Blog Tour || Sadie by Courtney Summers || Excerpt + Q&A

Hi lovely readers! I'm so excited to be working with St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books as a part of the blog tour of Sadie by Courtney Summers. I feel extra special to be posting on release day! Happy Book Birthday! Keep reading for an excerpt and a short Q&A with author Courtney Summers. And keep an eye out for a full review coming soon.

[Blog Tour] REBELLION: An Interview with Author Stephanie Diaz

Hi lovely readers! I'm very excited to be part of the blog tour for REBELLION, the second book in Stephanie Diaz's Extraction trilogy. This is a science fiction series I started reading this year and fell in love with. As part of the blog tour, I'm thrilled to be bringing you an interview with Stephanie Diaz!

About the Story

Rebellion by Stephanie Diaz

Publication Date: February 10th, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Summary

The uprising has begun.

It's been seven days since Clementine and Logan, along with their allies, retreated into hiding on the Surface. The rebels may have won one battle against Commander Charlie, but the fight is far from finished. He has vowed to find a way to win—no matter the cost. Do the rebels have what it takes to defeat him...and put an end to this war?

As Clementine and Logan enter a desperate race against time to defeat Commander Charlie—and attempt to weaken his power within his own ranks—they find themselves in a terrifying endgame that pits them against a brutal enemy, and each other. With every step, Clementine draws closer to losing Logan...and losing control of herself.

Continuing with the mesmerizing saga that started with Extraction, Stephanie Diaz blends science fiction, epic romance, and heart-stopping adventure to create a world that no reader will soon forget.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Buy this book at: Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound

Interview with Stephanie Diaz

"Waiting on" Wednesday [25]

The Last Time We Say Goodbye

Publication Date: February 10th, 2015

Publisher: Harper Teen

Synopsis 

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go. 

I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of Cynthia Hand's paranormal trilogy, Unearthly. However, that was more because of the plot and genre, rather than the writing style, which is why I'm very excited for her new contemporary book. I've already heard so many good things about it from bloggers who got a chance to read advanced copies so I can't wait to get my hands on it in a few weeks.

Check it out on Goodreads! 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Check out the blog for more details and how to participate.

[Book Review] Extraction by Stephanie Diaz

Extraction (Extraction #1) by Stephanie Diaz

Publication Date: July 22, 2014

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: personal purchase

Summary

"Welcome to Extraction testing."

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers—and that means Logan, too. 

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters, Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

You wouldn't expect a science fiction book set on another planet with a moon that spits out acid to be described as realistic, but that’s exactly how I would describe Extraction by Stephanie Diaz. She manages to take this completely fiction world and translate into relatable experiences. Everything from her characters to the situations the find themselves in just seems like they could happen to me – you know if I happened to live on the planet of Kiel.

[Book Review] Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian

Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian

Publication Date: January 20, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Source: eARC courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

Jake Lukin just turned 18. He's decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he's also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there's a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.

When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to "tunnel" into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It's an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.

Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn't agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he's juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.

Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he's doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel's help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others. 

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received and advance readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

I enjoyed Susan Adrian’s debut, Tunnel Vision. I don’t normally read books with paranormal elements because I’ve been kind of scared away by paranormal romances. However, if more paranormal books were like Tunnel Vision I would pick them up. The main thing I liked was the story itself. Without giving away any spoilers, it was a rollercoaster of a book. There were ups and downs and twists and sometimes I did not know how Jake was going to get himself out of a situation. I loved how the story built on itself effortlessly.

[Book Review] Made for You by Melissa Marr

Made for You by Melissa Marr

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Source: ARC courtesy of HarperCollins

Summary

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received and advance readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

I'm not a huge fan of paranormal books and Made for You by Melissa Marr didn't really change that for me. The one thing that kept me reading this book was the thriller aspect of the book . I mean right from the synopsis you can tell it's going to get weird and boy does it ever. However, I can't say I was very invested in the characters and to be honest, there wasn't much to the plot other than the mystery behind who is attempted to kill the protagonist, Eva. The romance felt forced and contrived and the other relationships in the story weren't much better. Overall, it wasn't a fantastic book, but it kept me turning the pages because I just wanted to know how everything was going to turn out in the end.