Why hello there, another freebie already?
Well yes! Normally, I don't want my posts to just be of freebies (though they are pretty cool eh?) But this one is just too good to pass up.
I assume that many of your would have downloaded Ripplerwhen it was free? If not, stick around because it'll probably be free again (they tend to go in a cycle) and I'll let you know. And I'd recommend grabbing this anyway, you can always delete it :)
So here's your chance to grab the second book while it's available. It's extremely extremely likely that it won't be free for long so clicky click click!
Sixteen-year-old Samantha Ruiz has a lot on her mind. The crush who kissed her but changed his mind. The BFF who thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. The geneticist who wanted Sam dead but now wants her ALIVE. And of course, Sam’s still dealing with a tendency to disappear into thin air.
When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.
But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see
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I apologize if there's anything wrong with the blurb, I tried not to read it because I haven't read the first book, and I don't want it spoiled :)
Clicky click here!
Til next time... mwahahahaha. I enjoy clogging up your phone/ reading app with books. I really do :)
Hello all,
I bring yet another freebie for you all. **yay**
This one sounds brilliant! I love the blurb/ description, it really, really pulls you in. And, as per my usual routine, it is called Dirty Blood (intriguing title, oui?) and it's about wolves :) happy face.
I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.
Now, all I can do is accept the truths that are staring me in the face. One, Werewolves do exist. And two, I was born to kill them.
You want it eh? I told you sounded good!
click here!!!
I think we can all find the free reading apps, if not just refer to one my older posts.
Hello all!
it's been a while since our last Freebie eh?
Blogger has a new layout and I am (as always) very much confused... But all is good for I have mastered the art of finding the upload button :)
And so, today's Freebie is Farsighted, I have no idea why I insist on announcing the name when the title states it very clearly with big curly font... but meh. Such is me.
Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.
So if you think it's interesting, click here to download. ALSO. A quick and possibly important (look, i bolded it to get your attention) notice that The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton is once again free, so for those of you who missed it last time, here's your chance. And the link is on my other post, which you can find here.
oh. and if you still desperately need the reading apps, they're here
Blurb:
Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.
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I actually received this as an ebook from the author for a blog tour thing. I'm going to keep this review short-ish. Socialpunk is a very quick and interesting read. Having read a book with domes earlier (Pure by Julianna Baggot) I was quite excited to try another and was pleasantly surprised. Socialpunk doesn't really centre on the idea of the Dome, rather it uses the idea to develop others, if that makes sense. You find out that things aren't at all what they seem and that there are hidden experiments and secret operations everywhere.
The characters of the books were all very different, and mysterious, too mysterious. You don't really know anything about them, you read about them of course. You just don’t know them that well but I think that was because the book was so short. Ima, the protagonist of the book is very shy and, what I first thought, a bit of a pushover. What I like is that she goes on to become stronger, more leader-like and brave.
I think that Vaughn's supposed to be the other semi-main character but again he's just so mysterious. He just happens to appear in Ima's life and shake things up. I would have liked some more background on him and the other characters, especially Nahum who I first thought would play a larger role but again, I don't know anything about him. I know I'm repeating myself so just ignore me :)
Hmm… I really enjoyed the prologue which set a very mysterious mood and really had me eager to start the book. I thought the starting of the book was very different and again I felt like I'd just flipped to the middle of a book without any idea what was going on, things were explained as I progressed but not nearly enough to have me satisfied. The storyline was very original, excluding the occasional cliché, but again a bit rushed, I think things would have been a tad better if the book was longer, there would have been a lot more space to build up the suspense.
I had a bit of a problem with the ending though. It was different yes, and I'm not sure what it was meant to be, a cliff hanger of a sort? Still, I didn't like it. It was abrupt without any sort of lead up, it kind of just popped up just when things were starting to get interesting and left me sitting there gaping:
"Wha?! Where is the next page?" trust me, I swiped at my ipod several times to see the next page but to no avail…
Socialpunk was a very interesting blend of the dystopian genre with a touch of science and tech. It made an overall very exciting read, especially with the original way Monica Leonelle created the world, I'll definitely have to take a look at Socialmob when it's released.
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About the Author:
Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit (http://proseonfire.com/free-writer-toolkit).
Interview with the author:
Now we have an quick interview with Monica Leonelle :)
1. When you wrote Socialpunk, did you have a specific character that you felt you could relate to?
I would have to say Ima, as she's the main character and the book is told entirely from her point of view. What I love about her is how much she changes from the beginning of the book to the end. She feels very guilty and is constantly struggling with right vs. wrong. She's probably one of my favorite characters out of all the ones I've written.
2. What inspired you to write Socialpunk
Socialpunk is a bit like The Truman Show meets The Terminator, except Mark Zuckerburg is president of the world. I wanted to do a cyberpunk and Socialpunk is classically cyberpunk, down to its roots. I loved the idea of being trapped in a virtual reality, and then acclimating to the real world.
3. What is your favourite dessert/ food?
I have an affinity for anything with brownies or apple pie in it. Tiramisu is also a fav.
4. Because the blog is called Far Past Midnight, have you ever read a book so good that you stayed up until the wee hours of dawn to finish it?
The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, the Twilight series, the Mortal Instruments... yeah, if I find a good book I really have trouble putting it down.
5. Finally, if you could become part of any book for a day, which book would you choose and what character would you be?
Without question, the Harry Potter world. It's so brilliant! I also love the shadowhunters world from Cassandra Clare. I know I keep mentioning the same books over and over again... I guess everyone knows my favorites now!
Thank you for the interview!
Now you're probably thinking "Where can I get this?" look no further! the links are below ;) if you want to have a little taste of the book, an excerpt is below.
***Excerpt***
After playing God for six years with the world he created, he couldn’t control any of his subjects, none at all. Over the years, he had watched them evolve and become the sum of their own choices rather than the sum of his; and for that, he regretted ever giving them life.
A small, blinking red light from just inside his eyelid reminded him of the news they sent him earlier that morning. The company had cancelled his funding and would shut down his project within three months. According to them, the project cost too much and took up too much space, and the inconclusive results couldn’t be published reputably, now or in the future.
Six years of his work, tens of thousands of lives at stake—and he could do nothing to save any of it. He bowed his head, letting his chin rest on the rim of his breakfast smoothie. The smoothie reeked of powder—crushed pills—but he supposed he had better get used to it. He wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of real food after they canned him.
He closed his eyes and called up the camera view of one of his favorites, number 3281. She fascinated him; he couldn’t deny it. When he had designed her, her pre-teen rebelliousness lit fire in her eyes. A survivor, he’d thought. He’d meant for her to have it all—to grow up, to get married to the love of her life, and to have a beautiful family of her own someday.
But he had only given her sadness so far. Instead of creating a strict father, he had given her an abusive one. Instead of creating a loving boyfriend, he had given her a friend who could never love her. And instead of creating a strong, proud mother, he had given her a meek one, who watched the whole thing unfold and did nothing about it.
He looked at his last and final creation sitting in the chair across from him—his own son, not awakened yet. The law forbade him to have any children of his own, so this boy would substitute.
But he had done the unthinkable with this creation—he had bestowed on it his own thoughts, emotions, and decision-making processes. He’d given the boy his own mind, his own physical characteristics, his own wants and desires.
He had never done so with any of the others because of the dangers of investing too heavily in any one of his subjects. But who could he kid? He had not stayed objective thus far, watching some of his subjects more closely than others, wishing for the happiness of some at the expense of others. He had become an abomination, a monster of his own doing, who had created subjects only to watch them suffer.
He couldn’t forgive himself; not now, not ever. His eyes lingered on the vial that sat next to his breakfast smoothie, that he’d stowed away for the day when they destroyed all his work, his entire world. He would save it, tuck it away for now, for as long as he could protect them. When things spun out of his control, he would drink it and end himself the way he had ended them.
In the ancient stories, gods frequently gave their sons as gifts. Now, he would give his son as a gift to her, number 3281. So she could be happy in her last months on earth, before they destroyed her with the rest of them.
Now here's something exciting, Monica Leonelle is holding a giveaway which you can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. Bon chance!
Continuing on with my Sherlock obsession...
Again, not directly book related but we can stretch it and use our imagination and all that.
I've just stumbled upon a very, very awesome picture. And so I ask you: what can you see?
Isn't it awesome? And it was on a limited edition t-shirt! I'm so sad because I discovered it late... Do you think you can order a t-shirt with this design? admit it... you want one :P
Also, I finally watched the Hunger Games yesterday... I really quite liked it, yes they cut stuff out and all that, but they kind of had to if they wanted to fit it in the time frame. I wasn't happy with the mutts or the cornucopia but hey, what can you do?
What else shall I say?
Oh- Katniss is a poo... lying to Peeta and acting Oh so in love. But hey, we already know that from the book.
Gale was hilarious! The majority of the shots of him in the film were of him being very gloomy and depressed looking :D so, so funny. I swear I laughed every time his face came on.
What did you think?
Ack! I just finished season 2 of the new BBC Sherlock series. I'm crying and laughing and dancing all at the same time.
It was amazing, it was brilliant, it was byooooooootiful! Now i know this isn't really book related, unless you count how the series is based on books, but I just have to share my love for it.
I LOOOOOVVVEEE it. Ok. I'll admit, I first laughed at my darling friends and their obsession... but I've been converted. I have seen the light!
It's so funny, so smart, so superfantastically awesome.
Here's the little storyline thingy:
Sherlock Holmes was always a modern man. It’s the world that got old. Now he’s back as he should be: edgy, contemporary, difficult – and dangerous – in three new dramas on BBC One. Watson, a doctor, soldier and war hero, is fresh from military service in Afghanistan. A chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes, a loner, detective and genius. The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect, coupled with John’s pragmatism, soon forge an unbreakable alliance. A woman in pink lies dead in a derelict house, the fourth in a series of impossible suicides. DI Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got, but even he knows he can’t compare to the young man who can tell a software designer by his tie or an airline pilot by his thumb. Sherlock has a unique analytical mind, earning his living and staving off boredom by solving crimes. The weirder and more baffling the better… Across three thrilling, scary, action-packed and hugely entertaining episodes, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.
(summary taken from http://www.1channel.ch/watch-356379-Sherlock)
Have I mentioned how awesome the series is?
Oh I have, have I?
Well clearly not enough if you're still reading this and not scrambling off to find the first episode!
After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although...it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a sixteen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain-especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close....
But something dark and hungry is using Emma and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read this.
I found Spellcaster very enjoyable, it follows on a couple months after the horrific incident that occurred in the previous book, we all thought that Emma and Brendan could spend the rest of eternity together la-di-da. Alas, it was not be so and evil has once again resurfaced to tear the two lovebirds apart.
I feel I should be wearing a billowing dress and have a hand on my forehead :)
And so, moving onto the characters. Emma, who in the last book foolishly walked into a trap, you can read more of that on my quick review on goodreads, has now grown a backbone. Yay! I do so love it when characters blossom and grow :) Spellcaster has the roles reversed a little, instead of Brendan taking all the risks, it's Emma, with her not-so-reliable magical prowess. And that adds more spice to the book, I think, things get more interesting and more risky. She stands up for herself more, albeit with some magical help, but the intention was there.
Brendan is still his uber awesome self, and I'm not going to waste time talking about him, though he is a tad possessive, but not too much. We also see a sweeter side to him, a more caring and gentle side, and he shares all his fears and hopes in this book… :) how cheesy do I sound? Hehehe
Now… when a book is centred on true love, there is always, always the option of separating the two characters and making them write depressing poetry about life, maybe some dramatic plays too. Well.
THANK THE WRITING WORLD THAT THERE IS AT LEAST ONE AUTHOR OUT THERE WHO DOESN'T SPLIT UP THE CHARACTERS FOR THEIR OWN "SAFETY". I was over the moon. The number of times couples have been split and forced to stare into each others eyes from across the room is astounding, and completely and utterly annoying.
"I'll love you forever Gertrude but's it's just too dangerous… you'll have to stay away from me"
"No Phyllis!! I couldn't, please don't make me do this"
"No Gertrude…. It's the only way"
Yes. That is a scene that we have grown so, so familiar with (I made that up randomly by the way) and to tell you the truth… doesn't it seem Twilight-ish?
“I promise that this will be the last time you’ll see me. I won’t come back. I won’t put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I’d never existed.”
hahahahaha
But seriously, when a book does that, it completely turns me off and there are very, very few authors who can pull off a scene like that, and still I'm doubtful. To be honest, there were time when I doubted Cara Lyn Shultz, there were times when I thought she was going to go down that road but NO! She stayed strong! She resisted the urge and for that I am grateful. I'm rambling aren't I?
Ahem--The story is quite original, the plot is a mixture of yeah-i-knew-that-was-going-to-happen and GAH!-why-did-that-just-happen. The writing is easy to read and understand. It gets the point across and conveys the desired message so all is good.
You often get books with the idea of true love, soul mates, yeah you can roll your eyes, but Spellcaster is built on so much more. There's magic and curses and ghosts and all these things add up to an original and story that's a quick and exciting read. Give it a go, you'll be surprised.
Yep, you guessed it. it's time for another Kindle Freebie! woohoo!
And so, it sounds interesting and all that. Remember to grab it while it's free. It's about vampires and while I personally don't have anything against vampires, I know there may be people out there who don't like reading about them. well have fun... I feel like I should have fine prints saying "enjoy responsibly" or something :)
17-year-old Vicky Hernandez has a big problem. She's dead. Or not quite. After discovering she's been turned into a vampire, she tries to settle into a quiet suburb of Chicago and return to a normal life.
If only she could stop wanting to bite her boyfriend. Not to mention she is dying to find out who turned her, and why. She doesn't have to wait long before they come to her.
Isn't that a short and sweet blurb?
Clicky click hereto download
and here for the reading apps
Ok, I just want to say that the cover for this one is so awesome. I love it. It's fitting and awesomely awesome. you know. I mean, just LOOK at it. **Drools**
Yep. This one sounds really interesting, I've never read a book about the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse before, yes, I heard about books about them. But never actually read them... I'll be sure to post a review when I read this (in the very distant future).
When four seemingly über-cool college kids arrive in a small West Texas town, only one girl recognizes them for who they really are—the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Nineteen years old, a greeter at the local Smiley’s Supercenter, Kyrie’s been blessed with an uncommonly good intuition…and a few other abilities she’s been keeping secret.
Those abilities aren't enough to deal with the Horsemen, though, who bring with them a magnitude of evil Kyrie’s never seen before. Adding to the complications, her best friend has gone missing and Nate, her gorgeous but chronically deceptive ex-flame falls back in to her life, wanting to rekindle their old relationship. That can’t be a coincidence, can it? Then there’s Aaron, the oldest child in a family considered overly-religious even by Texas standards, who’s determined to help her whether she wants it or not. With boys, it seems, it’s either feast or famine. And of course they only want you when the world’s about to end.
As plagues descend on the tiny town, Kyrie finds herself facing down Death, Pestilence, Famine and War in a fight for the lives of everyone around her. But with myth becoming reality and discoveries are made that shake her to her core, she begins to waver in her conviction of right and wrong. Temptation waits in the dark of stormy Texas nights, and if Kyrie can’t find the will to fight any longer, the end of days are only just beginning
This may only be available for a short time, so grab it here.
woo-hoo! ANOTHER Kindle Freebie. Well, if you stick with me guys, your Kindle (or anything else that you read on) is going to be completely filled up with books :)
This one sounds really, really good. And the gorgeous cover doesn't hurt ;P
though there seems to be a very very extreme craze of books with girls in pretty dresses posing on the cover. meh.
Phoebe MacIntire, who is a servant to her father and sisters in her own house in Scotland in 1855, is an ordinary girl, with no big dreams for the future. She's perfectly happy in her humble life, with her cot in the basement and her little garden in the backyard. But when her father up and sends her to Newfoundland to be the lifelong servant to Lord Jacobs, she finds her life gets turned upside down.
Her journey across the Atlantic to her new home is long, scary and very unpleasant. When she arrives at the manor on a small island, she finds the beautiful place abandoned and only a note waits for her explaining her duties, the strange dietary requirements, and sleeping habits of her new master.
The very first night in her new home she's haunted in her dreams by a woman who clearly does not want her there and a strange blue-eyed man-wolf creature that follows the woman. Her dreams become more and more violent and mysteries start to be uncovered about a woman who was killed in a fire on the island, a creature that preys on anyone that comes to the island and a love story gone wrong that dates back over a hundred and twenty two years.
Yes, I know. you want the link... here
Do i still need to put the free reading apps link? oh well, here just in case.
Imma so so tired... Yes this one sounds good, all very pretty. yeah it's free. I don't think there is anything else to say. wait... HOLIDAYS IN T minus 2 days. YES!!! The unfortunate thing is that I have just as much work to do... more actually.. **sigh** I will never be able to read again.
Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love.
Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments.
The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.(less)
here to download the title
here to download the reading apps
oops. I lied. You'll have to click here instead :)
Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.
Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.
Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?
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Croak was a very quick, easy, fun read. It had many memorable laugh out loud moments all starring the star of our book, Lex Bartleby.
So, I guess I'll just go straight into the characters. Well the most obvious is Lex, whose full name is Lexington. Ha! Bet you didn't guess that! Anyway, I think the shortened version really suits her, it's short (no way!) and it's the perfect combination of vowels and consonants that give the name an overall strong and rebellious feel to it. Awesome. Lex is a very strong and entertaining character whose snarky remarks and quick temper will never cease to amuse me. She first comes off as a very violent character, though her violent instincts are soon explained to be the cause of her "Killer" hormones or whatnot. I don't think that's what they call it in the book, but that's just the image I got in my head :)
I suppose I should explain what a Killer is, well in the Reaper world there are two types: The Killers who have to touch the dead person to release the soul from the body, and the Cullers who then guide the soul into a vessel. They always work in pairs. Anyway, back to Lex. She's lived a perfectly good life under the loving care of her parents and her twin sister Cordy, and then she just suddenly becomes violent. Go back to the Killer hormones section. Her parents can no longer take her outrageous behaviour-- yeah yeah, been there, heard that-- but do you realise that her parents used rope restraints on her? Yes, that's right, my eyes just popped out. Now, I may not live in America… But I'm pretty sure that's illegal, or at least highly frowned upon by society (quote Willy Wonka for the last part :D) I'm just quite surprised that her parents would go that far… are you allowed to do that?? well…. Moving on. She gets sent to Uncle Mort.
Wow. What a name… Mort. Is that not the french word for 'dead', or something like that? And I'm sure it means the same thing in other languages as well. It's clever… until you realise someone (even if they are fictitious) pretty much named their child death? Holy Moly Ravioli! How morbid… anyhoo, Mort seems like a very awesome crazy uncle, a real role model :)
Now, do you remember when I said Reapers always work in pairs? Well, enter Driggs. **whistles**. Lex sees him, Lex is attracted to him, and within the space of 24 hours, she punches him in the eye. Score.
Their relationship though not necessarily realistic in the way they almost immediately feel an attraction and all that, was an interesting and undoubted entertaining one. The quick and witty comments they made were enough to have me burst out laughing. It was all very sweet. Now, I never pegged Lex to be a jealous kind of girl, and I really don't like it when characters get all possessive of someone they don't even know and then tell themselves it's nothing. It's seriously annoying. But then again… THAT compared with what Driggs had up his sleeve seems tame in comparison. I guess you're all thinking: "oh la la! What could this mysterious thing possibly be?" or maybe not :) But you'll have to read it to find out :P
The idea of the book has been one that hundreds of authors have explored, but I like how Gina Damico puts her own spin on things. It was a different read, and I very much enjoyed it. The plot is slightly predictable at moments and a sometimes drags a tad but all is well because things do move along, and there are always funny scenarios to encourage you along the way.
Go get yourself a copy! I haven't got an actual rating system yet… but I'm working on it. For now I'll just stick to good ol' stars.
3.75/5 stars :)
Yes, every point counts.
Round it up to 4.
