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Friday, November 30, 2018

Book Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano


Valiant
Merrie Destefano
Published by: Entangled: Teen
Publication date: December 4th 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
The Valiant was supposed to save us. Instead, it triggered the end of the world.
Earth is in shambles. Everyone, even the poorest among us, invested in the Valiant’s space mining mission in the hopes we’d be saved from ourselves. But the second the ship leaves Earth’s atmosphere, our fate is sealed. The alien invasion begins. They pour into cities around the world through time portals, possessing humans, forcing us to kill one another.
And for whatever reason, my brother is their number one target.
Now the fate of the world lies in the hands of me, a seventeen-year-old girl, but with the help of my best friend, Justin―who’s suddenly starting to feel like more―maybe if we save my brother, we can save us all…
EXCERPT:
There’s a pain in my chest as I remember the first time I stumbled across a man with fists lined with metal spikes. I was walking through downtown Santa Ana with Justin, and it was one of those times when I thought, He’s totally going to kiss me tonight. It was back before I began traveling through time, before I found out just how dark the world could be. We were laughing and heading toward a frozen yogurt shop, and he slid his arm around my waist.
It might have been the first time I thought, This guy is it; he’s the one I could fall for. I knew he was a Genetic and that nobody wanted us to be together. But I didn’t care. He was sunshine on a dark night. He was heat when the cold winds blew.
I put my head on his shoulder.
It was only natural.
It was exactly right.
Then I saw the metal man, his brow furrowed as if his heart held all the anger in the world. He was chaos and destruction and he was walking toward us, eyes like fire, like he wanted to kill us both.
Maybe he was looking at Justin. Metal men hate Genetics, because in a real battle, Genetics win. It doesn’t matter how much metal you’ve grafted onto your skin or bones—it might make you stronger, but you’re slower, too. Nobody can match the speed and natural strength of a Genetic. So, this guy might have been looking at Justin and challenging him, but it felt like I was going to be collateral damage.
One swing of his spike-covered fist and I’d be dead.
But I didn’t have to worry about it for long, because Justin pushed me behind him. I couldn’t see his face, but I could see the metal man. Doubt flickered in his eyes; he paused and glanced to the side. He was probably looking for a way out.
Justin took a step forward, his hands curled in fists. When he spoke, his voice came out like thunder, a loud, low growl that rumbled through my spine.
“Don’t even think about it,” Justin said. “Take one more step and I’ll rip out your metal implants, one by one. They hurt going in, so you better believe it’ll be a mother when I pull them out.”
He paused to laugh, but I’d never heard him laugh like that before. It was chilling, like he was a different person. He continued to warn the metal man. “Especially when I twist those implants sideways and the roots tear off chunks of your flesh.”
The metal man narrowed his eyes, and there was a split second when I thought he was going to tackle Justin.
Maybe he would have.
But he didn’t get a chance. It was like Justin knew the metal man’s plan, like it was an open football playbook. Justin rushed him, grabbed the guy around the waist, and slammed him against the brick wall of a local tattoo parlor. It took the wind out of the metal man’s lungs, and he was temporarily stunned. Justin could have slugged him; he could have broken the guy’s arms; he could have killed him.
All he did was lean close enough to whisper in the guy’s ear.
Then Justin stepped back and let the thug slide to the sidewalk in a heap. The metal man caught his breath, his eyes flickered, and he glanced up at us. Then he floundered to his hands and knees and crawled away as fast as he could. By the time he got to his feet, we were surrounded by a Friday-night club crowd, most of them drunk and all of them laughing at the metal man as he ran away.
Justin didn’t even hit the guy.
Sometimes you can win by intimidation alone.
So, do I melt every time I see this boy, who was willing to fight to protect me?
You better believe it.


Author Bio:
Born in the Midwest, former magazine editor Merrie Destefano currently lives in Southern California with her husband, two German shepherds, a Siamese cat, and the occasional wandering possum. Her favorite hobbies are reading speculative fiction and watching old Star Trek episodes, and her incurable addiction is writing. She loves to camp in the mountains, walk on the beach, watch old movies, and listen to alternative music—although rarely all at the same time.

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Thursday, November 15, 2018

Toxic Blog Tour


Toxic
Genre: YA Scifi
Release date: November 6th 2018
Entangled Teen

Summary:
Cyclo, the first and largest biological ship of its kind, is dying. A small crew of mercenaries have handed over the rights to their life to document the death of the ship, but the abandoned ship is anything but abandoned—one girl has been left behind.

Hana has known nothing but the isolation of a single room and the secret that has kept her there for seventeen years. When she meets Fennec, the boy assigned to watch her, she realizes that there is a world she has yet to experience but she is doomed to never meet.

When crew members begin mysteriously dying, Hana and Fenn realize that they are racing against the death of the ship to find a way to survive—unless someone kills them even before Hana’s truly had a chance to live.


Purchase links available HERE!



Review:
I'm not usually one to read books of this nature but every once in a while I will find one that grabs my attention. It's a fast paced sci-fi romance with plenty of action, mystery and a bit of insta-love. I know some people have a distaste for this kind of trope but when done well as it is in this story, it works. I mean they are young hormonal people thrown into a sudden life or death situation, I'd want to find love too if I thought it was my last living hours,wouldn't you? Of course there's not much time for getting to know you phase when time is against you. It's a creative well written story.

About the Author
Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, completing her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and currently lives in Omaha with her husband and three children.
Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY:
A signed copy of TOXIC plus a swag bag, including enamel pin, signed print of a hand painted TOXIC artwork, bookmarks, and signed book plates. Open in US only (a $20 Amazon e-gift card will be substituted for an international winner)

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The Scroll by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh



The Scroll by 

The Scroll is a multi-generational historical novel about the survivors of Masada that draws from a real archaeological find – the divorce document of a real-life woman named Miriam. The document was issued at Masada in 71 C.E., and discovered in the lower chamber of a Bedouin cave in Wadi Murabba‘at in the Judean Desert in 1951. The story begins on Masada’s final, horrific day. It characters must choose between nation and family, and finally, between life and death. Will they learn the lesson of Masada’s downfall, or will enemies --- within and without --- rob it from them? Though it deals with events that took place two millennia ago, The Scroll helps us make sense of the complexities of today’s Israel and the choices its leaders make.

Review:
I won't pretend to be very knowledgeable about this time in history or exactly what exactly conspired in this time period between the Romans and the Jews. All I know is that it was a time of persecution and an Empire trying for hold on to the power it had over the people. I'm very interested in archaeological finds in this area of the world and how it sheds light on the past. So this story was educational and intriguing. One Scroll affects several generations and inspires hope and tells of loss. How can one divorce scroll held by one woman change many lives? You'll have to read to find out! You won't be disappointed! I'm interested in reading more from this talented author!