Sunday, 30 April 2017

Dreamfall by Amy Plum Review!

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Title: Dreamfall
Author: Amy Plum
Pages: 288
Published: May 2nd 2017 by HarperTeen
Source: For review from the publisher
Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure. She thought things couldn’t get any worse...but she was terribly wrong.
Soon after the experiment begins, there’s a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there. Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life. Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.


 My Thoughts: 

 I went into this only knowing that Amy Plum wrote it. I really enjoyed her Die for Me series and loved her After the End series and this sounded right up my alley!! This focuses on a group of teenagers who are brought together because they all suffer the same thing... insomnia. Each of them have their other problems, but insomnia is why they are here. They agree to take part in an experimental trial, that sees them being put into a sleep state and their brain being gently pulsed with electricity to help them sleep. But something goes wrong with the trial and now all the teens are stuck in a shared dream world, with no recollection of how they got there or how to leave. Every 20 mins, they are sucked into one of their nightmares, with creatures and things better left in the imagination. What happens if you get hurt here? Can they get out with their sanity?

 So, this pretty much rocked!! I remember watching a Nightmare on Elm Street when I was young and it absolutely terrifying me. The idea of being stuck in nightmare after nightmare was even worse! The poor kids, they went from dream to dream with only about 20 mins between them. Starting off they are by themselves but eventually they find each other and I loved it.  It was like all your worst things come to life!!! *Shudder* The author really put a lot of effort into the details and it showed. Each world/situation they went into was worse as they went along!!

 The characters were all well written. Each of them have a story to tell and we get to see some of them unravel throughout. Fergus, BethAnn, George, Remi, Sinclair, Ant and Cata are all intriguing and extraordinary characters, that you can't help but like and root for. We see some of the chapters from each of their POVs and it helped create a bond. I'm already so excited to read the conclusion of this and see what happens these awesome characters, even though this isn't out yet!! 

 Anyway, this was an intense, scary and emotional read. I loved reading about the characters, but I also loved reading the "behind the scenes" parts in the lab. The author must have done a lot of research into insomnia and sleep studies because the detail in the book was interesting and intriguing. I googled some of the conditions the characters had because I didn't know what some of them were. The nightmare realm was also amazing. The author created some horrifying situations that will give me nightmares ;) Brilliantly written and developed, I can't recommend this enough. I so want to see this as a movie, though I'd be hiding behind my hands for most of it, lol. 

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Friday, 28 April 2017

The Devil’s Whisper by T.H. Moore Book Blitz and Giveaway!


The Devil’s Whisper
T.H. Moore
Publication date: May 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Suspense
Take a moment and imagine your history books devoid of war. Envision entire civilizations absent of heinous crimes against humanity. A planet spared from the plagues of slavery, cultural genocides, and the colonization of indigenous nations by foreigners. Would you dare make the choices necessary to maintain this Utopia in which universal peace existed? Could you ignore the Devil whispering in your ear, luring you away from a world in which loving your fellow man was the expectation, not the exception?
In a state of reverie, an impractical idea of world peace has given birth to a culture in which the human race has chosen to live free of violent criminals. Instead, criminals have been systematically exiled to the lone prison city, Katingal, constructed in a far corner of Earth. Sentenced for the remainder of their natural lives, the wicked pit themselves against their soulless brethren. Exposure, disease, and starvation claim their victims daily. Those who survive nature’s wrath negotiate the perils of the prison city through murder and cannibalism. All the while, this inimitable death sentence satisfies civilization’s aim to punish the world’s irretrievable outcasts.
Charles “Yäbälay” Gravo is the criminal mastermind behind the world’s largest human trafficking network. As a prime most-wanted fugitive, he sets into motion events that will forever alter the realities of both civilization’s Utopia and Katingal’s Hell.
—
EXCERPT:

Though Charles felt relieved to have discovered Kristoff’s lair, he could see that the savage was surrounded by his men. Nevertheless, Charles surged ahead, his heart racing in tempo with his legs as he moved closer to his objective.
As Charles drew near, a commotion broke out on the balcony. The group of men were drinking, dancing, and fighting as if the balcony were a mosh pit. One reveler grabbed another, while a third man struck the unfortunate chap with a pipe. He buckled, and with one swift movement, the two men flung their victim from the balcony. His limp body fell twenty floors to the hard pavement below. Charles heard the thump when it hit, and the cheers from a group of men who had been waiting for it on the street.
“The king is offering sacrifices tonight,” one maniac on the balcony cheered, hooting down at the dead man sprawled on the pavement.
Charles quickened his pace, staying close to the edges of the road. He ducked into a nearby building and crouched down in a dark corner, using his hands to gather a pile of dirt. He took a mouthful of the water from his satchel and pushed it around his mouth to alleviate his thirst before releasing a thin, controlled stream onto the dirt pile. After mixing the water and dirt into a dark paste, he covered his pale face until all that remained visible were his green eyes.
As he continued his trek toward the epicenter of the city, Charles heard the faint symphony of suffering. Angry yells of men coming from the east and bloodcurdling screams of women pierced the night to the west. Moments later, he slid past a band of filthy men vying for ownership of a corpse like a pack of wolves.
Another ruckus was followed by another violent assault. Just like the one before him, the beaten man was thrown from the balcony. He screamed the entire way down while the maniacs rejoiced from above. Scavengers sprinted past Charles to the man’s broken body and started ripping him apart.
Kristoff’s acolytes leaned over the balcony railing and waved their arms in the air, chanting, “Kris-toff! Kris-toff! Kris-toff! The king of K-City!”
Charles was fifty yards from the barbed wire courtyard that secured the front entrance to the Apex building. Another scream of fear, followed by another thud, a pitched body, and the scurry of the scavengers. This time, Charles was close enough to hear bones snapping against the pavement. He took cover to avoid the scavengers, and waited while they butchered the latest sacrifice with their homemade weapons.
Charles darted along the side of the building until he spotted four men guarding the back doorway.
“Four offerings so far tonight,” one of the guards warned the other three. “Two more before it’s safe to go back up there.”
“You sound like a woman, Manta,” the smallest guard said.
“Fuck you, Hiro!” He laughed. “You look like a woman. Now give me some pussy, you dwarf!”
“Curse me again and I’ll take your tongue,” Hiro seethed, pulling a short knife from his belt.
The other three guards erupted into laughter. “You call that a knife?” said one. “The only thing that knife is good for is picking your rotting teeth.”


Author Bio:
T.H. Moore is a Southwest Philadelphia native who relocated to Camden, New Jersey at the age of ten. He’s an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University. His career as an Information Technology Consultant and Real-Estate investor has afforded him the opportunity to travel to many countries all over the world as well as the majority of the United States. Blending experience with imagination helped formulate the basis of, and inspired him to write his first novel, ‘The End Justifies the Means’.
His second novel, The Devil’s Whisper, is uniquely creative fiction that ventures away from the inspiration of his own life experiences. In The Devil’s Whisper, he dives into a darker set of dual protagonists whose sole objective is to survive the circumstances of the world they live in. T.H. Moore is the proud father of one son, Jason, and currently resides in Virginia, where he is working on the next two installments of The Devil’s Whisper trilogy.

GIVEAWAY!
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $40 Amazon gift card
  • $25 Amazon gift card
  • Signed copy of The Devil’s Whisper and The End Justifies the Means

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Thursday, 27 April 2017

Mason Dixon – Monster Hunter by Eric R. Asher Book Blitz and Giveaway!


Mason Dixon – Monster Hunter Episode 1
Eric R. Asher
Publication date: April 21st 2017
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
They are the first line of defense against the things that go bump in the night.
They are the keepers of a centuries-old legacy of The Church defending the world against the forces of darkness.
They are a bunch of highly armed rednecks, internet video celebrities, soccer moms, and assorted broken nutjobs.
They are the new Templars, and things are about to get weird.
From the pages of Bubba the Monster Hunter comes a new series featuring the Hunters from around the United States hunting down monsters, fighting off supernatural baddies, and making life really, really bad for the things that hunt people.
He’s Mason Dixon, and he’s a bona fide internet celebrity. He has his own video series, a pistol that deserves its own area code, and a high definition video camera, and he’s not afraid to use any of them.
In this introductory urban fantasy novella, we meet Mason, his right hand Emma, his “handler” Noah, his anime-styled hacker friend Himari, and more monsters than you can shake a stick at. Unless it’s a really big stick.
With Mason, it’s always a big stick. This first novella in the series follows Mason through the wilds of Missouri as he hunts down monsters that hunt men, monsters that eat chewing tobacco, and monsters that make pancakes. And there’s moonshine.
And then Bubba the Monster Hunter shows up.
The New Templars novella series is a new series of short novels, similar to BookShots. Mason Dixon – Monster Hunter is the first in the series by popular urban fantasy and steampunk author Eric R. Asher.
—
EXCERPT:

“Out,” I said. “Get out of the pit. Safeties off.” I raised the stock to my shoulder and swept the area around us again.
Emma slipped and crashed into the pit, sending a cascade of stained white bones over the edge to clatter down into the limestone depression. We waited, and I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Boom.
We both froze. I don’t care how many times you’ve encountered something in the wild, you still freeze for a split second.
Boom.
“Move!” I hissed, backpedaling while keeping my tranquilizer aimed around Emma. She was almost out. We could get back on the ATVs and come back with bigger guns. 10cc darts? I should have brought the 50cc cannon. This was a mistake. The old man wasn’t crazy at all.
Boom. Boom. Boom. BoomBoomBoom.
The gowrow erupted from its lair like it had been spit forth by an angry god. Its stubby, bulbous body might have been humorous paired with its long scaly neck if not for the tusks fit for a mammoth gleaming in the dying sun. It would take that creature zero effort to kill us in one charge.
Its movements seemed awkward, but its attacks were practiced. The gowrow swiped at Emma with a four-toed webbed foot, a lethal claw extending from each digit. She fell backwards and rolled away, barely avoiding the attack.
Any doubt this gowrow was a maneater fled in a heartbeat.
I cranked the air pressure as high as it would go on the tranquilizer gun and fired. The dart rose slightly in a wind disturbance created by the massive creature and pinged harmlessly off the field of spiky scales lining its back. I cursed, flipped the butt of the rifle open, and loaded another dart.


Author Bio:
Eric is a former bookseller, cellist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.

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  • $25 Amazon gift card

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Monday, 24 April 2017

Quanta Rewind by Lola Dodge Blog Tour and Giveaway!


Quanta Rewind (The Shadow Ravens #4)
by Lola Dodge
Genre: Dystopian Romance
Release Date: April 25th 2017
Ink Monster Publshing

With more and more Red Helixes turning up missing or dead, the Shadow Ravens are ready to take their fight to Doctor Nagi himself.
But breaking into Alpha Citadel is no cakewalk, and Quanta isn’t so sure about this whole “teamwork” thing.
If she and the Ravens can’t learn to work together, no amount of rewinding time will save them from the inevitable.
And if the Seligo win, everyone loses.


Previous Books in the Series:

Cipher (The Shadow Ravens #1)
Summary from Goodreads:

Alone and on the run, Cipher doesn't talk about her secrets, her powers, or the people chasing her. She can’t let anyone get that close. At least, she shouldn’t.

Knight is working undercover for the bad guys. He’s done things that have marked his soul, but it’ll all be worth it if he can save the girl who means everything to him—the girl who saved his life by putting herself in danger. It’s been twelve years, but Knight knows she’s still alive, and he’s made it his mission to find her and keep her safe.

When Knight finally catches up to Cipher, electricity sparks. He’s crazy gorgeous, stupid brilliant, and begging to lift the burden from Cipher’s shoulders. Can she really trust him with her secrets? With her life?

She doesn’t have long to decide, because Knight isn’t the only who’s been looking for her. Now Cipher can’t run without leaving him behind. What good is being together if they’re both dead?

To save Knight, Cipher will finally stop running…one way or another. 




Quanta (The Shadow Ravens #2)

Summary from Goodreads:

Just because Quanta can see the future doesn’t mean she can change it. She’s spent most of her life imprisoned, feeding her captors information to keep herself alive, but she’s finally reached the endgame and her death creeps closer by the moment.

The son of two senators, Altair Orpheus leads a life of privilege that provides the perfect cover for his side job: working with the rebel Shadow Ravens to undermine the ruling Seligo government. Everything is running like clockwork until he crosses paths with Quanta. As he watches her deftly maneuver through life in a perverse prison, his plastic heart melts. A jailbreak would be suicide, but Tair is willing to sacrifice everything to give her a chance at happiness.

Now Quanta senses a terrifying new future brewing. She and Tair are bound together, but every image of them kissing, snuggling, and acting knee-weakeningly happy is balanced by a much darker possibility. They’ll be picture perfect together, but only until time rips them apart. How can she follow her heart when she’s seen how their love plays out? 



Quanta Reset (The Shadow Ravens #3)
by Lola Dodge

Summary from Goodreads:

Quanta has escaped her laboratory prison, but that’s where the good news ends.

Life at the Shadow Ravens’ compound is a disaster. She’s drowning in visions of the dark pasts and darker futures of her fellow Ravens and is plagued by her own panic-inducing memories, but Lady Eva still expects her to “train” and “participate in missions.” Plus, the food tastes like burnt plastic.

The only bright spot is her genetic pairing to the brilliant Altair Orpheus. As their relationship grows, she’s positive that chemicals aren’t the only things drawing them together—although chemistry is definitely involved.

While they test the limits of her game-changing new ability to reset time, word arrives from Eva’s agents: Doctor Nagi is still experimenting with her DNA. If he succeeds in duplicating her power…

Forget the Shadow Ravens. The whole world is toast.


Excerpt:
GUYS! Dex’s voice boomed across the hangar. I groaned. He had to mess with us now? Get over here, Knight called. Now. Dex would jerk us around, but Knight? Nope. My brain clicked straight into action mode. Emergency? Let’s find out. Tair grabbed his glasses and tugged me to my wobbly feet. Together, we booked it to mission control. I could tell it was bad from halfway across the hangar, but everyone stood staring at the vid screen in horror instead of arming up. The hangar wasn’t under attack. So what was happening? Tair and I sprinted so fast we were on top of the group before the timeghosts could hint what I’d missed. What— As soon as I spoke, the future twisted. My vision cut to pure blue as time ghosts took over my head, flashing me a thousand death scenes at once. Tair. Cipher. Knight. Devan. Dex. And me. All falling, screaming, bleeding. I gripped my temples hard and tried to shake free of the images, but they kept hold, death after death after death. Whatever was set in motion, it wasn’t just the six of us who’d suffer. Oliver. Mona. Lady Eva. Kiri and Aliya. More Shadow Ravens. Everyone. Everyone was in danger. Quanta. Tair held me in his arms, and panic rang through his voice. Quanta. I gripped his T-shirt and rebuilt my mental walls. When the time ghosts disappeared, I finally blinked back to the present, where I needed to finish the question I’d started. I staggered out of Tair’s arms. What just happened?  Eva sent... Just watch. Knight only stepped away from Cipher long enough to cue up a video file. Then he wrapped her back into his arms, whispering reassurances I didn’t get to hear. The vid screen stole my breath away. Doctor Nagi stared dead at us. He wore his dark hair slicked back the same as ever, and his thin lips twisted in the cold, familiar smile that made me want to throw up everything I’d ever eaten. 

About the Author
Lola is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University—and hasn’t stopped moving since. When she’s not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can’t melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.

Author Links:

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York by Laura Ruby Nerd Blast and Giveaway!


Publisher: Walden Pond Press (May 16, 2017)
Publication Date: May 16, 2017
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers


Synopsis 

It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before. Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher—a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction.
Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment house—until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long-held by the people of New York. And if Tess, Theo and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it.
From National Book Award Finalist Laura Ruby comes a visionary epic set in a New York City at once familiar and wholly unexpected.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Ruby writes fiction for adults, teens and children. She is the author of the newly-released YA novel BONE GAP, as well as the Edgar-nominated children's mystery LILY'S GHOSTS, the ALA Quick Pick for teens GOOD GIRLS (2006), a collection of interconnected short stories about blended families for adults, I'M NOT JULIA ROBERTS (2007), and the forthcoming middle-grade trilogy YORK. She is on the faculty of Hamline University's Masters in Writing for Children Program. She makes her home in the Chicago area.


Photo Credit: Stephen Metro

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- 7 Winners will receive a Set Copy of YORK: THE SHADOW CIPHER by Laura Ruby

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Tuesday, 18 April 2017

Audiobook Review: Extinction Edge by Nicholas Sansbury Smith!


    Extinction Edge Audiobook
  • Written by: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
  • Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
  • Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:03-10-15
  • Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • A bioweapon designed to save the world...A scientific discovery that will alter human history...And a new threat that will bring humanity to the Edge of Exctinction.The dust from Dr. Kate Lovato's bioweapon has settled. Projections put death counts in the billions. Her weapon was supposed to be the endgame, but it turned a small percentage of those infected with the Hemorrhage Virus into something even worse.Survivors call them Variants. Irreversible epigenetic changes have transformed them into predators unlike any the human race has ever seen. And they are evolving.With the doomsday clock ticking, the fractured military plans Operation Liberty - a desperate mission designed to take back the cities and destroy the Variant threat. Master Sergeant Reed Beckham agrees to lead a strike team into New York City, but first he must return to Fort Bragg to search for the only family he has left.At Plum Island, Kate discovers Central Command may have considerably underestimated the Variant population in New York. As Operation Liberty draws closer, Kate warns Beckham that Team Ghost won't just face their deadliest adversary yet - they may be heading into a trap.

 My Thoughts:

 So, after the events of the first book, Dr Kate Lovato has succeeded in creating a.... cure, of sorts. It killed billions of the infected but not all. What is left seem to be evolving rapidly and are harder to kill. Beckham and Team Ghost are tasked with going into New York and taking back the city from the remaining Variants. They are told there should only be a few thousand left but they don't realise the extent of the survivours till it's too late. They also don't know that the surviving Variants are quicker, smarter and can communicate. How do Team Ghost handle themselves when they are the hunted? 

 So book 2 picks up after book 1. Kate has created an antidote but is afraid that she might just have created something worse. The projected number of human survivours is going down everyday, with the human race becoming extinct in a matter of weeks, so she knows she has no choice. She also finds herself caring more and more for a certain Master Sergeant. 

 Beckham meanwhile, is putting his like on the line again, and with the wrong Intel this time it might just be his last. He goes into New York only to find that the Variants numbers were massively underestimated and that they are different. The cure has turned them into elite killing machines. I felt like Beckham just keeps getting better. He is so much more than a soldier. He is willing to do what is needed to save any other human. While he is terrified, he is the best at his job so can compartmentalise a lot of his feelings. I loved how he is constantly thinking of his brothers in arms first and putting them first. It's what a leader should do!

 This edition was even more scary and frightening than the first!! Seeing the variants develop to be more cunning, smarter and even communicate was equal parts terrifying as it was fascinating. This author really knows how to write!!! He created scenes that were memorable and ones that will make me have nightmares for days :) He has created a dark, desolate and bleak world, but it's one I don't want to leave. The characters are amazing and have captured my heart and the plot is pulse poundingly spectacular. It is a story that is evolving into something epic!! Bring on book 3. 

 Again, Bronson Pinchot was astounding. He really brings the action and tension to life and made me want to keep listening, even when I was falling asleep from the tiredness. He was clear and has a crisp voice. He gave each character their own personality and captured their essence perfectly. Brilliantly written and brilliantly read!! 

Story: 
Performance: 
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