Monday, April 25, 2016

Seth's review of On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis


Synopsis:
January 29, 2035.

That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter near their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time.

Then a last-minute encounter leads them to something better than a temporary shelter: a generation ship that’s scheduled to leave Earth behind and colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But each passenger must have a practical skill to contribute. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister?

When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads).

Seth's Thoughts:
It seems no matter the book I read it all boils down to the main character is unusually self sufficient and in most cases perfectly able to handle situations thrown at them. This trope seems especially evident when reading my favorite genre of science fiction. Upon picking up On the Edge of Gone, I admittedly was expecting the same thing. Had I read the back cover I probably would have been pleasantly surprised, but I wanted to go in blind. At first, I didn't know what was going on in the head of the narrator, but it was made clear pretty early on that she has some form of autism. Which is admittedly a pretty broad diagnoses that isn't clarified much in the book.

Denise, the main character, has a pretty big issue outside of her control to handle. A problem most 'normal' people would have trouble dealing with. There is a comet coming to hit the Earth, beyond a doubt. Predictably, people freak out. The global economy stutters to a standstill. Gasoline is something people get robbed of constantly because none is being produced in significant quantities. Oh, and to make matters more complicated for Denise, she has a drug dependent mother. But wait, it gets more complicated when her transgendered brother is added in to the mix. So, let's recap. Drug dependent mother, transgendered brother, autism, and the apocalypse occurring. But it doesn't stop there. Her mother is also constantly late for everything, even the trip that Denise and her need to make to the comet impact survival shelter. Personally, were it me in her situation I would do like she does at times in the book and grab my knees and rock back and forth. So, Denise finally gets her mom out the door and on the way to the shelter entirely too late. On the way, they pass by two women on the side of the road. One who broke her leg, and the other who is trying to help her along. Denise wants to keep going, but her mom stops and they pick them up. This is where things get interesting. The two women aren't heading to a shelter, but a generation ship. They tell Denise and her mom to keep it quiet and they can stay up until they launch. So they continue on to the new shelter of the hidden ship and wait out the impact. What follows is a quite enjoyable read of the efforts and lengths a person will go to to ensure their own survival along with the survival of their family. I got the book and read it in one sitting, which I don't normally do much anymore (I blame the release of some aaa game titles recently). I recommend it to anyone looking for a new twist on some science fiction writing.


Seth gives On the Edge of Gone: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.corinneduyvis.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/corinneduyvis
Tumblr: http://corinneduyvis.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4632663.Corinne_Duyvis

I received this ARC from the publisher, Amulet Books, in exchange for an honest review. Neither Seth nor I were compensated in any way for this review.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Cover Reveal: The Empty Jar by M. Leighton

Cover Reveal



The Empty Jar
by
M. Leighton

Releasing May 8, 2016


Today is cover reveal day for M. Leighton's upcoming release entitled The Empty Jar.  She wanted to say a little something about the cover before we reveal it and the description, so here she is.

First of all, a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you amazing women who are helping me reveal this cover today. I appreciate everything you do for me, for authors in general and for this community.  As a reader, I love you, too:)

Secondly...

OMG OMG OMG!  IT'S FINALLY TIME TO REVEAL!

I feel like I've been waiting AGES to share this with you!

This cover... GAH!  Y'all, it took me forEVER to get it just right. There was a certain "feel" that I wanted to achieve with it and I wasn't happy until I felt that "feel" jumped right out when I looked at it. I wanted the cover to speak of the book. I wanted it to show the highs and lows, the sweet and the poignant, the depth of it, if you will.  And finally...finally, I feel like it does:)  You might not realize just how much NOW, but once you read this story, you'll be like, "Yeah.  That cover is perfect for this book!"

When I got the paperback proof in the other day, I held it in my hands and I just stared at it.  Not only is this story extremely special to me, but this is probably my favorite cover of all my books.  Ever.  When I look at it, I see so much more than just a picture.  I see all the things that I find in life, as well as what I put into the story that is The Empty Jar.  It's a blend of happy pinks and brooding blues. It's light and it's dark.  There are highs and there are lows.  There is morning and there is night.   But if you notice the sky on this cover, there are little flickers of brightness in the bodies of the lightning bugs. Life is that way, too. Even in the darkest part of the night, there is a spark of hope.  There is beauty.  There is the romantic glow of a full moon, the silvery face of your mate, the delicate twinkle of fireflies. It's all there if we look closely enough—that balance of beauty and tragedy.

And love.

Always love.

Below is a little more about the book. It's hard to tell you much without spoiling anything, but I think you can get a feel for it.  It's such a special story.  So raw, so real. I honestly can't wait for y'all to read it! I hope you love IT and the cover as much as I do:)

If you want to know more about how it came about, you can read my blog post about it here.

But before I get to that...THE COVER!

Description




Add to Goodreads!


Connect with Michelle!


A little tease



Thursday, April 7, 2016

Rapunzel's Prince by Jessica Kaye


Synopsis:
In Jessica Kaye's "Rapunzel," the fabled long-haired girl cuts her hair and leaves her tower to search for her lost prince. Along the way, she finds the life she always wanted-and ends up saving a kingdom in the process. But what was the prince doing while Rapunzel was rescuing herself? The parallel novel "Rapunzel's Prince" tells us all about his adventures as he searches the world for the girl with impossibly long hair.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
When I started Rapunzel's Prince, I was a bit apprehensive. Usually, I don't like it when the second book in a series goes into the other main character's point of view. It's just typically retelling the sorry and switching she to he. However, I didn't feel that way at all about Rapunzel's Prince. It genuinely brought something new to the story line. I loved it as much as the first book in the series, if not more. 

Rapunzel's Prince was not the usual point of view switch that a lot of second books in a series have been lately. The reader gets to find out in detail what the prince was doing when he and Rapunzel were separated, which I greatly enjoyed. The reader also gets to see a couple of minor characters in Rapunzel, and to learn more about them. It made me appreciate those characters so much more. 

Most of the time when I read a pov switch, it makes me not like that character, because they act like a jerk, or do something terrible that makes me think less of them. That wasn't the case with Rapunzel's Prince. I liked the prince just as much in this book, if not a little more.


Rapunzel's Prince is a well written fairy tale retelling. You don't need to read Rapunzel to read Rapunzel's Prince, but I recommend reading it any ways because it is so good. The author weaves a magical tale that captivated me throughout both books. I highly recommend the books for anyone, young or old, male or female.

I give Rapunzel's Prince: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.jessicakaye.net/Home
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782238.Jessica_Kaye

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.