Quick Review: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Standalone (+ short story prequel)

Publication: June 2015 by Feiwel & Friends
Acquisition:

Goodreads

4 / 5 Stars

All of my assumptions about Sweet were 100% wrong.

The things I thought I would love, fell flat and the things I thought would be cringe worthy were actually pretty fantastic.

Sweet is a bit weird. It's a little fluffy but it's also pretty horrific and it's very relateable and it's totally implausible. It's like one of those House of Mirrors attractions at a sketchy road side carnival. You're apprehensive about entering, startled and feel silly while you're inside and terrified when you realize you can't find your way out.

OMG and the ending! It was perfect!

I was like, yadda yadda, closing bits, loose ends, got it got it...wait, what the hell just happened!

Sometimes I love being wrong ;)

Next time you're browsing your local bookstore and you see this one - scoop it up, bring it home and enjoy the ride!

FREE E-Book Alerts!

Guys!

In case you didn't know, I am completely addicted to short story e-novellas! You know, all those #0.5 and #2.5s of a series? 

I EAT THEM UP!

I love them so much I started a Goodreads List just to keep track of them all. (Anyone can add to it so it's a little wonky but my Personal List is a little more organized.)

Today I found something awesome which maybe you are all already aware of but it's all new to me and it's fabulous!

The Fierce Reads Anthology Volume 1

Kindle / Nook / Kobo

Also available from iBooks

Contains

Legacy Lost (Of Poseidon #0.5) by Anna Banks

The Witch of Duva (The Grisha #0.5) by Leigh Bardugo

Prophet (Struck #0.5) by Jennifer Bosworth

Dress Your Marines in White (Monument 14 #0.5) by Emmy Laybourne

Glitches (Lunar Chronicles #0.5) by Marissa Meyer

The Fierce Reads Anthology Volume 2

Kindle / Nook / Kobo

Also available from iBooks

Contains

Foundation (Razorland #0.5) by Ann Aquirre

The Department of Alterations (Crewel World #0.5) by Gennifer Albin

Men Who Wish to Drown (Companion story to Monstrous Beauty) by Elizabeth Fama

Heads Will Roll (Necromancer #0.1) by Lish McBride

Ruled (Birthmarked #2.5) by Carah M. O'Brien

Jacks and Queens at the Green Mill (Companion story to The Shadow Society) by Marie Rutkoski

(Also contains The Witch of Duva and Glitches from the first volume)

Not 1 but 2 Fierce Reads Anthologies with a combined total of 11 short stories from some awesome series.

Thank you Tor Books :)

EEEK!

Some of these I've already downloaded / read / reviewed, some were on my radar already and some are completely new to me. How exciting!

Best part? Both Anthologies are FREE!

I'm so excited :)

Cover Love! Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

I absolutely LOVED Monument 14 and I just saw the cover for book 2 - not sure if it's final but I think it's fabulous!

Sky On Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne
May 28, 2013 from Feiwel and Friends

If you've read book 1 you know the significance of the school bus and I think it's a perfect subject for book cover #2.

It pairs pretty well with book cover 1 too.

What do you guys think?

Fill Up Those Shelves: My June and July Recommendations

Says one book addict to another:

Isn't it time you hit the stores and showed your bookshelves a little love?

Here are some June and July releases that come highly recommended - by me!

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Why I love it:
The real life situations freaked me out in just the right ways. We have an apocalyptic world on day 1 and there are so many possibilities! Lots of unknowns with lots of puzzle pieces to find and realistic characters that stick with you long after you finish reading.
Emmy is a debut author and Monument 14 is the first in a series. The ending was killer and book 2 is going to be an automatic buy for me.
(my full review)

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Why I love it:
It's a contemporary story that doesn't shy away from the truth. So very hard to love the MC but her strength and her sass are hard to ignore.
Real issues are dealt with - sex, substance abuse, neglect, abandonment.
I read this one cover to cover in one sitting.
Very full of emotion - very much a book you won't soon forget.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Why I love it:
A fantasy world with so many elements. Magic and power warring with each other and our MC gets caught right in the middle. A world I would never want to find myself in, yet it's also a world I found myself fascinated with. Bad guys that got under my skin, good guys that I was routing for the entire time - this book is full of so much win!
Leigh is a debut author and Shadow and Bone is the first in a series.
Young adult fantasy at it's best.The hype around this one is totally worth it!
(my full review)

Temptation by R.L. Stine

Why I love it:
A must have for any R.L. Stine fans in my opinion. A collection of 3 stories - Goodnight Kiss, Goodnight Kiss 2 and The Vampire Club.
R.L. Stine is one of my favorite authors and I don't care how many times they repackage his books - I have to have them all!
I read Goodnight Kiss 1 and 2 as a tween and I loved them! Vampires that don't sparkle!
I already got my copy and it looks beautiful on my shelve next to all my Stine 'classics' :)

Book Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

***2012 Debut Author***

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 294
Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: received an ARC for review

Summary:

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Wow. I was pretty much terrified throughout this entire book. It might take place in the future but the reality of what is happening felt all too real to me. Imagine getting on your school bus, expecting another tedious day  and a few hours latter you're fighting for your life against terrors from your worst nightmares. Such is the case for 14 kids from Monument Colorado.

The world these kids live in isn't much different from ours. Technology has advanced and the ways people communicate have changed a bit but since not a lot about society is revealed, it's very easy to imagine that what is happening could happen in our world - at any time - to any group of kids.

Along with an awesome storyline, what really got me hooked was the dynamic characters. 14 kids ranging in age from 5-17ish all with their own strengths and fears. And when you lock them up together with little to no hope of escape? These strengths and fears become the difference between life and death.

Final verdict:
What really got to be about Monument 14 were the details. Their refuge is a mega store (I was picturing a Super Walmart or Target) and they have nearly everything they need to survive at their disposal. And they use everything, in ways that make sense. They do things that I would do in their situation. This added layer of realism that really made all the difference for me.

Also, it wasn't hard to care about these kids. It wasn't hard to want then to win, to survive. Added terror right there! If I'm invested in what happens to a character, I'm even more terrified by the events in their story.

The ending had a few last minute shockers to thrown at me but I'm happy for it. There is a lot more story to be told here. I'm already wishing for book 2! An awesome debut!

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Author's website / Goodreads / IndieBound