[Blog Tour] Shudder by Samantha Durante: Review + Excerpt + Giveaway

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Shudder (Stitch #2) by Samantha Durante

Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Publisher: Self-Published

Format: Paperback

Pages: 348

Source: Author, in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon/ B&N/ Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

-- Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy --

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.

 

Review:

The Story

I liked this story a lot. In a way much more than the other one because we are able to get a little more dystopian goodness this time around. But I will say that missed the crazy twist ending from that last end. Really through me off!

The Writing

The writing is great as always! And now that its in a different setting (than a college) it makes  more sense and fits more.

The Characters

I really like that we get to know the characters better this time around. Which really helps with the alternative POV's.

I like to know my heroines and I really got to know Alessa better this time around. Which was great because one negative factor for me from  Stitch was that I really had was indifferent towards the characters.

The Good

List 'em:

1. The writing
2. Improvement on the characters
3. More adventure and dystopianess? (I know, that's not a word)

4. Creative
The Bad

List 'em:

1. Slow sometimes
2. Like to get into characters more

My Final Thoughts

Good Book! I do recommend. Though it was better than the first although if you don't read the first book you be very much behind :)

Excerpt:

 

The crunch of broken glass outside the dumpster broke Isaac’s train of thought. Alessa looked up at him with alarm and he just held her tighter in his arms, his ears straining to track the movement of the sound.

The noise moved back and forth, back and forth, as if someone were pacing only steps away from the dumpster. Isaac held his breath, his pulse pounding in his ears, his skin crawling with every snap reverberating through the empty dumpster.

And then suddenly the noise came faster, like more sets of feet tramping across the pavement in a violent rush. His ears pricked at the intrusion of their snarls and growls, eerily raspy and shrill at the same time. He couldn’t place the sound at all – it was unlike anything he’d ever heard.

Squinting in the darkness, he tipped his head back and strained the muscles in his neck, hoping for a glimpse through the crack in the lid of the predators beyond.

There was a quick flash as a hulking mass darted past the front of dumpster; Isaac jumped, quelling the gasp at his lips. Alessa convulsed under his arms, her face still buried in the front of his coat.

For a moment everything grew quiet. Isaac fought the tingling in his limbs and willed himself a statue, not daring to move or breathe, his senses prickling at the slightest hint. Had the hunters left?

BOOM, BOOM.

The force of whatever had just landed on the lid thundered through the dumpster, the walls and floor ringing with an earthshaking rattle. Isaac and Alessa flinched as one, him bearing down instinctively over her curled, trembling body as the center of the ceiling crumpled inwards under the weight of their attackers.

From above their heads, a magnificent piercing howl penetrated their hiding place, resonating off the walls of the hollow enclosure and chilling Isaac to his core. Any sense of security that Isaac had felt was shattered with that nightmarish wail; whatever it was that wanted them was directly above their heads.

BOOM.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A series of crashes shook the dumpster from the sides, Isaac and Alessa lurching away from one thunderous bang only to be bombarded from the other side with the next.

BOOM.

Another jolt from above and a savage grating snarl sent Isaac jerking to the floor, his eyes wide with terror as he gaped at the buckling ceiling. This was no wolf, and no cougar – this was something far more dangerous.

He seized Alessa in his arms and said a silent prayer for mercy. The only thing they could do now was wait to live or die.

Giveaway:

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

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



Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads. Just $0.99!

[Blog Tour] Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton: Review + Giveaway

      

Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton
Release Date: May 1st, 2013
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Format: ebook
Source: Good Choice Reads book tours, in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.

Review:

The Story

In this historical romance/ adventure, a brother and his friend tries to save his kidnapped sister. The story is pretty good. I don't read a lot of historcal fiction the the concept was pretty new to me.

I was a little slower  in some moments that I would have liked to to be. But lots of action to make up for it . And you know I love soem good action.

The Writing

The was also pretty good not great but good. I only say that because it was a little hard for me to undertsand at some parts. For me, at least. 

The Characters

The characters were not the hightlight of the book for me. The story itself was much better. I found Avikar to be annoying, he made a lot of dumb decisions and was really selfish. He seemed to want to save his sister, not because he was worried about her but becausehe did not want to feel responsible for another siblings death.

All the other characters were otherwise boring and Jeslyn was you typical damsel in distress. The only character I really liked was Raven. A total oppisite of Jeslyn. 

The Good

Was the action. I love abook with action and this one had lots of it.

I liked Raven. She was the only character that didn't make me cringe whenever they talked. And the writing was nice.

The Bad

The rest of the charcters. The just annoyed the heck out of of me.

The slow parts in the story were also a negative for me.

My Final Thoughts

I liked the book but for me it ws missing a few things. Hence, the 3 star review. But I would recommed it to people who like historical fiction.

About the Author:

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s

not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

 

Giveaway:



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Review: Stitch by Samantha Durante

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1) by Samantha Durante
Release Date: August 1st, 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Paperback
Pages: 314
Source: Author (in exchange for an honest review)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Amazon/ Goodreads

Goodreads 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. (Add on Goodreads)

Review:

The Story

God, its going to hard to write this review without MAJOR vagueness. Mostly because the book is just one GIANT spoiler. But I going to try.

This story had a VERY slow beginning. I'm talking about half the book slow. But it did start to pick up pace with a crazy twist that in hindsight isn't to different from the plot of most post-apocalyptic/dystopian books.

Still I it give me more reason to be interested in the book than how it started, which of course had its purpose.

The Writing

The writing was good. Almost too good at times, if that makes sense. What I mean is most of the characters dialogue was so nicely written, I was kinda like "Who talks like this?", so of it was so intelligent that I couldn't imagine real teenagers talking like that. But obviously that just a minor complaint.

The Characters

For a while I didn't have any feelings toward the MC, Alyssa. She was just...there, I didn't hate her I didn't like her or ANYTHING. And I'm told all these things about her character that are supposed to make her interesting but I need PROOF that its true, you know.

The other characters were more of the same. Nothing that really drew me to them or made me care what happened to them. None of the characters were interesting or engaging really till the end.

The Good

The twist. Even though I probably should have seen it coming it did surprise me. I was about to give up on the book till I got to that part, actually. So it was interesting enough to keep me reading :)

The writing was excellent and very intelligent and engaging.

The Bad

The beginning was SOOOOO SLOW. Usually I forgive this but it took too long to get to the interesting parts. I understand that it takes time to build up a story and the characters but it can't take more than half the book.

The dialogue was a little annoying and hard to read sometimes. Only because I can't imagine teen or someone not in their forty's talking like the characters were talking

The characters held no real interest for me. And great characters is what makes a great book. There was nothing there that lead me to believe that these characters are people that I should invest my time in. Even though I started to like the MC towards the end I still have to talk about the book as a whole and in the beginning I wasn't feeling it.

My Final Thoughts

Despite some of the negative comments I actually did like the book and look forward to the next one. It had the type of ending that made promises for a better second book! Especially now that all the boring stuff is out of the way and we can get down to the great dystopianess. And as for recommendations.... I would recommend it. More so to those who like dystopia.

Tell me if you found the review helpful in the comments section!

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter

Release Date: April 19th 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: ebook
Pages: 293
Source: Library
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Amazon/B&N/Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

Every girl who had taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom - and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld - and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy - until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

If she fails... (Add Goodreads)

                                                                 Review: 

The Story

Mythology is definitely a new thing for me. I know that there are A LOT of books out there that have the some type of mythology theme, but its not something I actively seek out. So to ME the plot was very original and fresh and I liked that. But that's about it. Its not that the book was bad or anything it just didn't make the impact that I hoped it would. It actually to me FOREVER to finish it! And once I was finished I was like "That's it?" and then I kinda forgot about it.

The Writing

The writing was good, nothing bad enough to complain about. It had a good pace as well, the story never went to slow or to fast.

The Characters

At the beginning of the book I really liked Kate; she was strong, protective and loyal to her mother, and not easily fooled. Then about 25% into the book she did this complete 180 and all of sudden she was basically willing to die for Henry a.k.a. Hades, whom by the way she just meet. I mean with the death of her mom getting closer I understand wanting to feel close to someone else, but SLOW DOWN! I, for once, want to see a relationship that realistically builds up. Despite all that, I do still like Kate. She had strength in situations that, If in her place I probably would not have had.

Henry was... I don't know. Not necessarily boring but I just couldn't get into his character like I wanted to. With characters (like Henry) that are to have supposedly lived for hundreds of years, its hard to make them interesting, because they still have to act and sound like someone who wasn't born in the 21st century. Which is what I am now going to call the Edward complex (if someone else already started this I apologize).

As for the minor characters I liked them. They all had their uses in the story, that involves a very surprising twist ending :) Honestly I actually liked James better than I liked Henry even though I don't think I'm supposed to. I really would have liked to see more of him in the book.

The Good

Like I said before I like the whole mythology theme of the book. It's something new and exciting for me so I really enjoyed that ;) And despite some of her faults Kate was a DECENT enough character and didn't get on my nerves TOO much.

The Bad

I  really hate when character personalities change for the worse and for me, Kate's did. Her thought process and opinions on things sometimes got to the point where to just shake her and tell her to "SHUT UP!" And as for Henry/Hades he was alright I guess a little dull at times. And there was just some things about his character that I did not find believable. I don't know a lot about mythology but a thousands of years old GOD, that's a virgin. I mean COME ON! And the characters that I  actually liked weren't in the story that much.

As for the supposedly GRUELING tests that Kate was supposed to go through wasn't what I was hoping for, they didn't even seem that hard. I was hoping for a little more action from a book about gods, ya know?

My Final Thoughts

The book was ALRIGHT. Not great and not horrible just OK. Hence the average 3 star review. I do recommend the book to people who like mythology, who knows you might like it more that I did. And I think I will eventually read the second book just to give it another chance :)

Tell what YOU guys think about my review in the comments section!

ARC Revew: Identity Theft by Anna Davies

Identity Theft by Anna Davies

Release Date: April 30th, 2013

Publisher: Point
Format: ebook

Pages: 256

Source: eARC from Netgalley

Buy: B&N/Amazon
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The third title in our exciting relaunch of Point Horror!

Hayley is going to have the best year ever. After years of careful planning, she's ready to serve as student council president AND editor-in-chief of the newspaper. Ivy League, here she comes!

However, just before student council elections, someone creates a fake Facebook profile for Hayley and starts posting inappropriate photos and incriminating updates. It must be the work of a highly skilled Photoshopper, but the attention to detail is scary. The embarrassing photos of "Hayley" in her bathing suit reveal a birthmark on her back--a birth mark Hayley has never shown in public. . . .

The situation escalates until Hayley's mother reveals some shocking information. Hayley isn't an only child: She has a twin sister who was adopted by a different family. And that's not all. Soon, Hayley discovers that her long-lost sister isn't just playing a prank--she's plotting to take over Hayley's life . . . by any means necessary. (Add on Goodreads)

Review:

Identity Theft by Anna Davies is a Mystery/Thriller about Haley Westin, your typical overachieving high school Senior. While trying to get in to her dream college; she finds that her secret twin may be out to get her. I have mixed feelings about this book.

On one hand it was disappointing as a mystery /thriller, but as just a YA Fiction I found the book to be somewhat interesting.

Hayley was a confusing character for me. At some points I really related with her, her hopes of finding her place in the world outside of high school and wanting to belong was something that I know a lot of teenagers feel. But there was other times when she was just unnecessarily bitchy (excuse the language!).

 I was annoyed with her mom for being so absent and unaware of what was going on with her daughter. I mean she said she kept the secret about Haley's twin from her to protect her daughter, but honestly it seemed like she lied just to protect herself.

Adam and Matt the love interests of the book were just a little too dull for me. Although I will say, that there were times when I did like Adam, and to me, his and Haley' relationship just made more sense that hers and Matt's. Even though that there was a point where she could not stand Adam the all of a sudden they were together. As for the others characters they were just your typical stereotypes of teenagers; shallow, empty-headed,and vain, and not even worth mentioning.

Anna Davies has a nice writing style. Good enough that it made lackluster "scary scenes" a little better. I wish that she took a little less time building  up  to the "scary" parts and to more time actually making them scary. And the mystery of it was sadly predictable, I knew what was going to happen almost immediately and it usually takes me a minute to figure these things out.

My Final Thoughts:    

It was REALLY hard for me to come up with a final rating for this book, but I went with 3 stars (and I still feel like I'm generous) because I do think and it's worth reading and do recommend. But if you're looking for looking for the type of book that will keep you guessing or hiding under your bed sheets in terror than please, don't bother.
  

Was my review helpful? Let me know in the comments section!