Friday Freebies: August 31, 2012

Click on each title to go to the Amazon Kindle edition listing. Be sure to double-check the price before you download!


Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 300 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: May 6, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in the Artemis Fowl series. From Goodreads:

"Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit.

These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous.

Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules."

Hidden Gem
by India Lee

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 225 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: India Lee Books
Publication date: June 20, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, contemporary



First in the Hidden Gem series. From Amazon:

"Lavishly disguised pop singer, Queen Bee, is known abroad for her high-fashion wardrobe and killer vocals. In the states, she's just Gemma Hunter - shy suburban teenager in her strange new role of high school junior.

Luckily, Gemma is taken under the wing of the fiery and popular Madison, who leads her into the high school life of the charmed. Her world as Gemma quickly becomes everything she ever wanted in a normal life - that is until international teen heartthrob, Tyler Chase, announces his celebrity crush on Queen Bee. Suddenly, Gemma's alter ego becomes a household name as the handsome singer's loyal "Tyler Chasers" create a frenzy to discover her true identity.

And just when Gemma thinks she can hide from the celebrity drama in her high school life, Lucas - her next door neighbor as well as Madison's boyfriend - develops an interest in her that goes far beyond platonic, and Gemma soon learns that rumors aren't strictly for the stars.

Genre: Young Adult (recommended reading age 16+)"

Mesmerized
by Julia Crane & Talia Jager

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 264 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Valknut Press
Publication date: November 28, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



From Amazon:

"WARNING: This is a mature YA. Due to sexual content and some language it is not recommended for younger teens.

Seventeen-year-old succubus Lily Anderson can’t have a normal life: She isn't allowed a boyfriend, she has no friends, and school is just one mess-up after another.

Lily’s parents send her away to the prestigious Emerson Academy. It doesn’t appear to be any different from the others. That is, until she meets her roommate, Hannah, and a blue-eyed boy named Jake.

Lily makes an almost deadly mistake, and Jake has a mysterious past that has come back to haunt him. Together, they must go on the run from things neither of them understand in order to save the people they love—and each other. But, Jake’s foe is more dangerous than they realized, and it will take the help of friends and family to save the man Lily loves.

She must learn to use her powers for good before it’s too late."

Wings of Shadow
by Anna Kyss

Available as: Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: unknown
Publisher: Kyss Publishing
Publication date: May 24, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



First in The Underground Trilogy. From Amazon:

"In the struggle for survival...

Meghan's graduation gift is one that any eighteen-year-old would dream of: traveling abroad to England. Her journey turns into more adventure than expected when Meghan meets the mysterious Kiernan and is introduced to a strange society hidden beneath the streets of London.

The fittest win out at the expense of their rivals...

When Meghan's life is threatened, she flees the city and seeks sanctuary in a distant village--a place unseen by human eyes for over one hundred years. Not knowing if anyone can be trusted, Meghan tries to determine who is friend, who is foe... and who has captured her heart. Meanwhile, a battle for survival brews all around her."

Waiting on Wednesdays: August 29, 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each Wednesday, you share upcoming releases that you're eagerly anticipating.




Summer of the Mariposas
by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Release date: October 1, 2012
Available as: hardcover
Pages: 352
Publisher: Tu Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy, retellings



From Goodreads:

"When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale.

With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?

Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love."

Teaser Tuesdays: August 28, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Each Tuesday, you grab the book you're reading, open to a random page, and share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page.
NO SPOILERS - make sure the sentences you pick don't give too much away!

Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas Scraps converged on him from all over the quad. Some he didn't think he'd ever seen before. They were loner kids who lived in the shadows, who haunted the edges of the school, who had long ago been forgotten. {ARC ebook, 41%}

Quarantine: The Loners
by Lex Thomas

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 416
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication date: July 10, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, thriller, survival


First in the Quarantine series. From Goodreads:

"It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.

A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive."

New Release Round-Up: August 27-September 2, 2012

Young Adult


Defiance
by C.J. Redwine

Release date: August 28, 2012
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 416
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, romance



First in the Defiance series. From Goodreads:

"Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making."

Every Day
by David Levithan

Release date: August 28, 2012
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



From Goodreads:

"Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


The Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls
by Claire Legrand

Release date: August 28, 2012
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery



From Goodreads:

"At the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, you will definitely learn your lesson. A dark, timeless, and heartfelt novel for fans of Coraline and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t’ come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy."

A Mutiny in Time
by James Dashner

Release date: August 28, 2012
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 192
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Suggested tags: middle grade, time travel, adventure



First in the Infinity Ring series. From Goodreads:

"Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right!

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!"

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week: