Review: The Hunt

Title: The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2)
Author: Stacey Kade
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life. 

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

Blog Tour: Plus One (Review + Giveaway)

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Title: Plus One
Author: Elizabeth Fama
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.

Review: These Broken Stars

Title: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

Review: All Our Yesterdays

Title: All Our Yesterdays (All Our Yesterdays #1)
Author: Cristin Terrill
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. 

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Review: The Rules

Title: The Rules
Author: Stacey Kade

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: 1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching. 

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Review:

"Pretending to feel something you don't can often lead you to the real thing, in some form."

The Rules was surprisingly awesome. It went beyond my expectation and was really enjoyable. Most sci-fi stories happened in the future or are post-apocalyptic but this one is different. It happened at present time, where aliens are still considered freaks and mean girls in high school is still a trend.

The first time you read it, you might say that this is just another high school story--unpopular girl with a very loud and insecure best friend, a mean girl who is the granddaughter of the biggest employer and a guy who's part of the mean girl's inner circle who eventually realises that he had enough of all the things this mean girl has done. Yes, it's quite cliche but here's the catch: that unpopular girl is an alien/human hybrid with awesomesauce powers that could be a weapon.

What made me feel on edge is the looming threat in every move Ariane makes. I'm freakin scared for her! But I also want her to forget the Rules and have fun. Every page made me guess what will happen next. It kept the suspense till the end. And the freakin revelation was some holy-shit moment for me. I seriously didn't see that one coming!

The characters were amazing. They had made a good impression especially Rachel. Her character wasn't made to just fill a spot to make the high school plot believable. (yes, because there's a mean girl in every high school) She was very relevant till the end. I even think she'll become a turncoat in the future.

I also loved how it ended as if really meant that the first part is done, like the next book would mean that their adventures will be another chapter in their lives. It wasn't a cliffy but it still made me want to read the next book ASAP. A really amazing start to a series. A very cool and unique sci-fi story.

--

This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: Warm Bodies

Title: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams. 

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Review:

"She is Living and I'm Dead, but I'd like to believe we're both human."

I am not a fan of zombies and I actually don't understand why other people likes them, but this book did made me fall in love not just with its zombie characters but the whole story with it. Warm Bodies surprised me with it's humorous and amusing POV.

It wasn't that exciting to be honest. I didn't felt the action despite some hunting scenes. It didn't have the usual 'unfolding' as the story goes on. It actually started with the idea about what it's like being dead and the want to be alive.

R was not like the other zombies. Yes, he was hunting and feeding from the Living and acts like the other zombies. But despite he's state, he was actually alive or maybe sort of, but not entirely. He wanted to be alive though. He wanted to remember what it was like before he died.

I can't find the right words to describe what this novel is like or what I felt about it other than this made me want to live and to stay alive. It bleeds life and hope despite what the world is like. The whole story represented our lives with all the challenges in it, and the characters were how we tend to react to the different waves we encounter. Despite understanding where Perry's morbidity comes from, I also get why Julie wants to believe and keep on fighting. I understand R's desire to be alive once again. This novel speaks reality.

Here are some lines I highlighted while reading:

"I'm sorry I can't properly introduce myself, but I don't have a name any more. Hardly any of us do. We lose them like car keys, forget them like anniversaries." 

*** 

"But it does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to be the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are." 

***  

"The new hunger is a strange feeling. We don't feel it in our stomachs - some of us don't even have those. We feel it everywhere equally, a sinking, sagging sensation, as if our cells are deflating."

***  

"Once you've arrived at the end of the world, it hardly matters which route you took."

***

"I chew off a man's arm, and I hate it. I hate his screams, because I don't like pain, I don't like hurting people, but this is the world now."

***  

"Breathing is optional, but I need some air." 

***  

"When the entire world is built on death and horror, when existence is a constant state of panic, it's hard to get worked up about any one thing."

***  

"Maybe you're not such a monster, Mr. Zombie. I mean, anyone who appreciates good bear is at least half way okay in my book."

***  

"Want it...to hurt. But...doesn't."

***  

"I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses."

*** 

"Music is life! It's physical emotion - you can touch it! It's neon ecto-energy sucked out of spirits and switched into sound waves for your ears to swallow." 

*** 

"He gave up, basically. Quit his life. Real death was just the next logical step."

*** 

"All the shitty stuff people do to themselves...it can all be the same thing, you know? Just a way to drown out your own voice. To kill your memories without having to kill yourself."

***  

"You think death isn't meaningful?"

***  

"Can I have both? Can I survive in this doomed world and still love Julie, who dreams above it?"

***  

"I want to scrub the moss off the Space Shuttle and fly Julie to the moon and colonise it, or float a capsized cruise ship to some distant island where no one will protest us, or just harness the magic that brings me into the brains of the Living and use it to bring Julie into mine, because it's warm in here, it's quiet and lovely, and in here we aren't an absurd juxtaposition, we are perfect."

***  

"There's no benchmark for how life's 'supposed' to happen, Perry. There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how to respond to it."

***  

"How do we fix everything? It's so broken. Everyone is dying, over and over again, in deeper and darker ways."

***  

"I don't have the answers she's asking for, but I can feel their existence. Faint point of light in the distant dark."

***  

"What's the point of trying to fix a world we're in so briefly? What's the meaning in all that work if it's just going to disappear? Without warning?"

 *** 

"Are we trying to stay alive because we think the world will get better someday?"

***  

"I know I didn't deserve her. She offered me everything and I pissed on it. So now it's your turn, R. Go keep her safe. She's a lot softer than she seems."

***  

"What I'm trying to say is, it's a shitty world and shit happens, but we don't have to bathe in shit."

 *** 

"I think we crushed ourselves down over the centuries. Buried ourselves under greed and hate and whatever other sins we could find until our souls finally hit rock bottom of the universe. And then they scraped a hole through it, into some...dark place."

***  

"We released it. We poked through the seabed and the oil erupted, painted us black, pulled our inner sickness out for everyone to see. Now here we are in this dry corpse of a world, rotting on our feet till there's nothing left but bones and the buzz of flies."

Warm Bodies is a poignant story about life. One that would make you question which side are you standing now and which side do you want to stay.


--


This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: The Host

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Review:

"After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and body you'd die for. I think you found your home, Wanderer."

I actually saw this book years ago but decided not to read it. Reason: I was biased on the author. But after I saw the movie trailer, I found it really cool that I decided that not reading it and watching the movie is a crime. It didn't go well at first. I found the first part dragging and I was thinking whether I made a mistake in picking this up. Luckily, I decided to go on.

The Host was definitely written by Meyer. Based on what I've read in the past, I think this author really good in terms of descriptive writing and it was obvious with this book. Unfortunately, there were some parts that had too much description and started to feel bland. Sometimes, there were too much of it that it consumed almost the whole page. But aside from those carried-away-moments, as what I've called them, this was actually good.

The body-snatching aliens weren't that foreign to me. I really think aliens do that since I was a kid. But the way the story went was really good. There were parts that successfully made me shed a tear, especially with Walter and Jamie.

Nyay: the lack of action. I was expecting action because it was a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic novel. There are aliens who invaded the Earth, of course there's struggle. But a lot of things happened inside the cave and gave us little about the body-snatchers. To think that the climax was the part where Wanda made her decision (in my opinion, anyway), made it flop considering its genre.

Having a really good doer protagonist was new to me. I usually read badass ones who aren't afraid and would seriously kick some arse. Good thing Wanda was very likable. Although her softness annoys me sometimes, she manages to defend and stand for her beliefs. There were times when I would back her up but sometimes, I find it annoying when she doesn't listen to Melanie.

With the boys.. Am I the only one who likes Ian more than Jared? Maybe it's because the Jared in the cave didn't actually mirror the Jared from Melanie's memories. And that he was rarely there and most of the time, he was mentioned when he's angry or Wanda looks at him longingly. I understand where he's coming though. Losing Melanie was really tough and the 'soul' who took her was standing in front of him. Well, anyone would definitely lose it. There was more interaction with Ian though. It's like we knew, though not literally, him because of the times he spent with Wanda compared to Jared. I can't even put the Ian who was willing to kill Wanda and the Ian after that, together in my head. It was like two different persons.

I started reading this thinking that this body-sharing will end badly based on what I've read with the same situation. Badly as in, it won't end the way I want it. And I was really worried about it. While reading, I started to form situations where Melanie could come back so she could be with Jared, without actually losing or killing Wanda. I thought it would be about Jared and bringing back his feelings and maybe some of it will divert to Wanda. Well, good thing it wasn't. I don't even think it focused more on their relationship. It actually focused more on Melanie and Wanda's—from being sort of enemies to sisters.

As what I've read all over the internet, Meyer planned this to be a trilogy but doesn't want more character death (which is inevitable in my opinion). For me, it would be nice for her to continue it and add more action, but I also liked how it ended.

I hope the film would show what the 'soul' looks like when it's out from the host's body.

Review: City of Dark Magic

Title: City of Dark Magic
Author: Magnus Flyte

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.

Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

Review:

"Prague is a place where the fabric of time is thin."

The title and the synopsis is misleading! I was attracted by its cover and synopsis that I expected magic—real magic, mysteries and secrets that would blow my mind. But at the end, I am still asking myself what did I just read..

The mystery of Prague, or at least the gist of it was revealed at the beginning of the story. It achieved its goal to make it feel mysterious and a bit creepy, but the problem is that it was told by the characters not implied in some events that took place. I might have felt the right emotion if it was slowly unveiled by what will happen in Prague. Keyword: slowly.

As mentioned, everything was revealed immediately making the rest of the book dull. I was expecting some big, mind-blowing thing to happen that would top what Alessandro and Pollina said but it was still the same. The climax didn't have a big bang, unlike what I expected. Even a 'bang' would suffice, but none happened.  What's with that freakin threshold? We need more information about it! There were lots of things that were left as it is without any explanation. It had a promising premise but it turned out to be a disappoinment.

As for the characters, I really tried to like Sarah. Her love for music and her talent was awesome. I was impressed at the part where she recalled her lessons with Professor Sherbatsky, but that's it. She was poorly developed and flat. The only change in her that I noticed was her willingness to believe in things that she thought was absurd.

The villain.. Was that senator the real villain of the story? After reading the story, I can't understand what in the world was her real motive. She gave so much effort and harmed a lot of people for what? Her reasons were so petty. For someone who exerted so much effort, the time she was mentioned was wasted in reminiscing instead of plotting.

Another problem is the length. It was long but there were lots of unnecessary and irrelevant parts. Some were thrown in the plot and then left as it is. One example is the death of Sarah's father when she was in fourth grade. It seems to imply that she was intensely affected by the loss but rather than show some profound proof, maybe with her beliefs and the way she lives her life, we were just told that she took it hard and missed him so much, etc. Another is the sex scenes which was obviously thrown into the plot to, I don't know, maybe show some edge with Sarah's character or imply the age group of this novel? But it didn't achieved that. Sarah didn't turned out to be a badass, I-don't-give-a-shit character with some edge. She turned out to be a woman who have a very active libido that would hump on someone who has a stick.

Another thing that didn't helped me in absorbing the story was the format of the ARC. Was it just my copy of everyone had boxes instead of numbers? I hate reading sentences with dates where I have to think of it as blank. I can't even connect some information because of the lack of date. 

If the synopsis didn't mentioned and promised too much about the non-existent 'dark magic' and maybe made loads of revision, this could be better than what it is. I like the part about the music and history though. Maybe this was a good one to others but City of Dark Magic and I don't mix well.

--

This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Blog Tour: Terra (Excerpt + Review + Giveaway)

Title: Terra

Author: Gretchen Powell

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: In the distant wake of a plague that has decimated the Earth's population, humanity is split in two. The rich and powerful live in skycities that float overhead, while those who remain on the ground have gathered in settlements strewn across a dying planet. Eighteen-year-old Terra Rhodon makes her living as a scav, scouting the earth for discarded scraps and metals to recycle for profit. While on a routine scavenging run, she discovers something that shocks her home settlement of Genesis X-16.

Terra suddenly finds herself asking questions no one will answer. Fueled by curiosity, her search for the truth ultimately leads her to Adam--a beguiling boy with a secret that has the power to change humanity's existence forever.

Excerpt:

The crunch of multiple footsteps sounds in my ears, and I know the unseen speaker is not alone. With achingly slow speed, I bend my knees to pick up my bag and pivot in the direction of the voice.
Three huge men stand about a yard in front of me, lined up in a row. All three of them sport shaved heads, making them almost indistinguishable from one another, save for their differing skin tones. Their long brown coats hang open, revealing bare chests covered with tattoos that creep from below their waistlines all the way up to their chins.

Raiders.

The man in the middle has a chain of thick golden links hanging around his throat. As I watch it bounce against his dark chest, I realize I’ve never actually seen raiders up close before. All that time spent thinking about Lee’s final moments, what his murderers had looked like. Turns out I had it pictured all wrong.

How did I not hear them coming? I always hear them coming.

You can also read the first two chapters here.

Review:

"Cause if you don't need anybody, it won't hurt if they leave you, right?"

When I first read the synopsis of the book, I actually didn't expect it to be this good. It sounded like a typical post-apocalyptic novels but the weird, new name of where they got me. Well, good thing it did because I really enjoyed this one.

It has a really interesting and promising premise. The history of how and why they lived in Genesis X-16 was immediately presented at the first part of the book, which helped not to make me feel lost while reading some random facts Terra keeps on mentioning. It also has a good world building that kinda reminded me of The Maze Runner.

The characters were interesting. There weren't much because it mainly focused on Terra, her brother and Adam but it wasn't boring reading all about them at all. The banters Terra and Adam was cute and made me like their relationship despite the sort-of fast pace on that part. Or maybe weeks passed after they met and I just didn't noticed. But it didn't feel insta-love though. It wasn't even cheesy until they sort-of told each other their feelings.

The twist about Adam's identity and his revelation in the end added more questions and made it more unique. At this point, it feels like there's more than one antagonist group in this story. I mean, there's terrestrials, skydwellers and now there's Adam's people; [spoiler]which made me feel like they were the ones who were really humans because of what Adam said at the end of the book. I mean, their coming back, right?[spoiler]

It seems like it's the same as other books at first glance, but definitely different. Oh and I love the kissing scene! I'm a sucker for well-established kissing scenes and the one here was definitely good. It was felt, not just shown, through words. I've read some really good debuts recently and this is definitely one of those. I'll definitely look out for the release of the next book.

About the Author:

Gretchen Powell grew up in far-off places. She is 24 years old, half-Chinese, and the owner of two adorable miniature schnauzers. They wear many sweaters.

By day, she types and types (and types and types) for personal, professional, and cathartic purposes.

By night, she binges on episodes of Doctor Who and sleeps fitfully.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, she writes a blog, called "Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen!" about food, fitness, and her life.

She loves words. And Harry Potter. And especially the words IN Harry Potter.

Know more about her on her website and blog.

Twitter | Author Facebook Page | Goodreads

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Blog Tour: Stitch (Excerpt + Review + Guest Post + Giveaway)

Title: Stitch
Author: Samantha Durante

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Paperback | Kindle

Synopsis: Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

Excerpt:

Nikhil and Alessa were pressed together ever closer by the crowd, their bodies moving as one in time with the music. Alessa could feel the hair sticking to the back of her neck as her skin started to glisten, but she didn’t care. She threw her arms up and tossed her head with the beat, reveling in the moment.

Nikhil gently placed his hands around Alessa’s hips, seemingly mesmerized. The crowd swelled and they were pressed together once more, his arms wrapped around her waist, her hands on his taut swimmer’s chest and shoulders. He leaned over, nudging his face so close to hers that she could feel the heat rising off his skin. Alessa parted her lips and looked up at Nikhil, preparing to surrender to her body’s impulses.

But instead of the dark brown eyes she expected, she saw only blue. Unfathomable, sparkling blue, glittering with facets of ocean and sky, boring deep into her soul and clutching at her heart. Once again, a single word rose in the back of her throat – Isaac – and she knew this night was over.

Review:

"She felt a deeper connection to him than she had with anyone since her parent had died, and her fixation with resolving his mystery had given her focus and provided her with something to strive for after so many months of drifting away."

Samantha Durante, you just blew me away. This debut waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than what I expected. Stitch was written with amazing world building, unique plot and very likable characters. With it's carefully constructed plot, nothing can spoil you as you read along the way. Since I first saw this on Goodreads until I started reading the first half of the book, I am curious why it was shelved under Dystopian, Sci-Fi and Post-Apocalyptic.

Here, we get to meet Alessa who lost her parents to a car accident and is currently living in Zeta Epsilon Pi sorority house. As she struggles to adjust to her new life, she sees a ghost that suddenly rattled her mind and made her want to uncover all about him.

The first half will make you think that you're reading a Paranormal story. I thought it would be sort of the same as the 2006 movie, The Lake House, with apparitions instead of letters. And just when I started to solidify that theory about this story would go, the next page would throw my idea out of the window. This one keeps you guessing and guessing but not to the point where you'd get lost and wouldn't understand what's going on. It is actually very intriguing. The first few chapters might be a bit slow-paced but it actually complements to an awesome world building. It makes you feel invested in the setting then would suddenly switch gears and turn it around to another Dystopian world. I know some of you are asking why is there a sorority house in a Dystopian world..

I love how it the author kept the characters to the minimum, too. Other than a few mentions, this has actually few characters the readers should focus. These characters also developed along with the story. Alessa's character was strong despite the depression over the loss of her parents. She wasn't a kid who doesn't have a life, although she only has one friend and avoids mingling with her sorority sisters. She also seems independent and not a damsel-in-distress. With Isaac, I feel like I need to know more about him. Some memories shows a bit of his personality but not much. I think what he was and how he acted as Isaac Mason is different to who he really is. Joe.. well he intrigues me and I think we might see a love triangle in the future.

When I think about the theories and concepts discussed in this novel, it seems to blow my mind but the author managed to included Physics without giving us information overload. She used it to the minimum while providing enough explanation.

A part of the conclusion of this book reminded me of the Delirium trilogy (a world beyond the fence), but I hope my heart won't break with the assumed love triangle.

Overall, Stitch is an intriguing, mind-boggling and unique novel that would pull you and make you keep on turning the pages. This first book actually feels like a major prologue to a big bang and I'm excited for that.

Top 5 Things I Love About Being an (Indie) Author by Samantha Durante

I recently published my first novel, Stitch, and though I’m still new at this whole “author” thing, it’s really been a dream come true! To celebrate, here are the top five things I LOVE about being an author (so far!), in no particular order:


1. Total empowerment.

There were a lot of reasons I decided to go the indie route when publishing Stitch, but by far the main one is that I’m a bit of a control freak and I really liked the idea of having final say over every little detail of my book. I worked with an artist to design the cover, devoted painstaking hours to formatting the e-book versions, and made the final decision about every word, every punctuation mark, and every plot twist. While this is a little scary (after all, I know there are people out there who can do all of these things far better than me!), it also means that the success of my book lies solely on my shoulders… And therefore, as long as I’m willing to put in the work (which I am!), I know my book will do well!


2. My book IS me.

Following with #1, since I didn’t have to get sign-off from a publisher, I could write about whatever I wanted, even a genre-bending thriller that combined paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi in one (yes, one!) book. I pulled in ghost lore, super-geeky spacetime physics, post-apocalyptic scenarios, a biological pandemic, and of course, a kick-ass female protagonist and sexy-but-sensitive male lead. And yes, the fact that my book does not fit squarely into one genre makes it kind of difficult to market (which is why the traditional publishing industry would be wary of it), but it is full of the things I love. And since – as an independent author – I have the exclusive right to decide what gets published under my name, the fact that I was excited about my book and believed in it was all that mattered.


3. Quick delivery to readers.

The other big factor that drove me to go indie was the ability to get my book to market QUICKLY. It can take months – even years – for a first time author (going the traditional route) to find an agent and a publisher and go through the editing and revision and publication process. Even though part of me wanted the validation of having credible industry professionals sign-off on my work before it went to the public, a bigger part of me just REALLY wanted to share my book with readers NOW (and the thought of waiting that long to get my book out was like a knife to the gut!). By publishing the book myself, I was able to get it to readers only weeks after it was done, instead of months/years (and now that readers are clamoring for part two of the trilogy, I’m really glad that I’ll be able to get it to them as soon as I can!).

4. Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers.

WOW. I have never met a more supportive and encouraging community of people than the world of book bloggers. Since I am doing all my marketing myself (notice a theme here? :-), I’ve been in personal contact with literally hundreds of bloggers since my book and blog tour launched a few months ago, and each and every one of them has absolutely blown me away. There’s just been an incredible outpouring of assistance and enthusiasm from the blogging community, and I feel SO grateful to have made contact with all of these amazing people. Thank you SO MUCH to all of the bloggers who have helped me promote Stitch! You guys are amazing!!


5. Reader commentary!

Last but CERTAINLY not least are the readers themselves! It has been just INCREDIBLE to share Stitch with so many people and to hear their feedback and see them getting excited about the story the same way I am. Stitch is definitely a different sort of book, and I have to say, even though I knew I loved the story, I didn’t know if most readers would feel the same. So when 4- and 5-star reviews started popping up all over the internet, you can only imagine how gratifying that felt! I’ve read every review that’s been posted online and it always makes my day to hear that someone enjoyed the book. I’m SO indebted to every reader who’s taken the time to read and talk about Stitch! Nothing is more motivating than passionate fans who are itching for the next installment – I can’t WAIT to get started on the next one for you guys!

About the Author:

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel.

Know more about Samantha on her website.

Twitter |  Author Facebook Page | Goodreads | LibraryThing | Shelfari

Stitch (Facebook Page) | Stitch (Goodreads) | Stitch (Library Thing) | Stitch (Shelfari)

It's giveaway time!

Stitch Swag Pack (US ONLY)

- a signed print copy of Stitch

- Stitch long-sleeve t-shirt

- one-of-a-kind signed Stitch bookmark

- $5 Amazon gift card

E-Swag Pack (INTERNATIONAL)

- eBook copy of Stitch

- Autograph digital signature

- one-of-a-kind print-your-own Stitch bookmark

- $5 Amazon gift card

Enter the giveaway HERE!

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