Google Play Samples: June

I thought I wouldn't have a post for this month, but then I sat through two family functions in the second half of the month and completely destroyed that thought.

When you're looking through books on Google Play, you can touch the little three dots on the right of the title, and there's a "download sample" option. The samples are actually close to 40 pages in irl copies, so they're really good! They're great for getting you into the story and creating tension by stopping in the middle of a sentence.

The books below aren't listed in any specific order. Books that are starred after their TBR number were ones I added to my Goodreads after reading the sample.

Wake by Amanda Hocking, TBR #1228

Everland by Wendy Spinale, TBR #1496

Draw the Line by Laurent Linn, TBR #1556

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch, TBR #1654*

Gena/Finn by Kat Helgeson, TBR #1339

Spark by Holly Schindler, TBR #1655*

The Language of Stars by Louise Hawes, TBR #1656*

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, TBR #1098

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (see below)

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke, TBR #1340

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, TBR #1096

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, TBR #974

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, TBR #1341

Torn by Amanda Hocking, TBR #1657*

Elusion by Claudia Gabel, TBR #782


I read Wither back in 2013, and I downloaded the sample to see if I wanted to re-read it. I'm kind of interested in finishing the series since I never made it past Wither. I think it'll depend on if I can find the books at the library.

I didn't really have plans to read Torn based on my feelings for Switched, but I couldn't add it to my Google samples shelf without adding it as a TBR, so we'll see what happens. I don't think it'll hurt to read it.

All in all, I did find some really good books! I'm especially hyped for The Darkest Part of the Forest and The Star-Touched Queen. I'm also hoping to buy Gena/Finn because of the good price on Amazon Prime, and reading the sample definitely helped me cement that decision. (Now if I can only get around to actually clicking "purchase" ...)

I definitely think browsing around Google Play and downloading samples is a really helpful way to kill time. These books got me through waiting for the bus at least once, as well as two long social events, and it's definitely pushing me into motion. I'm gonna see if the web version of Google Play is any more user-friendly, because the mobile interface isn't very conducive to downloading a whole bunch of samples at once. (Though they probably don't want you to do that in the first place. Oh well.)

Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear about them!

Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

TL;DR aliens and humans

TBR #1046, added Oct 16 2014

finished 6/19/16

I've been following Ava Jae's blog for a while, so I was super excited to hear she was planning on publishing a book! I bought a copy from Barnes and Noble shortly after it came out but let it sit for a couple months in favor of my library books. (I really don't understand my habits tbh.)

I managed to devour the book within a day once I picked it up. I thought the premise and the execution were really intriguing! The beginning was a lot different than I was expecting but I loved how the book played out. The world was also unique and I really want to see more of it. I'm really curious about its past.

I also liked the characters, but I didn't really feel attached to anyone more than Kora and Eros. (This might also just be a problem on my end, because the other characters did have depth and motives that weren't related to the immediate plot. It might just be that I didn't see enough of these other sides to have any more than basic curiosity.)

Beyond The Red is currently a standalone, but Jae said on Goodreads that it has the potential to be a series depending on the publisher. I went into it expecting a series so I was really surprised by the open-end. I'm really hoping the publisher decides to pick up subsequent books.

(This review is so short OTL I'm sorry)

TL;DR please read it if you like sci-fi that's not just pew-pew space battles. I need more people to read it so I can talk to them about it.

Everybody Knows Your Name by Andrea Seigel and Brent Bradshaw

TL;DR characters in a singing competition

TBR #1654, added May 31st 2016

finished 6/16/16

I found this at the library first, rather than encountering it on Goodreads and letting it sit on my TBR for forever. (So the number is a little bit of a misnomer.)

This is a really good contemp portraying intricate character relationships. There's not as much focus on the singing competition itself, but I think it was done pretty well. I'm not sure I would've wanted to read through the majority of the competition. The before and after were much more interesting. I really enjoyed the various relationships that were explored, not just between Magnolia and Ford but with their families and their competition and all the people behind the scenes. A lot more characters were given depth than I was expecting.

I think the ending was a little too open, at least between Magnolia's final decision and the epilogue. I like the ending but it was also slightly anticlimactic the way it was written.

I would definitely consider this a fluffy book, and I'd most likely buy it if I found a copy. I can see myself reading this again in a year or so. This also feels pretty summer-y, so if you're looking for a good contemp to read in the next two months, here you go!

TL;DR this was enjoyable and I'm glad I picked it up from the library.

Aperture: Hart Family

It's officially been three years since I came up with Quinn!! What did I do with my life before lol I wanted to take today to talk a little bit about her family, which influenced her character design from the beginning. Quinn's family means a lot to both her and the story as a whole, and Aperture wouldn't be the same without them.

I'm also going to talk more about the magical aspect of the characters, since that's something I didn't cover in the post for the quartet. (That may be another post coming up in the future.)

This is really image-heavy, so I'm placing it underneath a cut. Click through for more!

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

TL;DR Snow White but with cool magic and dragons

TBR #1376, added Jul 18th 2015

finished 6/14/16

I didn't think I was much of a dragon person. I am definitely a dragon person after The Shadow Queen. 

This one took me a little bit to get into (as did Rebel of the Sands and Dreamstrider) but once I got around the 100 page mark, I devoured the rest of it in a couple of hours. Once I got invested, I had no intention of stopping. (And really, the only thing that had been stopping me from the beginning was my lack of an attention span.) 

This is such a beautiful Snow White retelling. I loved how Stitching Snow blended it with technology, and I loved how The Shadow Queen blends it with more magic than the original. (Or the Disney version, at least.) The elements of the original fairy tale were so clear in the story, and Redwine made some beautiful additions. 

Especially the dragons.

All of the characters were so compelling. The narration even gave us insights into Irina's motivations, which is something I'm definitely in love with after Fairest. There was a really good balance between the character focus in the narration and I was a little too attached by the end of the story. 

(Which is a good thing, except for the fact Goodreads has no details on the rest of the series. Redwine answered a question saying there will be at least one more book, but the website doesn't have any details yet. I mean, The Shadow Queen just came out in February, so I guess I'll have to be a little more patient.) 

The Shadow Queen also works well as a standalone. I'd assumed it was a standalone until I'd checked Goodreads again. I'm really enjoying this trend of accidentally finding sci-fi / fantasy standalones. They're refreshing, y'know? You don't have to worry about cliffhangers this way. You can finish the book and be content without having to wait upwards of a year to continue the story. 

(Thus is the struggle of reading new releases.)

I'd definitely say this is a book you should sit down with when you've got a free afternoon. The action through most of the book makes it a little hard to focus on anything else. 

I'm also pleasantly surprised by my feelings towards the romance. I was dreading it at first, but I ended up on board with it pretty quickly. Like, dang, I want someone as loyal and brave as Kol. And I can only hope to be as strong as Lorelai. 

TL;DR it was a really exciting Snow White retelling with lots of magic and dragons that can work as a standalone. (And is functionally a standalone until Goodreads updates, but I digress.)