Showing posts with label Dystopia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dystopia. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Cover Reveal: The Revolution of Jack Frost


The Revolution of Jack Frost
K.M. Robinson
Published by: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Young Adult

Synopsis: No one inside the snow globe knows that Morozoko Industries is controlling their weather, testing them to form a stronger race that can survive the fall out from the bombs being dropped in the outside world—all they know is that they must survive the harsh Winter that lasts a month and use the few days of Spring, Summer, and Fall to gather enough supplies to survive.
When the seasons start shifting, Genesis and her boyfriend, Jack, know something is going on. As their team begins to find technology that they don’t have access to inside their snow globe of a world, it begins to look more and more like one of their own is working against them.
Genesis soon discovers Morozoko Industries is to blame, but when a foreign enemy tries to destroy their weather program to make sure their destructive life-altering bombs succeed in destroying the outside world, their only chance is to shut down the machine that is spinning out of control and save the lives of everyone inside the bunker–at any cost.
The World Portal for The Revolution of Jack Frost has just been opened up on www.kmrobinsonbooks.com with behind-the-scenes info, exclusive looks at characters, there will be interactive choose-your-own-adventure games, facebook filters and frames, videos, artwork, and more coming soon, and the information is changing every few days, so if you want to catch it all, you have to keep checking back for all the exclusives. There may even be bonus scenes and other freebies on the site as well!


Author Bio:
K.M. Robinson is a best selling storyteller who creates new worlds both in her writing and in her fine arts conceptual photography. She is a marketing, branding and social media strategy educator who is recognized at first sight by her very long hair. She is a creative who focuses on photography, videography, couture dress making, and writing to express the stories she needs to tell. She almost always has a camera within reach.
Get free excerpts of her books at excerpt.kmrobinsonbooks.com and check out her website www.kmrobinsonbooks.com
Connect with her on social media at @kmrobinsonbooks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. You can view videos and live replays on Youtube too!

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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Review: Your One & Only by Adrienne Finlay


Publication Date: January 9th 2018
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD ~ B&N ~ iBooks

Synopsis: Jack is a walking fossil. The only human among a sea of clones. It’s been hundreds of years since humanity died off in the slow plague, leaving the clones behind to carry on human existence. Over time they’ve perfected their genes, moving further away from the imperfections of humanity. But if they really are perfect, why did they create Jack?

While Jack longs for acceptance, Althea-310 struggles with the feeling that she’s different from her sisters. Her fascination with Jack doesn’t help. As Althea and Jack’s connection grows stronger, so does the threat to their lives. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?
 

My Rating
4/5 stars

My Review
For 300 years, the Homo factus species have survived in a post apocalyptic world dominated by the Snow Plague. There is a new generation of Homo factus every 10 years, using 9 different sets of DNA to make 10 copies of each sibling. Althea-310 is different than her 9 sisters, by carrying a small scar on her hand. No one wants to be different, especially when your other sisters are perfect, but when she meets Jack, the only human in the compound brought back to life through genetics, to fix their slowly eradicating DNA, Althea can't help but sympathize and want to be friends with Jack. But when Jack is exiled from the community due to his imperfections, and all the town's crimes are blamed on him, Althea goes against her sisters and her community to try to prove his innocence, but is trusting a human really worth it?

Your One & Only was definitely an interesting read. The world that Adrianne Finlay created was so creative, but also a possible reality to humans one day, which was really relatable.

The main characters in this story are Althea-310 and Jack, as the book is read in both of their points of view. Although I really liked both characters, there wasn't anything about them that really made me love them. I couldn't really relate to them, and while they were interesting in their own way, I grew a tad bored of reading in their points of view.

The world-building in this story was phenomenal. Not only did I love the world that Adrienne created, but I also loved how she explained it. We got the area of the location (Costa Rica), which is fantastic on its own, but then the way that Adrienne explained the climate and the scenery, you could picture it so clearly. It honestly made me want to take a trip to Costa Rica myself. The other wonderful thing was that we got a lot of the history and background knowledge on how this city came to be, who built the buildings and why the town functions in the way they do. It was really well explained!

The plot of the story was a little bit slow at first, there were lots of introductions to different characters and how the town and the people in it function on a day to day basis. I want to say that around 35-40% is when the book finally picks up, and theres enough action to keep you entertained and not put the book down.

Overall, I loved the idea of this story and how it turned out. If I liked the characters in this book I could have definitely enjoyed it a lot more. I still highly recommend this book to all fans of post-apocalyptic books as well as dystopian novels, and any YA reader with a scientific background that wants an easy and light read.

About Adrianne: 
I received my PhD in literature and creative writing from Binghamton University. Originally from Ithaca, New York, I now live in Cedar Falls, Iowa with my husband, the poet J. D. Schraffenberger, and our two young daughters. I'm an associate professor of English at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa and the Program Director of Creative Writing. I teach creative writing, composition, and literature classes. One of the really fun classes I teach is Adolescent Lit, where we read some of my favorite authors: Lois Lowry, S.E. Hinton, Robert Cormier, Laurie Halse Anderson, Walter Dean Myers. I change this list up a lot by adding new releases and various titles just to keep things interesting. Because I don't have enough to do (ha ha), I also make soap, lotion, and lip balm with my partner Rachel under the name Semisweet Soaps. We sell our products locally, raising money for Type 1 diabetes research.

Editor: Lily Kessinger, HMH
Represented by: Adam Schear, Defiore & Co.

Website ~  Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

Giveaway
International 
3 winners will receive a finished copy of YOUR ONE AND ONLY, US Only. 

Ends on February 13th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule: 
Week One:
1/29/2018- YA Books Central- Interview
1/30/2018- Angelic Book Reviews- Review
1/31/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt
2/1/2018- LILbooKlovers- Review
2/2/2018- Savings in Seconds- Review


Week Two:
2/5/2018- Books and Ladders- Guest Post
2/6/2018- Read. Eat. Love.- Review
2/7/2018- BookHounds YA- Interview
2/8/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
2/9/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review

Monday, January 29, 2018

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Angel of Shadows by D.H. Nevins


Angel of Shadow
D.H. Nevins
Series: Wormwood #2
Publication date: January 13th 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, New Adult

Synopsis: D.H. Nevins hurtles you into a world of half-angels, demons and tormented love in this driving, dystopian sequel to Wormwood.
Half-angels, known as Nephilim, have all but destroyed the surface of the Earth. Yet for Kali Michaels, her life is now much more complicated than simply surviving. Grappling with her own powerful identity, she worries her connection to the world of Shadows could destroy those around her.
And what if she hurts Tiamat Wormwood, the Nephilim outcast who has given everything to save her? Tiamat and Kali know they have no future—not when outside forces and Kali’s own power push both the humans and the Nephilim to the brink of extinction.
As she fights to stop the inevitable, she is led to question who her real enemies are, and whether the ultimate threat may actually be herself.
EXCERPT:
“Do we have to go back?”
“No way. We’re not going to be stopped by a few branches,” I said. Keeping one hand on his back, I reached over him and broke off a few more of the limbs that were directly in our way. I grabbed a thicker branch for balance and stepped around Bram, positioning myself in front of him. “I’m going to sit down here. Just put your arms around my neck and your legs around my middle, okay?”
I lowered myself onto the log and he obeyed silently. I could feel his small frame quivering as he latched onto my back. “Stop looking down,” I told him. “It’ll be easier.”
“How’d you know?”
“That you were looking down?” I felt him nod his head against my back and I laughed quietly. “You know you’ve been staring down there almost constantly. It wasn’t hard to guess.”
“Well,” he said in a soft voice, “it’s scary down there.”
“I know, kiddo.”
“And,” he continued, his voice even quieter, as though he hoped it would fade into nothingness, “your Shadow is down there.”
I stilled. “You don’t ever have to worry about my Shadow. I control it … and I wouldn’t hurt you with it, Bram.”
“Yeah. Alright,” he said softly.
I couldn’t see the expression on his face, but he sounded like he believed me—a tentative belief, perhaps, but it would do.


Author Bio:
D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world. When she isn't writing, she enjoys world travel, hiking, camping, flying around on her motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.


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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Review: Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Series: Unknown #1
Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson 
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: James Patterson presents a bold new heroine--a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley: Serendipity Jones, the fastest sharpshooter in tomorrow's West. 

Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great....
In this extraordinary debut from Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot.

My Rating
4/5 stars

My Review
Gunslinger Girl was a powerful book set in a dystopian western society. It was so creative and unique, I loved every minute of it.

Pity can't wait for the day she can escape the commune. After her mother's death, Pity has lived a life of being told what to do by her father. When her father returns to town and tells Pity of his plan to sell her off to some stranger because she's "fertile," Pity decides that her escape is either now or never. Pity is taken to Cessation where she is offered a life of fame in the Theatre as Serendipity Jones, the fastest gunslinger in the west, but freedom comes at a price.

This book was not at all what I originally expected, but I fell in love with it nevertheless. Pity is an amazing main character and I just cant get enough of her. She is so strong and smart but she's also very human. She is not always brave and occasionally does the wrong thing, but her character development throughout the book was absolutely exquisite. She becomes stronger and a better woman. I cant wait to read more of her story and what she does next.

The supporting characters in this book were also very unique and engaging. I absolutely loved Max and Selene. Max is definitely the mysterious, artistic, bad boy type with a good heart that you cant help to fall in love with. And Selene is such a strong ruler, but also very loveable at times. The rest of the characters were really interesting as well, although it took me a bit of time to figure out who was who as I got the names confused in the beginning.

The plot of this story was what surprised me the most. I was expecting the typical western, like something out of Back to the Future III, but instead you get a complex dystopian world, that is something you haven't heard about before. The world that Miss Ely created was breathtaking and I absolutely loved it. We got to know the politics and how the country is run, as well as the backstory of what happened to create this dystopian world. I really hope to explore the world a lot more in the future books.

Overall, I loved this book so much, and I can't wait to read more from this series and from this author. I highly recommend this book to all YA Fantasy and Dystopia lovers, this is a book you won't want to miss.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday: The Final Six by Alexandra Monir


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: Set in the near future, this action-packed YA novel—already optioned by Sony—will take readers out of their world and on a quest to become one of six teens sent on a mission to Jupiter’s moon.

When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six who will be scouting a new planet. Intense training, global scrutiny, and cutthroat opponents are only a few of the hurdles the contestants must endure in this competition.

For Leo, the prospect of traveling to Europa—Jupiter’s moon—to help resettle humankind is just the sense of purpose he’s been yearning for since losing his entire family in the flooding of Rome. Naomi, after learning of a similar space mission that mysteriously failed, suspects the ISTC isn’t being up front with them about what’s at risk.

As the race to the final six advances, the tests get more challenging—even deadly. With pressure mounting, Naomi finds an unexpected friend in Leo, and the two grow closer with each mind-boggling experience they encounter. But it’s only when the finalists become fewer and their destinies grow nearer that the two can fathom the full weight of everything at stake: the world, the stars, and their lives.
 

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday: Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Genre: YA, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: James Patterson presents a bold new heroine--a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley: Serendipity Jones, the fastest sharpshooter in tomorrow's West. 

Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great....
In this extraordinary debut from Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Cover Reveal: Off Planet by Aileen Erin


Off Planet
Aileen Erin
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: November 28th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Synopsis: From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin
Maite Martinez has always yearned for more than waitressing in a greasy diner on the polluted ruins of planet Earth. Hiding her special abilities is a full-time job on its own, even with the government distracted by the mysterious alien race – the Aunare.
When a SpaceTech officer gets handsy with her, she reacts without thinking. Breaking his nose might not have been her smartest move. Now she’s faced with a choice: serious jail time working in a chain gang on a volcano planet or join the corporate army to fight against the impending war with the Aunare. It’s really no choice at all.
As with everything in her life, Maite quickly realizes that the war with the Aurnare isn’t what it seems. And Lorne, the Aunare prince, keeps popping up everywhere she goes. Being seen with him could get her in even deeper trouble with her commanders, but he’s the first person who sees through the wall she’s built around herself and she can’t bring herself to send him away.
When the situation between SpaceTech and the Aunare escalates, Maite has a way to end the war before it even begins. There’s only one question: Can she stop the total annihilation of humanity without getting herself killed in the process?


Author Bio:
Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

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Friday, June 2, 2017

Review: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber

Series: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow #1
Publication Date: June 6th, 2017
Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
Genre: YA, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

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 Rating
2/5 stars

My Review
I loved Mary's Storm Siren trilogy, so I was expecting to love this one as well. I honestly had to push myself to get through it, it was so hard. I was bored, I didn't like the characters and the plot was extremely predictable. 

During World War IV, a planet of aliens arrived beside Earth and brought the War to a stop. Now, the world is split into 30 Corporations, where one team from each corporation must battle in Earth's Fantasy Fighting arena, the winners (and those deemed worthy enough) will become famous and rich, while the losers are sold to a life of misery. Sofi and Shilo are forced to enter the games by their mother, the Ambassador for Corporation 30, during the games a mysterious bomb goes off. While being carried to the emergency room, Sofi wakes up and sees that her brother is being taken away by the aliens, and later learns that her own Corporation wants her dead. Determined to find her brother, Sofi sets out on a mission to get him back from the aliens and make both of them evaporate. 

I honestly thought I was going to love Sofi, she's the type of character I usually adore in books, but for some reason I wasn't a huge fan. I didn't hate her, but I didn't like her either, she was very.. meh. 

The romance in this story was very weird. Miguel and Sofi dated a few years back. He ended up leaving, and Sofi was crushed. Turns out that Miguel still loves Sofi and hasn't slept with anyone since.. and now Sofi hates his guts. I honestly feel like this backstory is a little too much, personally if I was in Sofi's place I would never get back together with this guy, I never liked him throughout the book. When the two ended up having some moments it seemed very awkward and cringy. It's not a romance I could ever ship.

The first third of the book I truly did enjoy. It was basically the hunger games arena style, but the players could change the arena themselves to try to kill the other players. It was very entertaining and I was excited to see what would happen next. Then once the bomb went off and Sofi went on her mission things started to slow down and then the romance came in and I just wanted to put the book down. The main problem with the second part of the story was how predictable it was. I guessed who the bad guy was right at the beginning, and I was right. It was easy to tell that the "alien planet" wasn't actually a planet (how would a planet travel through space without being in orbit) and lots of other things.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately it wasn't the one for me. I hope that you enjoy it more than I did if you do plan on reading it.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern


I am so excited that PERFECT by Cecelia Ahern is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Cecelia Ahern, be sure to check out all the details below.

I've had the chance to read Flawed & Perfect, and I absolutely love this series. Highly recommended. Check out my reviews here and here.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for 2 sets of finished copies of FLAWED & PERFECT courtesy of Fierce Reads and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


Title: PERFECT
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Series: Flawed #2
Pub. Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Audible ~ iBooks ~ Goodreads

Synopsis: Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?


Check Out Book One
Title: FLAWED
Author: Cecilia Ahern
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Pages: 368
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, & audiobook

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and flaws are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

Excerpt:
Chapter Eight

            They stay there for three hours.
            My muscles burn, my feet ache, but I’m afraid to move.
            When the fire has reduced to a smolder, Granddad and Dahy are ordered to place the bundles of food onto the coals. The farmworkers watch from their orderly line, their F brand armbands all visible on their right arms, just above their elbow.
            This was supposed to be a celebration, a coming together to show that the Guild couldn’t beat them down. Now the Whistleblowers themselves are here. Hiding behind the tree, huddled on the ground, hugging my legs, shivering from the damp forest, I can’t say that I feel empowered. This feels like a defeat.
            Granddad and Dahy cover the food with the soil so it will cook under the ground in the heat. Granddad looks at the ground, his work finished, as though he’s buried me alive. Again I want to call out to him that I’m okay, I made it out, but I can’t.
            A phone rings and the female Whistleblower takes it. She steps aside, walks away from the others, so she can talk in private. She moves closer to me in the woods. I tense up again.
            “Judge Crevan, hello. It’s Kate. No, Judge, Celestine isn’t here. We’ve checked everywhere.”
            Silence as she listens and I hear Crevan’s voice from where I stand. Kate walks farther and stops by my tree.
            I press my back to the tree, squeeze my eyes shut, and hold my breath.
            “With all due respect, Judge, this is the Guild’s sixth visit to the property and I believe Mary May was meticulous in her search. We’ve checked everywhere you can imagine. I don’t believe she’s here. I think the grandfather is telling the truth.”
            I can hear the frustration in her voice. They’re all under pressure to find me, pressure placed on them by Judge Crevan. Kate takes a few more steps, right into my eyeline.
            She slowly scans the forest, her eyes searching the distance.
            Then she looks right at me.


About Cecilia:
At twenty-one, Cecelia wrote her first novel PS, I Love You, which was sold to forty-seven countries. The film of the same title, directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Wendy Finerman productions, starred Hilary Swank, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Gerry Butler, Harry Connick Jr, Gina Gershon and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. PS, I Love You was one of the biggest-selling debut novels of 2004, reaching number 1 in Ireland and in the UK Sunday Times bestseller list. It was also a bestseller throughout Europe and the USA, staying on the best-seller list in Germany for 52 weeks.
That same year, in November 2004, her second book Where Rainbows End (as Rosie Dunne hardback in the US, Love, Rosie paperback in US) also reached no.1 in Ireland and the UK, remaining at the top of the Irish bestsellers list for 12 weeks and again was a bestseller internationally.  Where Rainbows End was adapted for film titled Love, Rosie and will be released in Oct 2014, starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin.
Her third book If You Could See Me Now was published in November 2005 and also became an international bestseller. It has been optioned by producer Simon Brooks, producer of Love, Rosie.
Cecelia’s fourth novel A Place Called Here (published under the title There’s No Place Like Here in the US) also became an international number one bestseller.
Thanks For The Memories her fifth novel was also a huge bestseller and is now being adapted for a TV Drama Series by Gate Productions.
The Gift was published in October 2008 and became an International bestseller. It is optioned by Oscar winning producer Andreas Bareiss, and it is going into production later this year.
Her seventh novel The Book Of Tomorrow was released in October 2009 and eOne Television are developing it for a TV series in the US.
In March of 2011 her two short stories, Girl in the Mirror were published.
In November by Cecelia’s eighth novel The Time Of My Life was published and also became a bestseller.
Her ninth novel One Hundred Names was published in October 2012 and became a number one bestseller.
Her tenth novel How To Fall In Love was published last November and also became another bestseller.
To date Cecelia has sold over 22 million copies of her books worldwide.


Giveaway
2 Winners will receive finished copies of FLAWED & PERFECT, US Only.

Ends on April 18th at Midnight EST!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Review: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern

Series: Flawed #2
Publication Date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: YA, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone. 

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust. 

But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing. 

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people. 

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?

My Rating
4/5 stars

My Review
A perfect ending to a wonderful duology.

Celestine North is the most Flawed person there is, just for standing up for basic human rights, and going against the Guild. Now on the run, Celestine can't trust anyone. With the new knowledge that she holds the power of destroying The Guild, Celestine must learn who she can really trust, and figure out a plan to reverse her branding, and put a stop to discrimination against the flawed people. 

I read the first book in this series (which if you have not read yet, go do that now) in a day. Perfect took me two days to read (even though I would have done it in one, if I had the time). It was full of action, filled with some wonderful character development, and it keeps you wanting more throughout the whole book.

The problem I had with Celestine in the first book, was that everyone (including Celestine) kept saying how smart and intelligent she is, but getting tricked by her classmates made me think otherwise. In this book, I was waiting for Celestine to make a mistake and prove to the reader, once again, that she's not as smart as she thinks she is. Fortunately, that did not happen in this book. I'm not saying that Celestine never messed up, but throughout the whole book she kept making back up plans incase her original plant went wrong. This was such a brilliant work of character development, you can really see Celestine becoming smarter, opening up to a side of her that she's never known before and embracing who she is now. I absolutely loved her as a main character. She was definitely Perfect in this book.

In this book, we see the love triangle come back into full play. With Carrick still madly in love with Celestine, he is desperately searching for her in order to reunite. Celestine is awaiting her reunion with Carrick, but she still thinks about Art (and yes he does come back into the story). While the romance in this book was really good at times, it could also get a tad annoying. It is very obvious who Celestine is going to end up with (at least it was for me), so the constant going back and forth was a bit over played in my opinion.

This book was so close to being the "Perfect" book for me, unfortunately because of two small reasons, I had to give this book 4/5 stars. First of all, the author created such a beautiful world and such an amazing story, it felt a bit rushed to read it all in two books. While I was happy that there was a ton of action to make the book hard to put down, I was also sad to see the series end so soon. I definitely would have enjoyed the series more if it was at least another book longer.
The second reason, is one that people will probably read and skip over without thinking, but it really hit home for me. For those of you who know me, you may know that I am currently doing my bachelor's of science in the department of microbiology. My project area of study, is focusing on antimicrobial resistance, especially when it comes to our vaccines. When Carrick's mother said that her and her husband used to be doctors, and they were branded for speaking out about the dangers of vaccination, my stomach dropped. I'm not sure which is worse, the author not doing her research on a controversial topic like this, or the author assuming it is something normal because so many non-credible sources are speaking out about this. As a scientist, I advise you to always do you research, and when you do, make sure its from credible-sources, not just some random people on the internet, or famous people without Ph.D's on the topic. I know its only a sentence, but it really hurt when I read it.

Overall, I still highly recommend this series to anyone who loves action packed, dystopian books. It is definitely for all the fans of The Hunger Games, and Divergent (minus the last book). I loved this duology so much, I sincerely wish that it would have been longer.

Happy Reading,
Aneta.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Review: Quanta Reset by Lola Dodge

Series: The Shadow Ravens #3
Publication Date: September 27th 2016
Publisher: Monster House Books LLT
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Quanta has escaped her laboratory prison, but that’s where the good news ends.

Life at the Shadow Ravens’ compound is a disaster. She’s drowning in visions of the dark pasts and darker futures of her fellow Ravens and is plagued by her own panic-inducing memories, but Lady Eva still expects her to “train” and “participate in missions.” Plus, the food tastes like burnt plastic.

The only bright spot is her genetic pairing to the brilliant Altair Orpheus. As their relationship grows, she’s positive that chemicals aren’t the only things drawing them together—although chemistry is definitely involved.

While they test the limits of her game-changing new ability to reset time, word arrives from Eva’s agents: Doctor Nagi is still experimenting with her DNA. If he succeeds in duplicating her power…

Forget the Shadow Ravens. The whole world is toast.

My Rating
5/5 stars

My Review
Quanta Reset is absolutely wonderful! It picks up right where the last book left off. If you liked the first book, I will guarantee you'll love this one.

Quanta isn't used to controlling her visions with this many people around, no matter how hard she tries, she just can't have full control. When visions of a spy in the compound flood Quanta's head, they make it their mission to find him, and bring him in for questioning. When Quanta unintentionally kills the spy, Tair realizes that Quanta is destabilizing. What's worse is that on the spy's computer, Quanta and Cipher find a video of one of Quanta's clones helping Doctor Nagi. 

I absolutely loved Quanta, and the second book was just as good. In this book you get to see a lot more of Quanta and Tair socializing with other Ravens and working with them. As much as I love Quanta and Tair, seeing Quanta hang out with Cipher was one of the best parts in this book. We also get introduced to a new character, but I'll get to her later.

The plot line of the story was really really good. It had the same timeline as the first book how the action didn't really start till about half way through the book. But once the action starts you can't put the book down because its that amazing!

~ SPOILERS AHEAD ~ 

The one thing that I didn't like about the book, was when Tair was taken by the clone. I understand why Lola dodge wrote the part about Tair having feeling for the clone, but trying his hardest to resist her. Yet I would have liked it so much more, (and respected Tair more) if he was just turned off from the clone right from the beginning.

I can't wait for the next book in the series, and I'm desperately waiting to read Devan's story and see more of this world. 

I highly recommend this series to everyone. It's absolutely stunning. 

Happy Reading,
- Aneta

Friday, February 10, 2017

Cover Reveal: Dominion by J. Kowallis


Dominion
J. Kowallis
Series: The Enertia Trials #4
Publication date: May 19th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic

Synopsis: 
WE ARE THE FIRST
WE ARE THE END

“I didn’t want to wake up. Sometimes I almost wished I hadn’t.”
With Reggie’s death, Nate and the others are forced to continue on in their attempt to defeat Roman with the help of The Rising—a rebellion movement thriving in the bowels of Public Two.
New faces and mysterious secrets—hidden technology, lies, and darkness—from within The Rising shake the balance of their trust.
When an unimaginable encounter infiltrates the rebellion, true identities are revealed and loyalties torn apart. In the end, there’s only one target that matters: Roman—and they’ll do anything to stop him from claiming dominion.
Previous books in the series:


Author Bio:
J. Kowallis, the only girl of four children, grew up in northern Utah with a head full of wild stories (most often unreal). At the age of 9, she wrote her first poem, a dedication to E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. It was so intriguing, her third grade teacher requested to keep the original. Between living in various fictional worlds, and spending time on her studies, she managed to graduate from Weber State University’s creative writing program. She now lives in Utah with her Mini Schnauzer, Etta, and spends most of her time still bouncing between this world and the fantastical while enjoying delectable über-dark chocolate and lavender baths. She enjoys dreaming about, flying to, and writing about distant lands (real or unreal).

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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Review: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Series: Effigies #1
Publication Date: November 22nd 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Years ago, everything changed. Phantoms, massive beasts of nightmare, began terrorizing the world. At the same time four girls, the Effigies, appeared, each with the unique power to control a classical element. Since then, they have protected the world from the Phantoms. At the death of one Effigy, another is chosen, pulled from her normal life into the never-ending battle.

When Maia unexpectedly becomes the next Fire Effigy, she resists her new calling. A quiet girl with few friends and almost no family, she was much happier to admire the Effigies from afar. Never did she imagine having to master her ability to control fire, to protect innocent citizens from the Phantoms, or to try bringing together the other three Effigies.

But with the arrival of the mysterious Saul—a man who seems to be able to control the Phantoms using the same cosmic power previously only granted to four girls at a time—Maia and the other Effigies must learn to work together in a world where their celebrity is more important than their heroism.

But the secrets Saul has, and the power he possesses, might be more than even they can handle…
 

My Rating
5/5 stars

My Review
Fate of Flames is my new favourite dystopian book. It has amazing characters, a fantastic plot, and a stunning new world. The book has so much action, you won’t want to put it down.

There can only be four Effigies at one time. If one Effigie dies, their power moves on to the next person chosen. When Natalya turns up dead, it is Maia Finley who becomes her successor. The power of fire has been handed to Maia, she has no choice but to train her powers and fight alongside Bella, Chae Rin, and Lake to defeat Phantoms terrorizing the whole world. 

There comes a book every once in a while, that you wish you read when the whole series came out because you’re dying to read the next one after finishing the first book. This is that series. I was not exaggerating when I said in the beginning that I could not put the book down. As for the moments when I had to put the book down, all I could do was think about getting back to it and continuing reading. 

I absolutely loved Maia as the main character. She is such a good person, and always knows when to do the right thing. I love how she is very careful and doesn't trust anyone. She makes things exciting, and I can promise you that you will not get bored of her point of view. Throughout the book I found myself falling in love with the other Effigie girls as well. Right off the bat, I thought Belle and Lake were going to be horrible to read about, they both seemed like stuck up annoying girls, but once you find out more about them you really do end up liking them and cheering on the whole squad of Effigies. Chae Rin was definitely my favourite out of the four, she's not afraid to tell people how it is, and do her own thing, and its definitely a plus how she's from Canada. 

The world building is outstanding. I believe it is the best world building I have yet to read about. Not only do you get to see Maia’s home town, but the squad of girls also travels to places like London, Paris, Argentina and many others. It’s so wonderful to read about people travelling rather than staying in the one city or country.

The one thing I didn't like about the book, was the romance. On one hand, if you could call it a romance, it really sucked. I could not ship the characters which was something I really wanted to do, but I just couldn’t. But on the other hand, it really made Maia and the girls more warrior-like and inspirational. I can’t describe it really well, but you’ll know what I mean if you read the book.

Overall, I’m so impressed with this book that I have to give it a 5 star. Honestly I would give it 6 stars if it was possible. I highly recommend this book to all dystopian and kick-ass female main character lovers. Definitely give this book a try, I’ll just be over here, dying and waiting for the next book to come out.

Happy Reading
- Aneta
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