Discounts & Deals

Today I wanted to discuss discounts and deals on books and where to find them!

One site I subscribe to is BookBub. I'd say its basically the same as eBookStage, another site I subscribe to. Both are free for readers to use.

I get daily emails from both alerting me of deals in my favourite genres, and while both usually show me the same deals, sometimes one will have a listing which the other does not. This makes subscribing to both worthwhile.

Deals generally cover all eBook options from Kindle to Kobo to Apple iBooks. One difference is that for the author 'follow' option, there is a larger selection on BookBub than eBookStage.

A newer site similar to these has been brought to my attention. Book Swag is also free for readers to subscribe to, and lists discounts and deals on various books. It's rather new and there does not appear to be many listed deals as of yet, but as time goes on, I'm sure it'll grow and prove to be just as useful for the reader as BookBub and eBookStage. A bonus, for myself personally, is that I love the aesthetics of the site itself. I can't speak to the quality of the actual service, but I'm going to give it a try!

What sites or services do you use to keep track of the latest book deals and discounts? Let me know in the comments.

Where No One Knows by Jo Ramsey

 

Series: N/A

Author: Jo Ramsey
Page Count: 180
Published: June 2nd, 2016

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

  4 Stars ★★★★

 I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley.

Kellan is forced to flee his home after he accidentally sets fire to his stepfather's friend. Running from vengeful members of a church who disapproves of his transgender status, Kellan struggles to control his pyro-kinetic and psychic abilities. 

While he is on the run he is assisted by Shad, who also has psychic abilities and who hopes to send him to a home, for people with these abilities, safely. But with blood-thirsty men on his trail, there is danger at every turn.

I love reading books about psychic powers of all kinds, but I find pyro-kinesis an especially intriguing idea. I feel like this book executed Kellan's struggle with pyro-kinesis, along with his other powers, incredibly well and without any sort of cliches. I liked the way that the author described what it felt like for Kellan when he was close to unleashing his powers, as it made me feel like I was experiencing the build-up and struggles just as Kellan was. 

Kellan was a very, very likeable character. He exhibited many positive qualities throughout the book, particularly bravery and determination, during each part of his journey to safety. I'd say that he is a positive role model as well, doing what was right despite the consequences and refusing to return hate with hate.

It was nice to read a book featuring a transgender character without the plot being completely based on this fact. While books primarily discussing identity are important, it is nice to see representation of these characters in other situations as well, and this book did just that.

There was a lot of suspense present throughout this novel. Whenever Kellan feared being caught by his stepfather's friends, I was worrying along with him! Being sucked into the story like this made everything all the more enjoyable and believable.

It's important to note that this book didn't really contain any romance, except for a few crushes and some attraction between characters. There is also some tension between two of the characters but it doesn't affect the plot in any major way. I was surprised because most YA books I've come across use romance as a primary theme, but this one did just fine without it.

My only major issue with this book is Kellan appearing not to hate the members of the church who hurt him and his family so much, who literally tracked him down with intent to kill him. Like I mentioned, I think it's awesome that he refused to return hate with hate, but on the other hand, its a bit unrealistic considering the magnitude of what he was going through, thanks to these people. There were other little things throughout the book that irked me a little bit, but they're not significant to the overall quality of the writing or story.

I recommend this book to fans of twist endings, stories about being on the run and YA. If you're looking for a good book featuring a transgender character and psychic abilities, or something without romance as the main focus, you should check this one out!

Find Where No One Knows on Goodreads

Harmony Ink Press Anthology 2016

Hey everybody! I have an announcement to make.

In October 2016, Harmony Ink Press is going to be releasing an anthology featuring one of my short stories!

My story "I Am Logan" under the pseudonym Caleb Andrews has been chosen for inclusion in this year's Harmonious Hearts anthology. This means that my lifelong dream of becoming a published author is finally coming true!

Link to previous Harmony Ink Anthologies
Link to Harmony Ink Press's post on the Young Author Challenge

I wanted to share this with all of you because this is a really big step in my life and my dream literally coming true! I'm so excited.

Have you ever had a story published? Let me know in the comments!

The Get To Know Me Tag

I was tagged on The Book Goddess!

 

The Basics

Name: Wren Love.

Nicknames: One of my friends calls me Llama :)

Birthday: January 21st.

Star Sign: Aquarius.

Occupation: I'm currently a student aspiring to be an author and a social worker. 

Looks

Hair Colour: Brown naturally, currently dyed blue-black.

Hair Length: Really short, not even down to my shoulders. 

Eye Colour: Brown.

Best Feature: I like my eyebrows. 

Braces: I was supposed to get some but never did.

Piercings: Not yet.

Tattoos: Not yet.

Right or Left-Handed: Right.

Firsts

Best Friend: My first best friend was a girl in my kindergarten class. Unfortunately I haven't seen her since the end of kindergarten because I moved.

Award: My first 'real' award was the Principal's Academic Award, which I received at my grade 8 graduation. 

Sport: I was on a soccer team for several years when I was younger. 

Real Holiday: I went to Disney World on winter break one year.

Concert: The first concert that I attended of which I wasn't dragged to by my family was the Black Veil Brides concert! 

Favourites

Film: I have too many favourite films, but a few include The Phantom of the Opera (starring Gerard Butler), The Man Who Laughs, and Sweeney Todd. 

TV Show: Scream, Hannibal, Sherlock, Criminal Minds and Pretty Little Liars. 

Colour: Red and black.

Song: I have so many favourite songs but a few include House of Memories and Build God Then We'll Talk by Panic! at the Disco, Sons of Night and Perfect Weapon by Black Veil Brides and the entire Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. 

Restaurant: A&W and Subway.

Shop: Book stores, both new and used. Hot Topic and thrift stores like Value Village also make my top few favourites. 

Books: Once again....sooooo many favourites I can't list them all! A few include Nevermore by Kelly Creagh and Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, also The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti and many, many more. 

Shoes: I really like black boots with silver buckles.

Currently

Feeling: Tired and very creative. Not a good mix.

Single or Taken: Taken!

Eating: Nothing at the moment but I had Subway about an hour ago. 

Thinking About: Writing.

Watching: Hannibal.

Wearing: Pajamas. 

Future

Children: I want at least one, but I'd rather adopt.

Marriage: I really want to get married.

Careers: An author, of course! I also want to help people, especially youth, which is why I am considering social work. 

Where You Want To Live: I want to live in the town I grew up in, it's not too far from where I am now. 

Do You Believe In

God: I am agnostic but lean towards polytheism. So, sort of?

Miracles: Not really. 

Love At First Sight: You may certainly be attracted to somebody at first sight, but actual love? I think that comes a little later. 

Ghosts: Yes!!!!!!

Aliens: Yep.

Soulmate: Yes, though I consider it in the context of both romance and friendship. 

Heaven/Hell: I believe in some sort of afterlife, though certainly not one of torment or suffering. 

Kissing On The First Date: I believe in "do whatever the heck you want" meaning yeah! If you want to, kiss on the first date! If you don't want to, that's fine too! Personally, I've kissed someone on the first date myself, so yes.

Yourself: Sometimes.

Who I Am Tagging

All of you are tagged! Leave a link to your posts and I'll take a look. 

Thanks for tagging me!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

 

Series: The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting
Page Count: 327
Published: March 16th, 2010

Publisher: Harper

  4 Stars ★★★★

Violet can sense the dead. They give off unique 'echoes', which are also attached to their killers. She hasn't found a dead human in a long time but that changes once somebody starts prowling on teen girls in her area. 

Violet is determined to use her ability to help the police track down this killer, but her best friend, Jay, is adamantly against the idea. Dealing with the fear of being the next victim and her complicated feelings for Jay, Violet only hopes to stay alive to solve the mystery, catch the killer and maybe even find love in the process.

So I initially had a bit of trouble getting into this book, I guess I found the writing style somewhat different than other books I have read. Once I got into the middle of chapter two I was completely engrossed in the story but I felt it was a bit hard to get into at the very beginning. I think this may have to do with the level of description found on the first page, even within the first paragraph. I have trouble visualizing when there's so much description! But as the book progressed, the descriptive nature of the writing was better paced. 

That's really my only criticism. I remember a friend of mine recommending this book to me years ago, after it first was published. I had dismissed it at the time but recently decided to pick up a copy and give it a try. I am disappointed that I hadn't decided to do this sooner! 

I was sort of expecting something cheesy, something cliche, especially considering the mention of Violet's feelings for Jay, falling in love, all that. But the romantic aspect was quite believable and paced perfectly in relation to the greater plot. I feel like the romance added to this book, instead of taking away from its value as I've felt romance has done in other novels. 

They mystery aspect was very well done. A slight spoiler, but that part where she senses the killer in the woods during the search? That was very suspenseful and other events in the story followed suit! I was always on edge when Violet sensed an echo. I can confidently say that I feel that this book executed the mystery and suspense aspect of the plot very, very well.

 This book played with my emotions at the very end, and I was simultaneously angry at and impressed with the author for being able to do this in so few pages. There was a twist, and then another twist, and I feel like this was a very effective ending to the first book in this series. It made me wish I had the sequel there and then.

So I most certainly recommend this book, especially if you like YA and mystery. If you're interested in murder mysteries along with paranormal ideas, this is a great blend of the two.  

Find The Body Finder on Goodreads