Friday's Featured Freebie: Evolution by Kelly Carrero

Wow!  It's Friday already.  It's been a really busy week but I can't really remember what I did.  A new procedure went in at work which had me frazzled most of the week.  Thank goodness the crazy is done for two days.  This might be the reason why I haven't been reading as much as I thought I would.  I will try to make up for that this weekend.  Our book club this month was pushed back a couple of weeks with everyone's schedule being so busy.  We ended up making some sort of deal to read more than just my pick,  so I read my book and now I'm reading The Maze Runner, my sister has been bugging me to read this one.  So far I like it enough, I think it's going to start getting really interesting soon.  With reading The Maze Runner and Alligent due out on Tuesday, I must have dystopia on the brain because here is my Freebie Friday pick.

Evolution (Evolution #1)
by Kelly Carrero
Free on Barnes & Noble and Amazon

Seventeen year old Jade Sommers life tuned upside down the moment she saw the inch long cut across her face, heal right before her eyes.

Jade thought she was going insane, but her boyfriend Aiden Scott knew better. He knew what she was. And like him, she was born this way.

Now if finding out that people like her shouldn’t exist was bad enough, Jades best friend is kidnapped by the psycho who’s terrorised her dreams. With the help of Aiden, she has to figure out how to saver her, before it’s too late.

But what Jade doesn’t know, is not everything is what it seems. She is merely a puppet in a sadistic game to find out what she is truly capable of – and the game has only just begun. ~Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday #11

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are highly anticipating.

The F- It List

by Julie Halpern
Release Date: November 12th 2013

With her signature heart and humor, Julie Halpern explores a strained friendship strengthened by one girl’s battle with cancer.

Alex’s father recently died in a car accident. And on the night of his funeral, her best friend Becca slept with Alex’s boyfriend. So things aren’t great. Alex steps away from her friendship with Becca and focuses on her family.

But when Alex finally decides to forgive Becca, she finds out something that will change her world again--Becca has cancer.

So what do you do when your best friend has cancer? You help her shave her head. And then you take her bucket list and try to fulfill it on her behalf. Because if that’s all you can do to help your ailing friend--you do it.

Why?
First of all I love the title. I always find death and cancer interesting topics especially when you get to view it from the eyes of a young adult. This book sounds like a combination of the movie 50/50 and the Bucket List. Plus who doesn't like bucket lists?  

Top 10 Tuesday

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish and this week's topic is the Top Ten Favorite Books You Were Required to Read. These are not in any particular order.

 


Most of Rachel's are from school.  I can't remember what I read in school and if it wasn't for Goodreads, I probably wouldn't remember what I read yesterday.  Most of mine are from Book Club.  One of them we received as a Review request.  I'll let you figure out which one. ;)

Rachel's List 1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 2. The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien 4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 5. Oath of Servitude by C. E. Wilson 6. Imaginary Invalid (Le Malade Imginaire) by Moliere 7. Room by Emma Donoghue 8. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (my book club pick) 9. Divergent by Veronica Roth (my book club pick) Melissa's List 1. On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony 2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Rachel's book club pick) 3. Another Fine MYTH by Robert Asprin 4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Rachel's book club pick) 5. The Woods by Harlan Coben 6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver 7. Secret Daughter by Shilipi Somaya Gowda (Rachel's book club pick) 8. Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson
What books made your list?

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Rating: 5 wine glasses

America is still in the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart while Aspen searches for a chance to regain America’s. 

I finished this book in almost a day because I can't get enough of this series. The beginning of The Elite repeated a lot of small details which I just read in the Selection, regardless I still enjoyed every page. My favorite parts are America and Maxon's intimate discussions.

“You know that you’ve found something amazing, and you want to hold on to it forever; and every second after you have it, you fear the moment you might lose it.”

Then there is the beautiful Halloween Party. Things are just so perfect that I knew it was too good to last. No sooner than I thought this than I had tears running down my face. I won't say anymore about the situation that caused this but if you read the book you will know what I am talking about because the very pain and hurt America feels, I felt it transposed onto me.  I did like that you find out more about the history of Illéa and the original monarch, Gregory.

This book made me distrust Maxon a little bit more, but at the end of the day I still want America to be with him. While reading this book I did questioned whether Aspen really loves her or just wants her for himself, which is weird because I am usually fighting on the side of the protagonist’s first love. However, I feel like America is growing, changing and developing her own opinion of the world while Aspen expects her to be the America who left for the Selection months before. America is a jumble of who she was and what she has become. Reflecting now, I do believe Aspen loves America, but like Gale in the Hunger Games, he expects her not to have changed and for things to be as they once were.

My heart goes out to Aspen, but at the same time I was taken back when he told America that he doesn’t think she could be queen. Rule #1 for Winning Back the Girl of Your Dreams: Believe she can conquer the world and back her up whatever she does. My thoughts are #1 he is blind to this new America that is blooming right before his eyes. #2 He doesn’t want to imagine her as a queen/princess because that means she ends up with Maxon and not him. #3 He thinks this role would strangle and crush her. I am tempted to read the novella, The Guard just to find out what his reasoning is and get a better understanding of him, but I am going to wait until the third and final book, The One, is released so I can just finish the whole series at once.

America was very indecisive in this book and rash in her judgment/reactions. It could be frustrating at some moments but it did keep the book interesting and realistic. I am more indecisive than I like to admit so I really have no room to judge.

I cannot wait for The One’s release. I really hope to see more physical action between Maxon and America in it even though Maxon is too much of a gentleman for that to happen...well he is most of the time.

This is the second book in the Selection series. Check out my review of book one, The Selection.

Showcase Sunday #11

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea where you show what books you've purchased, borrowed, checked out from the library, received from giveaway, etc.

This week has been kind of slow for books. I must confess that I haven't read that much, if any this week. I have been a willing slave to Pinterest this week, trying to figure how I want to decorate my work cube for our Halloween decorating contest. I also have been pinning some images for the author, Heather Fleener's Ancients of Light Pinterest boards. I also did some fall cleaning. I don't think this week will be much better for me, but we will see. 

Melissa purchased House of Hades by Rick Riordan which was released on Tuesday. I can't wait to get my hands on this one as well, but we are both concerned it is going to end with a cliffhanger.

I picked up Natural Selection by Elizabeth Sharp on Amazon for our Friday's Featured Freebie book. It looks pretty good and has a 4.29 rating on Goodreads so I have high hopes. 

What books did you find this week?