Book Review: Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3) by EL James

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: January 19, 2012
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
579(?!?!?!?!?!) Pages

When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian's singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed. Now, together, they have more-love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity, or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present. Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, tragedy, malice and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true.

WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18. 

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

Goodreads.Twitter.Website.Facebook

FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads.Amazon.Barnes & Noble

Review:

DEAR LORD, THIS BOOK. MY POOR BRAIN. 

If you don't know about this book, or at least this series, you are obviously a hermit. This has been the talk of the world for a while, but before it was published, it was a free online story based off of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. And I first read when it was posted on fanfiction(DOT)net. And I enjoyed it, but I was never amazed by it. I am not amazed by the published version.

Oh what to say about this book… I liked it. I did not love it. I'm still not keen on the idea of authors using fanfiction to get into the writing business. In my opinion, it should be for fun, because ultimately, you are basing your work off of someone else's. And I have seen side-by-side pictures of this series the way it was posted as a fan fiction, and of Fifty Shades of Grey. THEY ARE 97% THE SAME. Where has creativity gone? If she had reworked it and toyed with new ideas to add to the story and somehow changed the story a bit, it would be different. But she didn't and I don't approve.

Plus, the main character literally makes me hate to be a woman. I'm by no means a feminist, but reading about Ana disgusted me. What a great role model to women and girls everywhere - this is sarcasm. She lets her life be controlled by a man she has known for like two days (maybe more like 3ish months, but still). And she is brought into a BDSM relationship because she thinks she can't live without this man, Christian Grey and the only way he will be with her is through a submissive, unromantic relationship. Now, I have no problem with BDSM, it's not my thing, but I enjoy reading some stories that involve it. This BDSM? It felt awkward and unrealistic to me. There were a lot of times when I had to shield my eyes from things that Christian did to Ana, things that shouldn't be sexual.

This book just doesn't sit well with me. The writing is amateur and the author tries to work too many "fancy" words in it. I think she used a thesaurus too much because some of them didn't even make sense. What. I just… ugh.

I skimmed a lot. I got bored really quickly with Fifty Shades Freed. I actually skimmed most of the series. Because this was porn. Not saying that porn is bad, but I expected more. If you took out the sex scenes in this series, you would probably cut down three books to one. There is no disguising it. The plot is a ruse.

I may be one of the few people in this world that didn't like this series. And this book and just thinking about the way Ana behaves makes me want to go back and give them all one star. The reason I gave this two stars instead of one is because of the ending. THIS IS A SPOILER - I'm a sucker for books with children - END OF SPOILER. I'm very disappointed in this series and the author. Overall it receives a great big MEH.

*Dear scary 50 Obsessors, please don't come kill me in my sleep. Thank you.

Follow Friday (19)

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View!

Q. If you could "unread" a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? Or because it was THAT bad?

A. I don't really want to re-experience any book. Not because I didn't love them, but because I really enjoyed reading them as I read them. You know what I mean? Of course you don't. I don't really know what I mean.

BUT there are quite a few that I wish I could take back. Top of the list? Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. My exact words after NOT finishing this book: If I wanted to listen to a rich, white woman whine, I'd call my step-mother. You can find the rest of the books that I wish I had never touched, let alone read HERE.

What books do you wish you could unread?

Cover Reveals

Happy Wednesday everyone!

We have had a few new cover releases this week. I thought I'd share and we could discuss how lovely they are.

I'm going to start with a dear friend of mine.

Cover Reveal #1

Cecilia Gray released the cover and blurb to her latest book: So Into You. So Into You is book two in Cecilia's The Jane Austen Academy series.

Release Date: July 15, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published through The Alpha Division, LLP

Modern retelling/based on Sense & Sensibility.

The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is guys. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down…

Meet sweet and sensible Ellie who hasn’t met a problem her mom’s yoga mantras can’t fix. But when her parents threaten to pull her from the Academy just as her flirtation with the cutest boy in school runs hot, will Ellie be able to keep her cool?

I love Cecilia's work. Seriously. Love. Love. Love. And she's also become a good cyber friend of mine. I'm very excited for her on this release! You can see my review of the first book in this series Fall For You, here and the book trailer for the series, here.

Let's see what One Direction has to say about this release, ey?

Louis is especially excited.

Cover Reveal #2

Rise (Eve #3) by Anna Carey

Release Date: April 2013

I haven't read book two yet, but it is on my to-be-read-very-freaking-soon list! I really like this cover and the fact that it matches the first two covers, as well. Let's see what Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, from the band One Direction, have to say.

I believe that is approval.

Cover Reveal #3

All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

Release Date: December 11, 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

304 Pages

What if your life wasn’t your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

I like the pictures, but am not a fan of the font. The blurb is so interesting though! I will definitely be reading this when it is released.

Since we asked One Direction for their opinion on the first two, we might as well ask once more!

Liam Payne has spoken.

Thank you to the boys for expressing their opinions. xo

What do you think of these covers?

Desperately Wanting Wednesday (1)

Desperately Wanting Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. It is based off of the meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday. Since the "On My Wishlist" meme is no longer active, Ed and I have decided to switch to this meme so we can talk about books (and movies) that we want - both released and to-be-released.

This week's theme is:
Cover Lust

Our released pick:

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
398 Pages

Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she’s lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS! It's so intriguing and the blurb sounds wonderful. I want to read this as soon as possible. I've heard a lot of good things about the book and the author. This beautiful cover would look great on my bookshelf. ;)

Our To-Be-Released Pick

Through To You by Emily Hainsworth
The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

272

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day.

As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

This one sounds wonderful, too. Endearing and sweet and angsty! My hands itch to hold this book. Seriously. I want it so, so badly. Look, look at the pretty!

What are you wanting desperately this week?

Teaser Tuesday: Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1) by Anne Greenwood Brown

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---------------------------

"Mrs. Boyd pointed to the clock. 'Good first shift, you kids. You'll make a good crew this summer.' She wrapped up some day-old muffins and handed them to Lily. 'Take these home to your family. Tell them to come down to the café sometime.'"
Chapter 17: NO COWARD SOUL, 42%
Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1) by Anne Greenwood Brown

---------------------------

Top Ten Tuesday (15)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

The prompt for this week is Top Ten Books To Be Read This Summer!

1. This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

2. The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) by Rae Carson

3. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

4. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

5. Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore

6. Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3) by Kristin Cashore

7. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

8. Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks

9. The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

10. Underworld (Abandon Trilogy #2) by Meg Cabot

Mine is a mixed of books that are already released and ones that will be released soon. I'm very excited to read all of these! I love how much reading I get done in the summer!

What's on your summer reading list?

Book Review: Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) by Aimée Carter

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
296 Pages

KATE WINTERS HAS WON IMMORTALITY.

BUT IF SHE WANTS A LIFE WITH HENRY IN THE UNDERWORLD, SHE'LL HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. 

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future. 

Henry's first wife, Persephone.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

Goodreads.Twitter.Website.Facebook

FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads.Amazon.Barnes & Noble

Review:

My mind is still reeling from that ending. I had to listen to One Direction for two hours before I felt a little better. (Judge me, if you must, but they have lovely accents AND pretty faces AND catchy lyrics AND THEY ARE SO FUNNY.) Now, after sleeping and waking up and thinking about that ending some more, I'm still upset. I think once you read this book, you will feel the same way. 

I don't remember a whole lot about the first book, to be honest. I probably should have read it before this one, but shoulda-woulda-coulda. I still really, really enjoyed Goddess Interrupted. Book one, The Goddess Test, left me by no means obsessed, but I was curious about how the series would continue. I'm glad that I did not write off the series!

I'm still uncomfortable with the gods' and goddesses' name changes, but in my head, I tried to read them as their original titles. Calling Hades, Henry and Zeus, Walter just seems a bit blasphemous to me. It's an interesting and original idea, but I doubt that Grecians would approve. That's really my only issue with this book. I had to write down the true names of the gods and what they were called in the novel because I would mix them up more often than not. Besides that snag, I loved this book.

I will have to go reread The Goddess Test now because I really don't understand why I didn't really love it. There isn't one hundred percent accuracy in this story, but it's fiction, not a textbook. Mythology has been an interest of mine since childhood, Greek mythology specifically. (I was a HUGE fan of Disney's Hercules.) So this twist to the ancient tales was very cool! From the moment I heard about this series, and the one that Meg Cabot is currently writing, I was very excited. Both of the first books in these two series left me wanting, but I knew I would continue. While I haven't read book two in Ms. Cabot's series yet, I loved Goddess Interrupted. I keep saying that I know, but seriously… Go read it.

BUT BE WARNED. If you aren't a fan of cliffhangers and you don't think you can wait until APRIL 2013 to read the final novel because you don't handle cliffies well, wait to read book two. Because I'm seriously STILL dying over what happened. DYING, I TELL YOU!

I think this is a fun series, but parts of it are for older teens. It's not necessarily graphic, but there is a section of the book with implied sex scenes and some cursing. Nothing to heavy, but some maturity is necessary. I will definitely be continuing with this series, in fact I'm about to start reading book "2.5" The Goddess Legacy, which will be released in mid-July. So keep an eye out for that and happy reading!

Blog Tour: Book Review: Caterpillar (The Metamorphosis Trilogy #1) by Kate Oliver

Today, Emily is happy to be a part of the Caterpillar Blog Tour

hosted by YA Bound.

Find the other tour stops here.

Caterpillar (The Metamorphosis Trilogy #1) by Kate Oliver

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: MAB Books
338 Pages

In a small college town in northern California, a lonely young man is working himself to the bone to solve a sixty-year-old problem ... a stranger with a will of iron and eyes the color of ice is searching for someone he can't identify ... and a girl who loves plants is about to grow roots of her own.

When Cara Gallagher's parents are transferred overseas again, she's off to spend her senior year of high school living with her sister, a graduate student at the famed McNair University. Cara, a girl with a passion for science and an indifference to people, hopes this move will be her first step in claiming the independence she craves. Cara has her future planned down to the letter: her college, her major, her career.

Then she saves Will Mallory's life, and both of their futures are completely rewritten.

The last years of Will's life have been spent shifting from one identity to the next, dodging the FBI, and trying desperately to find a way home. But Will's home is forty-four light years away, and to reach it he'll have to outwit the man who's hunting him--and leave behind the only love he's ever known.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

Goodreads.Website.Facebook

FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads.Amazon.Barnes & Noble

Review:

This book was very strange. Overall, enjoyable, but definitely not my usual kind of book. I'm still a little befuddled over everything that occurs in the story. While I liked it, it definitely was not love. I almost didn't write this review and asked for a promotional post because it's hard to explain my feeling about this book.

First, I don't like the cover. I know a lot of people don't care about covers and how others feel about them, but for me, a usually judge books by their covers. So reading this went against my usual norm. I expected a little more from it, to be honest. It wasn't awful, but it really needed some tweaks and edits.

The title is Caterpillar. What a weird title, right? But when you read the book, it makes sense. Though, I think a better title might have been "Orchid" because the main character loves plants and orchids are her favorite. This is the story of a girl named Cara and the way she finds love, defeats fear and becomes a woman. Her parents have just moved across the Atlantic ocean, so she moves in with her older sister, Liv, in California. At her sister's college, she meets Will. She's immediately entranced, falls in love, even though he warns her not to, and gets in deep trouble.

Sounds familiar, I know, but the tale is woven with concepts that were totally original. While the plot wasn't unique, the ideas the book revolves around definitely were. Basically, it's about aliens. I'm pretty positive I've only read one other book about aliens in my lifetime and that was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. And while both of these stories are about aliens, they are completely different. And not in a bad way, Caterpillar is just much more subdued and aimed at young adults.

Cara, the main character, was okay. She's not my favorite, but she led a very interesting life. Well, duh… I mean, she's in love with an alien. Besides that she's pretty much a genius, along with her sister and mother. They all have affinities for science. I can't relate to science specialists, and that could be why I didn't love it. There were jokes and metaphors involving things that I learned in high school biology, but couldn't remember for the life of me today. All of those went over my head and just annoyed me. Those anecdotes made it hard to relate and connect with the characters. Liv really loves Cara, but is pretty selfish and hypocritical. Will is… interesting. I guess, I don't really understand him.

I didn't like the point-of-view switch up. Those couple of chapters confused me immensely. Maybe I just skimmed over the point of it, but I was told I was frowning as I read it. The journal entries were neat and I would've liked to see those at the end of every chapter, but point-of-view changes never really sit well with me. I think the story could've done without it.

This really could be a standalone book. I don't know if I will read the next one, because I don't know what the author plans to do with the series next. When she comes out with a blurb and cover for book two, I will decided. This could be the book for you, though. If you love science, drama, romance and young adult novels, you would probably love this!

I received a free e-copy of this novel from the author for a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.