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The Spiral Arm – Episode Two Review & Book 1 & 2 Giveaway
The Spiral Arm is a dystopian “serial” series brought to you in “episodes.” With the time that I DON’T have to read lately, I love them short and action packed. This serial series has all that and more. I am a huge fan of dystopian and a huge fan of cliffhangers (Warning: major cliffhangers), so I love them. It is just like a TV series in that it leaves you wanting more. Although, it doesn’t come out weekly. I wish it did though. I do not do long reviews for second books, too many spoilers, but I will say a bit about it.
(My review for Episode One: https://cynthiashepp.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/the-spiral-arm-review-rafflecopter-giveaway/ )
Synopsis for Episode Two: Wren is in the most dangerous place imaginable – a training ship full of fledgling killers heading to a war-torn planet. She’s struggling to keep up, and the other cadets aren’t impressed. But Wren’s not done for yet. She’s a survivor and uses the one thing she’s got to even the odds – her super-smart brain. But will that be enough?
Episode Two starts off exactly where One left off. I don’t want to say what is happening because it will ruin for those that haven’t read the first. Let’s just say she is in serious trouble, being tormented by bullies. She is still aboard the training ship taking them to Kepler, and she is training along with her teammates to go off to war against an alien species that is unimaginable. She is the smallest and the weakest, but she discovers that sometimes that is an advantage during training. This episode is full of continued bullying, a bit of romance, much adventure, and another cliffhanger ending that will leave you having to scrape your jaw off the floor. I give this book 4 stars. It would be 5, but there were some grammatical errors. Regardless of that, the book was fantastic. It is a must read!
BUY LINKS:
GIVEAWAY
For the chance to win a prize pack of The Spiral Arm (Episodes 1 & 2) in Smashwords coupons, go enter the Rafflecopter giveaway! Ends December 21, 2013.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Shudder Blog Tour (Samantha Durante)
Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads. Just $0.99! Check out my review as well. https://cynthiashepp.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/stitch-blog-tour-reviewgiveaway/
Shudder Synopsis
It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.
Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.
And then there are the visions.
The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…
The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.
Other Shudder Info
My Review
As most of you know, my reviews for the second book in the series is always short in case other people have not read the first but I almost don’t know where to start without giving stuff away or posting spoilers! I loved Stitch, the first book. It was blow-your-mind amazing and Shudder was exactly the same way. I was on pins and needles waiting on this book, dying to know what was going to happen to Alessa and her crew. The complexity of the plot and the dynamics have you wondering what exactly Samantha has in her mind to be able to imagine this complex world. I never one time imagined that what happens in the book could actually happen but now the idea is planted firmly in my mind. It is a little freaky. While reading the book, you will do nothing but search your mind, wondering what in the world could happen next, and you would be wrong every time. I highly recommend that if you have not read Stitch, you go grab your copy, devour it, and then grab Shudder for even more mind-blowing action. This is one series that you do not want to miss! I am already dying for the next book. I give it 5 stars!
Connect with Samantha Durante
Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante
Goodreads: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Twitter: @SamanthaDurante | Hashtag suggestions: #Stitch, #StitchTrilogy, #Shudder
LibraryThing: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Shelfari: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Shudder Purchase Links
Amazon (Kindle $2.99, print $9.99)
Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $2.99)
Barnes & Noble (Nook $2.99)
Also available in the iTunes store ($2.99 e-book) and wherever e-books are sold Shudder will be available on B&N Nook, iTunes, and Kobo by early July!
To follow the tour:
The tour will feature author and character interviews, reader reviews, guest posts on everything from dystopian philosophy to the writing process, and of course, lots and lots of giveaways!
For daily notification of the day’s events, Like Samantha’s or the Stitch Trilogy’s Facebook page, or follow @SamanthaDurante on Twitter.
THE SPIRAL ARM REVIEW & RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
The Spiral Arm is a debut Novella from author Peter Boland. It is the beginning of a dystopian serial series, brought to you in episodes. For me, just that sold me on the idea. I love dystopian books and serial series, and I am a junkie for cliffhanger endings. It makes the suspense of waiting for the next one so much sweeter.
Synopsis:
Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. There are just too many people. The answer lies 600 light-years away on Kepler; a planet more than double the size of Earth. For decades humans have been fighting another race for its control. Earth’s armies are depleted. So now 15-year-old cadets are sent to fight, trained along the way in vast combat ships. But why has Wren been chosen? She’s small and geeky and not a fighter. Will she survive Kepler? Or will the training kill her first?
My Overview:
Wren is a fifteen-year-old insomniac and lives in a world where every bit of space is utilized. People live on the streets and in hallways and the government has built complexes with floors stacked on top of floors (I’m talking 300+ floors) with little cubicle apartments the size of bedrooms. This is due to a serious overpopulation problem on earth. To combat that problem, the people of earth have found another planet, but one that they are having to fight to control.
In this world, fifteen-year-old children are sent to war, training on spaceships on the years it takes to reach the new planet. Wren never expected to be chosen to go and yet, she finds herself aboard the spaceship, the smallest and the weakest one, and the one that a group of people bullies. Will Wren survive her training? Will she make any new friends? Or will she find herself destroyed before she even finds out why she was chosen, when usually only the biggest and bravest are?
I devoured this book in about an hour and a half. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The premise was so realistic and I can just imagine it happening someday. Character development was great and Wren was an amazing main character. This is one book that you do not want to miss. The cliffhanger ending had my jaw dropping open and my fingers flying across the keyboard, begging Peter to tell me when the next episode comes out. I give this book 5 stars.
Today you have the chance to win one of three copies of The Spiral Arm via the Rafflecopter form. Good Luck!
Amazon Buy Link:
The Spiral Arm – dystopian science fiction series (episode 1, season 1)
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
THE STITCH TRILOGY COVER REVEAL FOR BOOK 2 ‘SHUDDER’
Today we have a cover reveal for Samantha Durante’s “SHUDDER”, the second book in the Stitch trilogy. Before I get to the cover reveal, I want to give you all of the information for book 1, Stitch, in case you have not read it. It was an AMAZING book!
STITCH TRILOGY BOOK 1 – STITCH
Stitch 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.
Stitch Buy Links:
Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, Book 1)
Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, Book 1) Paperback
SHUDDER COVER REVEAL
Shudder Synopsis
It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.
Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.
And then there are the visions.
The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…
The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.
Other Shudder Info
Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante
Goodreads: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Twitter: @SamanthaDurante
LibraryThing: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Shelfari: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
AUTHOR BIO
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. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.
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Review of Word and Breath by Susannah Noel
REVIEW BY CASSIE HOFFMAN
Word and Breath by Susannah Noel
What would you do if your life was turned upside down and your sister was kidnapped, how far would you be willing to go? That is what Riana will find out in Word and Breath.
Riana Cole a twenty-two-year-old reader who stays to herself and takes care of her handicapped sister and lives a quiet life. A life she prefers to stay just like that. She had to learn the lesson the hard way by watching her family killed, because they were too rebellious by challenging the Union. So she tries to not bring any attention to her and that is the way she likes it.
Riana is a “Reader”. What is a Reader you ask? Since the world we have known is now changed after the Cataclysm a few centuries ago. With the new society came the Union, which provided stability the people were craving. With everything changed, reading was discouraged with other things and that is how the Union likes it. Only a few can read and with that talent Riana is a few of the people who shuffle through papers to find clues that the “Front” have put in them. It could range from a menu, card, newspaper you name it. You just never know where the clue might be and that is Riana’s job to find them.
After a bad day at work, it only gets worse for Riana when she is mugged—thankfully there was someone to help her and that person is Mikel. There is a reason he was there just at the right time. Mikel was sent to sniff out if she is a trader to the Union. Will he decisive and betray Riana, to top it off Mikel is a Soul-Breather, but Riana doesn’t know that fact yet. Trying to get information from Riana, by touching her skin and every time he touches her, she feels a spark. Finally she is opening up to someone of the opposite sex, well anyone at all since her friend Conner disappeared and now Mikel was hired to pretend to like her….Or will he fall for her??
Soon one of Riana’s colleagues, Jenson, confides in Riana and lets her know he is a part of the Front and ask if she wants to join since she is mainly the only one left who knows the Old Language. Is he crazy!? She has lived a quiet life and stayed under the radar. Will she take the opportunity Jenson has offered her, or turn him in?
Everything Riana has known will be turned upside down and shaken, when her sister Jannie disappears, without a trace. There is no clue to what happen to her. Who would do this and why?
With her life possibly in danger, Riana has to go in hiding and hopefully she will be able to find her sister and figure out why this has all happen? I know why but you will have to wait. Tee hee hee!
If not having to worry about finding her sister isn’t enough, Riana gets a HUGE surprise when she finds out her friend Connor is alive and well. He went underground and is a big part of the Front. Connor has been gone for years; will she be able to forgive him?
Mikel is also battling his own self, because he is now falling for Riana and will do anything he possibly can to protect her from the people who hired him to go after her.
Will Riana be able to rescue her sister with the help of both Mike and Connor and what will she do with the new knowledge she has discovered she possesses? In the end will a Soul-Breather and Riana fall in love and for once in her life will she have more than her sister in it? I guess you will just have to see
Word and Breath is a great read. It’s in the genre of Dystopia, plus a little romance and maybe a bit Paranormal and I usually don’t prefer these kind of reads, but this book sucked me right in from the beginning. I wanted to know what was going on and find out FAST! The author knows how to write and spin a story that will keep her readers wanting more. I loved all the characters in the book,, they each brought their own little spice to the book and I enjoyed how she had it where it wasn’t coming just from one person’s point of view, that part I thought was really neat. Plus throw in there a love story and you got a great book. I am excited to see where she goes in the next, you will understand once you’ve read it…I don’t want to give too much away. I give this book 4 STARS!!!
Quotes from the Book:
“She deserves to know the truth. It’s not just politics and cover maneuverings. We’re talking about the difference between truth and lies. I don’t like seeing her every day, talking to her, and being forced to keep her in the dark about something so important.”- Jenson
“I don’t want you to be that person. I just want you to be you.”- Riana
“You have no idea what my life was like before. I’m not a good man, and I can’t be like Connor, always trying to make the world better. But, if you want to help him, if you want to do something good, then I want you to do that. I’m not about to let you go. The only good in my life—the only good I’ve ever known—is you.”- Mikel
AMAZON LINK
Word and Breath (Wordless Chronicles)
Word and Breath (Paperback)
Susannah Noel on Facebook:
Project Ele and Finding Ele (2 Reviews & Giveaway)
Today I am going to be doing a double review on the Ele Series by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels. These books rocked my world, combining my love of paranormal with my recent passion of post-apocalyptic/dystopian. That is one combination you can’t beat. If you haven’t read the books only read the first review, that way I don’t spoil anything for you. The first book is FREE on Amazon and Smashwords and TWO lucky people will win a signed bookmark!
PROJECT ELE
The book starts off with fifteen year old Willow waiting in a huge line with her family. Why? To be screened to see if they eligible to get into a shelter. Willow lives in a post-apocalyptic world which came from a “virus brought forth from a cure”. In trying to rid the world of disease they brought forth a super virus that has been killing people off at an alarming rate. Life as they knew it stopped, children were home schooled and people were afraid to leave their homes. The government implemented Project Ele, which is raising the temperature of the earth to exceedingly dangerous degrees in hopes that it will kill off the virus. The shelters were set up to protect human life, but you have to be healthy with no latent disease in you, and you have to pass rigourous screening to be let inside. Once inside the screening, Willow learns that her and her father are accepted…but the rest of the family is not. With her family torn apart, Willow enters the shelter. Inside life is totally different. Forced to work, Willow meets many kids inside that she connects with, one being her boss. Connor, Claire, and Alec become Willow’s rocks. Together the four of them decide to explore theirselves out of their boredom, finding WAY more than they baragained for. This book is filled with emotion, suspense, action, and a good dose of unique paranormal. I read this book in a day and was SO thankful that I already had book two in my hands. The cliffhanger at the end will have you begging for more. I’m not gonna say much more because I dont want to spoil it. Lets just say that I was suprised at the way the book turned out and that I have found a new pair of authors to love. The small grammatical errors did not detract from the story in my opinion. The book is just too good to care…and this is coming from an editor!
FREE ON AMAZON AND SMASHWORDS:
Amazon:
Project ELE (ELE Series #1) (The ELE Series)
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210068
PAPERBACK: (NOT FREE)
FINDING ELE: BOOK 2
If you have not read book 1 DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW! This is gonna be a short review as I don’t want to spoil it for anybody. The cliffhanger from book one finds Willow on the outside, with more powers than one teenager should have, and a suprising reunion with a mother that is now a warrior. Life on the outside is full of danger. The Reapers are out to take lives and take powers. Stuck searching for her friends, not knowing if they are alive or dead, worrying that her mother’s people won’t accept her, learning how to protect herself in this new, scary world, and getting a hot bodyguard that wants to be more, has Willow’s head spinning. This was the perfect sequel to Project Ele. It had me on the edge of my seat, though I finished it in just a couple of hours. Left with yet another cliffhanger, I am dying for more!
AMAZON: ($2.99)
SMASHWORDS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243180
PAPERBACK: ($9.99)
Also check out their Night Marchers Series:
http://www.facebook.com/Nightmarchers
GIVEAWAY:
Today I have two beautiful, signed bookmarks to offer up for giveaway. They are double-sided, one side The Ele Series and one side The Night Marchers Series. To win one of these bookmarks all you have to do is LIKE the authors facebook page AND leave a comment telling me that you did ALONG WITH a question for Rebecca and Courtney. Extra entry for liking the Night Marchers (above) page as well.
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/EleSeries
Remember to follow the comments (a box you can check) to be notified to the answers to your questions!
Ends: 11/9/2012 @ 8 am CST
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