Review: Falls the Shadow

 

 

 

Title: Falls the Shadow

Author: Stefanie Gaither

Publication Date: September 16th 2014        

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young  

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

 

 

 

Ugh, you have no idea how much I loved Falls the Shadow, it's a little embarrassing. Halfway through I was thinking a solid four, and then it just upped and upped and away it went, pretty much perfect. It reminded me a lot of Jennifer Rush's Altered series, but longer, It's not exactly the same as it, but the character vibes I got from Altered I got from Falls the Shadow. That chemistry between them, when characters just click. They bounced off one another and it's just makes the whole book just flow a lot better because of it.

Falls the Shadow pretty much had me from the get go with the opening sentence, I don't usually use quotes in reviews unless they're utterly ridiculous so I use them to rant with, but I just had to with this.

Review: A Song for Ella Grey

A Song for Ella Grey
Author: David Almond
Publication Date: October 2nd 2014
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

"I'm the one who's left behind. I'm the one to tell the tale. I knew them both...knew how they lived and how they died."

Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final

I...don't even know what or where to start with A Song for Ella Grey, this shit was strange. And an unwelcome acid trip. Beware, rant ahead!  One that probably  doesn't make that much sense because this book didn't make much sense. We have 272 pages of book. What happened in this book, you ask? I have no freaking idea. I just know 100% that this was not for me. At all.

Waiting on Wednesday (#66)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

 

Expected publication:   June 2nd 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arcadia “Cadie” Wells has one primary goal in life –– to escape the sleepy Florida town where she was born and raised. Since her mother's death, she's sacrificed her boyfriend, her spot on the soccer team, and even her plans for the future to raise her little brother and help her still-grieving father. On a rare night out at a party at the local state park, Cadie meets a couple of good-looking tourists and impulsively agrees to join them on their road trip from one end of Florida to the other. But when their adventure goes tragically wrong, Cadie’s new goal is to make it home alive.

What're you waiting on? 

Cover Reveal: Gears of Brass

 

Gear up for GEARS OF BRASS! 

 

 

 

A world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.  

 

Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.  

 

Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path. 

GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills.  It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014.  Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings.  Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets. 

Meet the authors:

Jordan Elizabeth writes young adult fantasy for Curiosity Quills, including ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW which was published in October and the upcoming TREASURE DARKLY; she’s represented by the Belcastro Agency.

J. Million is the author of Last of the Giants and can always be found reading or writing.

Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller and author of several books including, Medieval Tales That Kids Can Read and Tell, Breadline Blue, Legends Lore and Secrets of Western New York, Wicked Niagara, Native American and Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York, and Dancing at the Crossroads: Stories and Activities for At-Risk Youth Programming.

SA Larsen is represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary and is the author of published short stories, community-interest stories, and magazine articles focused on children. 

Grant Eagar is an Engineer who would take the tales he told his children at bed time, and transform them into fantasy stories. 

Clare Weze is the author of The House of Ash (forthcoming) and the co-author and editor of Cloudscapes over the Lune.

Eliza Tilton: gamer, writer and lover of dark chocolate; author of the YA Fantasy, BROKEN FOREST, published by Curiosity Quills Press.

Heather Talty's stories have been featured in Enchanted Conversation, as well as her own fractured fairy tale site, Mythopoetical (www.Beatrixcottonpants.com).

W.K. Pomeroy is a third generation writer who has published more than 70 short stories/articles/poems across many genres and styles, which now includes Steampunk.

Christine Baker is the author of Lana's End, The Guild of Dagda, and many more. 

Natalia Darcy: a bookilicious reader, tea drinker and Zumba aficionado who enjoys playing cards against humanity and washing her hair with ice cold water. 

 

 

You can get your steampunk fix before GEARS OF BRASS is released in November.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of GEARS OF BRASS, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper (#insert link) to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 27^th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Cure for Dreaming

The Cure for Dreaming
Author: Cat Winters
Publication Date: 1st October 2014
Publisher: Amulet Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout

Can we just stop and think for a minute of the oppression of women in this era? Can we honestly, in this age, know and feel how that would have felt? 100 pages in and well, anger doesn't seem to cover it. Sexism still exists, it's a thing along with others that will probably always exist, especially in a work place and when it comes to what's considered as 'Man Jobs',  Military and cut-throat jobs that apparently are no places for Women. Now, what I loved about The Cure for Dreaming, that while it does the oppression and repression well, it also uplifts the arguments well. Especially in the letter Olivia writes.

Stacking the Shelves (#64) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mines been good. So, my books didn't get here, so I WILL be doing my physical stack next week, honest. But, I've had some exciting review copies. :D Anyone in the UK been watching Hollyoaks this week?

 

 

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