Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Q: If you could get an ARC of any book, already published, or not yet, what would it be?

This is the 14th installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. It's expected publication date is around April 2016. This series is one of my all-time favorite and if I could get my hands on an early ARC of this book... my life would be complete!

Alright, let me explain... Twilight has always had a special place in my heart/bookshelf, because this was the book series that got me into reading. Without Twilight, I would not be a reader. And I do wish that I had an ARC of this book just for keepsakes :)

That's all from me, folks. Leave a link to your post in the comments section and I'll stop by with a follow back!

What's Next is a weekly meme that is hosted by Icey Books

Taken by Erin Bowman

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.
They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire

Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt. 

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red. 

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

Which should I read next? I'm leaning towards beautiful oblivion... And tell me which books you're choosing from in the comments, and post your links so I can visit your page!!! 

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Learning to live is more than just choosing not to die, as sixteen-year-old Ryan discovers in the year following his suicide attempt. Despite his mother’s anxious hovering and the rumors at school, he’s trying to forget the darkness from which he has escaped. But it doesn’t help that he’s still hiding guilty secrets, or that he longs for a girl who may not return his feelings. Then he befriends Nicki, who is using psychics to seek contact with her dead father. This unlikely friendship thaws Ryan to the point where he can face the worst in himself. He and Nicki confide in one another the things they never thought they’d tell anyone—but their confessions are trickier than they seem, and the fallout tests the bounds of friendship and forgiveness.

I had been wanting to read this book for YEARS now, and when I saw it at my local library I instantly checked it out. I read this book within one day; and unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I really thought this would be that kind of story that is so passionate, complex, and completely enthralls its readers. But I did not get this feeling what-so-ever.

It wasn't a bad book at all, it was just okay in my opinion. Ryan was a 17-year-old boy who is mostly a loner in school because of the stigma that follows him after most people discovered his attempt to commit suicide. Nicki is a vibrant 15-year-old girl who goes by the beat of her own drum with no regard for judgment from others. 

The one interesting thing that I picked up from reading this book is the topic of suicide. Ryan wasn't the typical suicidal book boy that I intentionally expected. Yes, he was thoroughly messed up. Yes, he had psychological issues. But more than anything, he just wanted to connect with people - like we all internally want to do. And when he was constantly rejected of that desire is what caused his downward slope.

That would probably be the only concept that I really enjoyed exploring in this book. Everything else was just...eh.

2 TARGETS

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When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

First off, I absolutely adore the cover of this novel. It's exquisite and pristine-looking, without being boring.

Sia is centered around a 17-year old girl from Beverley Hills, California named Sia Holloway. Since she was born, Sia has had an extremely lavish upbringing, seeing as her father is a famous Hollywood director, and her mother is a former supermodel. Thus, she has never struggled when it came to obtaining the things that she wanted in life.

Unfortunately though, she is not a nice girl. In the past, she has found sick pleasure in torturing other, less popular, students from her school and is venomous to everyone that she sees as being beneath her. Her social circle is much the same way - her best friends are both mean cheerleaders who turns their noses up at almost anything, and her boyfriend, Duke, is a football player with an eye for bullying as well.

When Sia wakes up in a random park, having no recollection of who she is and how she got there, her entire world turns upside down when she realizes how evil of a person she was in her previous life. Energized with a completely new purpose, Sia becomes obsessed with righting the wrongs that she has done to other people, including a certain, dorky boy that she used to pick on and now has a crush on.

I found this book to be quick and brief yet still entertaining to read. I liked that by the end of the novel, Sia was able to convince her two best friends, Amber and Stacy (both of whom used to be just as evil as she was) to be nicer and less self-involved.

However, the main thing that I didn't like about this novel is that it seemed a bit 2-dimensional. I felt like I was simply viewing Sia's story from the outside, instead of being thoroughly affected or touched by it. It's important for the reader to feel a connection with the story and the characters because then it's more unforgettable and meaningful to them. But with Sia, I felt like I was just seeing Sia's story as oppose to being inside her mind and being in the story.

Buy Links:

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About the Author:

Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys reading, jogging, swimming, and watching YouTube videos.Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you). Sia is his debut YA novel.

Website  I Goodreads I Twitter I Facebook 

Giveaway:

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Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past.

On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.

Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.

Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?

This book took me less than 24 hours to finish, and I read all of it in one sitting.

Torn revolves around West Virginia University freshman Chloe, who's just beginning a fresh start with her two best friends, Logan and Amber. She traveled far away from her old home for the sole purpose of escaping her old life, which consisted of an abusive and neglectful mother who left Chloe with more than just physical scars but also psychological ones.

With her waist-length hair, tough black yet laid-back clothing, and no-makeup preferences, Chloe is a natural beauty all her own without trying too hard to impress anyone. This doesn't stop the bad boy on campus, Drake Allen - lead singer of a rock band titled Breaking the Hunger - from noticing her and becoming transfixed on her beauty. Because he sports tattoos, long dark hair, and piercings, every girl on campus is attracted to him, and he notices. Drake is the ultimate womanizer. Now, this isn't to say that he's a terrible person with a bad personality; he just really appreciates women and has never had an interest in staying tied down to just one lady.

Once befriending the beautiful rocker chick, Chloe, he begins to think that his whorish ways can be altered a bit. Chloe, on the other hand, is absolutely attracted to Drake as well, but then also finds out that her best friend of several years, Logan, has loved her for many of those years.

After a series of misguided actions and selfish affairs, Chloe finds herself in the midst of having two extremely attractive boys loving her dearly.

This book pissed me off so much! This isn't to say that it wasn't entertaining, or that I didn't enjoy reading it. I was just frustrated by Chloe more than I'd like to admit. She was a whore, to put it simply. She would sleep with Drake one day and then two weeks later she would sleep with Logan. Afterwards, she would retreat to her dorm room and cry about how terrible of a person she was. You knew you were being terrible while you were doing the horizontal tangle, why didn't you just stop?!?!

I did, however, really like Drake and Logan separately for different reasons. Drake was a womanizer, yes, but at least he was always straight up with his affairs. He never led people on (*cough* unlike Chloe); he never played with people's affections, and most importantly, he was just honest with everyone. Logan, conversely, was the complete opposite. He was never a selfish human being (*cough* unlike Chloe); he was especially kind, and he was always truthful in his feelings.

These boys were great, and I personally thought that neither deserved to be with someone like Chloe - I thought they deserved way better. Now, here is where I contradict myself completely... Even though, I have ragged on Chloe all throughout this review, I am still probably going to read Twisted, the next installment in this series, just to see what stupid mistakes she'll make next. This book is almost exactly like a soap opera - you feel disgraceful and despicable for being entertained by it, but you can't make yourself look away.

3.5 TARGETS! 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ebook version of this book to read and review!

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is obligated to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive, and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.

As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body, but his heart for herself. She is drawn to the noble responsibility behind the emotionally scarred male. But Phury has never allowed himself to know pleasure or joy. As the war with the Lessening Society grows grim, tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, and Phury must decide between duty and love....

After finishing the 6th installment, I really feel as though I'm apart of the Black Dagger Brotherhood world! Like... it's completely engulfed me! Lover Enshrined is mostly about Phury, who is Zsadist's twin brother except he possesses a savior's complex. He feels as though it's his responsibility to save and give a helping hand to everyone else, except for himself. Cormia, his love interest, describes him as:

"With his mane of multicolored hair, and his yellow eyes, and his silky, low voice, he was a spectacular male in his mating prime. But that wasn't what really compelled her. He was the epitome of all that she knew to be of worth: He was focused always on others, never on himself. At the dinner table, he was the one who inquired after each and every person, following up about injuries and stomach upsets and anxieties large and small. He never demanded any attention for himself. Never drew the conversation to something of his. Was endlessly supportive."

Initially, we learn about his willingness to help others in Lover Revealed, which was Zsadist's story. Readers learn about how Phury lost his right leg to save his twin brother, and all the other sacrifices he's made for the people he cares for. Skip forward to this installment, Lover Enshrined, Phury has just volunteered to take Vishous' position as the Primale after he falls in love with his shellan, Jane. 

As Primale, it's Phury's duty and sole responsibility to mate with countless Chosen to propagate the species:

Chosen (n.) Female vampires who have been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. They have little or no interaction with males, but can be mated to Brothers at the Scribe Virgin's direction to propagate their class.

Because the Lessening Society has assassinated most of the Black Dagger Brotherhood members, leaving them down to single numbers, the race is in danger of becoming extinct and succumbing to the Lessers. This is where Cormia comes in. She is to serve as Phury's First Mate, which ultimately means that he will have to mate with her, impregnate her; she must produce a child, and the cycle continues on with another Chosen. But what the pair didn't count on is falling in love with one another.

Serving as a sub-plot in this installment is Phury's drug addiction. Because he's always there for others, he's constantly neglecting the needs of his own physical body and spiritual mind. He's never there for himself, and so he turns to abusing drugs and alcohol. This little addiction ends up spiraling out of control and causes him to jeopardize not only the longevity of his life, but also his job as a Brother, his relationship WITH his brothers, and his connection with Cormia!

So... a lot happens in this novel. J.R. Ward delves into Rehvenge's story a bit; Qhuinn, John, and Blaylock's story; and it's also revealed about the knowledge of the Omega's son and how he came into power as the Lessening Society's ruler!

The only reason this is 4.5 targets and not 5 is because I felt like because there were SO MANY SUB-PLOTS it took away from the MAIN PLOT, which should have been Phury and Cormia's story.

4.5 TARGETS!

Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Native Son revolves around a 19-year-old African American man named Bigger Thomas, who lives with his family in a one-bedroom apartment in the south side of Chicago in the 1930s. As the novel begins, Bigger is pressured by his mother to obtain a job to help financially support the family. The Daltons, a friendly, wealthy Caucasian family, decide to hire Bigger as a paid employee. His first responsibility is to chauffeur around the daughter, Mary Dalton, to her university. She forces Bigger to make a detour to pick up her boyfriend, Jan Erlone, who is a communist. When the pair return home, Mary is completely intoxicated after drinking with Jan. But by the end of the night, Bigger has accidentally murdered Mary Dalton by smothering her to death and puts her corpse in the home furnace, decapitating her in the process.

The entire novel was centered around the superficial fact that Bigger’s skin color determined everything in his life and future. Wright capitalized on the ways in which white’s supremacy over blacks had a negative effect on them and their behavioral tendencies. In Bigger’s case, because he was treated with suspicion and mistrust all his life, he ultimately ended up morphing into the character who fit the stereotype.

The mood of the novel was very sympathetic because Wright portrays Bigger as a victim of society. Although he violently murdered two women, the author attempts to force the reader to understand the situation from Bigger’s perspective, seeing that it is the only way he knew how to react.

I thought the novel was pretty good, despite the fact that I refused to feel any sympathy towards Bigger or his actions. Most of the scenes (even the murder scenes, which were gruesomely realistic and descriptive) had meaning and kept my interest. Therefore, although I liked the novel, I did not like Bigger.

3 TARGETS!