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Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Glitch (Glitch, #1)
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: 7 August 2012
Pages:  308 (eARC)


Synopsis
In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.
My Rating
* *
The Review

“Order first. Order always.”

A world where order, logic and peace is above all else. A world which is an interminable gray. Zoel Q-24’s world where people are stripped off of every emotion to the extent of being called subjects. It seems like a perfect world because there is no fear, no anger, no hate and no greed; emotions that were the cause of the downfall of Old Earth. The Community is the be all and end all. Perfection.

But technology can only go so far and humans are evolutionary creatures. Subjects are sometimes able to feel emotions and see colors. To glitch. Zoe has been glitching and while she cannot control her glitches, she works hard to keep them under control. To clear herself of any emotions.

An ideal situation calls for a diagnostic to fix the V-chip so that the subject can be fixed. Glitching is an anamolous behavior in the Community. More anamolies mean the subject are useless, to broken to fix. Deactivation is the logical solution to such subjects unable to contribute to the community.

But Zoe doesn’t want to let go of the glitches because then, instead of the retina display of the Link News, she can access her thoughts, feel and see. She also has a Gift. A Gift that she is afraid of because it will cause her immediate deactivation. So she goes on, pretending.

However, there is a boy whose glance lingered on Zoe for more than a split second. The one with the aquamarines eyes. Is he a Monitor or someone she can trust herself with? It is hard to believe that anyone else could also glitch and be a cause of destruction in the Community. But Adrien helps her and tells her about the lies the community has fed about themselves and about the Old Earth. Adrien’s Gift makes it easier for Zoe to trust him.

Then there is Max. Max with a Gift which makes her afraid for him, the risks he is willing to take. But he is reckless and seem to be hiding something. Almost unable to deal with emotions. It makes Zoe question things. But being in the dark about human emotions for so long, it’s quite easy for her to be in the dark about uncertain emotions.

The Regulators and Monitors watch the subjects for any anomalous behavior and the Officials do the rest of the work. It all seems perfect. Too perfect. Glitch is a fast-paced dystopian novel about a perfect world of technology where nothing could go wrong as long as there are V-chips, memory erasers and deactivation.

Glitch offers characters unable to think, unaware and linked together as moving, breathing robots. It is a very intriguing concept where technology fails to deliver perfectly. Zoe is caught between her obligation to the community and the taste of diversified beauty the world has to offer her. Where will her decisions finally take her? I must admit I am only slightly curious how Zoe’s story will move forward in Override.

Best Quotes:
“Pain was one thing we were still able to feel, because it was necessary to safety; otherwise alloy workers would burn their fingers off by touching a hot kiln and not feeling it.” 
“I could breathe again. I felt myself expand in the same moment, color and sound and sense flooding back in, overwhelming me with a rush of smells and sounds.”
About the Author

Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she’s not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

Glitch is her first novel.

Heather Anastasiu can be found at 

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Buy Glitch (Glitch, #1)
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The Giveaway

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and Shane for providing me a copy of  Glitch for review.

Review: My Paper Heart by Magan Vernon Blog Tour + Giveaway + Interview

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Title: My Paper Heart
Author: Magan Vernon
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Calta Press
Release Date: 1 August 2012
Pages:  130 (eARC)


Synopsis
There are worse things in life than failing out of college- such as having your parents receive the letter that you’ve been kicked out.
Now to appease her parents self-proclaimed sorority princess Libby Gentry is packing up her Prada bag and heading to work for her great aunt’s antique store in tiny Elsbury, Louisiana. She’s pretty sure she can tackle the swamp and deal with her great aunt and tom boy of a little cousin, but what she doesn’t know is if she can handle the local town playboy, Blaine Crabtree. 
As Libby’s feelings for Blaine grow, so does her need for acceptance and all of the insecurities she has kept inside are coming out. She may have survived the Louisiana swamp, but she may not survive Blaine’s reluctance to say the ‘L’ word. When Blaine finally commits to the three words Libby’s been waiting for, she only hopes they haven’t come too late.

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

A piece of a dead tree makes it way to Libby’s home and her immediate future is decided. In a matter of few hours, Libby goes from being a sorority princess at the Illinois State University to working at her great aunt’s antiques shop in Louisiana. Talk about a major demotion! Well, it is what it is, so Libby begrudgingly packs her bags to leave her home for who knows how long.
It’s not like Libby can say much to defend her party-hard-and-get-drunk-harder image because no one really wants to know her. They form opinion on what they see and why her parents should be any different? 
However, when it comes to adjusting, Libby is a pro. She is also a pro when it comes to pretending but I will save that for later. Libby is pretty sure she can mend her paper heart along with her insecurities with Aunt Dee’s heavenly cooking while trying to give a makeover to her tomboyish fifteen-year-old cousin, Brittany.
But Libby is like a moth to a flame in the town of Elsbury when it comes to attracting the attention of the town people. In particular, Blaine Crabtree. What is with the guy with his annoying habit of commenting on her slutty ways. He’s the one to talk, after going at it with half the town! 
Like Libby though, Blaine has a story of his own and as he realizes and apologizes for his inappropriate behavior towards Libby, things take a turn for the better. Now Blaine and Libby cannot get enough of each other’s company. However, Brittany have a crush on Blaine (which Libby is aware of and is sorry for) so she makes Libby insecure with all the boyfriend talk. Things that makes Libby question everything over and over again for Libby has a bad experience with Beau, her ex.
Now, each small progress in their relationship seems like a burden to Libby and she keeps thinking if she is not good enough. Libby is a product of bullying and being made fun of for years haven’t settled well with her. Even though she has hidden all of that in layers of great fashion sense and what-not; it never really went away.
Blaine is a very humble character who has turned to wrong ways trying to make himself feel better about himself. So when Libby barges in speaking her thoughts out loud and daring him to feel again, Blaine realizes the error of his ways. But he needs little more than a push to move forward. Libby, on the other hand, is a very upbeat character and finds the fun part in any aspect of her life. But just as quickly, her spirits also gets diffused so it is intense to see her grow.
So while Blaine is helping Libby overcome her fear of bad relationships, so is Libby helping Blaine with his relationship issues. Nothing like something that makes you want to step out of your comfort zone to embrace the better. After all, it is darkest before the dawn and I always find such books beautiful.
My Paper Heart is a great contemporary debut by Magan Vernon which should not be missed at all. I hope she writes more contemporary books. It makes you think about all the possibilities in life and how each moment in life builds up to the moment of realization. Of need. And of what it takes to finally grow up.

Best Quotes:
“Mom held the piece of paper in her hands. It was as if she was holding my heart. Thin and frail. My paper heart to be torn to shreds.”
About the Author
Self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child who channels her inner geek by writing science fiction for teens. Even though she slept with a night light until she was in middle school for fear of alien attacks.

She now lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in central Illinois where she still sleeps with a night light…just in case.

Magan Vernon can be found at 

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| Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Smashwords |

The Interview
Hello, Magan. I am so glad to have you on my blog today! I really enjoyed My Paper Heart and so let’s get started with the interview to know more about it.

I read in your bio that you’re “self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child.” What’s the story behind it?
Well, my husband says I’m still a geek, but I digress. I was always the geeky girl growing up that preferred to read a book (mainly comic books) instead of going out. Then I went to college, put down the comic books, joined a sorority and all of a sudden the girl who others looked at as being the geek in the back of the room turned into the girl who made sure not to let her heels slip in the drool that had pooled on the floor from people staring.
Okay, maybe a little bit over the top, but you get the picture 🙂 
The title of your book is very intriguing and describes Libby very aptly, how did you come up with it?
The title of the book was originally ‘My Own Summer,’ but then I found out that was a song by The Deftones that definitely gave off the wrong message. One of my critique partners helped me come up with the concept because it had a lot to do with the paper that Libby received that said she had been kicked out of college and following her heart. 
What was your favorite part about writing My Paper Heart?
Blaine, most definitely. I’m a sucker for a southern gentleman, but he was really complicated. He was gruff yet sensitive and for a long time I didn’t know what his deal was. He was a mystery even to me! 
The hardest?
Libby’s sorority life. I am a sorority girl and there were some parts of the whole process that I loved and there were other parts that tore me to shreds. Some of the stuff Libby goes through were made up (not from my own experiences, but some I’ve heard that other sororities did), but some of the stuff took me to my darkest times living in the house. 
What is the one book that has most influenced your life and why?
No laughing, but Twilight.
I was in my senior year of college and my roomie was OBSESSED with the books. I never had time to read for pleasure (I was working a job, an internship, and going to school full-time), but she let me borrow them anyways. I ended up being hooked. I found myself sneaking the books under the table during class just to finish them. This drew me to the young adult genre and it was how I got started writing My Paper Heart…eventually. It took me another year before that was actually started. 
Are there any occupational hazards to being a writer?
People can be mean. There are some reviews that rip me to my core, one review even said they wanted to ‘effing slap me.’ I try and be the better person, but sometimes it feels like people forget the author is human. I respect reviewer’s opinions and I value them, but I think there is a difference between attacking the words the author puts down and attacking the story itself. 
What genre did you relate to more when writing: paranormal or contemporary?
Ohhh tough one!
There are parts to both that I related to. Of course, I’m not dating an alien, but there are real struggles that Alex deals with in My Alien Romance series that I deal with on a personal level. With that said, contemp is harder in some ways because then I have to be rooted in reality and make sure that I’m not throwing things around that don’t make sense. Sometimes I wish my life was a little more paranormal and I could explain where the helter all my missing socks go! 
What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview and how would you answer that question?
Is your husband really an alien?
My answer? Yes. He won’t admit it, but I watched enough Roswell to know that a guy who eats that much hot sauce cannot be human. 
What book are you currently reading?
I’m critiquing a friend’s manuscript right now, which is hard to read while I’m critiquing, but I’m still hooked to CK Bryant’s BOUND (which is free on Amazon). 
You never leave your home without?
Cell phone 
Favorite time of the day?
The morning. If I sleep in too late then I feel like my whole day is gone. 
Everyone should know that you are – ?
A working mother and author. People do always ask ‘when is the next book coming out?’ or wonder where I am during the day. I work a normal day job in auto claims, come home to my daughter at night, and write when I can. If I don’t get stuff out as fast as others, it’s because I’m saving the world one auto accident at a time 🙂
Thanks again for having me!
The Giveaway
Magan has generously provided an eBook copy to giveaway. Rules are in the rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Magan Vernon for providing me a copy of My Paper Heart for review.

Review: Starring Me by Krista McGee + Giveaway

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Title: Starring Me

Author: Krista McGee
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 10 July 2012
Pages: 320 (eARC)

Synopsis

Kara McKormick is told she’s auditioning to star in a new teen variety show. But it’s what she isn’t told that could change her life.
The feisty New Yorker moves to sunny Orlando to participate in a month-long audition, where she’ll live with nine other contestants and an eccentric housemother. Kara knows that the show already has a big-time celebrity lined up for the co-host, but she doesn’t know who it is.
Chad Beacon quickly rose to fame after winning America’s Next Star, but he doesn’t want his entire career to be about singing. There is so much more he wants to do-like act. The new variety show sounds like the perfect next step for him, but his parents want him to have a co-star who shares his faith since they’ll be spending so much time together.
Acting is high on Kara’s priority list. But a relationship with God? Not so much. In fact, she’s tried to stay away from anything religious. But God is after Kara’s heart and He’s put people in her life who are showing her there’s far more to Christianity than rules and judgment.
And just when it seems that Kara’s going to have to give up her acting dream, God reveals that she may have a starring role after all-in a story so big only He could write it.
My Rating
* * * *
The Review
All Kara McKormick wants is to be an actress. With a talent of blending perfectly into her character that brings her a thrill of performing, Kara believes she has it all. But does she? When she doesn’t have an agent and the her only claim to fame is being on The Book of Love.

So armed with a passion for acting and a determined will, Kara goes to audition for a show when she gets a call. All she knows is that she will be competing with nine other girls and at the end, one girl will get her own SNL-ish show with a famous male co-star. The show that will broaden her horizons like she always wanted.

Starring Me is more about the auditions than the show itself so there are actual scripts in between chapters which are just amazing to read. I got excited every time there was one because they are funny and witty.  Kara is a very humble and likeable character; I liked getting to know her and the way her mind worked. She’s friendly, confident and knows what she wants but she can also be such a girl when it comes to certain things. I admired her strong emotional side and the fact that nothing can deter her from her path. However, she will put all the stops if it has something to do with her family.

Then there is Chad. I liked that I got to know his part of the story as well. His personality is very mature and fame hasn’t really gotten over his head. His parents are protective of him and he respects that. I loved the part about him being home-schooled, it all sounded pretty cool.

The roles of Addy, Jonathan, Flora and Kara’s family compliment each other and I liked how it all connected and fell into place for Kara. Flora is a very wise character however much her appearance says otherwise. Addy and Jonathan each play a significant role in Kara’s life in the book because she never knew what was missing in her life until she started questioning. It isn’t about the belief in God alone, it’s about the willingness to do something. Anything. Determination is key.

In all, Starring Me is a light summer read complete with competitive girls willing to stomp on you to win, killer auditions, a best friend who gets red in the face every time a certain boy is mentioned, a cool bibliophilic housemother, a strong love for family and a dream of a lifetime. I enjoyed reading Starring Me a lot. Really, it’s as much about the journey as it is about the destination itself.

Best Quote:
“Cleansing tears poured from her cheeks and she let them flow, feeling a sense of peace like she had never known before.”

The Giveaway
Thomas Nelson has generously offered two copies of Starring Me for giveaway. Rules are in the Rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me Starring Me for review.

Review: Frost by Kate Avery Ellison Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Frost (The Frost Chronicles, #1)
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 18 April 2012
Pages:  206 (eARC)


Synopsis
In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.
She saves his life.
Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.
But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.
Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

Frost. The word alone conjures up images of snow storms, icy winds, frozen water and barren, shrivelled up trees. Survival is not just a  word with three syllables; it’s a way of life. For Lia and the people of the Frost. But that’s not the worst part. Watchers prowl the forest surrounding the village during the darkest moments of the night and they attack. The only solace are the snow blossoms which somehow keep them away. Lately however, Watchers are evidently crossing the path of snow blossoms.

Living in the village of Iceliss is a day to day chore and to get the weekly supplies of salt, sugar and grain, all of the villagers contribute towards increasing the overall productivity. Lia’s family spin yarn and it has been difficult to meet the quota ever since their parents were killed by the merciless Watchers. With a crippled brother, John and a younger sister, Ivy, who likes to wander on her own; Lia now has to shoulder all the responsibility.

Lia fears for her and her siblings’ life every waking moment, unable to sleep at times because the Watchers might be close. Their farm is located at the outskirts of Iceliss, near the forest and the Watchers. So it doesn’t really help when Ivy insists on helping a wounded and dying Farther.

Farthers are the other enemies of the people of the Frost who live in the village of Aeralis, a far more advanced society than the Frost. But there the soldiers roam freely, killing the innocents mercilessly on the slightest of disobediences. Wrongly accused as a fugitive, the Farther Gabe, was rescued by a member of the Thorns. Thorns are a secret group who help the Farthers escape the wrath of the soldiers.

Will Lia’s family be caught or will Gabe escape safely? And what is it that Lia feels when Gabe is near that she doesn’t feel with Cole? Why does Adam Brewer seems to be staring at her hard forcing her to recognize something? Is Anna, her best friend and the daughter of the Mayor, hiding something? Lia is beginning to wonder what is real anymore.

Frost drew me in and I loved every second of it. I was pulled into the story from the first sentence. As a lover of winter, the world building of the Frost is done brilliantly by Kate. The secondary characters had depth and a story to tell of their own. I liked Gabe’s tenacious will and found Lia to be a very admirable character; strong-willed yet humble. I would highly recommend Frost to the readers of young adult dystopia.

Best Quote:

“There could be no weakness here in the Frost, where we clung to life between the mountains as desperately as a drowning man clings to a stone.”

About the Author
When I’m not writing, I enjoy watching TV, playing video games, and eating ice cream cake. I don’t normally wear purple bows on my head in public, but I drew one on this author photo so you guys would recognize me. While it’s true that I’m currently working on a zombie novel, don’t let that fool you. I am decidedly TEAM UNICORN.

Kate Avery Ellison can be found at 

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Buy Frost (The Frost Chronicles, #1)
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The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Kate Avery Ellison and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Frost for review.

Review: The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: The Dream Slayer (The Dreamer Slayer Series, #1)
Author: Jill Cooper
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 25 June 2012
Pages: 312 (eARC)


Synopsis
When your dreams come true, sometimes you get more than you bargained for…
Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.
Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart.
Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.
Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

Jill Cooper takes the paranormal genre to another level in The Dream Slayer. Natalie Johnson’s life sucks; bullied by Sarah the cheerleader, a parent who is always drunk and the other a bearer of the outcomes. It seems like apart from Tristan, the one BFF she hasn’t managed to lose to the social abyss that is high school (insert Michelle, captain of the cheerleading team), life is at its worst. The escape? Dreams. Only if that weren’t so complicated what with Natalie’s dreams now crossing over to the reality and the constant onslaught of déjà vus. What’s a girl to do?

Natalie is a loser and a scared little mouse, nobody pays her any attention except to laugh at her when she’s being bullied. She hates it, Tristan hates it; but she knows it will only get worse if she does anything to resist the bullying. Except it does in her dream because Sarah becomes possessed and throws herself over the window of the high school building. Talk about a dramatic death and on the night of the pep rally no less. Only Natalie has seen that already, in her dream.

It all really started when a portal opened and the Patricians escaped through it. It happened in her dream but the horror of it spilling over to the reality was only the beginning. It’s a good thing that Natalie’s alter ego is a kick-butt, strong, fearless demon slayer with a hot boyfriend, Damien. Mark is her custodian in dreams but in reality, it is Charles. Oh and the demon master, Morach is a big, fat nuisance to just everybody included.

As much as Natalie has to now embrace her fate of being a paladin, she needs all the strong-wiliness she can muster and she does. She rises above and beyond the pitiful feelings of being scared and pushed over all the time. She pulls out of it a stronger, kick-butt, magic-wielding heroine. How she does it is a sure treat to read and a very enjoyable and engrossing one at that.

The Dream Slayer is an action-packed, chock full of one hell of a great storyline debut by Jill Cooper. The cover is mesmerizing and the paranormal aspect of the story mixed with the dreams is like a breath of fresh air. For Natalie, it is somewhat of a coming of age story as well and it was a novel thing to see an average, fat girl with chunky fingers get transformed into a strong character in her dreams and then some. I will recommend The Dream Slayers to the lovers of the paranormal genre. This is a thrilling start to an awesome series.

Best Quote:

“The feeling of being more than human—more than Natalie—overtook her and replaced every feeling of self-loathing and doubt she’d ever had. Natalie felt awake for the first time. Every emotion was stronger and more vibrant than before. She never wanted to give this up. Never.”

About the Author

Jill Cooper loves tea more than coffee and is obsessed over finding that perfect recipe. She lives in Danvers, MA with two cats, a toddler, a husband, and a 1964 yellow taxi. Her life is chaotic, but fun.

She is currently working on a new Sci-fi thriller and the sequel to The Dream Slayer.

Jill Cooper can be found at 

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Buy The Dream Slayer (The Dreamer Slayer Series, #1)

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The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Dream Slayer and the blog tour, Jill Cooper is going to wrap up all up with a grand finale Kindle Fire give away!

Enter to win, some entries are allowed more than once, just come back every day! The winner will be chosen by random at the end of the contest on August 1st.

Step 2 – Enter to win it.

Go here to enter via the Rafflecopter widget and earn up to 36 entries.

Thanks to Jill Cooper and Supa Gurl for providing me a copy of The Dream Slayer for review.