Is #KindleUnlimited Worth It? A Young Adult Book Blogger's Perspective

Since last Friday (July 18, 2014, )you may have noticed, while browsing through Amazon, this bizarre new payment option [pictured to left]. Instead of the regular "Buy with 1-Click," "Add to Wish List," and "Give as a Gift," options, a new "Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited" button was added. You may also have noticed the banner while browsing through Amazon, advertising this thing called, "Kindle Unlimited." If you clicked on it, you will be lead to this page, and you can read all about this new invention. You may even have heard about it through the twitter hashtag #KindleUnlimited (like I did). However you found out, or if this is the first time you are hearing about Kindle Unlimited, I encourage you to continue reading to learn all about Kindle Unlimited from a blogger and book lover's perspective.    

Disclaimer: This is post was written for informational purposes only and was not sponsored by Scribd, Oyster, Amazon, or any other company. I am not, nor do I claim to be an expert when it comes to all the technicalities, financial aspects, and details when it comes to this new market of lendable eBooks.  All information has been compiled from reliable resources (all links found below) such as CNET, The New York Times, etc. I have not sampled any of the subscription services mentioned, so this is not firsthand experience, but I plan to in the future and provide full reviews. Furthermore, it was written for a person in the mindset of "I want to know what Kindle Unlimited is all about, if there are better, cheaper alternatives, and what I will be paying for." It was not written in the context of "Do eReaders beat physical books?" While this post was written to be informational for everyone, its focus is Young Adult Literature mainly because Loving the Language of Literacy is primarily a YA book blog, and that is its target audience.

Throughout this post, you will be given both sides of the coin, and it will be up to you -as a independent author, trying to decide whether or not to add your book to this new program, or your average Joe (consumer) trying to decide if Kindle Unlimited is worth the $10 a month price tag - to decide whether Kindle Unlimited is an amazing new service, or a terrible monstrosity that will be cheating authors out of their already meager paychecks.

How Did I Find Out About Kindle Unlimited?

On Saturday, July 19, 2014, I was scrolling through my twitter feed, when I stumbled upon a tweet from Young Adult author Leigh Ann Kopans.

Wondering how #KindleUnlimited affects my book's rankings, if at all.
— Leigh Ann Kopans (@LeighAnnKopans) July 19, 2014

 What is Kindle Unlimited?

Kindle Unlimited, dubbed "the Netflix for books," is a monthly subscription service allowing consumers "unlimited access to over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks on any device for just $9.99 a month." [Amazon]


At a glance, this may seem an astounding option for non-sentimental (a person that doesn't NEED to own a copy) consumers that read primarily on any device with access to their Kindle Library. The full list of Kindle compatible devices is found on the Amazon Website, and includes Tablets, Computers, Smartphones from Apple, Android, Samsung, Windows, and Blackberry.


On top of the 600,000+ titles to choose from, Kindle Unlimited comes with Whispersync for Voice -Amazon's service that allows "seamless switching between reading and listening." For example, if you're in the middle of The Hunger Games on your Kindle, but need to go to the gym, Whispersync for Voice allows you to start listening at the exact space where you left off with the touch of a finger. If you have been eyeing Audible (Amazon's Audiobook service), now would be your chance to give it a test run with the complimentary three-month membership.

What Are the Cons?

Does "Kindle Unlimited" really mean unlimited?

Well, if the term "unlimited" means the ability to pick up and read any of the 600,000 books any time you want, then absolutely. Yet, "unlimited" can also be interpreted into "any book I want to read in the universe that has been published." And that is where the line would be drawn with the term "unlimited."

Buffets may be all-you-can-eat, but they are most certainly limited....

Soups.

Salads.

Desert.

Bakery.

Pasta.

Those five types of food are staples of the national franchise Souplantation - a popular chain of all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants. I mean, Souplantation wouldn't be Souplantation without Soup. But what if those five dishes were gone? Yes, Souplantation would still have their special Chocolate Lava Cake, Fiber-Filled Beef & Barley, Hearty Cornbread, Cilantro Lime Pesto, and fresh-out-of-the-oven Chocolate Chip Cookies, but people would still miss their popular staple items.

Now replace those types of food with publishing houses.

"The Big Five!"

.

Replace the special dishes with popular book series.

The Hunger Games Trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Harry Potter.

The Giver Quartet.

What the heck do all of these crazy comparisons mean?

The publishers listed above (considered "the big five") are considered the largest, most popular publishers in the United States. Those five publishers are NOT included in your Kindle Unlimited subscription service. In other words, you can read New York Times #1 Bestselling books The Hunger Games and Harry Potter until you go blind, and that's awesome if you want to do that.

Are you dying for Heir of Fire (Sarah J. Maas) or The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan) to come out?

Have you been procrastinating reading The Fault in Our Stars (John Green) or Divergent (Veronica Roth?)

Do you want to read If I Stay (Gayle Forman) or The Maze Runner (James Dashner) before the movies come out?

Have you been dying to see how The Mortal Instruments (Cassandra Clare) or The Selection Trilogy (Kiera Cass) ends?

If you answered "Yes" to any of those questions, thinking how handy it would be to read one of those books, and not have to buy it because you have Kindle Unlimited, you would be sorely mistaken. All eight of those New York Times Bestselling series/books are published under one of the "big five" or another publisher that has [as of Monday, July 21, 2014] not partnered with Kindle Unlimited.

Are you still supporting your favorite author?

If you are looking from a financial angle, I would tell you that you are still supporting them, but less than you would be if you had simply bought their book on Amazon or from any other retailer. The best way to describe this for an independent/self-published author is that instead of getting their cut from the sale of their book, it won't matter how much they charge for their novel. Instead, they are paid the ratio of how well their book has done (saleswise) compared to all the other self-published/independent authors from a large sum of money allotted for this very purpose from Amazon. If absolutely none of that made sense to you (I wouldn't blame you, I can barely fathom it myself, let alone try and explain), you should read the article from CNET where I obtained all this information in the first place, because I guarantee they can explain it a lot better than me. 

An important point to make is that nearly ALL independent/self-published authors have to make their books exclusive to Amazon in order to have them in Kindle Unlimited. What this means is that they are unable to get the much needed sales from websites like Barnes & Nobles, The Book Depository, Smashwords, Kobo, etc. Of course, there are exceptions with extremely popular indie authors, as well as the big publishing houses who do not have to make their work exclusive, and frankly, it would be outrageous if they had to. Could you imagine if The Hunger Games wasn't sold ANYWHERE except for Amazon? One would believe that this would harm independent/self-published author's sales because not EVERYONE is able to read on a Kindle/Kindle App, but only time will tell.

Are There Other Options?

In case you weren't aware, there are two other leading competitors to the eBook lending market -Scribd and Oyster- with pros and cons of their own.

Scribd launched in 2007, costs $8.99 a month, and has over 400,000 titles to choose from. It is partnered with the Big 5 Publisher, HarperCollins, and seems like a viable option. This is truly where quality versus quantity come in because Scribd only offers 22,000 YA titles, YET some are highly coveted, NYT Bestselling ones from HarperTeen and all of its imprints. While they have not disclosed how much an author/publisher gets from each book that has been borrowed, they have assured us that they are fully compensated.

Oyster is a lot newer, launched only in September 2013, costs $9.99 a month, and recently passed the 500,000 book mark. There is no clear number of YA novels included in the subscription, but it is partnered with both HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster which opens up doors not included in both Scribd and Kindle Unlimited. While Oyster allows authors to make their books accessible on other sites (mostly because Oyster is only a lending service and not buying), just like with Kindle Unlimited, a consumer must read more than a sample of the book (10%) in order for the author to receive their royalty fee.

Or

???????????

Both subscription services are available on all platforms and devices able to instal the app, including Android, Apple, and (unlike Kindle Unlimited) Nook HD. They also have select titles available, so they have Free Four, but not Divergent itself by Veronica Roth. Nevertheless, with either subscription, you are able to read popular book titles such as the Unwind Dystology (Neal Shusterman), The Shatter Me Trilogy (Tahereh Mafi), The Uglies Quartet (Scott Westerfeld), Under the Never Sky Trilogy (Veronica Rossi),  The Delirium Trilogy (Lauren Oliver), The Partials Trilogy (Dan Wells), The I Am Number Four Series, and a lot more.

Opinions:

Mine: At a glance, Kindle Unlimited seemed like a subscription service I would want to put my money into - even though I am a teenager on a limited budget. As a book blogger and lover, I veraciously devour books like I devour meals, and if there were actually a subscription service that included ALL published books in the universe, I would even pay $50 a month for it. 

Yet, after investigating what I would really be getting for my money if I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, there is no way I would benefit from its seemingly low price tag and "six hundred thousand titles to choose from." Ninety-five percent of the books I read are in the Young Adult Genre, and the majority of those books are published by one of "the big five," and if you look at the Kindle Unlimited section of Amazon, and the breakdown by genre, you will see that out of the "600,000 titles," ONE THIRTIETH of those are YA. 

On top of that, a portion of the books I read are from either smaller publishing houses, or independently published. I try to support authors as much as my adolescent wallet will allow, and I am also shocked to  see how little the fraction of money from my reading the book would actually go to the author.

Conclusion: I love the idea of Kindle Unlimited, and in theory, it would be the perfect subscription for booklovers all around the world. Yet, until I was offered more options in terms of which books I could read, and had the knowledge that the creators of what I'm buying (authors) are getting what they deserve, I wouldn't purchase a subscription, nor would I recommend it to people.

Others Opinions: "Even though I'm fairly uneducated, I do feel that Amazon has been shady with authors. I personally would much rather buy a book and support them, as I am a frequent re-reader and it would be the economical choice for me to buy books. I do buy from Amazon, but I've been making more of an effort recently to buy independently."--- Mal @ Lila June's Booksaloon 

"I think they forget that authors -unlike actors who get paid by the producers and musicians who hold concerts and make money that way- rely solely on the book sale for their living. If this keeps going, soon we will have fewer authors and fewer good books." --- Anonymous

"I think Amazon Unlimited will be a good choice if you have a kindle only (since you can download directly). Although it seems Amazon Unlimited offers a huge array of books to choose from, I' kind of iffy about the quality of available books. Sure, there will probably be a gem here and there, but would those books be in the genre you like to read? It's kind of a hit or miss." --- Tina @ The Book Landers

Scribd, Oyster, and Why I'm Hesitant as a Reader and Writer --- Shannon @ Shannon A Thompson: An insightful blog post written at the end of 2013 before Kindle Unlimited even existed.

Information From the Experts About Kindle Unlimited:

Amazon Unveils E-Book Subscription Service, With Some Notable Absences ~ New York Times: This is the very first article I read when I wanted to find out about Kindle Unlimited and is a truly concise explanation of all Kindle Unlimited has to offer.... as well as what it doesn't.

Kindle Unlimited: Good for customers, not so good for authors? ~ CNET: This is the article that breaks down an author's earning from Kindle Unlimited, and gives another professional opinion about Amazon, and the whole service. 

More About Scribd: 

We Are Young: Summer YA Reading ~ Scribd's Blog: A list of popular YA novels included with your  Scribd subscription.
Books > Young Adult & Children's ~ Scribd: The list of YA/Children's titles being offered on Scribd.
How do authors benefit from Scrib'd subscription? ~ Scribd
Scribd moves beyond document sharing with $8.99/month ebook subscription service ~ Gigaom: While this article may be a little outdated, it does share valuable information on Scribd compared to Oyster, as well as the oh-so-important fact when facing the decision of which subscription service to use that HarperCollins is included.

More About Oyster:

Browse the Oyster Library ~ Oyster: The featured selection of Oyster's Young Adult titles.
Smashwords Signs Distribution Agreement with Oyster ~ Official Smashwords Blog: All information pertaining to an author's benefit for having their Smashwords book included in Oyster.

Conclusion: I will be actively following consumer's feedback surrounding all three subscription services, and be updating this post as soon as the information is made public such as my fellow blogger's opinions, more publishers are added (maybe), and all of that type of information. I might even  make an entirely separate second post dedicated to the matter if any large news is released, drama ensues, or outrage increases. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments below and I will answer them to the best of my ability, and I highly encourage you to do some research so you can discover which service (if any) is right for you. Afterwards, I would greatly appreciate it if you linked some of your research because I truly want to add more links so I can help as many bloggers/vloggers/ consumers alike in the quest to find out if Kindle Unlimited is right for them.

What do you think about Kindle Unlimited? Do you now want to rush out and subscribe, or scoff at Amazon and never want to buy another book from them again? Do you think it will impact your reading and/or book buying? Have you tried any of these subscription services, let me know, did you hate it, love it? 

{Spoiler Alert} Dead Silence (The Body Finder #4): Kimberly Derting

Rating: 6/10
Series: The Body Finder #4
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Murder Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction
Recommended For Fans of The Dark Divine Trilogy and Pretty Little Liars
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Page Count: 389
Format: eBook
Source: My Local Library

Synopsis: Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

***I would normally write a spoiler free and spoiler filled version of this review, but that is nearly impossible since this is the finale of a series, and you would be spoiled about all previous novels in the series. So if you haven't read the book or series, you have been warned that this is just FULL of SPOILERS***

In my experience, after book finales, you are either "WTF" and speechless, or "WTF" and have so much to say you don't even know where to begin. For Dead Silence, its the latter. I've never reviewed another Kimberly Derting book on Loving the Language of Literacy before, but what I will say is that Kimberly Derting taught me that I do enjoy some paranormal romance novels, such as this series. But, with The Body Finder Quartet, I felt like everything good that happened, happened in The Body Finder. I don't know if this is because I expected more with each book, or if my standards became higher. Whatever the reason, I did not enjoy Desires of the Dead as much as The Body Finder and  I did not enjoy The Last Echo as much as Desires of the Dead and I did not enjoy Dead Silence as much as The Last Echo. I know I should have gone back and reread the whole series, but "Aint nobody got time for that." Besides the relationship progression and broad story arc, you can almost read every novel on its own.... so I don't think that was the problem. 

My overall critique is that I expected Derting to want to go out with a bang, which means heart-stopping romance and a breathtaking ride of thrills and chills. I know it will seem like a lot of critique, but what I want you to know is that I enjoyed Dead Silence.... just not as much as I thought I would and that's where most of the criticism comes in.

If you had just given Rafe happiness

Romance: I feel so bad for Rafe. I was totally Team Jay.... when he was the only contender for Violet's heart (Grady just doesn't count). I'm not saying that I'm a total turncoat, but I loved the idea of them in The Last Echo. I just hate that he was there to temper with one of my first OTPs, and that Violet had lingering feelings for him as well. Basically, we know Jaylet (Jay and Violet) is set, but I just wanted happiness for Rafe. It was vaguely hinted that Chelsea had met her match, and they could possibly be "a thing." Yet everyone knew he liked Violet. Somebody just please give that boy a big bowl of happiness soup! 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Congratulations. Violet had stood there staring at the cake Chelsea had thrust out to her, wondering what she was being congratulated for exactly. Congratulations on being the long survivor of a serial killer? Or just your average, everyday, congratulations-for-killing-a-guy?

My I just say that I freaking LOVE this quote? This phrase is just one of many examples of Kimberly Derting's writing style and her talent for sneaking in humor even when the situation is a very serious one - such as your best friend buying you a "Congratulations" cake and bringing it to you so the two of you can enjoy, on the first occasion seeing each other after you were kidnapped. And just for the record, I still want to know which congratulations Chelsea intended the cake for.

"You were the White River student who found the bodies. And now you're here, watching their funeral." She frowned, confused all over again. Why? Why would you come here?"

This is a kind of ish spoiler (you know how those are), but this quote is said just before Violet finally tells Chelsea about her ability to find dead bodies. Chelsea, knowing Violet was acting weird, followed her to the funeral (I won't spoil who it's for), and is finally getting angry and confronting her best friend. I just think that this quote was plain annoying and Chelsea acted so clueless and flabbergasted when in my humble opinion, I don't think she should have been. Violet has been finding dead bodies for over a DECADE and you're so surprised that she is the unnamed White River student?

Why? Just Why?

WHY HADN'T VIOLET TOLD CHELSEA -HER BEST GIRL FRIEND (I only say that because Jay is her best friend)- ABOUT HER ABILITIES? I just don't understand why Violet hadn't told her or why Chelsea hadn't pursued the subject. I mean they had been friends since they were little girls. Why hadn't one of them felt guilty enough (Violet), or suspicious enough (Chelsea) to ask about the body finding thing? In this book especially, because of what happened with Chelsea's kidnapping and the foreshadowing leading up to it, we get told that Chelsea is an "I don't give a f*** if it's not my problem," no-nonsense person. So why hadn't she gotten it out of Violet sooner? I mean, I know she asked before. But WHHHHY did it take until book FOUR for it to be revealed? #itdoesntmakesense

And suddenly they were no longer standing apart; they were no longer separated by the breadth of their heartbeats. Jay was squeezing her against him, crushing her. Not hugging or stroking her, but crushing her. She felt his fingers clawing at the back of her shirt, balling the thin fabric in his fists as he clutched her to him, and she could feel the days and weeks and months of frustration and dear and whatever else he'd being holding back some pouring out of him as he groaned achingly into her curls....

Okay, so I have issues with this entire quote.... several issues. My first issue was the whole "crushing" ordeal. I GET that they have had their relationship problems -almost all revolving around trust- but the crushing thing is a bit of an overkill. On the other hand, I see how this is an extremely endearing moment for the two of them, and the final *crosses fingers that it's final* makeup between the two of them so that they could end the series on a good note relationship wise.

This is Taylor Swift just telling you to be a couple and stay a couple

This just segways into me being able to talk about some of my other issues with Dead Silence and the series as a whole. In the beginning of the series, Jay plays the role of "possessive boyfriend" and won't let her out of his freaking sight for a moment (it even gets to a point where he wants to stand outside her bathroom door). I remember thinking over a year ago that I like Violet, but I almost wish she would get into danger or get injured because of how often Jay had to save her. Then in Dead Silence, I stop feeling like they're madly in love anymore. This is for many reasons, mostly because Violet is still trying to recover from being kidnapped. She is a damaged person that basically has a serious case of PTSD now. So she withdraws into herself and shuts out the people she loves like her parents, friends, and especially Jay. I JUST DON'T GET IT! See, I even broke grammar rules because of this book. I don't get it why their relationship is so rocky when the events should have made them stronger. I'm just gonna go pout in a corner.... M'kay?

Ending: No! Just no. The ending to Dead Silence needed to be the part where Kimberly Derting dug out the firearms out of her arsenal and floored everyone with the ending. Why didn't that happen?!? WHHHHY?

Conclusion: While I enjoyed Dead Silence as a novel, I was disappointed that this was all that was left as the conclusion to The Body Finder Quartet, and believed that it could have been much better.

{Blog Tour+Giveaway+Review} Fury (Book 1: Cure): Charlotte McConaghy

 Tour Page and Schedule

Fury: Book 1 of The Cure by Charlotte McConaghy
Page Count: 348 

Publication Date: March 25, 2014 

Publisher: Momentum Books, Pan Macmillan

In the tradition of Divergent comes a novel about a world where negative emotions are stolen ... and only those with fury can stand up and fight.

Eighteen-year-old Josephine Luquet wakes naked and covered in blood that is not hers on the same day every year—when the blood moon is full. Josi has not responded to the "Cure"—an immunization against anger mandated by the government—and believes herself to be a threat to others.

Then she meets Luke. Luke has had the Cure but seems different to the other "drones"—and he's dead set on helping Josi discover the truth about herself before the next blood moon.

But time is running out. Is Luke willing to risk his life to be near her? Does he truly understand what violence she is capable of?

Raw and full of passion, Fury is a story of love in a dystopian world, and how much we are willing to forgive in the struggle to remember our humanity.

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Charlotte started writing her children’s fantasy series ‘The Strangers of Paragor’ as a teenager and has since gone on to publish five novels. After a Masters degree in Screenwriting she wrote ‘Avery’, the first in her adult fantasy series ‘The Chronicles of Kaya’, published by Random House. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, and has just released a new dystopian sci-fi novel called ‘Fury – Book One of The Cure’, published by Momentum.

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

   

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received this book from CBB Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review. 

"I am a flame of fury. The last flickering flame in a world long since burned out. I have rage threaded through my skin, whispering against my ears, tied tightly around each of my bones. My eyes, one brown and one blue, leak with it. 

Most of the time this frightens me.

But sometimes I like it."

--- 1% September 11, 2065 Josephine

Can I just say that I loved this book? Oh well, too late, I said it. This quote encompasses and explains what I can't say about it. Not only is this one of the best beginnings of a book that I have ever read, but it displays Charlotte McConaghy's excellent writing, as well as portrays exactly who the main character -Josephine- is.

Premise: Fury was such an interesting novel to read because of how it dealed with emotions, a subject I am very interested in. I suppose that's what I enjoyed most about the novel as well. Even with the cookie cutter dystopian plot line, an author has to come up with some sort of selling point. A world where anger is eradicated, simply fascinates me. When I told my mom about the book I was reading (for the umpteenth time I might add), she thought it was great that anger had been eradicated.... until I told her what the effects of this were.  An example the author gave was when she said that wives whose husbands had cheated on them, didn't react, and a family who was being burglarized just sat there and laughed while their possessions were stolen. 

Romance: So the romance in Fury was a bit of an insta love situation, something deeply despised by 99% of the blogging community. I actually am not usually effected by instalove, but in this particular situation, I was. There is some background that would spoil things that would explain why it isn't so creepy that Luke picks up Josephine and takes her home after just meeting her, but it still doesn't compensate for the instant connection the two of them had. 

On the other hand, no self respecting teenage girl can deny the swoonworthiness of Luke. I mean, WHHHHHY does he have to be so old? Not in general, but for me at least. Even though we learn that his motives weren't exactly pure 100% of the time, he was still so charming, and attractive, and charismatic, and all the other adjectives that I can't think of at the moment.   

Points of View: We all know that I gotta have my good narrators, and Fury does not disappoint. I think the best way it can be described is if it were to be compared to All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. All Our Yesterdays is a book set in two separate times, before and after a horrific event, and told in in two points of views from different times.... so basically four points of view, even though there are only two people narrating. It is the same way with Fury, but better with three different narrators. Present and Past Joesphine and Luke, as well as present Anthony. McConaghy does this in such an amazing way, making each person (even if they're the same) have their own voice, and making it 100% understandable. Fury could have been confusing when it jumped from one time period to the other, and the narrators could have all sounded the same. 

Characters: 

"Perhaps you're right.... I did imagine them. Sometimes I think I must have, I don't know how something so wild could exist within a world like this, one that is so unforgivably void of life." 

I don't tell her what's on the tip of my tongue: that this is exactly what I see when I look at her.

--- 29% September 13, 2065 Anthony 

I simply fell in love with the characters of Fury, both their past and present selves. Anthony, is one of the many in this world thas has been given the Cure, yet there is still emotion left in him, and a lot of times throughout the story, that emotion is love for Josephine. While his thoughts about making Josephine love him, despite Luke, were malicious to say the least, you could still feel empathy because you knew where that desire came from. He was a very puny character at times, kind of like Nathan in All Our Yesterdays, in that he was a geek when it came to some of his different talents. 

Josephine was also a little spitball of fire, as she was not given the Cure, and still feels anger and other emotions. She was an independent, strong female character that could take care of things by herself, and didn't want to accept help from anybody, but realized that she still needed it, like Josephine March from Little Women.

"Music," he says, but not to me. "Blue and white."

Music starts to play from speakers, something I've never heard that's fun and lovely. "Blue and White?" I ask, assuming this must be the name of the band.

"I'm synesthetic," he explains. "Means I remember things in color and shape and texture. Blue and white music for me is upbeat, something with a lot of bass, stuff that makes you want to danc. I programmed my sound system to understand color cues."

--- 17% September 20, 2063 Josephine

Not only is this a unique character trait for Luke, but I just had to share it with you because it sounds insanely cool, similar to Josephine's eidetic (remembers EVERYTHING) memory, but without all of those nasty repercussions and side effects.

Cover: Oh my god! Somebody give me a hard copy of this novel so I can stroke and caress it to death. I don't know where McConaghy got the image, or even what the image is, but it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It appears to be the Earth surrounded by a ring of fire, and manages to express everything this novel is about.

Plot: What did make me stumble at times during Fury were certain events, as well as chains of events that I didn't understand because I didn't understand what triggered that chain. I will definitely be rereading Fury, so I will be able to catch more of the subtle nuances and explanations, but it was definitely confusing at times. The whole situation between the Bloods and the Greys and the Reds and the Blues was difficult to understand at times, and I would totally explain what each of those are.... if I could comprehend them myself.

Writing Style: Need I say more than the quotes below? I have now concluded that Charlotte McConaghy is the goddess of setting the scene in stories. She offers so much description to her readers without it being tedious, or boring.

Ending: What I was disappointed in, was the ending of Fury. It's not as if it let me down, trust me it was freaking EPIC. What I mean is that it seemed too predictable after the roller coaster of thoughts, emotions, and relevations that had just unfolded. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's along the lines of Reboot (Amy Tintera) and Uglies (Scott Westerfeld). That's all I'm going to say.

Continuation 85%: If CBB Book Premotions does another tour for the sequel, somebody reserve me a prime spot on it this very moment. I loved Fury so much and am extremely interested to see what Charlotte McConaghy does to capture her readers.

Conclusion:  I will definitely be recommending Fury because it was a fabulously written novel, in terms of narration and characters, as breath of fresh air concept wise.

{ARC Review} The Dare: Hannah Jayne

Rating: 5/10

Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Reccommended for fans of Pretty Little Liars & The Lying Game

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Page Count: 288 (according to Amazon)

Source: Netgalley

Format: eARC

Goodreads ~ Barnes & Nobles ~ Amazon

Synopsis: Two jumped off the pier that night...but only one came back alive

Bryn did everything with her best friend Erica. So when someone dared Erica to jump off the pier one night at Harding Beach, Bryn was right by her side. But when Bryn made it back to the surface, Erica was nowhere to be found. Bryn tries to make a fresh start by burying her memories of that awful night. But when a Twitter post from "EricaNShaw" pops up on her feed and a chilling voice mail appears on her phone, she realizes that someone isn't ready to let go of the past...

Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

My Intial Thoughts; This book.... how do I begin to describe this book. As some of you may know from Twitter, I am currently going through a bit of a reading slump. I could get into why I am in that reading slump *cough* the last 10 months of school *cough* and the fact that I am just tired of effort. Being on vacation hasn't helped either with this reading slump because of all the excitement that makes it feel like the world is coming to a standstill when I pick up a book to read. Anyway, my point is that my opinions about "The Dare" are different because of this reading slump, but unlike make of my fellow book bloggers, or readers in general, I feel like the book was better because of this reading slump. 

I have to admit that I almost gave this a 2 star rating, or lower, but my reading slump really affected my opinions. I just had waaaay top many problems with the characters, romance, ending, writing style, mystery.... basically almost every technical aspect of the novel. 

Characters & Narration 3/10: You know those books where you would imagine the narrator's voice as monotone and boring? Well that's how I imagined Brynna. I just wasn't feeling her voice, and most certainly didn't have a feel for who she was as a character. The way Bryn narrated events could be compared to the difference between hearing about something via text message versus actually being there and experiencing it. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EVENTS. I felt like I was just being relayed a story instead of experiencing everything as if I was Brynna. 

Premise 9/10: The premise is what truly drew me into the book, and triggered my click happy self on Netgalley. I live in a house with a mother who is addicted to murder mysteries, and this just seemed like a refreshing novel that might turn out to be an insane page turner. What I did not notice until I started "The Dare" was how similar is was to PLL/ TLG (see more on that below) which also would have helped me make the decision to click the "Request" button since it had been a long time since I had read a book like that. 

Romance 3/10: Okay... so there was romance in this book. That's all you can pretty much say. I dislike Brynna's love interest -Teddy- because he just seemed one dimensional. I had no feel for him and if he cared about her. The other fact was that Bryn was closer to her friend Evan than Teddy. I totally shipped Brynna and Teddy together, and then we found out he was gay, which is absolutely fine with me, but I believe a poor choice on the author' part in relevation the dynamics and chemistry between Bryn and Evan.  

Pacing 7.5/10: Let's just put it this way - I was in need of a page turning mystery that would hook me in and keep me hooked. Period. And I am happy to say that's what I got. So if you were perusing B&N, which I know we all do (don't you dare lie to me), and in the need of a light mystery, buy "The Dare." I read almost the entire book while in a doctor's office waiting for my aunt. It was just - READ. TOUCH SCREEN. REPEAT. And then I got to the end, which made hardly any sense to me for that matter. 

Similarities to Other Novels: You might have noticed the "Recommended for fans of Pretty Little Liars & The Lying Game" up there. The reason I put that is because I have read both novels, and think that "The Dare" is reminiscent of them. Minus the multiple teenage girls as MCs. Other than that, the three books were extremely similar. There was that whole "mysterious death of best friend, maybe murder" appeal as well as the "mysterious girl's death being drugged up from the past by none other than that mysterious girl presumed to me dead" and "the MC's life is promptly ruined because of all of this." As you can see, a lot of similarities. 

Ending 5/10: One word: FRUSTRATION. I don't want to spoil anything, but, THAT's FREAKING IT? I was expecting something bigger or something MORE and THIS is what Hannah Jayne gives me? I admit that I didn't see it coming, but I felt there was no connection between it and previous events. 

Conclusion: While I had many problems with the technical aspects of the novel, it was a quick fun read 

, reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, that woke me from a reading slump. 

{ARC Review} Curses and Smoke: a Novel of Pompeii: Vicky Alvear Shecter

Rating: 3/10
Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult,
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Page Count: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley

Amazon ~ Barnes & Nobles ~ Netgalley ~ Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis: When your world blows apart, what will you hold onto? TAG is a medical slave, doomed to spend his life healing his master's injured gladiators. But his warrior's heart yearns to fight in the gladiator ring himself and earn enough money to win his freedom.

LUCIA is the daughter of Tag's owner, doomed by her father's greed to marry a much older Roman man. But she loves studying the natural world around her home in Pompeii, and lately she's been noticing some odd occurrences in the landscape: small lakes disappearing; a sulfurous smell in the air. . . .

When the two childhood friends reconnect, each with their own longings, they fall passionately in love. But as they plot their escape from the city, a patrician fighter reveals his own plans for them -- to Lucia's father, who imprisons Tag as punishment. Then an earthquake shakes Pompeii, in the first sign of the chaos to come. Will they be able to find each other again before the volcano destroys their whole world?

Do you know what time it is *does awkward dance that would get her thrown out of places* Backstory Time! If you have been visiting my blog for even a smidgen of time, you will know I am nearly famous for going off on tangents about how I got the book, why I read it, and so forth. This book.... this book sounded AMAZING. I am known to enjoy a his fic (historical fiction novel) every once in a while, and I thought this would be my perfect fix for the next month or so. When I saw it on Netgalley, my click-happy self requested the book, and I got accepted. Let me just tell you a little preview of my feelings. 

You know in those movies where they go into the scary house, or dangerous situation and know that something is wrong? Well, that's what happened the moment I started reading C&S. I could not put my finger on that something, and like that lovely GIF up above, I thought, "If I ignore that something, it will go away." 

So I kept reading.... and reading.... and reading.  

Fast Forward to around 20% or 70 pages of C&S, well that something wasn't disappearing, and that something now had a name. If you fast forward my reading experience to the end of the novel, that list of somethings is LONG. A few weeks ago, I posted my top 10 list of "Books I Almost Put Down, But Didn't" Curses and Smoke needed to be on that list, and the side of the list of the books I wish I had put down. Truthfully, I kept holding on and on by a thin thin thread (Maroon 5 song -Sad). I kept wishing I would get over that precipice of boredom and distraught. 

I didn't.

Where do I even start with this book? It might just be an "it's me not you" thing, but I had issues with the plot, originality, pacing, characters, romance, and especially the writing style.

Plot/Originality: Remember on twitter when I was talking about writing short stories and putting them into books for an assignment? Well one of my classmates wrote a love story set in Pompeii. I could get into how weird that is (immature teenage boy writing a love story), but that has nothing to do with this review. Anyway, he is not the best writer, and certainly not the most creative. Yet, he wrote a story with a plot line almost exactly following Curses and Smoke. I also know for a fact that he is not secretly a book blogger that receives ARCs. So.... that flushes the plot line and originality for Curses and Smoke down the toilet. Obviously, the star crossed lovers living in opposite classes is a universal theme, and one used often in historical fiction, but I honestly think that Shecter could have done something interesting with it.

Characters: Tag and Lucia made me want to rip my hairs out one by one. You know the phrase "still waters run deep"? Well how about "still waters are stagnant and that's all there is to it"? The characters were shallow, so not personable (not a word), and were almost like slabs of rock. The only case in which this would work with characters is if it was some high authority figure who seemed to be untouchable and whose walls seem unbreachable by anybody else. This was completely not the case. I didn't feel like I knew who they were at all, or that they had some storied past, or anything else. I literally had more connection with the destruction that the volcano made than with them. 

Romance: Their romance was freaking cliche. It was as if it was a scene from a play that went like this, "Hi, I'm Tag, I'm madly in love with you but we can't be together because I am a slave and you're the rich Domina that could have me executed if you wanted." The two of them together didn't seem like such a good match either because they didn't balance each other out, or were similar. They seemed a lot like Romeo and Juliette wannabes, stealing "amazing kisses" (from Lucia) in the woods, and wanting to run away together. Yay them *rolls eyes*. 

Writing Style: What got to me so much was the writing style of Curses and Smoke. This is a historical fiction novel. That means they are in the past. They are not supposed to sound like 21st century teenagers. I admit they didn't say, "Whatever" or "Duh," but it came pretty close to it with phrases like, "I got it." It was so seemingly modern, and frankly, poorly written. The description of action sequences,  who the characters were, and the emotions people felt.

Pacing: All you need to do is read my backstory to understand my issues with the pacing, paired with all of the other factors. I believe, that with the interesting premise, I could have given the book a higher rating if the pacing had been quicker, and the plot developed quicker. 

***Mini-Spoiler About Ending***

So, I was in the car on the way home from running, and I was telling my mom that books have gotten so cliche, your heart wrenches, you clench your fists, and you cry. All for what? The characters live, they get what they want, "they all live happily ever after." I love happy endings, if I love the characters, and sad endings make me want to punch authors. However, a majority of novels I have read in the past few months have had happy endings, and I just didn't want that to happen with Curses and Smoke. The synopsis sets everything up for a happy ending, but for the first time in forever (another song reference), it is sad. I am so sorry to admit this, but I was quite happy with the ending. I was like, "YAY! One of the MCs died!" This proves just how much of a connection (or lack thereof) with the characters I had. Everything about it was rushed, and if I had enjoyed C&S, I would have thought of it as a WTF moment.

Conclusion: I was highly disappointed with this novel because of the amazing premise, but the characters, plot, and writing style disappointed me.

{ARC Review} Breaking Free: Winter Page

Rating: 9.5/10

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+, Young Adult, Fiction,

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

Publication Date: April 10, 2014

Page Count: 185

Format: eBook/eARC

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis: Raimi Carter is finally a girl, just like she always knew she was meant to be. At a new school where nobody knows she’s had gender reassignment surgery, she hopes to finally live the normal life she’s longed for, happy in her own skin. 

Life is great until she discovers a dangerous bully is blackmailing head cheerleader, Clare Strickland, threatening to reveal her secret: she’s gay. As Raimi fights to free Clare from his clutches, the two girls move beyond friendship. But secrets from their pasts and their own fears of coming out tear them apart—maybe forever. Baring their souls to each other could cost them everything. For two girls trapped and desperately in love, only strength, courage, and trust in each other will help them break free and claim their future.

*I received this book from Netgalley as an eARC which does not impact my honest review in any ways* 

This is the third book I have finished for Bout of Books, and it was my second 5 star book for this readathon, so I hope this great trend continues. (I'm actually reviewing this beforehand on Wednesday).  

Where do I begin? How do I even begin to express my opinions about this book? The first thing I would like to mention is that I rarely read the "About the Author" section of books, but I actually did this time, and was shocked to discover that Breaking Free is written by a high school freshman. To have a full length novel published by the time you are a high school freshman is a huge accomplishment I would have loved to achieve. The second part about Winter Page (which might be a pseudonym) that I loved was what she wants to do. "Her goal each year is to write something that makes her English teacher cry." I think this is so amazing, and I think she is a really cool person from her "About the Author", and of course her book itself.

I am actually trying out a new review type with Breaking Free, which I have sort of attempted to do before. Anyway, what I will be doing for particularly quote worthy books, such as this one, is basing my review around the quotes. I am a TOTAL quote nerd (Is that a thing?), and actually counted that I had highlighted 23 places in the book, so let's jump into the review.

"It's not about what body you're in or what body you're attracted to. It's about what's in your head. So, your genetics could say one thing, but how you act, how you think, how you were supposed to be, might say something different." 60%

Raimi Carter is hit with a double whammy in life. She's a transgender lesbian. So not only does she believe she is the wrong gender, but she likes the gender that she wants to be. Basically, Raimi used to be a boy, but took the hormonal treatments to become a girl, but instead of liking boys (who she used to be), she likes girls. The Raimi we are allowed to get to know and love is one that is finally completely comfortable in her skin, and because of what she has had to go through, is even more understanding, compassionate, and empathetic than who she would have been if her situation had been different. The Raimi she used to be was very different. The old Raimi was uncomfortable in her own skin, but thank god she had a loving, supporting mother who got her the treatment she needed.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't give birth to you in the right body. But we're going to take care of it, and don't you ever date think this is something bad or to be ashamed of. We are who we are, and it doesn't matter what anyone else says." 59%

Because of Raimi's unique situation, she has given me new perception on what it means to be a girl. I myself am a girl and perfectly comfortable and happy being a girl. I know looks are so not everything (the moral of every Disney Channel 'Original' Movie), but for Raimi, they are a huge part of her individual everything. Mentally, she is a girl, but she needed to change her outward appearance so others would see her as such, While some girls had body image and weight issues, she thought they should be happy and proud for what the hips and curves because that's what made them girls.

"Back at my old school in Texas, I used to watch girls literally starve themselves, and it made me so angry. The only thing I could think was, don't you know that's what makes you a girl, for God's sake!" 6%

What I liked most about Breaking Free was that it was so raw, real, and honest, the way only someone going through the throes of high school can represent and describe something. What I also enjoyed was that it was gritty, but beautiful at the same time. In a bullying sense, it reminded me of the book Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose, which I didn't like very much. Yet, Breaking Free was different, like it had the 'IT' factor that some books and authors only dream about. Something about it -whether it was the dry humor, somewhat painful truth of today's society, or portrayal of young love- positively sucked me in.

"Everyone has monsters, demons, they don't want to face. We as teenagers live in hormonal hell right now. And it doesn't help that we're surrounded by a bunch of people living in the same hell, too wrapped up in their own problems to really think about anyone else." 23%

You know those really cute wall hangings you can get from online stores like Etsy? Well I would LOVE to have one of those made specifically for this quote. I myself, am a teenager, and this could not ring any more true. The day I just had wasn't the best, old memories I would rather keep buried resurfaced, self doubt was inflicted by others, a test didn't go as well as I had hoped it would. People, I myself am guilty as well, get caught up in their own issues because they think its the end of the world when you can point to anyone else and say they are going through the same thing or more, which should bring you out of the "I'm the only one going through this" mood. Being a teenager is hard, there's school, social pressure, home problems, emotions, history, all and everything that happens, and this quote sums everything up.

"Life is just one big game of picking sides.... one long string of consecutive decisions we're forced to make, or that we make on our own. And then, from the decisions we make, we're sorted onto the side we play for. Kind of like Harry Potter. Except that there's not good house, no house that's a compilation of bad eggs. We're just flawed people making decisions best we can. We're not good or bad. We're just humans." 31%

This quote is just amazing and it speaks the truth. Either we make decisions, consciously, being forced, or make them without a thought. Any and either way, they're decisions, and half of the time we don't make the "right" ones. This quote also shows how much wisdom Winter Page has, and just increases my respect for her because she has figured it out.

"She was his living blow-up doll, a toy he had complete control over. It was sick. It honestly was a miracle that the AP Spanish class didn't witness its first homicide." 30%

There are three things I like about this quote. First of all, it accurately portrays how Clare was being treated by Brian a.k.a. the worst boyfriend anyone could ever have. Two, is shows how Raimi is the kind of person to stand up and speak out for what she believes in, and will not stay complacent with the way things are now. Three, the last sentence is really funny (at least in my opinion) in terms of wording.

"Sometimes the worst crime of all was inaction." 33%

The quote above is important to the story, because it gives me a chance to put the spotlight on Clare. Clare Strickland has a flawless reputation to protect, but when a little picture gets sent out by way if social media, everything changes. She is ostracized, criticized, publicly shunned, and so much more in inflicted upon her. Her case is the kind where the (annoying) school psychologist tells everyone that the bystanders are just as much at fault as the bullies themselves for staying silent.

"It should say something about you, considering it's permanent. It has to be something that's going to be in you for the rest of your life and not just a whim." 89%

I'm not going to tell you why, how, or explain so I don't spoil the story for you, but Raimi gets a tattoo (don't freak out, she was in Colorado where it's legal) for personal reasons and because of Clare. You are probably thinking "So.... what is so profound about this?" but once you read the book you will understand. The tattoo is not just a tattoo, it a permanent part of Raimi's body (as your moms and dads have reminded you every time you voice your desire for one), and it needed to make a statements to others. So she gets it on her shoulder, not so she can see it, but so others can.

"The word Free was spelled out in the trademark rainbow of gay pride. The script was outlined in black, making it stand out against my skin. The letters were beautiful, the font not big enough to look garish, but not so small that you couldn't see it." 91%

Ending: The feels hit me so hard here. At a time that I truly should have been in bed, I couldn't help myself but read. It is a page turning shocker and some truths about Clare's controlling ex-boyfriend Brian are revealed. While they may seem a tad unbelievable to some, it is a true WTF moment in the story, and provides a good resolution to his character.

Quotes 10/10: These are some quotes I couldn't find a way to weave into this (extremely long, rambling) review that I felt needed to be inserted into this blog post.

A humorous light to a serious situation.

"Oldest child supplies middle child's bad habit. Middle child gets youngest child into a party where oldest child then gives him access to what the youngest child uses to overdoes. This is why America is failing as a country." 71%

A downright hilarious quote which served that waiter right. 

"The waiter scowled, his lips pressed into an angry white line. It was evident that she had just dealt a major blow to his ego. The poor guy just got cockblocked by a girl that didn't like cock." 46%

Something a bit more.... deep.

"Sometimes, it's not about the cards we're dealt.... it's about how well we bluff." 47%

Conclusion: Breaking Free is a stunning debut novel that captivated me and showed the power of acceptance to people who are different