Blog Tour: The Polaris Uprising (Review + Giveaway)

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Title: The Polaris Uprising (Polaris #1)
Author: Jennifer Ibarra
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords

No citizen shall be left behind.

Life in Neress is simple. For nearly four decades, people have known exactly what’s expected of them. Obey the rules, follow the path that’s been laid out, and everything will be provided for: food, shelter, education, safety. No need goes unmet.

But the cost is steep: you lose all rights to make your own choices in life.

In seven years, eighteen-year-old Ryla Jensen will come of age and take over for her father as president of this idyllic nation. Groomed since childhood to take on a role she’s not even sure she wants, Ryla’s only escape from the pressures of duty is her sister, Alanna. But when her eyes are finally opened to the oppressive regime her father built, she begins to question everything she’s set to inherit—and finds herself at odds with her sister’s blind allegiance to their father.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the fight for freedom, Ryla must decide just how far she’s willing to go to make a stand and risk losing the person she loves most in the world: Alanna.

Buy a copy of The Polaris Uprising and help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Here's a message from Jennifer:

Cancer has touched all of us in one way or another. Those who have read THE POLARIS UPRISING will know that I dedicated it to my dear friend, Brittanie, whom we lost to Stage IV ovarian cancer in 2010. She was only 26 years old. In her memory, I am pledging to donate $1 out of every sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society from now until October 6--the day she was diagnosed with the disease that took her life. Every donation up to $2,000 will be matched by my employer, so your generosity will be doubled! Thank you in advance for helping me in this special cause.

Blog Tour: Played (Excerpt)

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Title: Played (Hooked #2)
Author: Liz Fichera
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when I saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decided to try to save me.

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

Blog Tour: There Will Come A Time (Excerpt + Giveaway)

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Title: There Will Come A Time
Author: Carrie Arcos
Release Date: April 15th 2014
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Mark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost.

Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s not just the enormity of his loss. As her twin, Mark should have known Grace as well as he knows himself. Yet when he reads her journal, it’s as if he didn’t know her at all.

As a way to remember Grace, Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger, and his growing feelings for Hannah threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace—and it’s his one chance to set things right.

Excerpt:

After Dad married Jenny and we moved to Eagle Rock, which has a pretty good-sized Filipino population, I still didn’t speak Tagalog much. The Aunties said I’d regret it when I got older, but I figured I’d regret lots of things by then, so added it to the list. 

But music is the perfect language because everyone can speak it. It’s not hindered by words. There’s no room for misinterpretation. There’s only the essence, the emotion of what we communicate to each other. Take sadness or anger or even joy. We try to explain how we feel, but there aren’t always the right words or the words we have fail. But with music, you can hear a piece and say, Yeah, that’s it. That’s exactly how I feel. Especially jazz. I love how it can make you feel really laid-back or even sad, but not feel despair.

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I have worked as a sandwich designer, health food connoisseur, tutor, refugee resettler, citizenship instructor, and camp director. But the best job, other than writing, has been that of a teacher. I taught High School English and coached Cross Country and Track for a few years in primarily urban environments, and man, I miss those kids. Although it was always a little rough to get through early American literature because there was a piece we had to read with the word seaman in it. The boys lost it every time.

Carrie Arcos is a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature for OUT OF REACH. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Tumblr

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Review: We Were Liars

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.

The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Blog Tour: Scan (Excerpt)

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Title: Scan (Scan #1)
Author: Walter Jury and Sarah Fine
Release Date: May 1st 2014
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans. 

All Tate knows--like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid--may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret inter-species conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it. A riveting, fast-paced adventure, Scan is a clever alien thriller with muscle and heart.