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Review: Spectral by Shannon Duffy Blog Tour

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Title: Spectral

Author: Shannon Duffy
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 10 April 2012
Pages: 242 (eBook)

Synopsis
Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe—the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along.

As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive.

My Rating
* * *
The Review
I don’t think I have ever read a better book about witches and witchcraft than Spectral. Spectral is nothing like you would imagine it to be. Jewel Rose cannot remember the last time her family stayed in one place for enough time for her to make friends and feel like she belonged. In her almost seventeen years, she had been enrolled in 26 schools and counting. Being used to living the life she has, Jewel has stopped questioning. Out loud. But all she really thinks about is the absurdity of it all and how much she wants to life a normal life.
Her seventeenth birthday is a special one and being born during a rare time of the year a total lunar eclipse which occurred at the same time as the full moon during the summer solstice. However, Jewel isn’t too thrilled with the most unexpected of their moves till yet and the pink bedroom.
Jewel finds out more about herself and her family during a period of two months than she has in all her life. Chase, the guy at school, seems to like her and the new guy, Roman intrigues her. But then her grandmother, Aunt Eva and Uncle Boris arrive to stay for a month. Overhearing a conversation about her being a Spectral worries her and Jewel decides to take matters into her own hands and to find answers.
Her decision takes her on a journey to discover the truth about her family, decide who is it that she wants to be with: Chase or Roman and most of all, whether she going to come out of the chaos alive. Spectral starts out normal and picks up the pace as the story gets more complicated and a lot of action occurs with a dash of a budding romance, weird happenings, family pressures and petty jealousies. 
Spectral has marked its spot in the paranormal genre with a promising synopsis and a striking cover. It has it all from the first sentence on. What’s not to like in a book with a family hiding secrets longer than the years Jewel has spent on earth and a gorgeous boy who claims to be her guardian? Spectral is one of the must-reads of 2012.
Best Quote:

“Even in the middle of complete chaos, I felt something I’d never felt before. It was something I believed was hope.”

About the Author

Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, SPECTRAL. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is scheduled for a January 2013 release.

Shannon Duffy can be found at 
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Thanks to Tribute Books for providing me a copy of Spectral for review.

Review: Want by Stephanie Lawton Blog Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Want

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Release Date: 7 June 2012
Pages: 283 (eARC)
Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston. Failure is not an option, so she enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche to help her.
She can’t understand why he suddenly gave up Boston’s music scene to return to the South. He doesn’t know her life depends on escaping it. Julianne must face down madness from without, just as it threatens from within. Isaac must resist an inappropriate attraction, but an indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball—the pinnacle event for Mobile’s elite—forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past.
THE RATING
* * *
THE REVIEW
“The thing that makes us great is the same thing that drags us down.” This quote completely and utterly defines what I was looking for in Want. Artists are troubled human beings; they are unstable and moody at their best and at their worst. They are made out of stuff normal human beings cannot comprehend or are unable to. 
Julianne is on a path to self-destruction despite having a seemingly normal family life. But underneath all that normal are double-standards and secrecy which Julianne has had enough of. Her piano skills are the only way of getting her a one-way ticket out of the hellhole of a town. But when things go bad, they are bound to become worse for Julianne.
As Julianne’s piano teacher falls ill, she is forced to practice under a new teacher by the name of Isaac Laroche. Isaac is bad news for Julianne from the start, he has a ton of emotional baggage and a dark side surrounding him for a mile. But it is inevitable for Julianne to fall for him. Reading Want, I never gave a second thought to how bad Isaac really is for Julianne. Also, the other major issue in Julianne’s life regarding her mother kind of just sucked me in.
Want is a very emotional read because you can see that Julianne is going to spontaneously combust one of these days and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown with all the beating she has to take and the way Isaac keeps shutting her out more than he lets her in. Julianne is really unable to see that Isaac is just a shell of a man he was once. Moreover, she holds back when it comes to composing pieces. It is Dave who finally make her break free of her hesitation.
Dave is Isaac’s best friend and his complete opposite. Where Isaac is dark and broody, Dave is light and fun to be with. I was surprised at the role he played in Julianne’s life when her father is always too busy, her brother is away at college and a mother who is good for nothing. It is no surprise that for Julianne, playing piano is only the form of escapism she has and craves.
The way things ended in Want was pretty unpredictable for me and now that I think about it, I think I like the ending. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I am glad I get to read a book where a musical instrument is the main focus. I look forward to reading more by Stephanie Lawton.

THE QUOTES

Isaac heaves a sigh and motions for me to scoot over. “Okay, listen. I’m going to tell you something. About a theory I have.”
“About me? Oh, sorry. There I go again with the selfish crap. It’s not all about me.”
“This kind of is. Both of us. It’s artistic burden, the theory that all creative people like being weird and moody and need some…unbalance or crisis. The thing that makes us great is the same thing that drags us down. Writers and painters suffer, too.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After collecting a couple English degrees in the Midwest, Stephanie Lawton suddenly awoke in the deepest reaches of the Deep South. Culture shock inspired her to write about Mobile, Alabama, her adopted city, and all the ways Southern culture, history and attitudes seduce the unsuspecting.
A lover of all things gothic, she can often be spotted photographing old cemeteries, historic buildings and, ironically, the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. She also has a tendency to psychoanalyze people, which comes in handy when creating character profiles.
Stephanie Lawton can be found at 
Buy Want
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Thanks to Stephanie Lawton and EBT for providing me a copy of Want for review.

Review: Pretty In Black by Rae Hachton Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Pretty In Black (Pretty In Black, #1)

Author: Rae Hachton
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Teen Pulse
Release Date: 1 November 2011
Pages: 312 (eARC)

Synopsis
Some Things are Pretty. Some Things are Black. Love is both. 
[Ellie Piper] 
She wanted to die. He arose from the grave. He was sent to kill her. She was trained to kill those of his kind. But fate had other plans. He searched for 119 years to find her. & There’s no way in hell he’s letting her go. Dead or Alive. They’re fated. 
[Marcus Marble] 
How far would you go to be with the one you love? Would you die for her? Would you kill for her? What if the only reason you’re still alive is because of her? What if the reason you came back from the dead, was to be with her? But what if your job was to kill her, but you fell in love instead? And now you’re being hunted by your own kind? 
Destroy? Or be Destroyed?
My Rating
* * *
The Review
Pretty In Black is a dark young adult book but that is not it. It is emotional, it is raw, it is deep and most of all, it is bittersweet. Ellie likes to spend time in cemetery ever since her life turned upside down, from being the captain of the cheerleading squad and having a family to living in a trailer with a mother who doesn’t care and a stepfather who brings her down overnight.
The book starts with Ellie trying to cut her wrists and succeeding when she succumbs to the darkness enveloping her. But then someone tells her to wake up. Her first and a very intriguing encounter with Marcus Marble leaves her feeling relaxed, confused and somewhat annoyed. Ellie has abandoned her previous life the day her sister was raped and then murdered. High school and day-to-day life just became trivial and meaningless. Nobody cared. Not until Marcus.
The cover is a perfect combination of pink and black and it defines Ellie in more ways than one. Ellis has a genuine feminine side but she has lost sight of who she really wants to be and that’s when the blackness seeped in and made itself a part of her. Of Ellie.
Ellie has a couple of strange encounter with Giles who tells her that she is the chosen one. And somehow Ellie believes whatever he says. Then she spots a white raven looking at her. But ravens are black. That has Ellie intrigued. And then her so-called BFF, Madison, wants her to rejoin the cheerleading squad and her cheating boyfriend, Declan is being Declan and trying to convince her that he is sorry he cheated.
Ellie finds comfort in only those moments when she is with Marcus who is a tortured soul, he is a monster but he is genuine and he knows what he is capable of. But he is not strong when it comes to Ellie. He wants to be with her at any cost. And Ellie feels the same way.
But it is not simple as that.
Pretty In Black left me wanting more of Ellie’s and Marcus’ story. I have questions about Ellie’s life and what Marcus did in the end. I want to know what is real and what is not real in the world Rae Hachton has created. In other words, I really liked Nevermore and what Ellie and Marcus and capable of and why is their love really forbidden. The writing style is very engrossing and the words are beautiful. The words has a poetical touch to them embedded in the story. I definitely look forward to reading Black Satin, the second book in Pretty In Black series.
Best Quote:

““I have a broken heart, Marcus.”
His eyes twinkled greater than the stars above us. “I can unbreak it.”
And I believed him. I’m sure he could even make a bouquet of veins appear beautiful, though they were tragic. And I was sure I’d be just that, a bouquet of veins, if something went wrong, and this didn’t work out. I needed it to last forever, even if it really didn’t.”

About the Author

Rae Hachton [pronounced H-ton] is the nom de plume of author Desirae Hennington. She is the Indie Author of the Gothic Romance series Pretty in Black. She is twenty-three years old and lives with her Muse and her Ghost. When she is not composing new novels, she is working on her cinematography studies, and devouring YA books. Her favorite band is The Raveonettes, and she is a major fan of Edgar Allan Poe and Ravens and Crows. 

Although she is writing Gothic Fiction at the moment, her favorite genre of all time is Contemporary YA. Favorite contemporary book: tie between Forever by Judy Blume and the Summer I turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. Favorite author: David Levithan. If Rae Hachton wasn’t writing, she’d give it one last shot at being kewl, and probably start a band.

Rae Hachton can be found at 
Buy Pretty In Black (Pretty In Black, #1)
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The Giveaway

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Thanks to Rae Hachton and Supa Gurl for providing me a copy of Pretty In Black for review.

Review: Defy by Raine Thomas Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Defy (Firstborn, #1)

Author: Raine Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Iambe Books
Release Date: 30 April 2012
Pages: 216 (eARC)

Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death.

Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.

Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his.

As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate.

My Rating
* * * *
The Review
Defy is the first book I read about the Estilorians and it was a very intense experience. Tate is a very likable character because of her fierceness, determination and stubbornness. Estilorians have various markings on their bodies and the ones around the eyes signify a second ability. 
Tate’s ability is that she can detect lies. This ability played a significant part in her interactions with Zachariah which I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. Her markings make her beautiful and her blue-green eyes, the beads and feathers in her hair seemed like a very interesting addition to the Estilorians. 
Tate ‘s free-spirited nature compels her to ventures off out of the protection in order to prove that she is skilled enough to fly as all Estilorians do when they turn eighteen. However, her parents shared a dream about her death and they are more than concerned about her. She intended to go after her cousin, Sophie and Quincy but things quickly went awry when a karragen grabbed her.
Defy is a fast-paced book filled with action, an evil plot and a very interesting male protagonist, Zachariah. I have become to like him a lot and I loved how he said the words ‘blasted and damn’ and ‘bloody’ in almost all of his conversations. 
In all, I really enjoyed Defy and I definitely want to read the Daughters of Saraquel series now. Plus, the second book in the Firstborn series seem to be about Sophia and Quincy and I can’t wait to read what happens between them. Bring on the Mercesti hate and the follow-up to what they seek!
Best Quote:
“Because he was bent over her and his mouth was so close to hers, the memory of her attempted kiss flashed through her head. She had the unavoidable and mortifying thought that she wished he hadn’t stopped her. 
She watched his expression change as they continued to stand there staring at each other.

“When you want to kiss someone,” he said, making her realize she had been speaking her thoughts again, “do not talk it to damn death.”“

About the Author

Raine Thomas is the author of the exciting and original series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane. Her passion for writing prompted her to earn her bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing from Georgia State University, then her master’s degree in Humanities from Central Michigan University. She is also a proud member of Romance Writers of America.

Residing in Orlando, Florida, Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create young protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Raine Thomas can be found at 
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Buy Defy (Firstborn, #1)
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The Grand Prize Giveaway

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Thanks to YABound and Raine Thomas for providing me a copy of Defy for review.

Review: ExtraNormal by Suze Reese Blog Tour + Giveaway

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: ExtraNormal (ExtraNormal, #1)

Author: Suze Reese
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Valarian Press
Release Date: 2 April 2012
Pages: 368 (eARC)
Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. 
Except that she knows how to harness electro-magnetic energy to communicate without words. 
And she’s really, really far from home. 
Her assignment as an emissary to Earth sounds fairly simple: blend in, observe, and stay away from the planet’s primitive males. 
But after she finds one mysterious boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes the real reason she’s supposed to keep her distance: mates from her world can die if separated. But a series of serious accidents make it clear that someone wants to force her return. Mira decides her only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment—before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home.
THE RATING
* * *
THE REVIEW
ExtraNormal is a book that I had been waiting to read for a long time now. I finally got to read it and to say that it was awesome would be an understatement. It was infinitely better. I took my time writing this review and talking about things I really, really liked in ExtraNormal. So here I go.
ExtraNormal jumped right into the story from the first page. Mira is an alien from the planet Nreim which is exactly like Earth, the differences being in their far advanced technology and a permanent improvment in their genetics and food. She was selected out of 603 other applicants to go on a mission to observe the Alisons high school teachers and married. Mira is to report on them and to work on the doubts the Council has regarding them. 
Everything is provided for by the Council and her Mom, being a part of the government, is sent with Mira on another mission. Mira does not have any knowhow of how cell phones work and why does she find cafeteria food to be highly palatable. She makes friends in school and eight years old Becca, her neighbor, is thrust upon her quite suddenly.
Then there is Jesse, the boy who stuck in Mira’s mind on her first day in Loc Robles High School. However, Mira is prohibited to interact with any males on earth for reasons she doesn’t understand. That doesn’t really matter because she smells disgusting odor when she is around males anyway. But Jesse is different, deep and interesting. One of the things I really liked about him was how he he clearly disliked sneaking around with Mira.
Everett is a very disturbing character as much as Alisons are creepy. He is ruthless and reeks of hatred for Mira. As time progresses, Mira knows that she has something bigger on her hands than she could ever imagine. And when her Dad arrives to Earth, she just knows she has a very limited time to uncover the truth and not leave Jesse behind.
Being a story involving aliens, ExtraNormal is a little hard to understand with all the technology regarding electromagnetic fields, being able to sense the emotions of other people and Mira’s ability to stream with Geery, her BFF, back on Neirm. Their relationships work in a very different way than on Earth. The people on Neirm are linked in their 20s and then they undergo a permanent repatterning in their magnetic fields. Meaning that when her Mom is away from Dad, their Em-fields change and may be fatal if went on for a long time.
So when Mira finds herself being linked to Jesse she is beyond confused as the concept is incomprehensible. The love she feels emanating from him is unlike any other emotion she has witnessed and it makes her feel divine bliss. I really liked Jesse, he is a very sweet, under-valued and mysterious protagonist. The only thing I didn’t like was how he followed Mira from school to see that she gets home safely. But otherwise, he is a very lovable character; strong-willed yet soft.
The story of ExtraNormal is very interesting and I loved how it progressed. The pace was perfect and the world building took me on a ride and left me breathless. The concept behind ExtraNormal is extremely innovative and highly interesting to read about. Suze Reese is a genius for creating the world of Mira and Jesse. In other words, I simply adored ExtraNormal.
The Quote:

“My stomach flitted with the motion of the car as it traveled up, backwards, down, and up again. The virtual version couldn’t even compare to this—gazing out at the brilliant sunset reflected in the water below and absorbing Jesse’s intense affection. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. I’d replay this memory for the rest of my life.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m told by my pre-teen son that I’m not the Coolest Mom. (Despite the fact that I’m a young adult fiction author! Can you imagine?)

Apparently spending your days in pajamas slumped over a computer does not score you points in the Cool Mom department. But I suspect Cool Mom in my son’s world means someone who gives you everything you ask for. We Nerdy Moms are obviously the ones who know what we’re doing.

Besides, I get to play Cool Mom or Nerdy Dad or Tough Teen or Adorable Little Girl whenever I feel like it. It’s a pretty sweet life.

Favorite things? Toddler hugs. Followed closely by chocolate. Plus keeping someone up all night reading one of my stories. Yeah, that’s pretty awesome.

I’ve done all the things expected of a writer of my (a-hum) years: earned a bachelor’s degree, published in a different genre, and worked in the real world in both marketing and journalism. This is my first venture into writing young adult fiction. My imaginary friends and I are very excited.

(You’ll find all the characters listed above in my new paranormal romance Extra Normal, to be released early 2012.)

Suze Reese can be found at 
Buy ExtraNormal (ExtraNormal, #1)


The Giveaway

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Thanks to Valarian Press and Suze Reeze for providing me a copy of ExtraNormal for review.