A to Z April - X: EXtras

One plus I would definitely say about e-books, is that there seems to be a plethora of short stories that are so much easier to get a hold of since you no longer have to wait until a compilation of short stories is released.  And today they are called novellas a lot of the time, and are often stories in between or before a series of books even started.  It is often neat to me to find out how things in a dystopian world became that way, since it often doesn't get into the nitty gritty details in the actual full length stories sometimes.  I also enjoy when an author does a little spin off with a minor character that may have stood out and I really would like to know more about them and their own story.  So below I will list 5 novellas that I think were of great added value to the stories they go with.


1.

 

Now this is the one I read the most recently, so is the freshest in my mind.  But, it was such a great prequel to the book Dorothy Must Die.  As I read the actual book, I wondered what had happened to make Dorothy such a bad person, and why was  Glinda not the good witch we remembered?  You learn quite a bit, about Dorothy mostly, in this really great prequel.

2.

 

Now this is actually a printed book, with 3 short stories in it.  But, it was an e-galley of this that I read. I had received the book The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa when I went to BEA in the summer of 2012.  But I had yet to pick it up, mainly because while I knew she was a popular author, I hadn't read anything of hers, and wasn't quite sure about it.  I read the short story in here, Dawn of Eden, which is a prequel to the story, and I was sold.  The writing, the plot, all of it was great.  So once again I think this was an awesome "EXtra" for a book series.

3.

 

The Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter is one of my favorite series.  This is a short story I also got to read as an e-galley.  But it has since been published as part of a physical short story collection called The Goddess Legacy.  This one tells the story of Hera/Calliope.  And I really enjoyed it because you don't really like her in the overall book series, and this book gives you a bit of sympathy for her, even though I still don't agree with things she does.  

4.

 

I love the Splintered series by AG Howard, it got me interested in Alice in Wonderland, when it had never really been one of my favorite fairy tales.  And this is a short story that gives another side of the story, from Morpheus and Jeb's points of view, instead of just Alyssa's.

5.

 

I hadn't read any of the series since I got to read an e-galley of the very first one before it was published.  And then I saw I could get an e-galley of the 3rd in the series.  So, I checked the 2nd one out at the library, and downloaded this short story.  And this was a great prequel short story that got me back into what the plot and who the characters were.  And Roar is someone you just really love in the books, so it was fun to read his side of the story and find out what made him the way he was.

So, have you had a chance to read many of these short stories that go with novels or books series?  I could have done a separate list of ones that were kind of a waste of time, especially if I had to pay for them, but I try to keep things on here positive and recommend things I liked.

If you want, there are 2 days left to enter my 900 Bloglovin follower giveaway HERE, and there are only 22 entries so far, so you have a good chance!

 

 

Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3)

Once again a trilogy that ends on a great note!  There were definitely some deaths that sucked.  But it wasn't anything that ruined how the story went or ended.  Of course, I first need to say thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for allowing me to read an e-galley of this.  It was so hard to finish the book, knowing that this was a trilogy, and now it was over.  I want so much to read on in this story and find out what happens next.  As I've seen others post on Goodreads, I would also be happy with a story on Roar.  Maybe we could go on with the story, but from his point of view.  Or whatever girl he might be able to find love with after losing Liv?  I don't know.  I just know I'm not ready to leave this world.  Okay, I will try not to spoil the story, but if you haven't read the first two, you should probably stop reading now.
We start where the 2nd book left off.  The Tides, as well as whatever of Aria's people from the pods that left with her are now living in the cave.  Hess and Sable have their own people, as well as Cinder.  Roar and Perry are still having issues, but Aria needs them to talk and get their friendship back on track.  Aria and Perry are not going to hide their relationship anymore.  And the big goal now is to get Cinder back.  And maybe, just maybe, get the people in the cave to the Still Blue.  This is something that needs to be done, so they don't end up having to live permanently in the cave.  The aether storms are getting worse.  The people from Aria's home are scared of the Tides and other people in the cave.  Aria must figure a way to get them to all work together so that they can figure a way to go rescue Cinder and save themselves.  They have a plan, but of course there will be obstacles.  Sable is quite the evil man, and soon Hess even figures out he is being double crossed, but when he tries to work a deal with Perry and Aria, it doesn't go so well.  There is also someone from Aria's past that we meet in this book, and it even leads to a new way of life or at least of thinking for her.
This final installment has tons of emotional bits, lots of adventure and action.  Even moments when you just know that the good guys have to be defeated, that you just know someone important must be dead, although you hope not since there was never a definitive scene showing that.  And in the end, well, it pretty much ends on a great note.  I don't believe you'll be disappointed with how it ends, just as I wasn't.

Brooke (Under the Never Sky 2.5) by Veronica Rossi

Well, I feel like I've not been doing as many reviews as I should be, but I know I've been reading constantly.  But when some of them don't come out until next year, and I have to wait 30 days before they are published to post my review, it means that some weeks even though I've finished a book, I can't post a review of it that week.  I actually intended to read and review A Death Struck Year e-galley that I have, but for some reason, I can't find it on my Nook.  And at the time I planned to start, I was away from my home computer, and so was unable to try to see why I didn't have it.  So I had to choose something else on my Nook to read, and since I'd just finished Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky 2) by Veronica Rossi, I decided to go ahead and read on in the story.  Well unfortunately I can't post my review of Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky 3) until the end of December, which would have left me with only one book review this week.  Which made me decide to go ahead and read the e-novella of the story about the character Brook in order to get a  2nd review done this week. 
Now, this was another good story.  The only problem being that I'm not a fan of Brooke.  Even though I did understand her a little bit better when I read the prequel e-novella, Roar And Liv, a while ago, she still isn't a fan of Aria's.  For good reason, Perry was kind of Brooke's before he met Aria.  The e-novella Brooke basically starts up at the very end of book 2.  Since I'd already started book 3, I knew a bit of what was going on for this.  But now we see it all from Brooke's point of view.  And again, it makes you a bit more sympathetic to her plight.  As I said in my review of book 2, or somewhere, I kind of hope that Brooke will end up with Soren, but who knows. After reading her own story, she may still end up with one of her own tribe members, and that would be okay. 
While this story isn't definitely needed to make the series complete, it is a very good complement to the overall story and character development.  And I recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the books.  Now, to go finish book 3, so that I can move on to some other books that could be reviewed sooner.

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

I enjoyed this series when I got to read the first one, Under the Never Sky, as an e-galley, almost exactly 2 years ago.  Not sure if I wasn't able to get this 2nd book as an e-galley or what happened, but I was able to get the 3rd one as an e-galley.  So I had to go to the library to check out this second book to get ready for reading the 3rd e-galley.  Is that confusing?  I don't know, but it's what is going on.  I feel like having read the little e-novella, Roar and Liv, as part of my November is for Novellas challenge, really got me back into the mood and ready to jump back into this world.
In this 2nd book we start back with Perry at the Tides.  As the leader he is finding it not to be that easy.  There are those that still question him.  And when it comes to Aria, a Dweller, coming back into his life, even his loyal men caution him not to let the people know of their relationship.  Aria is back for many reasons.  Of course she is so happy to see Perry, but she agrees and understands that they must keep their relationship neutral in front of his tribe.  But she also wants to help get Perry's nephew Talon back from the Realm she came from.  And to do this, she has made a deal with the father of her friend Soren from the first book.  The very man who kicked her out of her Pod after the fire.  To keep her end of the bargain, she is to help him find where the Still Blue is. This is supposedly a land where the Aether that makes living outside the pods almost impossible.  Something Perry's people as well as other outsiders have had to learn to live with when they were not allowed into the Pods or else chose not to go.  As the Aether storms are getting worse, Perry knows he must do something for his people.  He wants to go with Aria to find the Still Blue.  And there is someone who supposedly knows where it is.  Sable, the man that Perry's brother traded his sister Liv to.  As far as we knew before this though, Liv had taken off, and never made it to Sable.  We learn that she is there though.  Aria and Roar leave to go find Sable and Liv.  Back at the Tides, Perry realizes that the compound isn't going to keep them as safe as possible from the storms.  And so he finds a cave down by the beach, a large cave that he feels the whole tribe can fit in comfortable and live safely.  At least until something else can be done.  Because now they are running out of food as their farmland is destroyed by the storms.  And other tribes try to attack and take over when they hear of the dissension and problems for the Tides.  Shortly after Aria and Roar leave, a woman named Kirra shows up with food and supplies.  She says that she is from Sable and he is sending the rest of the deal for Liv, who he will be marrying.  There is also the boy Cinder that may have something to do with the Aether, or maybe some kind of power for dealing with it.  I would have to say that as with the last few 2nd books I've read, this one isn't a disappointing one that is just bridging the gap.  So much happens in this one.  Yes, we learn a lot more information that will help us to finish the story, but we don't just learn it with people sitting around talking.  Things are happening, people die.  It's an emotional story.  Really another good story.  And while it is kind of a cliffhanger, it does have what could be an ending.  We can stop here, but we won't, and that is good.  Because we will need to know what happens with all the different players in the story.  And it has left off in a way that we will be able to see Perry and Aria and Roar do some planning to try to make things work out for themselves, their family, friends, and tribes.  And I look forward to seeing how it ends in the 3rd book.  Although now I need to go download the 2.5 novella Brooke before I think.  I'm hoping that Brooke will find love, and maybe with one of Aria's friends from the Pod.  Soren maybe?  That's my guess and kind of a hope I have.

November is for Novellas Challenge Wrap-Up and Review #11: Roar and Live (Under the Never Sky 0.5) by Veronica Rossi

First I'll start this post with my review of my 11th, you read that right, 11th novella of the month!  My goal was only 8, so I'm so glad I passed my goal this time.  Anyway, this was basically a preview to the Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi.  Now, I haven't actually read past the first book, and I actually got to read that as an e-galley, so I'm really behind on the series.  But this was a good way to get my head kind of back in the series since I got the 3rd book as an e-galley, and now I need to get the 2nd book from the library.  Now since it has been so long since I read it, it took me a minute to remember who Roar and Liv even were.  I had to remind myself that they weren't the "main" characters of the first book.  Perry and Atria are from the first book, but since this is before, there is no Atria in the story yet.  Roar is Perry's best friend, and Liv, Perry's sister, is who Roar is in love with.  We met Perry's older brother in the first book, and he is just someone it is really hard to like.  The way he treats Perry, and you get to see it even more in this story, especially as he decides that he must send Liv as a wife to the leader of another tribe to save his own people.  We get to really see how Perry has acted with girls before he met Atria.  I think this was a great way to learn more about the tie between Roar and Liv, and how all of that, plus Perry's relationship with his older brother Vale, really influenced Under the Never Sky.  So, yet another good novella.

And now for the wrap up!  First I'll share some really exciting news for the 2 people who participated, I decided I was so thankful that they signed up, that I would give them both the prize I was offering, a novella of their choice.  And to make it easy, I'm just going to send them a $5 gift card to their choice of either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Now, on to my results.
My goal was to read 8, and as I mentioned at the start of this post, I passed that goal and moved right on to 11!!  I actually only read 5 of the ones I planned to read if you look at my original November is for Novellas Challenge Post:

The Department of Alterations (Crewel 0.5) and The Rain is a Lie by Gennifer Albin

The Prince (The Selection 0.5) by Kiera Cass

The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered 1.5) by A.G. Howard

Roar and Live (Under the Never Sky 0.5) by Veronica Rossi  (See above)

And then the other 6 I reviewed are listed below.  The first one is actually from the same series as I planned to read one from, just a different novella.

• Tooth and Nail (Benny Imura 3.5) by Jonathan Maberry
• Dress Your Marines in White (Monument 14 #0.5) and Jake and the Other Girl (Monument 14 #1.5) by Emmy Laybourne
• Radiant (Unearthly 1.5) by Cynthia Hand
• Life Before Legend (Legend 0.5) by Marie Lu
• Neverfall (Everneath 1.5) by Brodi Ashton

And so, because I did so well, I think maybe I'll reward myself with another novella as well!  This was a great challenge, and I've also learned that it sometimes helps to read one of these short stories before I start a new novel.  That whole book hangover thing you know.  It helps to be ready to really get into another book, without quite being ready after you finished another one.  I think I'll try to do this again next year.  I hope maybe I can get some more people to join in next year, but thanks to those two who did this year:  Pili and Jackie.  

Waiting on Wednesday - Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.   The book I've chosen this week I have to wait until next January to read!  Unless I somehow get lucky again and it is available on Netgalley before then.  I've chosen Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi.  I had a bit of trouble getting into the first book in the series, but once I did, I really liked it.  You can read my review of that HERE.  Below is the blurb about the new book from Goodreads.com.  

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.



So, what book are you eagerly awaiting this week?