Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

" Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. "

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

328 pages

There are trillions of romance YA books waiting for you to delve into them. This just happens to be one of the best I've read in a long time.

Eleanor is noticeably different than anyone in her school. It could just be because she's new to the school or because her stepdad finally let her back into the house. It's not like her mom stopped her stepdad from kicking her out. When Eleanor returns home--a year later--everything and everyone is different. Her sisters, her brothers--everyone. They're not exactly on her side against their stepdad anymore either.

Park is just getting by. He knows the rules of the school and he's not planning to stick out. Especially not on the bus when he's got a comfortable spot by himself. Then Eleanor appears on the bus and he can't help but to make room for her.

Eleanor isn't what most people would call pretty. She's called chubby at best. It's no wonder she's already landed herself a nickname on her first day. Her weight, however, doesn't explain why she seems to already have someone after her head.

Park and Eleanor--Eleanor & Park--have been sitting near each other on the bus for a while. They haven't spoken one word to each other since he told her to sit down on her first day. Then they start talking to each other and not talking to each other quickly stops being an option.

I absolutely loved this book. The setting, 1986, doesn't seem like a random date after reading this. From all of the things I've seen and heard, love now is horribly different than love then. I think that might have been why Eleanor & Park was set 1986 instead of, say, 2010.

Love is a strong, sometimes unbreakable connection to a lot of people. In Eleanor & Park, love is that desperate, overwhelming thing that rids you of every thought until you're only thinking of them. Back then, technology wasn't as advanced as it was now--that much is obvious. Connection, communication, wasn't as easy. If you needed to talk to someone as if your life depended on it, you'd brace the journey to their home or call them or drive to them. The internet was not an option. I guess that's why Eleanor & Park is an amazing, special book.

Eleanor & Park tells the tale of young, desperate, craving love when connecting to someone wasn't that easy for some people. Fans of John Green or Sarah Dessen or anything in YA romance will dig into this book like there's no tomorrow. Then they'll fall into a shocked state as they turn and read through the last pages...

Because I'm Disposable by Rosie Somers

" Sixteen-year-old Callista Tanner was in the bathroom slitting her wrists the night her father took a fatal plunge down the stairs. People around her think she attempted suicide because she found him dead -- or worse, because she had a guilty conscience. Few know the truth; Michael Tanner had been beating her for years.

The freedom that should have come with her father's death becomes a cage of rumors and self-doubt. Callie seeks escape in the most destructive ways, bringing her emotional scars to the surface for the world to see.

One bright spot exists in Callie's dark world.

Lincoln Devaux refuses to let Callie sink fully into the depths of her own depression, stepping into her life when she needs someone the most. She tries to push him away, but Link is determined to save Callie from herself. Even when she doesn't think she's worth saving. "

Because I'm Disposable by Rosie Somers

This is one of those very short reads that you'll finish reading in no time. I certainly did.

Callie is an interesting character to say in the least. She's gone through a hellish life with her abusive father and now she's free. This book explores her wavering tidal waves of emotions and her changing lifestyle. From new friends to a side of her that she's quite unfamiliar with, Callie just tries to get through it. What happens when Callie isn't herself anymore?

Lincoln is the good looking next-door neighbor boy who's always seemed to brush off Callie's existence. It's no wonder--considering how she does the same. For whatever reason, he seems to have taken an interest in her...

It's no problem to say that Callie has a bit of family issues. When she's starting to change, her little sister isn't very enthusiastic about her choice of company. Callie's mother isn't even home most of the time. With her emotions starting to show, maybe she'll start to find out what really happened the night of her attempted suicide.

Throughout the book, Rosie Somers displays the reality of high school and how change isn't always for the better. The book brings out the emotional turmoil of Callie and the reasoning that you can change your life whenever you want to.

Overall, I'd give this a 3/5. Because I'm Disposable is a good read that I'll probably reread sometime. The characters, while generally pleasing, needed a bit more development. I think that might just be because it wasn't essentially long enough to give as much character development as I would have liked. I am, however, curious to see what else Rosie Somers has in store for the literary world.


You can find Rosie Somers at these sites:

Website: http://www.RosieSomers.blogspot.com

Twitter: @prosyrosie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProsyRosie

COVER REVEAL: Because I'm Disposable by Rosie Somers

Because I’m Disposable is a YA contemporary by Rosie Somers, releasing July 9th. It's her debut novel and I'm very glad to have the chance at showing this off to the world! In a couple of weeks following this cover reveal, Fictional is Better will be participating in Because I'm Disposable's Release Day Blast!! After that(or before that), I'll post my review!

I really like the cover because it just fits the gloomy theme of the book. It's beautiful in the tragic way it portrays how she feels about life. 

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Callista Tanner was in the bathroom slitting her wrists the night her father took a fatal plunge down the stairs. People around her think she attempted suicide because she found him dead -- or worse, because she had a guilty conscience. Few know the truth; Michael Tanner had been beating her for years.

The freedom that should have come with her father's death becomes a cage of rumors and self-doubt. Callie seeks escape in the most destructive ways, bringing her emotional scars to the surface for the world to see.

One bright spot exists in Callie's dark world.

Lincoln Devaux refuses to let Callie sink fully into the depths of her own depression, stepping into her life when she needs someone the most. She tries to push him away, but Link is determined to save Callie from herself. Even when she doesn't think she's worth saving.

Trailer:

You can find Because I'm Disposable at these sites:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22493845-because-i-m-disposable

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447086

iBooks pre-order: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/because-im-disposable/id889671142?mt=11


Author Bio:

Rosie Somers is a YA author who lives in Florida, soaking up the year-round sunshine. She can often be found in her favorite spot on her favorite beach, nose-deep in a good book.

Website: http://www.RosieSomers.blogspot.com

Twitter: @prosyrosie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProsyRosie

Parasite(ARC) by Mira Grant

" A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite -- a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system -- even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives . . . and will do anything to get them. "

Parasite(ARC) by Mira Grant
Parasitology #1
512 pages


I've actually had the ARC on my Kindle shelf for a long time and I've finally gotten to read it!

Sally Mitchell, the main character of this book, had an accident that nearly killed her. Miraculously, she woke up right when the doctors were trying to convince her family to get her off of life support.

The book mainly is set 6 years after her accident when things are starting to fall together. Sally, or Sal, is still living with her family and still going to her dreaded therapy sessions. Everyone around her that knew her before the accident tells her that the old Sally was extremely different from how she is now. Maybe that's why she's decided to be called Sal instead of Sally nowadays.

After a horrifying eyewitness with a lifeless little girl dragging her mother away, Sal is terrified. Throughout the book, these things keep happening and it seems like everyone is in danger.

So why isn't any of this appearing in the news?

Sal and her family are somewhat indebted to SymboGen. Why wouldn't they be? Sally had the Intestinal Bodyguard implant before the accident and it doesn't look like anything else would have ensured her survival. SymboGen, being the huge and wealthy corporation it is, could be the ones keeping everything off of the news. Though why would they?

Throughout the book, various news articles about SymboGen or various writings are entwined into the story. They give an almost haunting reality to the book and egg you to read further.

I can't say that I'll be reading Parasite again anytime soon, but I will be looking forward to the next book! Mira Grant tells an interesting tale of how a parasite can help or harm you. 

City of Heavenly Fire

" In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments! "

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Book 6 of The Mortal Instruments

725 pages

I have been a fan of Cassandra Clare's books for a couple of years and reading The Mortal Instruments' last book was pretty depressing as I turned one of the last pages and read the end. I think that if you stuck with the books long enough and read them and waited for them as long as you have, then you grow with them. From the first book to the last book, we've laughed and cried and about threw our books out the window in anger. We've grown up with the characters and I guess that's what makes book series so special.

Many of us started off reading City of Heavenly Fire with a million questions and a growing fear for our beloved characters. Death for some of them was inevitable. Sebastian would never have allowed any of them to go free without any pain or injury.

Like the other five books before, City of Heavenly Fire makes us crave more and more and more! The characters' laugh-inducing comments and steamy little scenes when no one else is around makes me wish this wasn't the end. Side by side with the happy moments, there were moments between the characters that brought tears to my eyes and moments where my anger could have been as deadly as the Heavenly Fire that courses through Jace's veins. When I spent my days reading this book, my feelings went from anguish to laughter and sadness to a feeling of content. It's no wonder there's millions and millions of copies sold in over 30 languages!

As many fans know, the ending of The Mortal Instruments will not be our last moment dealing with the Shadowhunters. Last year, we said goodbye to the characters of The Infernal Devices(TID) and next year, we'll be saying hello to The Dark Artifices(TDA). In City of Heavenly Fire, we catch a couple scenes with characters from TID and characters from TDA. It was wonderful seeing the characters interact and seeing how Clare artfully weaves their stories together.

There were many things that happened within this book that I had never even imagined could happen. Like most good authors, Clare neatly wraps loose ends up. Unlike other authors, she creates new loose ends that are most likely going to be tied up in TDA.

All great things come to an end and I can't say that I imagined a better ending for The Mortal Instruments.
Ave Atque Vale Mortal Instruments,
Amor verus numquam moritur

What did you guys think about the ending of The Mortal Instruments? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Tell Cassandra Clare what you think by sending her fan mail or sending her a comment or two via tumblr or twitter!

Summer Reading

It's now more or less summertime! At the moment, I've been reading City of Heavenly Fire. I'll try getting it finished by the end of this week, so expect a review soon!