Monday, December 18, 2017

Sparked by Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous


Goodreads Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Laurel Goodwin wakes up to find her older sister Ivy missing from their Airstream trailer in the Oregon redwoods. A recurring nightmare convinces her that Ivy was abducted, but no one takes her dream seriously, including her mom. Laurel, a loner, has to learn to ask for help, and Jasper Blake, a mysterious new kid who shares her love of old books, quickly becomes her ally. Together they find their quiet town holds a deep secret and is the epicenter of a dark prophecy. 
Laurel soon learns that her worst enemies, mean girls Peyton Andersen and Mei Rosen, are developing powers that she needs to find and save Ivy. With time running out, Laurel realizes that power doesn't always take the form that you expect. And once she learns to look beyond her snap judgments, she develops an unexpected gift of her own.

My Take:

This was a very paranormal young adult read and I liked it!  I immediately liked Laurel.  I felt the missing sister story line has been played a lot, but Echlin and Watrous did a nice job in making this story its own.  I think any book that has the words ancient prophecy in it, speaks for itself.  I definitely wished I could've read this before October as I feel it has a nice creepy vibe to it and I like those types of books at certain times of year.  I felt that Laurel was a complex character who shows originality and true versions of being a teenager, making  her very easy to relate and connect to.  Jasper was a nice love interest in that he, himself, has a backstory that is quite unique.  I didn't really care for Mei or Peyton, but I do think that was the objective.  You can plainly see that everyone is struggling with real life teenage feelings and emotions and insecurities. 

I truly enjoyed Laurel's dreams that told so much of the story and her journey into finding out what happened to her sister Ivy.  I would probably give this story 3 stars for being a creepy, paranormal, sibling bonded, teenage journey to finding ones true self. 

Dream Cast  Was so much fun to make!!!

Laurel ~ Chloe Moretz
Ivy ~ Veronika Bonell
Jasper ~ Ansel Elgort
Sky ~ Skai Jackson
Peyton ~ Aurora Perrineau
Mei ~ Nikki Soohoo
Simone ~ Bailee Madison

Favorite Quotes

"But it was only a nightmare, I told myself. It couldn’t mean anything."

 "I felt like she’d taken the billowing black mass of the nightmare and folded it over and over, until it became a tiny square, small enough for me to put away and forget about."

"Ancient magic sang in their veins, while the most ordinary blood trickled through mine." 

 “As the date approaches, the natural order will begin to fall apart, and the lower beings will be seen to rise from the dead.”

About the Authors

Hello! We are both novelists, but if you've ever tried to write anything, you know that writing can be a lonely, angst-filled business. So one night over a cocktail or two, we came up with a solution: write our next book together. Malena already had an idea: a girl's sister is kidnapped and she has to rely on mean girls with superpowers to get her sister back. We couldn't resist seeing where that story would take us – a wild ride that includes a loner girl who wants to be a writer and a gorgeous boy who can shoot fire from his eyes but also loves to talk about books. And an ancient Zoroastrian prophecy. And pie shakes. (OK, so maybe we got a little carried away.)


We've both published solo novels (check them out here and here) and had no idea how co-writing would work out, but we pounded out the first draft in a white-hot frenzy of inspiration we called "the Vortex." One of us would write a scene and send it to the other with a note: "My apartment is a pigsty and I haven't eaten all day. #inthevortex." We wrote the book we wanted to read as teenagers: a supernatural thriller with healthy doses of horror and humor. Oh, and of course there's romance. You have to wait a long time for the only kiss in the book, but isn't that the case with all the best kisses in books?


Tour Schedule


December 16th



December 17th

Deal Sharing Aunt - Promotional Post
The Reading Life - Review + Dream Cast + Favorite Quotes


December 18th

JusticeReads - Review + Dream Cast + Favourite Quotes
A Bookish Abode - Review
Rainy Days and Pajamas- Promotional Post


December 19th

Vicarious Bookworm - Review + Favorite Quotes
Ink of Blood- Review


December 20th

Ctrl, Alt, Books - Review + Favourite Quotes
The Clever Reader - Review + Favorite Quotes

December 21st

Books, Boys, and Blogs - Review + Dream Cast + Favourite Quotes
Lisa's Loves(Books of Course) - Promotional Post
A Dream Within a Dream- Promotional Post


December 22nd

YA/NA Book Divas - Review + Favourite Quotes
Hauntedbybooks13 - Review


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber






The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (The Evaporation of Sofi Snow #1)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: June 6th 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Synopsis:

Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi's dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth's corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth's Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi's the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she's convinced he's been taken to the ice-planet.
Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there.
For Miguel, Earth's charming young playboy, the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight's bomb goes off. Now the tables have turned and he's a target for blackmail. The game is simple: Help the blackmailers, or lose more than anyone can fathom, or Earth can afford.


My Thoughts:

What a great fantasy novel!  Mary Weber has written an amazing trilogy before and this new story is no different.  Her writing style is so unique, concise and clear.  The world building is creative and tangible and I was sucked right in.  The many different topics this fantasy covers are real and tremendous.  Sofi is such a relateable character and the relationship she shares with her brother is incredible.  I love stories about strong sibling bonds.  She is also another broken but strong heroine and that what readers are into right now, because that's how a lot of us feel.  We have moments of strength and moments of weakness.  We are building stronger futures for ourselves on top of broken or shattered foundations.

This is a fast paced novel like Weber's other novels.  She has a way of weaving a story into your mind and making it play out like a movie.  This one has a lot of Sci-fi elements like aliens, futuristic worlds and such.  Which makes this read one for many. Hovercrafts and transports truly transport the reader into the future and hooked for a ride of their of life. 

I felt a strong connection with Sofi and as the main character that is very important to me.  I thoroughly enjoyed this and am ready for the sequel like... now please.  

I've never actually listened to music before while reading and but I love trying new things!  So, I given the setting of The Evaporation of Sofi Snow, I wanted to listen to some Sci-Fi type of music...


Playlist
1.  Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Light Saber Duel - The Piano Guys
2.  Star Wars Medley - Lindsey Stirling and Peter Hollens
3.  Interstellar Overdrive - Pink Floyd
4.  E.T. by Kanye West and Katy Perry
5.  Wondaland by Janelle Monae
6.   Life on Mars? by David Bowe
7.  A Thousand Years by The Piano Guys
8.  The Inner Light (Star Trek) Piano Cover
9.  Batman Covers - The Piano Guys
10.  In the End - Linkin Park

BOOK LINKS


TOUR SCHEDULE



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Weber is the multiple-award-winning author of the bestselling young adult Storm Siren Trilogy, and The Evaporation of Sofi Snow series (all by HarperCollins). An avid high school, middle school, and conference speaker, Mary's passion is helping others find their voice amid a world that often feels too loud. When she's not plotting adventures involving tough girls who frequently take over the world, Mary sings 80's hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Comic-Con, and the ocean.

Mary's debut, Storm Siren, was featured in the Scholastic School Book Fairs, and her novels have been endorsed by bestselling authors Marissa Meyer, Jay Asher, Wendy Higgins, CJ Redwine, and Jonathan Maberry.

You can also find Mary's fun interviews in the paperback of Marissa Meyer's NYT bestselling, CRESS, and in Jay Asher's 13 REASONS WHY movie tie-in edition. Most recently, you can see her and her family as extras in the NETFLIX Original Series, 13 REASONS WHY.

She gets nerdy at @maryweber.com, FACEBOOK @MaryWeberAuthor, INSTAGRAM @MaryWeberAuthor, TWITTER @mchristineweber, and GOODREADS. Come say hi!!


GIVEAWAY
       Prize: Everything in the picture— Backpack, earbuds, hardcover copy of the book
       US/Canada only
       Starts: 12/11
       Ends: 12/29

Shadowcast by Crystal D. Grant Spotlight & Excerpt

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Shadowcast by Crystal D. Grant, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours ! About the Book Title: Shadowcast Series...