Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff Review

  

 

Title : Picture Me Gone
Author : Meg Rosoff
Source : Review copy from Easons
Pages : 208

Mila is on a roadtrip across the USA with her father. They are looking for his best friend but Mila discovers a more important truth. Sometimes the act of searching reveals more than the final discovery can. Adults do not have all the answers. It all depends what questions you ask.

My Thoughts

Mila and her father are going to meet with his best friend when they get a phone call to say that her fathers friend has mysteriously disappeared. They decide to go anyway and see if they can find him or find out why he is missing. Mila is very good at reading people and situations. While she's there secrets unfold.

Starting the book I was a little confused to the age of Mila. I knew she was young but her voice was like that of an older girl. She is a very deep girl. The book is a quick read at about 200 pages. I liked it and found it intriguing but I also found the lack of quotation marks when someone was talking confusing. I had to reread bits to see exactly who was who. It defiantly detracted from an otherwise good book. 

I liked Mila. Picture Me Gone is kind of her coming of age story where she learns people and things aren't always what they seem. She is so young to have to deal with things but the author handles Mila well. Overall a good book, a little bit slow but still a good read. 

Lily of the Valley by Sarah Daltry Book Blitz!

Book Info:

Title: Lily of the Valley (Flowering, #1.5)

Author: Sarah Daltry

Blurb:

18+ New Adult romance

You met them in Forget Me Not. Now, hear Jack’s story.

Plagued by a dark past, Jack sees college as a way out. Desperate to escape the area where he grew up, the people who know his secrets, and his own family, he deals with his problems through alcohol and sex.

When he first sees Lily, she’s the epitome of everything he hates. Yet something about her makes Jack rethink everything he knows and assumes about other people. Now, with the help of his best friend and lover, Jack has to decide if he wants to pursue something that he knows will only end badly.

Can Lily be one of the few people who can see Jack for who he really is – or will his darkness be too much for her to handle?

Buy Links:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/342349

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lily-of-the-valley-sarah-daltry/1116282455?ean=2940045177917

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lily-of-the-valley-flowering-1-5

About The Author:

Sarah Daltry writes erotica and romance that ranges from sweet to steamy. She moves around a lot and has trouble committing to things. Lily of the Valley is her third full length novel, although she also has several story collections and two novellas available. Her other novels are Forget Me Not, the story that tells Lily’s version of events, and Bitter Fruits, which was available shortly, but is now in the contract phase with a major publisher. When Sarah isn’t writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: http://sarahdaltry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahDaltryErotica?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahDaltry

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sarahdaltry/boards/

Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/sarahdaltry

Excerpt:

At work, though, the people are real. Both the customers and the staff. During the busy times, we get more douchebags, mostly my classmates who probably should be in the library and not eating a hangover away. Mal is also on this morning. He’s a recovering alcoholic, a total asshole to nearly everyone, and an incredibly shitty employee in a lot of ways. But the dude can cook and when I walk in a couple minutes late with no explanation, Mal just shrugs and hands me an order.

“Big parties last night?”

“Huge party. I spent the night reading Dostoevsky.”

“He a scientist?” Mal flips over the largest slab of ham I have ever seen. For all the sort of dive element of this place, the food is still fucking great.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Eh. Never cared for all that mumbo jumbo. Don’t know any of it and I’m doing just fine.”

That’s something else I admire about Mal. By no one’s standards is he doing just fine. He has a tendency to fall off the wagon as soon as he approaches his ten month anniversary – which he has been doing for likely longer than I have been alive. He’s been married and divorced five times. He has three kids who don’t speak to him. Finally, he only eats the food from the café and he lives in a motel out by the prison. Oh – and he works as a short order cook in a shitty café. But in his mind, life is just fine. Sometimes, I think I need to get a hold of whatever it is that keeps him from losing his shit.

We settle into our routine, since there is little Mal and I can talk about. I can’t discuss Raskolnikov’s character traits and Mal simply has nothing to say. So we cook in silence, but it’s comfortable. After everything I have been through, I feel a strange affinity for this place. Even thinking about leaving when I eventually get the hell out of town makes me a little sad. I hate that it makes me sad. I want to leave with no connections, with no strings.

I go to stick an order on the counter for Liz when I see her. Strawberries. She’s with some dude, who is basically what I pictured when she mentioned her boyfriend. Broad, tan, blond, and eating like a fucking pig. I don’t know what they’re talking about and I can’t see her face, but he loves her. It’s immediately recognizable and I hate him for it. I don’t even know why I hate him for it, since at least maybe he’s not as much of a dick as I would have expected. If we had been placing bets, I would have gone with the safe assumption he had something else on the side to make up for having such a sweet and pure girlfriend. I wonder if maybe she isn’t as innocent as she looks. The thought makes me horny again. I don’t get what is so damn attractive about this typical girl, but something makes me want to taste every inch of her skin.

Dream Cast:

Top Ten:

Author’s Favorite Video Games:

1. Borderlands 1 and 2
2. Fallout 3
3. Persona series
4. Silent Hill series
5. Final Fantasy series
6. Skyrim
7. Dragon Age series
8. Mass Effect series
9. Fable series
10. Bioshock series
11. Magic: The Gathering
12. Perfect Dark
13. Heavy Rain
14. LA Noire
15. Catherine
16. Zuma

Author’s Favorite Bad Boys:

1. Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights
2. Jake Barnes from The Sun Also Rises
3. Will from Infernal Devices
4. Lord Byron
5. The Scarecrow in Batman Begins
6. Lucifer from Supernatural
7. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
8. James Dean
9. Damon from Vampire Diaries

10. V from V for Vendetta

Interview with Sarah:

• What inspired you to write your book?

I had written a short story about Derek and Lily and their first time called “Her Brother’s Best Friend.” It was just supposed to be a short erotic story. But it sold well, so I thought about writing more about the two of them. However, as I started writing Forget Me Not, the story would not work for me. Until I found Jack. And then the novel was over and there was just so much more to his story, so Lily of the Valley was born.

• How did you come up with the title?

Forget Me Not and Lily of the Valley are both flowers, and the series is called Flowering. The reason is that it is about love, sexuality, and growing up – sort of blossoming into the person you will be. Forget Me Not also addresses the idea of leaving your life behind and moving on. And Lily is the main female character, so hence Lily of the Valley.

• Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

People are complicated, as are relationships. The things we think we want sometimes turn out not to be what we want. In addition, the people we think we understand may surprise us. We can’t assume anything about love or each other. They are too complex.

• What books have most influenced your life most?

The Catcher in the Rye, because it was the first time I understood that other people felt like me and it also said it was okay to be different. And The Sun Also Rises, because there can be beauty in suffering.

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Hemingway. I know he’s dead, but he knew how to write true.

• What are your current projects?

I am writing Scandal, a contemporary romance about a teacher and an actor who find each other after they are both ruined by rumors, and I am waiting to release Bitter Fruits, a New Adult paranormal/urban fantasy romance in December through the publisher. I am also working on Immortal Star, the second book in that series.

• What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Jack’s experiences and emotions are really closely tied to my own and it was hard to write some of his scenes.

• If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Aubrey Plaza. She has the same type of biting sarcasm that I do.

• If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time?

Travel the world and write.

• What kind of people do you dislike?

Anyone who is cruel to other people or creatures. People who assume their own reality is the only reality. And people who don’t read.

Playlist:  

Link:  http://hypster.com/hypsterPlayer/MPL?media_type=playlist&playlist_id=6720577&us_id=4993560#q9PEPbYLcm8sXB3i.18

Trailer:

Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePlLhVNfyLE

Embedded Code: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ePlLhVNfyLE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Waiting to Catch Fire promotional e-galley review.

              

     

Title : Inhuman by Kat Falls
Author : Kat Falls
Source :Netgalley
Pages : Not sure but Inhuman has 384

Description

Waiting to Catch Fire? From the publisher of The Hunger Games trilogy, here are three books to read while you wait for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in theaters November 22! 

     Inside you will find:

     * The FULL digital galley of Inhuman by Kat Falls

     * Chapters from The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch

     * Chapters from The Bar Code Prophecy by Suzanne Weyn

About Inhuman:

Lane’s crossed into the Feral Zone, where humans have gone…wild. In this imaginative tale of action, intrigue, and romance, author Kat Falls brings readers to the very edge of civilization — and dares them to jump.

About The Darkest Path:

A civil war rages between a militant religious group called the Glorious Path and what's left of the US government. When forced convert Cal is sent on the run, a chain of events threatens the fate of the entire country. USA Today bestselling author Jeff Hirsch once again creates a futuristic world with stunning, dramatic realism.

About The Bar Code Prophecy:

One girl struggles to escape the conformity of a dystopian world in this third book of the Bar Code series.

On Grace’s seventeenth birthday, she comes home to find her family gone and police everywhere. Now she’s on the run — part of a dark conspiracy and an extraordinary prophecy that will change the world forever.

My Thoughts :

Inhuman Review

When I heard of this I knew Id read it because it sounds so different. 

Lane lives behind the wall. She has heard the tales of the East. She has heard about the Feral Zones and like everyone else, to her its just a story. She knows the history of why the wall was there but it still doesn't prepare her for whats outside. 

The Fereae virus has decimated the world. It caused animals to go feral and turns people into savage animals, literally! The wall in the West was built, by the same company who created the virus, to keep out the ferals.

When Lane finds out that her father is a fetch (someone who illegally goes into the zones to fetch items and sell) and is now on the run from the government she is shocked. She is told that unless her father fetches a certain something he will be killed. She has no choice but to go into the heart of the feral zone to try and find him. 

Ok, this book was awesome!! The idea that the people are actually turning into different animals is so unique. Also the virus is mutating people into different mixtures of animals. When lane sees her first Manimal she is shocked. She knows now that the "fariytales" her father told her every night are true and he was secretly preparing her in case she ever had to go there. She sees people with tails and fur and different animal parts on them. 

I loved Lane. Her character starts out so afraid of dirt and infection that she has hand sanitizer on hand at all times but soon realises that that's the least of her worries. Her father made her take all kind of survival classes when she was growing up and she is so thankful for them but will they really help her survive, especially when she is up against cunning, vicious animals.

Everson and Rafe were another thing I loved. Everson is a soldier who patrols the border between the Wall and the Feral Zone. He finds Lane trying to cross and instead of turning her in he tries to help. Rafe is at the total opposite of Everson, he is rough and wild and grew up in the zone. Everyday for him is a struggle to survive. He is hunting a vicious rogue Manimal,that is ripping out the hearts of his victims, when he comes across Lane. He knows he father so decides to help her locate him.

What follows is an action packed, fight for survival, fast paced book. The world Kat Falls has created is unique and dangerous. I love the concept of the people being bitten and turning into mishmash animals. The author draws you in with her descriptive writing. It had plenty of twists and enough mystery to keep me satisfied. When I read the ending though I was so sad but hopeful they can fix it. I definitely cant wait for book 2 to see where the author will take it.

I read The Darkest Path excerpt and liked the sound of it. Ill definitely check it out. I didn't read  The Barcode Prophecy though because that's book 3 and I haven't read book 1 or 2. 

Contaminated by Em Garner Review

                               

                                                   

Title : Contaminated
Author : Em Garner
Source : Netgalley
Pages : 336

After the Contamination - an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink ThinPro that turned ordinary citizens into shambling creatures unable to control their violent impulses - the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. But now, two years later, the government's started sending the rehabilitated back home, complete with shock collars that will either stop the Connies from committing violent acts or kill them before they do any further harm.

Since her parents were taken in the roundup, Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister and maintain a sense of normalcy, despite brutal government rations and curfews. She goes to the "Kennels" every day searching for her parents, and when she finds her mother, she's eager to bring her home. Maybe, eventually, they'll be able to get back to the way things were before. But even though it seems that her mother is getting better (something that the government says is impossible), there will be no happy transition. Anti-Connie sentiment is high, and rumor has it that an even worse wave of the Contamination is imminent. And then the government declares that the Connies will be rounded up and neutralized, once and for all.

Sacrificing everything - her boyfriend, her home, and her job - Velvet will do anything to protect her mother. Velvet has to get the collar off her mother before the military comes to take her away. Even if it means risking all of their lives.

Gritty and grabbing, Contaminated is a harrowing, emotionally charged dystopic venture into YA from a well-known and respected writer of women's fiction.



My Thoughts

Contaminated wasn't what I expected. Its not your typical Zombie book. 
ThinPro is a revolution in a weight loss product. Everyone is drinking it by the bucket load. Suddenly people are going berserk and getting violent and the government are rounding them up to see why. They experiment on them until they eventually realise that whats causing it is linked back to ThinPro. They round up all the Contaminated and put a special collar on them that makes them helpless. Now anyone who had a loved one fall victim to the contamination can bring them home.

Contaminated isn't focused on the Zombie aspect but more the survival and impact the contamination had on the world. Velvet has been looking for her mother ever since she was contaminated. She finds her and brings her home and Contaminated focuses on the struggle to care for her and her sister. 

It isn't the most action packed book but it still is a great read. Velvet has so much to deal with and does it stoically. You really feel for her and her struggle to do everything. Life for her is nothing like it was. She has to leave school to get a full time job just to make money for food. She lives in assisted housing but when she brings her mother home, she is thrown out because she isn't allowed "one of those things" in the place. They move back to the house they used to live in before all this happened. Velvet has to do, and try to teach, everything to her mother. Most "Connies" wont get any better but Velvet has high hopes for her mother.

I loved the introduction of Dillon towards the end. Velvet has a boyfriend but ends up breaking up with him because basically he is a douche bag!! Jean (the lady who owns the place where the "Connies" live) introduces Velvet to Dillon and they hit it off. He is more understanding of her mothers situation and does all he can to help.

The concept of this book was great. Its kind of like "look what the price of trying to be thin will do" They drink ThinPro to get slim but end up becoming monsters. 

As I said, Contaminated isn't action packed, nor is it centered on zombies but it still took me by surprise. I will definitely read the next book to see what happens.