Friday Freebies: June 20, 2014

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



The Island
Jen Minkman

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 138 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Dutch Venture Publishing
Publication date: January 10, 2014
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



First in The Island Series. From Amazon:

" ‘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?"

Leopard Moon
by Jeanette Battista

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 204 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication date: March 4, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, shapeshifters



First in the Moon series. From Amazon:

"How do you disappear when you come from a family of predators?

A wereleopard, Kess is forced to flee her home and family in Miami once her brother's obsession with her turns violent. She runs from city to city, trying to stay one step ahead of the investigators her family has dispatched to bring her home. Kess ends up in the mountains of North Carolina and attracts the attention of Cormac, a young man with a secret of his own. As she attempts to live as normal a life as her were-nature allows, her brother Sek continues to hunt for her. He believes she is the key to revitalizing their weakened clan and is driven to extreme measures to ensure their continued existence. As Kess' relationship with Cormac deepens, Sek closes in, threatening Cormac's life and Kess' freedom.

When the moon rises, the hunt is on..."

The Park Service
by Ryan Winfield

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 337 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Birch Paper Press
Publication date: November 22, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



First in the Park Service Trilogy. From Amazon:

"What if the plan to save Earth includes the extinction of humankind?

Sometimes the best intentions ultimately lead to evil ends. That's what fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten learns when he stumbles onto a post-apocalyptic paradise where the few remaining humans live on the run from deadly drones controlled by a mysterious Park Service. Beautifully written with challenging moral dilemmas and heart-melting friendships, The Park Service trilogy is an epic coming-of-age-story that will inspire and delight readers young and old."

The Wrong Girl
by C.J. Archer

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 219 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication date: May 27, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



First in the Freak House series. From Amazon:

"It's customary for Gothic romance novels to include a mysterious girl locked in the attic. Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn't that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl's daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she's lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping.

Taken by handsome Jack Langley to a place known as Freak House, she finds herself under the same roof as a mad scientist, his niece, a mute servant and Jack, a fire starter with a mysterious past. They assure Hannah she is not a prisoner and that they want to help her. The problem is, they think she's the earl's daughter. What will they do when they discover they took the wrong girl?"

New Release Round-Up: June 16-22, 2014

Young Adult


#scandal
by Sarah Ockler

Release date: June 17, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.

When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.

By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation.

Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.

There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love..."

Dark Metropolis
by Jaclyn Dolamore

Release date: June 17, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 304
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



First in the Dark Metropolis series. From Goodreads:

"Cabaret meets Cassandra Clare-a haunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world.

Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.

Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets-even while he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thriller with a touch of magic where the dead don't always seem to stay that way."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade

Middle Grade new releases for this week:

{ bon voYAge! } June 2014

Apologies again for missing the { bon voYAge! } update for the month! :(  Better late than never, I guess...?

The destination for May 2014 was

{ Kentucky }

And here are the YA & MG books we found...

The destination for June 2014 is...
(in honor of the World Cup...)

{ Brazil }

Some examples of YA & MG books set in Brazil:

Please send me links to your posts and reviews by Sunday, June 29 so I can add them to the next { bon voYAge! } post!


Want to play? Here's how it works...

{ } At the beginning of each month, I'll post the name of a destination: a city, state, region, province, country, etc.
{ } Throughout the month, you can:
       1. look for a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination to share.
       2. read a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination and write a review.
{ } You can post the books you found or the reviews you wrote any time during that month. Just send me a link so I can link back to your post!
{ } At the beginning of the next month, I'll share everyone's books and reviews. Then I'll post another destination and we can start again! :)

Want to check out the books we've already discovered? Browse all the locations that we've explored on the { bon voYAge! } tab above!

Have a location you'd like to explore? Let me know in the comments here or on the { bon voYAge! } tab above, or email me at pidginpea (at) yahoo (dot) com!

Want to put a { bon voYAge! } button on your blog? I'd love that! I made it using deviantART stock resources from SneakyTomato and artist00 and fonts from kevinandamanda.com.

<center><a href="http://pidginpeasbooknook.blogspot.com/p/bon-voyage.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBeF_3crrKlZsQJ-mUIBIoaLD2gXanEAZilI2XDAQJlENeGUn7w8Sn_-DWLY8X_2WfcQZxA4Ca31kKPP6NlH8ghdibCg9b4wEzV-pEyd5Fg18md4dfRiWEo0jYGw4r4CXY2maZ1b6KPc/s200/bon+voYAge+cropped+blog.jpg"/></a></center>

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave
by Rick Yancey

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 480
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date: May 7, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia, aliens



First in The 5th Wave series. From Goodreads:

"After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up."

{ I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. }


The 5th Wave seriously messes with your mind. It leads you to think one thing and then pulls a "nope just kidding" and completely reverses it, then makes you think maybe you get it now, then takes that away in a horrible shocking way, then makes you think oh no wait you were misled before but maybe you get it now, then blows everything apart so you have no freaking idea what the heck is going on, or has been going on since the first page. But I LOVED IT.

There have been 4 waves so far, and now there will be 5. Families have been destroyed through the waves, and the survivors who remain desperately cling on to whoever and whatever they have left. They don't know what to do. They don't know who to trust. It's chaos. In the midst of all this, Cassie is trying to be brave and strong and protect her younger brother, but it's getting more difficult. There is a promise of rescue, of salvation. Her father insists they can trust them. But can they?

Seriously, my brain was on overdrive the entire time I was reading this book, and it was just one blindside after another. Yancey makes it so easy to put yourself in the characters' places - how would you react when you have no idea who you can trust? Is that innocent stranger standing in front of you really an innocent stranger, or an alien sent to destroy you? Hesitate, and you could be dead. And the synopsis doesn't even begin to cover everything that happens in this book. I'm trying to come up with a list of what goes on without giving spoilers and I can't even... it's that intense. You never know what to expect. It's terrifying and gruesome and... just... amazing. Aaaand, amid all these horrors, there's romance! What? I know. But it works.

Rick Yancey, you are brilliant and I am an instant fan, sir. I am eagerly awaiting my chance to devour the next book in the series, and I am sure I will laugh and cry and start hearing suspicious noises as I read it just like I did with this one.


Final verdict: I'm obsessed with it! I thought this book was amazing! It's now officially one of my favorite books! I immediately bought a copy for myself because I will be rereading it again and again! I shall be shouting about it from the rooftops for days and I am currently recommending it to everyone I come in contact with!

{ The 5th Wave book trailer }

{ More about Rick Yancey }

Rick Yancey's Goodreads profile
Rick Yancey's website
Follow Rick Yancey on Twitter
Follow Rick Yancey on Facebook
The 5th Wave book website

Review: Plague in the Mirror by Deborah Noyes

Plague in the Mirror
by Deborah Noyes

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: June 11, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, time travel



From Goodreads:

"In a sensual paranormal romance, a teen girl’s doppelgänger from 1348 Florence lures her into the past in hopes of exacting a deadly trade.

It was meant to be a diversion — a summer in Florence with her best friend, Liam, and his travel-writer mom, doing historical research between breaks for gelato. A chance to forget that back in Vermont, May’s parents, and all semblance of safety, were breaking up. But when May wakes one night sensing someone in her room, only to find her ghostly twin staring back at her, normalcy becomes a distant memory. And when later she follows the menacing Cristofana through a portale to fourteenth-century Florence, May never expects to find safety in the eyes of Marco, a soulful painter who awakens in her a burning desire and makes her feel truly seen. The wily Cristofana wants nothing less of May than to inhabit each other’s lives, but with the Black Death ravaging Old Florence, can May’s longing for Marco’s touch be anything but madness? Lush with atmosphere both passionate and eerie, this evocative tale follows a girl on the brink of womanhood as she dares to transcend the familiar — and discovers her sensual power."

{ I received this as an ebook ARC from NetGalley. }


Plague in the Mirror was an interesting mix of the paranormal, time travel, and almost a kind of escapism. May travels to present-day Italy with her friend Liam and his mom, and while there she discovers her doppleganger, Cristofana, from 14th century plague-ridden Florence. Cristofana shows her a portal where they can travel between each others' worlds, and she lures May into her time where May sees Marco, an alluring artist that she just can't seem to get out of her mind.

The story is told in a unique way that may not appeal to all readers. I found myself not exactly viewing it as a typical story, where things build towards a climax and resolution, but as more of an exploration of a time and place, a "what if" experiment with a desperate girl from the past trying to save herself from her circumstances. I kept thinking "escapism," and that really appealed to me. May is escaping her troubled family situation in the present to romance in the past with Marco, and Cristofana is escaping her almost certain demise in her city ravaged by the plague. We get to see May and Cristofana struggle with each other as Cristofana tries to trap May in the past and take over her life in the present, thereby saving herself from the plague and dooming May to inherit whatever fate might have befallen her.

I felt almost as if I was in a dream as I read Plague in the Mirror; I don't know if it was the writing or the story itself. And that's not a bad thing, it's just something I haven't really experienced before. Cristofana is madness - literally, she's a disturbed girl, but the image of her in stolen dresses, creeping around homes destroyed by the plague, was just fantastic. She's dark and depraved and she's doing everything she can to save herself at the expense of everyone else. May came across to me as lost and confused and desperate in her own way. The Marco element creates not so much a love triangle, but more of another power play between May and Cristofana.

I enjoyed Plague in the Mirror because of Noyes's dreamy writing style, and because it left my mind reeling with what-ifs about escaping the dangers of one time period for another. I would definitely be interested to read another book by Noyes, to see what she else she can imagine and where she can help me escape to next.


Final verdict: I loved it! I thought this book was great! I might buy it for myself since I will probably be rereading it. I would definitely recommend it to others.

{ More about Deborah Noyes }

Deborah Noyes's Goodreads profile
Deborah Noyes's website
Follow Deborah Noyes on Twitter
Follow Deborah Noyes on Tumblr

Pinterested in Books #8

According to Urban Dictionary, you're "Pinterested" when you're "too distracted by Pinterest to be bothered to do anything else." I find I have this problem quite a bit. I also find that I get too distracted by books to be bothered to do anything besides read.

You can check out my Pinterest, where I've got bookish boards as well as lots of other assorted collections. Feel free to share links to your own bookish pins and boards in the comments!

New Release Round-Up: June 9-15

Young Adult


Hexed
by Michelle Krys

Release date: June 10, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, witches



First in The Witch Hunter series. From Goodreads:

"If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid."

The Murder Complex
by Lindsay Cummings

Release date: June 10, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 400
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia, thriller



First in The Murder Complex series. From Goodreads:

"An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


Little Green Men at the Mercury Inn
by Greg Leitich Smith

Release date: June 10, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 224
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Suggested tags: middle grade, science fiction



From Goodreads:

"Beach culture and UFOs collide in this lighthearted adventure story about an alien encounter at an aging Cocoa Beach motel.Twelve-year-old Aidan lives and works at his parents' motel on the Space Coast in Florida, so he's seen a lot of weird stuff. Even his best friend, Louis, is a little bit crazy—he's obsessed with UFOs and swears he saw one two years ago. But things at the Mercury Inn are about to get a whole lot weirder. When an actual unidentified flying object suddenly appears in the sky over the motel, Aidan begins to realize that some of the residents of the Mercury Inn may be much more unusual than he thought. And Louis might not be so crazy after all. Filled with quirky characters and atmosphere, this beachy alien caper, like the aging motel where it takes place, is anything but ordinary."

Quinny & Hopper
by Adriana Brad Schanen

Release date: June 10, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 240
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:

"Quinny has a lot to say. Hopper gets to the point.

Quinny has one speed: very, very, extra-very fast. Hopper proceeds with caution.

Quinny has big ideas. Hopper has smart solutions.

Quinny and Hopper couldn't be more different. They are an unstoppable team.

But when summer ends, things suddenly aren't the same. Can Quinny and Hopper stick together in the face of stylish bullies, a killer chicken, and the brand-new Third Grade Rules-especially the one that says they aren't allowed to be friends anymore?"

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week: