Books: Scythe ~ Arc of Scythe #1 ~ Neal Shusterman

Title:Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Walker Bookss
Publishing date: November, 0216
Number of pages: 443 p.
Series: Arc of Scythe #1
Age Category: Young Adult
Genre: Utopia, Science Fiction
Other Books In This Series:
Thunderhead, book #2
The Toll, book #3

About Scythe

What if Death was the only thing left to control?
Maybe just read this sentence and get into the book, I really encourage you to go in bind. No still want to know more? alright then here is the rest of the synopsis:
In a perfect world, the only way to die is to be gleanded by a professional scythe. When Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentice scythes, they know they have no option but to learn the art of killing. However, the terrifying responsibility of choosing their victims is just the start.
Corruption is the order of the day and Citra and Rowan need to stick together to fight it.

Then they are told that one of them will have to glean the other..

My opinion about Scythe

Oh how I struggled ath the first half of the book. I was having a hard time getting into the writing style of this book, it took me about half the book to get over that. As you might be aware English is not my native language, and what I found with Scythe was that there were a lot of words that are not so commonly used throughout the YA genre, and so I sometimes had to look up some of the words mentioned. It has been a while since I have had to do that. I think that made it a bit challenging for me at times to get in to. In general it was not a difficult read, it is still very much a young adult novel, but if you are starting to read English I would not pick this as a starting point.

On the front of the edition I have of Scythe it says on the front: "A true successor to The Hunger Games". I don't really agree with this, I don't think this is a proper comparison as Scythe is so different in tone and world form the Hunger Games. Yes it is still science fiction, but not in the same category of the Hunger Games, which is a game based dystopian, where this is more a utopia instead. I would have like it to be compared to Matched if you want to compare it to something similar. Matched also is very much a utopia, and has some other similarities to Scythe as well. I think that if you are going into this book with the expectations of "another Hunger Games" that you would be very dissapointed. Scythe is a very different story, intellegent, political and at times a bit disturbing.

The first half of the book is a bit slow, it is mainly based on the training of Citra and Rowan our main characters. We get to see both Citra and Rowan point of view of their apprenticeship. The internal struggles of becoming a scythe and the dread of having to glean a person. To take a persons live, they both have very distinct voices and very different point of view on things. In the beginning I did not really like Citra, I found her to be a bit shallow and a bit of a know-it-all. But the farther we got in the book the more I came to appreciate her character. Rowan is a very likable character from the beginning, allthough during the book especially SPOILER ALLERT, when under the care of Scythe Goddard I actually started doubting is choices a bit.

I think the author made a very bold move at the end of the book, something I had not expected to happen. I do applaud the events and it definitely made me change my mind about this book. Now that I have had some time to process this book I think this book is a good set up for the rest of the series. There is a lot of world building, which is also the reason for the slow start, but I think the worldbuilding is necassary to explain to us the world we are in, to set up for the other two books in the series. And it is the set up for the events unfolding at the end of the book.

The ending of this book is action packed, full of surprises, and the beginning of a very interesting journey for both of our main characters. I feel the ending is perfect and this makes up so much for the slower parts of this book.

Conclusions

This is the kind of book that makes you think about our own world, our future and our incompetences. It makes you think that maybe we could all use a Thunderhead, a disease free world. Or would live then be come a dull experience? This book is a masterpiece, eventhought, at the beginning I felt like quitting a couple of times. It is such an interesting take on humanity and I am definitely going to continue the series. As I am writing this review I am already half through the second book, and I can already say, I am loving it! Utopia at it's best. As I was not all that fond of the beginning of the book, this influenced my final rating a bit, it is still a solid work of art. Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars.

It occurred to her that being a scythe was like being the living dead. In the world, but apart from it. Just a witness to the comings and goings of others. - Citra

Books: Nomad ~ J.L. Bryan

Title: Nomad
Author: J.L. Bryan
Kind of story: Standalone
Publishing date: 26, Juli, 2013
Publisher: Publicatie in eigen beheer
Number of pages: 136 p.
Language:  English
Age category: New Adult

About Nomad 

They took everything: her family, her home, her childhood.

By the age of nineteen, Raven has spent most of her life in the sprawling slums of America, fighting as a rebel against the dictatorship.

When the rebellion steals an experimental time-travel device, she travels back five decades to the year 2013.

Her plan: assassinate the future dictator when he is still young and vulnerable, long before he comes to power. She must move fast to reshape history, because agents from her own time are on her trail, ready to execute her on sight.

My Review

This book started with a bang, a girl standing in the middle of the high way with no recollection of how she got there or who she is. She hitches a ride with a kind truck driver. And from there the action starts, because she is not the only one who travelled back in time.

Raven is being hunted, and is lucky enough to escape, but the nice truck driver isn't that lucky.

A good start of this book, you might think, and it is also what the gorgeous cover promise us, but all good things end. In this book they end when Raven gets part of her memory back. This is the point in the book were the river slow down to a little stream. 

The story turn into more or less a phsychological game, were Raven has to make a choice to either kill the future dictator, or find another way to rewrite the future. It is a bit more slow paced but still very enjoyable. 

In the end I really enjoyed the book, but it was hard for me to keep mind with it. I think that was due to the slow pace.  Towards the end the book picks up again and the way Raven solved her puzzle was very well done. I was very satisfied with the ending.

This was not my first encounter with J.L. Bryan, in 2013 I read Jenny Pox, which was also very well executed. You can read my review here.

My Rating:

This smart read gets 3 skaters for me, because it did not hold my attention like some books can. The story line is one I haven't seen before but the book just didn't blow my mind.

Alberta Cross ~ Broken side of time

This song fits perfectly with the whole setting of this book, and of course Raven in born in A Broken side of time, and other wise interpret, she breaks time to travel back in time... Right, you still with me? No? Then just enjoy this beautiful song.

Buy this book on Amazon

Books: The Only Boy ~ Jordan Locke ~ promo

Title: The Only Boy
Author: Jordan Locke
Publication date: December 17th 2013
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules—the Matriarch's senseless rules—prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out.

Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiled. Maybe even executed.

Mary's never seen a boy—the Matriarch cut the pictures of men from the textbooks—and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him.

Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary—and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries.

Goodreads ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon

About the author ~ Over de schrijver

Jordan Locke lives in Connecticut with his wife, two lively daughters and a well-behaved whippet. A graphic designer by trade, his creativity spilled over into the literary world. After years of writing, reading and learning the craft, his fifth novel, The Only Boy, brought him offers of representation from two well-known agents. Now, after the dog is fed and the kids are in bed, you will find him tapping away at the keyboard.

Add on Goodreads ~ Website ~  Twitter ~ Amazon

Guest post by Jordan Locke

How I Came Up With the Idea for The Only Boy Usually, soon after I finish one novel, the idea for another comes, as if my mind automatically kick-starts in a new direction.

The concept for The Only Boy came a few weeks after watching the movie Children of Men. If you haven’t seen it or read the book, the gist is that babies have stopped being born, for some inexplicable reason, and the youngest living person is now an adult. This got me wondering what a world with only women would be like. How would they reproduce? Could they develop a technique to combine DNA from women to make more women?

After many years, centuries even, perhaps the women would no longer want men around? Maybe they would blame them for the disease that nearly wiped out humanity.

Introducing a boy into the mix would make the story more interesting, make the plot more complicated. Some of the women would want him dead. He would have to hide his identity.
I needed characters. Taylor, the only living boy, has just lost his family and friends, everyone he knew. Mary is an inquisitive girl with a yearning to learn more about life before the disease. The Matriarch, the figurehead for the group, is obsessed with making sure men never return. I tossed them together to see what would happen.

Of course, I thought the idea was totally original, but soon after I finished The Only Boy, I learned that the concept (just one living male) had been done before, in a comic book and a made-for-TV movie. It seems there are no new ideas, or at least very few of them. How many vampire books have been written? Avatar follows the same basic plot as Fern Gulley. Cinderella has been rehashed countless times.

A fresh take, however, can bring new life to the story. I haven’t seen the aforementioned comic book or made-for-TV movie, but I’m fairly sure The Only Boy is unique. Hopefully, my novel stands on its own.

Books: Sunset Rising ~ S.M McEachern ~ promo

Title: Sunset Rising
Author: S.M. McEachern
Series: Sunset Rising #1
Publication date: November 12th 2013

About Sunset Rising

February 2024:
Desperate to find refuge from the nuclear storm, a group of civilians discover a secret government bio-dome. Greeted by a hail of bullets and told to turn back, the frantic refugees stand their ground and are grudgingly permitted entry. But the price of admission is high.

283 years later… Life as a slave in the Pit had never been easy, but for seventeen-year-old Sunny O’Donnell it was quickly careening out of control. Her mother was killed in the annual spring Cull, leaving her alone with a father who decided to give up on life.

It’s not that she blamed him for grieving, but if they didn’t earn enough credits to keep their place inside the Pit, they would be kicked out into a world still teeming with radiation. That left her to earn the credits for both of them. It didn’t help that her boyfriend, Reyes Crowe, was pressuring her to get married and abandon her father.

Sunny didn’t think life could get any worse, until she was forced upstairs to the Dome to serve and entertain the elite at a bachelor party. That's where she met Leisel Holt, the president's daughter, and her fiancé, Jack Kenner. Now Sunny is wanted for treason. If they catch her, she'll be executed. She thought Leisel's betrayal was the end for her…but it turns out it was just the beginning.

About S.M. McEachern

S.M. McEachern (also known as Susan) comes from the rocky shores of Canada’s East Coast.

As a resident of Halifax during her early adult years, she attended Dalhousie University and earned an Honors Degree in International Development Studies with a focus on ocean development.

Throughout her academic studies and early career, Susan had the privilege to work with many developing countries on resource management projects. Becoming an author has been a lifelong dream for Susan. “Sunset Rising” is her debut novel and the first of many she plans to write.

Guest post by S.M. McEachern

In the (un)Likely Event of an Apocalypse

The Apocalypse. The end of civilization as we know it. Maybe even the complete annihilation of the Earth.

The thought is terrifying and has fascinated generations for decades. There have been thousands of predictions on how, why and when the world as we know it will come to an abrupt end. It’s the stuff that blockbuster films and best selling novels are made of (mine included!). But could an apocalypse actually happen? What are the odds? And more importantly, can the human race survive the end of the world? As the author of a post-apocalyptic series, I’ve actually done some research on apocalyptic scenarios and here are a few of my thoughts:

Nuclear War: Anyone who has read my novel, “Sunset Rising”, knows nuclear war is my apocalypse of choice (I say tongue in cheek). Consider the domino effect of just one nuclear explosion set off above a city: a) buildings and dwellings leveled and set on fire; b) the instantaneous death of anyone inhabiting the city; c) as the city is engulfed in flames, oil and gas stores (in vehicles and tanks) explode; e) the cloud from the firestorm rises into the atmosphere, blocking out the suns rays—the beginning of a nuclear winter; f) radiation fall-out. One nuclear warhead exploding over one city has the capability to wipe out millions of people.

There are more than 17,000 known nuclear weapons in the world, many of which are more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

In the (un)likely event of a global nuclear war, you might want to be digging out a bunker in your backyard and stocking it with canned food and clean water… In the meantime, you can join campaigns and groups dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons globally.

Earth hit by an asteroid: How big does an asteroid need to be to cause global destruction? NASA says anywhere from 1 to 2 km in diameter and up will likely end civilization. Regional damage at the collision site would cause the most immediate destruction, but it’s the resulting “impact winter” possibly followed by an “ultraviolet spring” that would end life as we know it. For comparison, the asteroid responsible for the mass extinction of the dinosaurs was approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter.

So what are the odds of Earth suffering a meteorite impact? Pretty good, actually. Asteroids have collided with our planet in the past so there’s every reason to expect it will be hit again. In fact, on March 5, 2014, a meteor approximately 98 feet in diameter—big enough to cause regional damage—passed between the Earth and Moon.

In the (un)likely event of a meteorite impact, those people who already have a bunker dug-out to survive the nuclear war have the best chance for survival. Although, if you live in a coastal area subject to tsunamis from the event, forget the bunker and head to high ground. If you’d like a heads-up before the big bang, check in with the “Near Earth Object Program” here: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/

Zombies: Can a zombie apocalypse actually happen?! The movie, “I am Legend” made it somewhat believable since people were turned into zombies via a rabies-type virus. And here’s the other thing that makes “I am Legend” mind-blowingly scary—the zombies could run fast! Biologists keep warning us we’re overdue for a pandemic. Could the zombie flu be the next one?

In the (un)likely event of a zombie apocalypse, you’ll need to be in good physical shape, know how to use a rifle, and make sure you’re a fast runner…or at least faster than your mate ;)

Well, those are just a few ways our civilization could suffer an apocalypse. Are you prepared?

The End

Books: Impervious ~ Heather Letto ~ promo

Title: Impervious
Author: Heather Letto
Series: Ascension #1
Publication date: April 29th 2014
Publisher: BookFish Books LLC
Number of pages: 302 p.
Language: English only
Age category: Young Adult
Other books in this series:Unknown at this point in time

About Impervious

The residents of Impervious are the remnant—survivors of the War of Annihilation. And though the city is chockfull of pleasures to tantalize and entertain, a beast lurks in its corners haunting the residents with its presence.

The Beast—a mysterious and terminal illness--has killed off most of Generations One, Two and Three. As Gen-Four prepares to take the stage.  A new provocative, yet questionable, method to avoid an untimely death becomes a cultural rage.

But Fran is counter-cultural. And living off the grid in true rebel fashion, her life is far from opulent. Scurrying through dark tunnels, searching for hot meals and ditching the holographic security team encompass most of her day. However, she views it as a healthy trade-off.

Unaccountability means The Council can’t steal her sliver of hope--a belief that she’ll see The Epoch arrive before the beast can pull her into its fetid embrace. After losing her mother and then her Rebel mentor, however, she grasps painfully onto the splintered sliver, until a new hope is born. First through Pete. And then through a miraculous discovery. But the question still haunts her…

 Can she outrun The Beast?

  

About Heather Letto

Heather considers herself but a worker in the field with a desire to share truth through the art of good story. In real life, she’s the proud mother of two grown sons and lives part-time in Northern Illinois with her husband, but scurries off to warmer climates when the mercury takes a dive on the thermometer.
As well as The Ascension Series, Heather contributes to WHOAwomen magazine, The Fit Christian, Tween Girls and God, Devotion Magazine as well as Swagga for Christ Ministry.

Interview with Heather Letto

Hi all! Heather Letto here with a funny story-- I sent Fran an email not too long ago, asking if she wouldn’t mind making an appearance for today’s big cover reveal. She said, sure… if I was willing to throw a few donuts and a Big Gulp into the kitty.

So, sitting with me today, fresh out of the Impervious air vents, with a box of Dunkin’s finest in her lap, would you welcome Gen-Four’s most elusive Rebel, Fran Monde.

Fran (Waving a chocolate cake donut dipped in sprinkles): Hey. 
Heather: Do you mind if I call you Fran or do you prefer Frannie? 
Fran: (Stuffs donut into her mouth and rolls her eyes.) 
Heather: Great. Fran it is. So let’s start with your hometown, Fran. Although it wasn’t your favorite place, I’m sure the readers would love to hear about the city. What can you tell us about the lifestyle of an Impervieite (and yours before you became a Rebel)?
Fran: Well, you might notice as you thumb through my story, food plays a pretty central role in the lives of underground dwellers.  
Heather: Duly noted. Why is that? 
Fran: (Shrugs) I’m not sure how to explain it. I was just always hungry underground. 
Heather: And obviously still are. (chuckles)
Fran: (Snarky laugh.) Maybe it’s because there’s really not much to do. It’s kind of boring actually. I spent a lot of my free time as a kid just wandering the Agora, snacking, gaming… that’s about it.
Heather: Hmm. Fair enough. What about Pete?
Fran: (Stuffs the remainder of the donut into her mouth and licks each finger) What about him?
Heather: Like him?
Fran: Duh.
Heather: Love him?
Fran: Sheesh. No comment. (Grabs second donut.)
Heather: Okay, how about that weird name your brother called you? Some sort of worm?
Fran: Wickworm? 
Heather: Yes, that’s it. What’s that all about?
Fran: Well, if you Google the word, you’d see that A Wickworm is a worm, or parasite, that lives in the intestines of an animal. You may not be aware of this, but the air vents of impervious are kind of like the guts of the city… therefore—
Heather: Ah yes…. You’d be the worm.
Fran: Exactly. (Winks at me.)
Heather: Listen, I know you don’t have a lot of time here today, but I do have one final question that I think a lot of the readers would want to know.
Fran (Nods her head) I’m listening.
Heather:  Retter. Is there a crush happening there?
Fran: (Face blossoms into a cherry) Nah. Ret’s just a guy. Well, a very muscular guy. With tawny eyes…. 
Heather: (snapping fingers) Hello? You still with us, Fran?
Fran: I gotta go. (grabs box of donuts and stomps off).

Heather: Well, there you have it. The elusive Rebel. Don’t let her fool ya… she really is a softie. 

Books: Pentimento ~ Cameron Jace ~ promo

Title: Pentimento
Author: Cameron Jace
Publication date: December 20th, 2013

About Pentimento

The day Iris Beaumont turns seventeen, she is threatened to be taken by the Beasts, the rulers of the new America. After the destruction of the world, the Beasts provide citizens with whatever they need in exchange for the one teenage girl they enslave every week.

They call them the Brides, and they never comes back. Iris isn’t the worrying type though; she’s been defying the system since she was ten and never cared for the Beast’s rules. Then she meets Colton Ray, who is not like any other boy she’s ever seen. His confidence and dominance are otherworldly she can’t rationalize the attraction she feels for him. Colton had one slight problem though. It’s rumored he is one of the Beast, and Iris could be the next on the Beast’s list.

Buy it here:

Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads

About Cameron Jace

Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly.

The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Interview with Cameron Jace

1. What inspired you to write another Beauty and the Beast retelling when there are a Beauty and a Beast in your Grimm Diaries series? 

Well, first of all, it’s a totally different Beauty and the Beast. It’s a dystopian story that came to me after learning what about the art of Pentimento.

2. So what is a Pentimento? 

Pentimento is a painter’s term. It’s when you discover that an older painting had been originally drawn underneath the one you see right now. It’s a very interesting concept, and it’s true. The painter decides to change his painting midways, and then paints the new one above it. It happened a lot with great artists like Picasso and others in the past, mainly because they didn’t have enough money to buy a new canvas. Interesting enough, usually the new painting peel off and thins with age, and older one surfaces back. It has a great significance in the book.

3. Can you give us an example of a real Pentimento Case in life? 

Of course. Fragonard’s painting The Fountain of Love. Which is featured in the story. Here is a Youtube link to a video that explains the whole concept.

4. Why dystopian? 

I have been pondering the idea of dystopian fairy tales for a long time. After the Grimm Diaries has been successful for connecting fairy tales with real world characters and events, I thought why not try a dystopian fairy tale. I didn’t know how to do it until Pentimento’s idea came to me.


5. The cover for Pentimento looks sexy. What do you rate the book? 
Fairly PG. It’s a family friendly and it’s geared toward young adults, although many non-young-adults beta read it and loved it.

6. Who are the Beasts in the book, really? And why do they take the girls?
Can’t say. Lol. You have to read it. And don’t forget to tell me what you thought of it. I am always open to suggestions and feedback.

7. Anything you want to add?
I wish everyone and awesome Christmas and a Fantabulous new year☺

Books: The Cure ~ Stephanie Erickson ~ promo

Title: The Cure
Author: Stephanie Erickson
Publication date: November 14th 2013

About The Cure

“One life will make the difference.” Macey Holsinger has been hearing that promise her whole life. But it hasn’t saved anyone yet, not even her little brother. The disease has claimed countless lives in the last hundred years, and the government is working hard to find a cure through human testing. Testing that has killed nearly as many people as the disease.


At sixteen, Macey has better things to think about than saving lives and submitting to any rule other than her parents’. As a budding artist, she has her whole life ahead of her, at least until she faces her own testing. Questions plague Macey. Questions that make everyone else nervous. How can death be justified with more death? What’s the point of all this? Answers evade her until she’s left with only one question: How much will she sacrifice in the name of the cure?

About Stephanie Erickson

Let's see. What do you want to know about me? I love apocalypse movies like 2012 (which is probably why my first book is sort of apocalyptic), I love to read, I love my fur babies, my husband and my family. 
I'm a graphic designer by trade, but hoping to some day be able to write full time. Dan, my husband, and I are brand new parents and loving life!
As far as writing goes, The Blackout was my first published novel, but I've been writing for quite awhile. I won c mention in the 72nd Annual Writer's Digest Competition for a short story junior year of college, so that was...awhile ago anyway. Although I published a scholarly paper senior year, fiction writing has always been my passion. Can't wait to see what's next!

Guestpost by Stephanie Erickson

5 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author I Didn’t Know Before 

5. Everyone and their mother has an opinion 

Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has an opinion about your life, your writing, your approach to publishing, your cover art, your book layout, your venue, your promotions, and…well, you get the idea. Learn to filter out the ones who are just being mean because they are jealous, and the ones who are being constructive. That is quite possibly your most valuable tool.

4. Read! 

There seems to be a stark division on this subject. Either people feel writers should devour books like air, or they think you shouldn’t read at all for fear of copying someone else’s idea. Personally, I think the latter is complete hogwash. If you don’t read, how are you supposed to learn and grow as a respectable writer? You can not only get ideas and see how other people are writing, but you can learn grammar, vocabulary, and evolve your style by reading. So, for heaven’s sake read!

3. Write as much as possible 

So, most people will say, “write every day!” but I’m a realist. I know you can’t write every day. But you should write as much as possible. The idea behind the sentiment of “write every day!” is that it’s a priority for those people. Maybe their number one priority. For me, even though it’s not number one on my list, writing is still a priority for me, so I set goals. Usually weekly goals, like I need to write 5,000 words this week to stay on track. And, even if I’m not in the midst of writing a first draft, I still try to write, with stuff like this – blog posts, journal entries, musings etc. Bottom line here: Whatever you write doesn’t have to be Earth shattering. It just has to be words on a page.

2. Never stop learning 

The writing and publishing world is going through a dramatic change right now. If you are dumb enough to refuse to evolve with it then I’m done talking to you. There are a tremendous amount of resources out there, and all you have to do is absorb them. Some of my favorites are Stephen King’s On Writing and David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Visible.

1. Find what works for you I used to be a seat of your pants writer. 

 My first book – The Blackout – was filled with plot holes, changed character names and major issues when I finished with the first draft. So, for The Cure, I tried outlining. The first draft went much better. I had fewer changes, fewer mistakes, and in the end, produced a better book. However, I was flexible with my outline. When inspiration struck me, I went with it and ended up writing several chapters that weren’t included in my outline. I feel like it was a good marriage of outlining and seat of your pants writing. And it worked for me. You might be a little more organized than that, and need to have a 17 page outline before you can even think about writing, or you might just need to start at it when the mood strikes. That’s fine. The important thing is to keep trying different things and do what works for you.

Books: The Moon Dwellers ~ David Estes

Title: The Moon Dwellers
Author: David Estes
Series: The Dwellers
Publishing date: 30, Juni, 2013
Publisher: Self published
Number of pages: 369 p.
Age category: Young adult
Language: English only
Other books in this series:
The Star Dwellers, book #2
The Sun Dwellers, book #3
The Earth Dwellers, book #4

About The Moon Dwellers

In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.

After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.

Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered.

At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.

My review

To be honest this is one of the harder reviews to write since I am not really sure why I liked this book, I remember it but I can't really put a finger on why I liked it. Looking at it from writer's point of view, this book contains a lot of world building. Which ofcourse is important if you are shaping a dystopian world.

But this made the first quarter of  the book a little slow, a lot has been explained about the Tri-Realms. Also we learn a little bit about Tristan and Adele background.

After that the real fun started, when Adele and her new friends Tawni and Cole escape from prison. From that part the story takes you across the Moon Realm, lots of actions which was really well described. I really liked the detailed fighting scenes and I loved the way David described the fighting scenes!

You know what? I don't usually compare books in the genre with each other but I liked this much more than Matched. Why compare it to Matched? Well they both have major world building going on in their books. But David combined this with a lot of action, which I felt Matched was lacking in that department.

My rating

So that is why I liked this much better than Matched, especially the wicked ending!  Which is probably my favourite part of the book. It is the ending that turned this from a three star read into a four star read! Splendidly done! *bows to David*  So therefore 4 skaters!!!!!

Books: Red Caster Chronicles ~ Krystle Jones ~ promo

The Red Sector Chronicles by Krystle Jones
(The Red Sector Chronicles Omnibus)
Genres: Dystopia, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

About The Red Sector Chronicles

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and she vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life.

But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. A war is brewing between the humans and vampires, along with a growing web of deceit and betrayal. And before it’s all over, loyalties will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one’s lives will ever be the same.

Buy it here: 

The Red Sector Chronicles Omnibus Edition ~ Smashwords

Guest post by Krystle Jones: 

Vampire Apocalypse: Building a Dystopian Worldes

When I first started writing my Red Sector Chronicles series, I didn’t know at the time I’d be writing dystopia. I was actually leaning more toward urban fantasy, since that’s what I read a lot of. But then as I developed my characters and brainstormed story ideas, I came to realize this storyline would work better in a futuristic America, where vampires ruled supreme. But boy, did I have my work cut out for me.

Here’s the thing: Dystopian worlds are a lot of fun to write about, but they’re also a lot of work. I actually found them to be almost as involved as my epic fantasy worlds! In a dystopian novel, the world itself has a lot of influence over the rest of the story, especially the atmosphere.

Dystopian novels – at least all the ones I’ve read – often imbue a very bleak, dark future. This can make the story somewhat heavy and depressing, which affects the characters’ attitudes and the themes of the story. There are more upbeat/comedic dystopian stories out there Warm Bodies, anyone?), but the large majority I’ve seen are toward the depressing order.

Now, I like a little bit of humor in my books, so I tried putting that in my trilogy to provide some relief from the heavy atmosphere. Death hangs over my heroine through a lot of the story, since I also love thrillers, and I knew too much tension can strangle a reader. It’s like watching one of those movies where there’s so much action you eventually become desensitized to it, and it loses its effect.

So that was something I had to watch out for. I knew I wanted my vampires to be scary more so than sparkly (for the record, I love Twilight), but I’m also a little in love with the idea of the “romantic, dreamy” vampire that looks more like a human. So I decided to have both, the regular vamps and the Rogues, or flesh-eating monsters. Then it was a matter of figuring out how they fit into this dark world, and how they had altered history. That’s another thing, the “what went wrong” factor.

Every dystopian novel has it, from killer plagues to the zombie apocalypse. For me, I decided vampirism was more of a disease rather than a fantasy element (witch cursing a prince, or something equally fantastic), and the Rogues were going to be the vampires who’d fallen prey to their bloodlust and lost their minds to it. The “what went wrong,” “what’s happened since,” and “where we are now” play a big part in dystopian stories. The more I figured out about my dystopian world, the more I realized I was going to need a story bible.

There’s no way to keep all those details straight, because you’re pretty much making stuff up after a certain point, from alternate history, to world building, to the way society and the government function in this alternate universe. Especially if you’re writing a series, a story bible is wonderful for keeping yourself from sticking your foot in your mouth in later books. If you’re going to be the queen of the universe, you have to keep track of what you put into it.

Lastly, I’d say the one of the big decisions about writing dystopian is deciding how much fantasy versus science fiction you’re going to have in the story. For me, my world was pretty grounded in science fiction, as I think most dystopian stories are, but there are definitely sci-fi books and movies that incorporate some fantasy elements (i.e. Star Wars). I’d say figure this out in book one and stick with it.

If you’re writing a series steeped in reality and explainable science, and you suddenly have flying magical unicorns floating around your pages, readers will 1) be thrown out of the story; and 2) not believe it one bit. So stick to one or the other (no fantasy elements vs. some fantasy elements). Just be sure not to let the fantasy overwhelm the sci-fi, or else it becomes more fantasy. Those are some of the things I had to think about while writing my dystopian novel. Hopefully, they’ll help you write yours, if you’re a writer, or give you a glimpse into what a writer thinks about, if you’re a reader.

Thanks for reading!

About Krystle Jones

Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3.

Author website   ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Books: Earth Dwellers ~ David Estes ~ promo

 

Your favorite Dwellers and Country Saga characters come together in this epic seventh book! As President Borg Lecter threatens to annihilate the Country tribes in order to expand his glass-domed empire, Adele ventures into the belly of the beast. Her only hope of survival is the consolidation of Dwellers and Country power before it’s too late. Former demagogue President Nailin is eliminated, yet civil unrest infects every alliance. To save Adele, President Tristan faces his greatest challenge yet: unifying unfriendly Dwellers in the Tri-Realms to raise an army against Lecter. Meanwhile, Dazz must convince the Ice Country leaders to march with Siena and the Tri-Tribes on the gates of the Glass City. The world sits on the edge of a knife. Will Adele, Tristan, Dazz, and Siena defeat Lecter and his army of killers before the Glassies wipe them off the face of the Earth?

See where it all begun with The Moon Dwellers and Fire Country

To celebrate the release of The Earth Dwellers by David Estes, the fourth book in both The Dwellers series and Country Saga, David is giving away UNLIMITED free eCopies of Fire Country, book one in the post apocalyptic, dystopian, Country Saga. A little over a year ago, David published his first young adult dystopian series, The Dwellers, and it has changed his life forever. Since then, he’s gone from struggling Indie author to fulltime writer, he’s watched in amazement as his Goodreads fan group has swelled from 300 members to over 1,600, and growing. He's been featured on Buzzfeed, as one of the '15 Book Series To Read If You Enjoyed The Hunger Games', and has just signed on to Andrea Hurst and Associates literary agency. Andrea will we working with David to expand both the Dwellers and Country Saga, taking David's career to a whole new level.

So before the two series collide in The Earth Dwellers, grab the coupon code below and download your eCopy of Fire Country from Smashwords. Share the code with your family, friends and literary inclined pets. The only thing David asks for in return is that if you enjoy the read and continue on with the series, to please leave a positive review on Amazon.com, Goodreads and blogs for each of his books that you read.

 

The Earth Dwellers will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown fulltime Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading the Dwellers Saga, the Country Saga, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in the Country Saga or only the three books in the Dwellers Saga, and are now thinking you’ll read The Earth Dwellers, which is supposedly the 4th book in BOTH the Country Saga and the Dwellers Saga. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading The Earth Dwellers that you read the three books in BOTH series. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as The Earth Dwellers will be taking significant characters from both series and crashing them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship… And maybe a little love, too.

The Country Saga

Fire Country  Ice Country  Water & Storm Country

The Dwellers Series
The Moon Dwellers  The Star Dwellers  The Sun Dwellers

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife and soul mate, Adele, who he’s now been happily married to for more than two years.

A reader all his life, David began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and has completed 13 novels, 11 of which have been published.  In June of 2012, David became a fulltime writer and is now travelling the world with his wife while he writes books, and she writes and takes photographs.

David gleans inspiration from all sorts of crazy places, like watching random people do entertaining things, dreams (which he jots copious notes about immediately after waking up), and even from thin air sometimes! Recently he’s been inspired by some of his favorite authors, like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Maggie Stiefvater.

David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, an obsessive Goodreads group member, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.  He loves responding to e-mails, Facebook messages, Tweets, blog comments, and Goodreads comments from his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends.

Where you can find David Estes hanging out, waar je David Estes kan vinden:

David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite

Blog/websiteFacebook pageGoodreads author pageTwitter

Other Young Adult Books by David Estes, andere YA boeken van David Estes:

The Evolution Trilogy: Angel Evolution   Demon Evolution   Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes, Kinderboeken van David Estes:

The Nikki Powergloves Adventures: Nikki Powergloves- A Hero is Born    Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council    Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers    Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure   Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon! Komt binnenkort)

Books: Nomad ~ J.L. Bryan~ Guest Post

Hey everyone!! Today I am part of the Nomad Book Blitz, and if you might have noticed if you follow me on facebook or twitter I am really excited about this book! I love Jenny Pox, even though I read it a while back I still remember it very well! Our guest today, is ofcourse the writer of Jenny Pox... Give it up for J.L. Bryan!!!

Published in: 26th, July, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Language: English only
Number of pages: 136 p.

About/Over Nomad

They took everything: her family, her home, her childhood.

By the age of nineteen, Raven has spent most of her life in the sprawling slums of America, fighting as a rebel against the dictatorship. When the rebellion steals an experimental time-travel device, she travels back five decades to the year 2013. Her plan: assassinate the future dictator when he is still young and vulnerable, long before he comes to power. She must move fast to reshape history, because agents from her own time are on her trail, ready to execute her on sight.

 

Diagnose Your Dystopia! ~ Guest post by J.L. Bryan

 

Something’s not right with the world.  You know it, you can feel it, and you’re probably going to die because of it.  Congratulations, you’ve just discovered that you live in a nightmarish dystopian future!

The next question: what kind of dystopia?  If you’re going to live, you’ll need to know this stuff.  Fortunately, we’ve assembled a handy checklist to help you diagnose your dystopia.

Total Surveillance State: If they’re watching your every move, including your facial expressions and body language so they can read your thoughts, and eavesdropping on all your conversations...hey, you’re not paranoid, you just live in an Orwellian total surveillance state! Odds are, they’re trying to control all media and information, including changing past records to suit their ever-changing lies. There may be no escape, so your best bet is try and hook up with that hottie from work before the oppressors destroy your mind and soul.  Good luck!

Game Show-ocracy: If you find yourself cast into a game-show-to-the-death with a name like “The Running Man” or “The Hunger Games,” then you’ve entered a world where game shows keep the public complacent.  If you play the game right, you might just topple the evil rulers of your society, but you’ll have to break a few rules to succeed.  If you’re trapped in a game show-ocracy, my best advice is to contact Alex Trebek from Jeopardy!  That guy has all the answers.

Happy Dystopia: Hey, maybe things aren’t so bad.  Maybe in this Brave New World society, the rulers encourage sex, drugs, and other completely harmless entertainments to keep the population busy and content.  You can try to whip up a rebellion if you want, right after you take your happy pills, eat your chocolate, get a pedicure and a massage...maybe have a nap...is this really a dystopia?

The State of Weird Ideas:  Is everyone forced to wear pink bunny hats at all times?  Or perhaps the letter “Q” is forbidden by law?  Sounds like you live in a world where a completely loopy-fruits dictator has come to power!  Your best bet is to play along while it lasts, but if you really want to shake things up, try being even weirder than the law requires.

We hope that this short pamphlet has somewhat enhanced your chances of surviving through this unfortunate dystopian period, and living onto into the even more miserable dark age to come! 

In the comments below, you could tell us what kind of dystopia you would prefer, or which kind you would most want to avoid.

About J.L. Bryan

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in the metro Atlanta sprawl with his wife Christina, where he spends most of his day serving the toddler and animal community inside his house.  He is the author of the Paranormals series and the Songs of Magic series.

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Zijn boek Jenny Pox is gratis verkrijgbaar hier /His book Jenny Pox is currently free on:

Kindle, Nook, Apple, Sony, Kobo, and Smashwords!

Read my review of Jenny Pox here:

Jenny Pox ~ The Paranormals #1

J.L. Bryan’s links:

Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon Author Profile