WINTER PEOPLE by Rebekah Purdy Release Day Blitz!

The Summer Marked (The Winter People #2)

by Rebekah L. Purdy

Release Date: 09/22/15

Entangled Teen

305 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Salome left humankind behind to be with her boyfriend, Gareth, in the Kingdom of Summer. But now forces of darkness are rising. Her happily-ever-after is coming apart, and the Kingdom is on the brink of war. 

Newly- single Kadie Byers is on her way home for Thanksgiving, imagining a visit filled with hot chocolate, a hot guy for a little rebound action, and some girl time with her bestie, Salome. Except she receives a message from Salome with two important words: PLEASE HURRY.

When Kadie rushes to help Salome, she’s ripped from the human world and pulled into the kingdoms of Faerie, where she's shocked to learn that Salome's monsters are real, and that she's now at the mercy of one extremely vengeful Winter Queen... 

Now both Salome and Kadie must find a way to survive the deadly chaos...or lose themselves to Winter's deadly, icy grasp.

Buy Links:
Book One:
(cover linked to Goodreads)

About the Author

Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

Author Links:

   

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ILLUMINATE by Tracy Clark Release Day Blitz!

Illuminate (The Light Key Trilogy #3)

by Tracy Clark 

Release Date: 09/21/15

Entangled Teen

320 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Can one girl be the light in a world spiraling toward darkness?

Haunted by the loss of her loved ones, Cora Sandoval, one of the remaining few of an extraordinary race known as Scintilla, holds the key to disentangling the biggest conspiracy in human history...and its link to the fate of the human race. As Cora follows a trail of centuries-old clues and secrets, she collides with a truth not only shocking, but dangerous.

With enemies both known and unknown hot on her trail, Cora must locate each of the ancient clues hidden in the art, religions, and mythologies of humankind. And through it all, she must keep her heart from being torn apart by the two boys she loves most. One is Scintilla, one is Arazzi.

Save herself. Save the Scintilla. Save the world.

Or die trying…

Buy Links:

Books in this series:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

 

Buy Links for Scintillate:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│iBooks

Buy Links for Deviate:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Tracy Clark is a young-adult writer because she believes teens deserve to know how much they matter and that regardless of what they’re going through, they aren’t alone. In other words, she writes books for her teen self.

She grew up a “Valley Girl” in Southern California but now lives in her home state of Nevada, in a small town at the base of the Sierra Foothills. Her two children teach her the art of distraction and are a continuous source of great dialogue. She’s an unapologetic dog person who is currently owned by a cat.

Tracy was the recipient of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Work in Progress Grant. A two-time participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program where she was lucky enough to be mentored by bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins, who taught her so much about the art of writing and cured her of her ellipsis addiction.
Her debut novel was inspired by her enchantment with metaphysics as a teen, seeing it as the real magic in life. Tracy is a part-time college student, a private pilot, and an irredeemable dreamer.

Author Links:

   

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THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee

Rating: C
Synopsis:
In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

My thoughts on the book:
This Monstrous Thing is an intriguing retelling of the classic novel, Frankenstein. One of my favorite things about this novel is that Mary Shelley was actually in the book. Also, the characters were so real and flawed. It felt like I was reading history instead of fiction. That being said, since the mystery wasn't really that mysterious for the reader, the big reveal(s) didn't stand out to me. I was invested in this story because of the lovely writing and wonderful characters, but the plot was lacking. 

Alasdair was an intriguing and trustworthy narrator. I really enjoyed reading from his perspective, though he was a bit emotional for a male narrator, in my opinion. That's not to say that men don't have emotions, I'm just saying that the way he relayed his emotions seemed a bit feminine at times. Also, he was extremely selfish, and that annoyed me at times, but that also made him seem real. Mary was a horrendous character, and I really didn't like her, but I loved the author's take on her in this novel, if that makes sense. Oliver was interesting, and I wish we had gotten to see more of him. I really felt bad for him. Clemence was intriguing as well, and I really liked her. 

The plot itself wasn't very exciting because the big mysteries were already pretty obvious and/or well known, depending on which mystery you're thinking about. What really happened the night Oliver died was glaringly obvious, and it was clear that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. That being said, the events that occurred were gripping, and I flew through this book. The writing itself was gorgeous, and Lee is excellent at describing the scenery and world around the characters. The ending was well-done, too. 

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves steampunk and classics. This was an interesting novel, and I look forward to reading more by Mackenzi Lee. 

ASH & BRAMBLE by Sarah Prineas

Rating: F
Synopsis:
A prince.

A ball.

A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.

The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.

But it is not the true Story.

A dark fortress.

A past forgotten.

A life of servitude.

No one has ever broken free of the Godmother’s terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems to be freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny. 

My thoughts on the book:
Ash & Bramble had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me in many areas. A lot of good ideas and theories went into the creation of this novel, but none of them was explored deep enough to really make an impact. The characters were confused and under-developed, and so was the story itself. I feel like if the author had picked one theme and explored it in depth, then the novel would have turned out much better. Instead this book was a mishmash of ideas with vapid characters and strange pacing. 

Pin, or Pen - unless they're from the Midwest, I'm not even sure how they could tell the difference in who was saying which - was extremely boring and a bit dumb. I know that the Godmother was controlling everything, and her memory had been erased and altered, so I get that she didn't know a ton of her past, but she was just such a sheep. Shoe was also really obnoxious and ridiculously stupid. I feel like if he and Pin had had more personality, then I would have enjoyed the book more. Apparently the Godmother stole personalities along with memories, though, because no character in this book had anything interesting to offer.

The plot was extremely convoluted, and the author touched on a lot of themes, but didn't stick to a single one. The idea of free will was prevalent throughout the novel, but it was never really explored. The idea of true love was also addressed vaguely, as well as the idea of self. However, nothing was discussed or explored deep enough to have any meaning. The writing switched between first and third person and was ridiculously simple. It almost felt as if I were reading a Middle Grade novel instead of a YA book. I didn't like the switching of perspectives, either. When I finished the book, and it had a strange ending, mind you, all I could think was why was this written and why did I waste so much time reading it? I was left with nothing. No feelings, no ideas, nothing. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone. I kept reading thinking that maybe the author would decide what she wanted to say and stick with it, but I was sorely disappointed. Chances are you will be, too.