The Island by Jen

The Island by Jen Minkman

‘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?

(Please note: this novella contains a few references to the famous sci-fi movie Star Wars which are pivotal to the plot. None of the characters in The Island are in any way related to the characters in the movie. Leia is named after one of the ancient heroes of her culture/religion.)

Paperback, 105 pages

Published June 1st 2013 by Createspace

My Review

Can you imagine leaving home at the age of ten, or your child leaving at the age of 10? For many years that is what happens with a child turns 10. My son just turned 10 in May and I couldn't imagine him leaving home now.

At just over 100 page this is a simple short read , but it was very good. Being a Star Wars fan, I liked the references it made to SW. This dystopian novel would be great for a variety of ages. I am 30 and enjoyed it, I think I will use this for my 10 year old this fall in his reading list (we homeschool). I do wish it had been longer!

Once Leia and her twin brother turn 10 they sent to live at the Manor with other children ages 10-19. They start questioning their "leader" at the Manor. A turn of events starts Leia questioning everything she has ever known. She meets a Fool (someone from the other side of The Wall), and then the truth starts unraveling

Sometimes I will pick a book by it's cover, if I had seen this in the store I would get it based on the book. I love the stormy looking water with the girl standing waist deep in it. It fits the story.

Follow Leia's journey in The Island, and you won't be disappointed!

Right now on Amazon you can get The Island for $0.99!!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins $2.99

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Have you read any of the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins? I really enjoyed the ones I have read! Now on Amazon you can get Hex Hall Book One for $2.99! This is a great price! I'm not sure how long it's going to last so hurry and get your copy! Go HERE to get your copy!

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

352 pages Published April 2nd 2013 by Bantam

My Review

I really enjoyed reading The Sweetest Dark. I love that it is set in the early 1900s during the war. Lora lives in a London orphanage and has been chosen for a spot at the girls boarding school, Iverson. She is leaving the city for a smaller place, snotty girls, and for a chance for a better future.

The Sweetest Dark flows wonderfully through the book. Lora, who doesn't know anything about her past, learns more about herself throughout the book. She grows into herself, defining who she is. There are no inappropriate scenes or language. There is an atypical love triangle. This one I actually really enjoyed reading about. It's not the mainstream love triangle you may find in a lot of recent young adult books.

I didn't know anything about the book when I started it. A lot of the time I will go into a book not knowing what it is about when I start it. This was another one. For a bit I wasn't sure what Lora was. She could hear the music of metal and stone. She was pale, with pale hair and eyes. I had different thoughts, and was pleasantly surprised by everything!

Out of This Place

Synopsis

**From Goodreads**

A powerful novel in verse captures the voices of three teens as they struggle against hardscrabble realities — and move toward their dreams.

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict, controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. But even after they each find a way to move on and lead very different lives, can they outrun their family stories — and will they ever be able to come together again? Set in Australia and narrated in alternating points of view, here is an affecting look at the evolving lives of three friends from talented new author Emma Cameron.

My Review

This book was first published a year ago under the name Cinnamon Rain. The new title is much more fitting. When starting to read this story, I didn't think I would like it. It is written in prose (I don't care for), and it lacks a lot of details (which I love lots of). The time went by quickly through out each person's story. I did end up enjoying Out of this Place. You follow the lives of Luke, Casey, and Bongo. They are 3 friends in the last few years of high school in Australia. They each follow their own paths through life. Making decisions that affect how their lives will turn out.

Itis a wonderful story of growing up, leaning about making decisions that will affect your life. All 3 characters comes from a different background and want out of the situation they are in, for different reasons. They take their paths in completely different ways, and look for where they belong.

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Evanescent by Gabriella Lepore

Evanescent

Synopsis

**From Goodreads**

“Then it is settled,” Felix declared. “Come hell or high water, when this is all over, at least one of us here will not make it out alive.”
When Bronwen Snow is pulled from her cottage in the middle of the night, she finds herself seeking the help of three mysterious boys who reside in an abandoned castle deep in the hillside. With only a hasty handwritten note and a vague. “Then it is settled,” Felix declared. “Come hell or high water, when this is all over, at least one of us here will not make it out alive.”
When Bronwen Snow is pulled from her cottage in the middle of the night, she finds herself seeking the help of three mysterious boys who reside in an abandoned castle deep in the hillside. With only a hasty handwritten note and a vague sense of dread to guide her, Bronwen is forced to put her trust in the eccentric and willful Felix Cavara and his eternal curse – immortality.

Kindle Edition, 164 pages

March 15th 2013 by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly

My Review

Evanescent is a YA paranormal story that follows Bronwen Snow and a trio of vampires that are protecting her from something that is after her. This was a great read, that isn't too long. It can be read in a day or 2. The storyline kept me captive throughout the entire book! I just didn't want to put it down!
The one thing that I love about reading, it characters can be any way you want them! The trio of teenage boys seemed to kept the same thinking as they had when they were growing up. Most characters that have lived for a very long time get mature along the way. These boys didn't, and it fits them (and the story) perfectly.
I do hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
Happy reading!

Book Giveaways

Are you a reader? Looking to put together your summer reading list? I have found a number of giveaways going on that are either print copies or e-copies of books. Remember....you can't win if you don't enter! Happy reading!

Melancholic Delight by Tista Ray (Open INT) - end June 30th
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - ends June 30th
Beauty Awakened, Alice in Zombieland, and Last Kiss by Gena Showalter - ends July 1
150 ebook giveaway - ends July 1 ^above is one of the giveaways
The Memory of After (previously Level 2) by Lenore Appelhans - ends June 30th
Eversea by Natasha Boyd - ends June 22

Book-related/Non-books

Kindle Fire - ends June 30th
$20 Amazon card- ends June 25th

There are so many different giveaways, and this would be a very long list. Each week I will post the giveaways that I enter in.