Promised blog tour: Guest Post with Caragh M. O'Brien

Today I have with me as part of the Promised blog tour Caragh M. O'Brien author of the Birthmarked trilogy. I asked her to write a guest post on how she created such different societies in the first two books in the series, Birthmarked and Prized, and she had a great answer!

 Let me say thanks, Mariah, for inviting me by A Reader’s Adventure and pitching me such a thought-provoking topic. How I created such different societies in the Birthmarked trilogy was rather an involved process.  At first, I just invented what I needed as I needed it, and then I revised like a banshee.  To explain a bit more, I need to talk about the key characters in Birthmarked and Prized, so in fairness, I should warn your readers that a few general spoilers follow.  Stop here if you haven’t read the books and don’t want to know anything more, but feel free to continue if you already know basically what happens.

            I was first interested in how the people on different sides of the wall in Birthmarked would create their own separate but interdependent societies.  It seemed natural to explore what happens when some people have advanced technology, resources, education, and security while others near by have none of that. I immediately had a lot of sympathy for Gaia because she was raised outside the wall, with no advantages besides her loving parents.  She seemed so vulnerable, especially when she was first interrogated by Sgt. Grey.  Him I instinctively mistrusted. He had so much legal and authoritative power backing him, with all this potential to abuse it. He frightened me probably all the more because he was so polite.

The societies really boil down to the individuals, which is why the tension between societies is reflected best in the relationship between Gaia and Leon.  She’s a midwife, educated by her mother. She’s smart, physically scarred, impulsive, morally strong, intense, and honest.  Leon’s a guard from a wealthy, twisted family. He’s educated, civil, repressed, physically strong, morally absent, and scarred inside.  As they deal with their worlds, they’re essentially learning from each other, and I love how Gaia’s understanding of both sides of the wall changes through the novel.  Neither side is perfect, and both are horrible in different ways.  It makes me think about which horrible ways matter most, you know? Would I rather be poor from a loving family, or rich and isolated?  Would I rather have an education and decent medical care, or freedom from strict laws and surveillance?

            By the time I began thinking about the second book, Prized, I wanted to see what Gaia would be like if she obtained a position of power, and I was also interested in societies that are constrained by environment.  Of course, all societies are constrained by their environments, but in my fictional extreme, the people of Sylum actually can’t leave. They die if they do.  I liked the inherent possibilities in an imbalance of the population, with men outnumbering women 9 to 1, and then I put the women in charge to see how that would work. It was really fun and started me thinking about all the unconscious ways I expect men and women now to be equal and not equal.  What if men couldn’t initiate a flirtation?  What if they couldn’t vote?  I did much revising to get the rules of Sylum society right, from the way no men could touch Gaia to how they’d be punished if they did.

            Once again, what mattered to me was how the rules and taboos affected individual characters, and soon I had a beautiful reversal to work with. Because she was a girl, Gaia was automatically valuable when she arrived in Sylum. Leon was automatically worthless, and mad about it. Their positions completely influenced how they dealt with each other and created enormous barriers of resentment and confusion. They ended up in some terrific fights.

            Fun. Oh, my gosh, was Prized fun to write.

              It’s clear to me, now that the books are complete, that of course the inhabitants are creatures of their societies, but when I was first exploring ideas, I was just looking for character and the conflicts that would push character further.  The nuances of the societies showed up in the revising.  I like playing with good people who mean well and still manage to mess everything up.  I like the gray zones within people, and between them, and I like a bit of hope that we can all try to work things out.

            Thanks again, Mariah, for having me by on this blog tour. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing what happens to Gaia when the societies of Birthmarked and Prized collide in Promised. 

Thanks so much for stopping by Caragh! 

If you haven't read the Birthmarked trilogy I recommend that you go pick it up so you can experience there varied societies! Also be sure to check out my review of Birthmarked as well as my review of Promised where you can enter to win a set of the Birthmarked trilogy!

 

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck Review

Title: Tiger's Curse
Author: Colleen Houck
Publisher: Sterling
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Received: For review from publicist

Summary:  Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Review:  You have to love a book set in a different country. Especially one that there is little chance you will ever go to. So going to India in Tiger's Curse was a real treat. It was especially wonderful because Colleen Houck did a fantastic job of bringing India to life.

Kelsey certainly had the adventure of a lifetime! Going from a small town, to a circus, to the jungles and temples of India would be quite a shock on their own and then adding in a hot prince and a tiger? That just adds a whole new dimension to that adventure.

Ren is a definite hottie you know, besides the whole tiger thing. He and Mr. Kadam are a great addition to YA literature because they are very different than other characters I have encountered.

Not going to lie, Kelsey kind of pissed me off at the end. Like really? Oh well, hopefully she can get over herself in the next book, speaking of which I need to go run to the bookstore and pick that up!

My issues with this book were minimal. The lack of some logistics bothered me and took me out of the story, and the very beginning was kind of slow. But eventually it sped up and redeemed itself. So be sure to pick this diamond in the rough up!

Cheating at Solitaire by Ally Carter

Title: Cheating at Solitaire
Author: Ally Carter 
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: December 6, 2005 

Received: Bought

Summary:  Self-help guru Julia James is so good at being single that she's become famous for it-advising women that they don't need a man to be happy. Then the unthinkable happens. Just when her newest book, 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire, is about to hit stores, a trumped-up piece of gossip linking her to a gorgeous actor hits the papers. Their pictures are splashed all over the tabloids, and now Julia's credibility is about to hit rock bottom. But she isn't going down without a fight. Unless, that is, the actor is going down with her.  


Review:  I originally bought this book because Ally Carter is coming to the Austin Teen Book Festival and it sounded really good, I am so glad I did.

This is an adult book, but I think older teen fans of Ally's work would really like it as well. I certainly did! 

Julia is awesome, she is what I want to be like if I stay single for that long. She is strong and independent and when she is with Lance their chemistry flies off the page. Yes this is a "chick-lit: novel and it is awesome. I was feeling down the day that I picked it up and it made me happy inside.

I felt really invested in what was happening to Julia's career, I found myself caring as if she was my friend, this just solidifies what a great writer Ally is.

I definitely recommend you pick up this book especially if you need something light but good!

  

The Childe by C.A. Kunz review + giveaway!

Title: The Childe
Author: C.A. Kunz 

Publisher: Self
Release Date: February 18, 2011
Received: From publicist for blog tour

Summary:   
Cat Colvin
Average Teenager?
Or Something Else Entirely?

Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill teenager. Sure, she’s taller than most girls, has a mane of fiery red hair that’s impossible to tame, is left-handed, and her eyes are two different colors, but that’s where the differences end... unless you include the minor detail of her slow transformation into a Childe.

High school can definitely be challenging, and for Cat it’s no different. This is especially true when she’s faced with the daunting task of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves at the most inopportune times. To make matters worse, her family is oddly dead set against Ryan, the boy she grows to like. But everyone has their secrets: is Ryan really what he seems to be, and what is Cat’s family not telling her?

The Childe is the first book in this coming-of-age fantasy series which follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out whom and what she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world filled with mystery, biting humor, and the paranormal. 

Review:  I don't typically review self published books but I do make exceptions if it is from an author I have worked with before or through a publicist I have worked with before. Because of this I was really excited to find that The Childe is an example of a well done self published book.

I enjoyed getting to know Cat. She is a regular 15 year old with a penchant for horror novels, and I felt that she was very realistic and besides the whole Childe thing I felt like I could have gone down to the local high school and met someone similar to her.

I also really liked Cat's group of friends they were all so different and really added a nice dynamic to the story. I also liked the fact that Cat's parents were involved, I mean they had some idea what was going on ( more than Cat) but I liked how they worried and acted how any other parents were, not all AWOL like other YA parents.

As for the plot it was very interesting, I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. My criticism would be the fact that I would get a little snippet of info that would just make me even more confused and lost. I wish in that respect the introduction to information had been a little bit smoother because I found myself lost for some of the book. Thankfully some of my questions were answered by the end and I could see what the author was trying to accomplish. But other than that I was very happy with this book.

This is a good paranormal read that is new, fresh and interesting!

Check out a guest post by the author here, and scroll down to enter my giveaway!

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Guest Post C.A. Kunz authors of The Childe

Today I have with me the authors of The Childe and Dark Days  

Carol Kunz was born in New Ferry, England. Her interest in the supernatural was first sparked upon reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at the age of eleven. As a teenager, her fascination with the mythology behind vampires, werewolves and witches continued. Being an avid reader, Carol finds it easy to spend several hours wrapped up in a great fantasy novel.

Adam Kunz was born in Newport News, Virginia. Growing up, he was a huge fan of creature features and books about things that go bump in the night. When he's not busy writing, Adam enjoys his job at a certain theme park in Orlando, Florida as a décor consultant. This job brings him face to face with all sorts of nightmarish creatures, especially when he decorates the haunted houses for the park's annual Halloween event.

Carol and Adam currently reside forty-five minutes away from each other in the sunny state of Florida.

Music’s Role In Our Writing Process and Beyond

Music is such an important part of my (Adam) writing process. My mom, Carol, usually has to write in silence, but she does sometimes have the TV on in the background though. It may sound weird, but I can’t seem to write without listening to music. I’m convinced that it allows me to clear my head of all the other story ideas that are floating around up there, and just focus on my current project.

If I want to get to a certain emotion while writing, I like to listen to a certain song. If I’m writing a romantic scene, I may put on a song like “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, or “Back To December” by Taylor Swift. If I’m writing a heart-pumping action scene, I may put on a song like “Promises” by Nero, or “Burn It Down” by Linkin Park. I find that music just immerses me right into a scene, and I can really get into it if I’m driven by a good song. I’ve actually come up with several scene ideas simply by just listening to a song.

In terms of The Childe series, music has played a huge part in its creation. Not only did I listen to music the entire time while writing it, but we also created a soundtrack that perfectly complements the first two books in the series. Lee Marvin, a truly awesome and talented individual, created and produced The Childe Soundtrack. Lee read our first novel, The Childe, and immediately wanted to write a song inspired by it. That one song, “Amber,” led to me working very closely with Lee to create the entire 14 song soundtrack, and we couldn’t be happier with the final product.  

With our new series The Modified, which is a dystopian fantasy, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dubstep music from Nero, Skrillex, Flux Pavillion and Deadmau5 while writing. These artists have a futuristic feel to their sound that immediately puts me into the world of The Modified, and I think listening to this kind of music really enhances the scenes I write. We’re also working with Lee Marvin on a soundtrack for The Modified series, and it will incorporate Dubstep music mixed with the soft styling of artists like Taylor Swift and Christina Perri. So far the songs have such a unique feel to them, and we’re really looking forward to sharing this soundtrack with everyone.

So, as you can see music plays a large role in my creative process, and I seriously wouldn’t have it any other way. My love for music is only rivaled by my love to read and write, and the fact that I can to say I get to do all three of these things in one project, seems like a dream come true.

Cool! Especially because who ever wins my giveaway will receive a copy of The Childe soudtrack!

Here is more about The Childe:

Cat Colvin
Average teenager?
Or something else entirely?

Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill teenager. Sure, she's taller than most girls, has a mane of fiery red hair that's impossible to tame, is left-handed, and her eyes are two different colors, but that's where the differences end . . . unless you include the minor detail of her slow transformation into a Childe.

High school can definitely be challenging, and for Cat it's no different. This is especially true when she's faced with the daunting task of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves at the most inopportune times. To make matters worse, her family is oddly dead set against Ryan, the boy she grows to like. But everyone has their secrets: is Ryan really what he seems to be, and what is Cat's family not telling her?

The Childe is the first book in this coming-of-age fantasy series which follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out whom and what she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world filled with mystery, biting humor, and the paranormal. 

Sounds great right?! Well be sure to check out my review as well as a GIVEAWAY here.

Revived by Cat Patrick

Title: Revived
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Received: From publisher

Summary:  As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she's at the center of something much larger -- and more sinister -- than she ever imagined. 

Review:  I am a fan of science fiction, I wish there were more YA books that had sci-fi themes so when I find one I get really excited, so needless to say I was excited to read Revived.

The premise of Revived really interested me.I want to work in the medical field so a drug that lets people come back from the dead really interested me. 

Daisy was a  very interesting character, she, unlike many of the other bus crash survivors, knows a lot about revive, how it works ect, She is also very careless which kind of annoyed me because Revive would cost a lot of money and risking herself is careless and dumb. 

I did like how Daisy grew, she learned the value of a human life and that is really the thing that makes her look into the Revive program. While she is looking into it she finds somethings but I wish the author had gone into greater detail, but I know that would have been boring for some other readers. 

Matt and Audrey were very integral characters. I liked how they had their own story to tell and weren't just background in Daisy's story. 

I'm not going to lie, the ending while shocking was not completely out of the blue. I saw signs, but in some ways I appreciated that, it made it feel like the author knew what she was going to do before the end of the book.

Overall I liked this book but I wish it had, had a little more of the science fiction aspects that I was looking for when I picked it up.

 

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger review

Title: A Midsummer's Nightmare  

Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Received: From publisher for review

Summary:  
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.  

Review:
Whenever I pick up a book by Kody Keplinger I know I am in for a treat. Kody's books are relate-able and realistic portrayals of high school students This is most obvious in her debut The Duff. After The Duff, A Midsummer's Nightmare is my favorite of her books. 

Whitley was not my favorite main character. But I grew into her and by the end I wanted to be her friend. I love when an author takes an unlikeable main character and makes her sympathetic thus making me like her. Kody has done an excellent job of this in A Midsummer's Nightmare.

I loved Nathan. He is a fabulous person and so sweet. I also adored Harrison who originally showed up a little in The DUFF so I liked getting to know him better, I would love to meet people like these boys!

Some other characters from the Duff have a little cameo in A Midsummer's Nightmare and it was nice to see where they were.

Overall I LOVED this book. I read it all the way through and when I had to stop I could'nt wait to go back to it to find out what would happen next. 

Check out my review of Kody's sophomore book Shut Out

  

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Title: Monstrous Beauty  

Author: Elizabeth Fama 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
Release Date: September 4, 2012 

Received: For review from publisher

Summary:  Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago. 

Review:  Mermaids are one of my favorite mythical creatures to read about. I love them and I really like seeing all the different ways that authors can take them.

Case in point, I recently read Of Poseidon by Anna Banks and then I read Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama. Now I did not go into these books thinking that they were going to be anything alike but reading them in the span of a few months showed me just how different two mermaid books can be. 

Monstrous Beauty switches from present day to historical times, each chapter (until near the end) switches between Syrenka's story and Hester's story, and while we know they must be intertwined it is slowly shown just how much as you continue reading.

Elizabeth Fama succeeded in writing a mildly scary book, it made me not want to go in the water. I think the reason she was able to achieve all this was because of the vivid and beautiful world she built. I could see the things happening and could imagine it being real.

I liked Hester as a main character. Though I thought her to be stupid quite often and wanted to shake her for some of the decisions she made I could see why she made them. I also thought Peter was a great character and I wish he had been in it more. 

Curses, mermaids, ghosts, and historical towns. What else could you want in a book?

The only thing I had problems with was that the beginning was a little slow and slightly confusing but once I started to be pulled into the story I couldn't look away!

If you are looking for a lighter mermaid book check out my review of Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: Because It Is My Blood (Birthright #2)
Author: Gabrielle Zevin 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Received: For review from publisher 

Summary:  “Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in.”- Michael Corleone, The Godfather

Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.  

Review:  All The Things I've Done is the first book in this series and really beat up Anya. But it was nothing compared to all that she goes through in Because It Is My Blood. Just when it looked like her life couldn't get any worse she gets pummeled again.

Now that's not saying that Because It Is My Blood is all upsetting drama and death. Natty and Anya's relationship grows and I loved watching Natty come into her own. Learning more about the chocolate business was also very interesting and I liked how Zevin went into it more. 

I also felt that Anya came into her own, I felt by the end she finally discovered what she wanted and was determined to fight for it. I love when there is clear character growth in a series. Gabrielle Zevin really set up the thrid book in the series and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Even though I really enjoyed Because it is my Blood, parts of it were kind of dull and I wish the plot had been a little faster, but I definitely recommend this series.

To find out more about All the Things I've done check out my review!

And as you are waiting for the next book be sure to check out Gabrielle's other book Elsewhere!

Milestones: Return to Camp; Interview with S.A. Hodges

Today I have with me S.A. Hodges to tell us about the second book in the Milestones series Milestones: Return to Camp!

Tell us a bit about the series and where you left it with book 1?

So!!

In a nutshell.....Milestones (book 1) is about a teenage girl named Faye Martin, who gets hit by lightning. Her life then changes drastically. She then attends a summer camp where she meets wonderful friends but discovers they have all been hit by lightning too. They all soon realize that their meeting is no coincidence, and they spend their summer trying to unravel the mystery of their connection. The first book finishes after Faye discovers the BIG camp secret and heads back home to start her school year and hopefully, hook up with her longtime crush Benjamin Parker.

The second book, Milestones: return to camp, picks up after Faye goes back to camp the following summer. She's bummed to find out Benji now has a girlfriend, and goes through yet another near-death experience. The campers bond over the discovery that there are many more secrets for them to uncover and they spend the summer investing their purpose in the world. Also, the evil characters finally surface and there's a big plot twist at the end!

Has the main character evolved?

I would say yes! She is still quite immature but has learned a lot from all the experiences she has gained over the last year. Almost dying kind of forces a person to grow up a little. She not only looks different, but she thinks differently as well. Despite her best intentions, however, her feelings for Benji have not evolved...

Did Faye and Benji stay together?

Not....... really. But there's more to it than that. You gotta read to find out!

How long did it take you to write the sequel, there are three years between books will it be another three before book 3?

It took me 3 years to write the sequel. But from start to finish, probably six months total. The thing is, I was in this silly thing called Residency between the first and second book. I was training to be a Pediatrician and I worked an average of 80 hours a week. So it didn't leave too much time for writing. Thankfully, that's done and over with and I now have a more "normal" life. So the next book will be released in less than a year.

Who is you favorite character of this book?

It's always been Melaine. Please note, her name is not Me-la-NIE but rather Mel-aine. There is so much more to her that meets the eye and her character is about to get much more complex. But she definitely has the best heart, best morals and best intentions of all.

What would you like to tell your audience?

I give away free YA books on my blog monthly! I think reading is so important and after I'm done reading books, I always give them away on my blog. So come and enter my contests and win a book (or two, or twenty). Plus, I think my blog is pretty funny sometimes, so that's a plus.

Also, I love getting mail (email, snail mail, any kind of mail) so send me questions/thoughts/inspirations and I always try to write back.

Sounds good right?

To buy it click here

If you haven't read the first book and want more info here is my review and here is my interview with Samira about the first book.

And be sure to look out for my review of Milestones: Return to Camp and a giveaway of the first book coming soon!