action with one smart-ass assassin, that's what Omega In The Shadows is all about. There's also a kick-ass romance since it can't be anything else with a character like Elijah Kane and his stubborn and brave alpha, Rowan. I do recommend this for anyone up to good, fast paced paranormal romance!

Now I need the sequel which is about Elijah's brother.

4 of 5 stars.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books I've Read So Far In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

1. Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon Vs is without doubts my number one new acquaintance in 2015 so far. I mean, it's funny, witty, deep and the characters are amazing. Perfect debut, I'd say. I will definitely follow everything Albertalli does book wise from now on.

2. Half Wild by Sally Green
If Simon Vs is the number one new acquaintance, then Half Wild is the number one series continue. I loved Half Bad but Half Wild went beyond that. I mean, Gabriel. He deserves everything. And Nathan, oh my he needs all the hugs he can get and I'd hug him for a day. Half Wild was perfect. Although, less Annalise (I hope she dies in the last book, am I horrible person for that? If yes, I don't even care.)

(AND MY SHIP SAILED!! IT BETTER SAIL ON FOREVER ON HALF LOST.) 

3. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
This was nothing I expected and everything I needed. So original, so amazing and I will hug this book forever as it stays with me that long.

4. & 5. Earth Star / Earth Flight by Janet Edwards
Earth Girl was stunning but I put off reading the sequel because I was afraid they wouldn't be as good. But I was silly since both of them were stunning and I flew through them (and then I was sad because there was no more. I need more Jarra and Fian and their friends.)

6. Without Chance by Christopher Bailey
The twist shattered my heart but mended it, kind of, back together. Without Chance was unique and all the feels and of course it made to my list. So amazing, I'm happy I got to read it this year!


Hah, without consciously trying, this list has a theme: LGBT. All of the books contains at least one LGBT character. Well, let's celebrate that!

Double Cover Reveal: The Beast of Callaire & The Dryad of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey

The Beast of Callaire (The Legend Mirror #1)

by Saruuh Kelsey 

Release Date: 05/20/14

200 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Yasmin is a descendant of the Manticore. A creature of Persian mythology. A Legendary.

But she doesn’t want to be. Unlike the Legendaries in The Red, Yasmin wants nothing more than an ordinary life. She tries to fool herself into believing that she doesn’t change into a beast every full moon and savagely kill innocent people.

But when Yasmin starts hearing a voice in her head and is drawn into dreams that aren’t her own, she is led to Fray—a girl who once saved Yasmin from hunters, who has shadowy memories that hint at her having Legendary magic—and Yasmin is catapulted into a life of Majick and malevolence.

Despite the danger around her and Fray, Yasmin might finally have a chance at being a normal girl with a normal girlfriend. But with Legendaries being killed, a war between the Gods brewing, and the beast inside Yasmin becoming stronger each moon, her mundane life is little more than a dream.

The Dryad of Callaire (The Legend Mirror, #2)

by Saruuh Kelsey 

Release Date: 08/18/15

300 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

The Legend Mirror series returns with more mythology, more danger, and more Majick as Yasmin Wikke sets out on a quest to find her missing girlfriend.

Reeling from the fight with Discordia, Yasmin and the Red search for answers. Who is Discordia? Why were they stealing Majick? And where have they taken Fray and Priscilla Hannam, a Legendary swept away in the midst of battle? To get them back, Yasmin will have to ally with both Gods and strangers, and go to extreme lengths.

Fray and Priscilla have been stolen, taken to an impossible place that is slowly changing them. Their captors are monsters with venom in their teeth and bloody hands, and they want to use the girls to win a war. But armed with a terrifying and empowering new ability, Fray will die before she becomes their pawn.

About the Author
Saruuh Kelsey is the author of several novels for young adults, including the free Lux Guardians series and The Legend Mirror series. Her latest releases include THE BEAST OF CALLAIRE, the first novel of a new YA fantasy series, and a collection of diverse fairy tales in LOVE IN THE GILDED AGE. Find her online at saruuhkelsey.co.uk.

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