Friday, January 29, 2016

Book Spotlight: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing


Hey Guys! so I was a bit away for a couple of days. You know busy with life and work and everything that put food on my plate and books on my shelf! lol :) Anyway, I want to introduce you this book that sounds super awesome! Well fine, I'm a little bit biased because I'm such a sucker for paranormal romance young adult book. Like it's totally one of my ultimate favorite alongside Fantasy and Dystopian novels. And this book totally intrigued me!

Thirst: Blood of my Blood
by
R.P. Channing
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult Romance
***********************************
WITH BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS!
***********************************

~ Kira Sutherland ~

After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:

1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)

She chooses the latter...

~ Cory Rand ~

Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.

Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:

1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.

He chooses the latter...

It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.

Things he's always ignored.

Until now.

 Now weren't you a little bit intrigued with that superb blurb? Don't you want to see what that "with beautiful Photographs" in the blurb is? I don't know with you, but I'am!  I want to see those photographs, and the premise sounds really up my alley, then there's this excerpt (see below) that didn't help my curiosity. Read it guys, and tell me if that didn't intrigued you the way it did with mine!

EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
-1-
The Puppy Eyes

My life was perfect. 

I had the perfect shoes and the perfect friends and I lived in the perfect house. My nails were perfect and my hair was perfect (except on Sundays, it was always windy on Sundays) and I had the perfect clothes. My lips were a perfect red and my hair perfectly straight. My eyeshadow was perfect, my hips were...okay, and my waist...well...also okay. Nothing was wrong in my life. 

But then there was Jack.

Jack was a problem.

He needed to go. I mean, when you’re dead, you’re dead! I had told him this endlessly. Somehow, Jack didn’t get it. I mean, I felt sorry for the guy. Sure. Being stuck between this life and the next. But just because I found him, does that mean I needed to keep him?
I think not!

Sadly, when Jack got that look in his eyes, that weary, almost teary (if his tear-ducts worked) look, I melted. I just couldn’t send him away. Not even Jack knew where he would go after he died. 

Would he, like, die? As in — dead, nada, kaput, finito, gone, no more? Bye bye, sayonara, ciao, hasta la vista baby and all that?

I couldn’t have that on my conscience. No way. 

I lay on my bed, wondering what to do about him. “Jaaaaaaack,” I hollered. 

“Jaaaaaaack!”

Still no answer.

“Jack!”

Jack...materialized.

His eyes rolled down to the ground. He was making those puppy eyes again. “Jack, I told you not to do that. I told you not to play on my sympathies.”

His puppy eyes became worse. 

His skin was gray and, well, dead.

“Oh, brother,” I said. “I have to do something about you. If mom finds out I have another ‘imaginary friend’ — at my age — well, I’d die of embarrassment. But, like, really die. Not like you.” I wondered about this. Would I die? Was Jack a freak accident, or did all people live on like him? Think of the cemeteries...

The idea excited me somewhat.

“What would you have me do, Miss Kira?”

“Knock off the Miss Kira crap. I told you it’s just Kira.”

“Yes, Miss Kira.” 

The dead. There’s just no reasoning. 

“Fine, Miss Kira it is then.” Rover barked like a lunatic in the garden. No one else might be able to see Jack, but I was sure my dog could. 

“I have to do something about this,” I mumbled.

-2-
The Rat

Mike knocked on the door before I had time to leave the house. Mike was the guy I thought (at the time) was perfect.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, baby.”

Baby, urgh — I wasn’t his baby. I dated Mike because he was the quarterback, because girls are supposed to like the quarterback, because it’s just so darn perfect to be seen with the quarterback, like we’re brainwashed into thinking these things from the first romantic doll set mom buys us.

This was my previous life.

“Mike.”

“Uh-huh. Gonna let me in?”

So you can try rub me up and then complain when I don’t let you? This, dear reader, was the big problem with Mike. The second we first kissed, his hand went way too far south for me to be comfortable — and I pulled back.

Mike suddenly wasn’t so perfect. 

“Uhm, I was just on my way out,” I said.

“Kira? C’mon, open the door.” He sounded upset. “Is there someone in there with you?”
Boys. As if.

I didn’t know much about love (nothing, actually) but I knew this wasn’t it. 

“Uhm, now’s not the time, Mike.” 

“C’mon, Kira, what’s going on?” He banged harder. 

When in doubt...lie. I opened the door a crack. “There’s a dead rat in the house, Mike. Been here for days. I gotta go get some detergent and stuff to handle the stench.”
Mike stepped back. He peered through the crack of the door.

“It’s really bad,” I said. 

“I’ll drive you.”

“I’m afraid the smell” — I stuck my armpit to my nose — “has found its way all over me. I’ll drive myself.”

“O — okay. Fine.” And then he grinned like he wanted something. “Later? My place?”
Urgh. “Uhm, sure...er...later. Not sure when though.”

“Six.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. According to girls at school, he was apparently so damn good looking — theoretically. But for me personally, he did nothing. Moved nothing. Twisted nothing. “Look, I gotta go, Mike. I gotta — ”

“Kira.” His eyes grew stern. “You’ve been avoiding me...”

Bingo! Well done contestant number one! And what have you won? A brain!
I tilted my head. “Mike, look, this...rat — I need to deal with it. We’ll talk later, okay? Bye.” I closed the door, not waiting for an answer, and peered out the peep hole. Mike hung around for a second, shoulders wide and eyes glaring straight at me through the door. Could he see me? Did he know I was looking at him?

He kicked something off the ground, and I had the distinct impression he mouthed the word Bitch before leaving. But I wasn’t sure...

-3-
The Mack

“Roll down the window, Jack.” Jack was recently dead, so he still had a smell about him. (Which only I could smell...)

I had purposely skipped breakfast. Maybe Jack would help me lose weight. I was (still am) a little wide, although it had never stopped guys flirting with me. I know how to dress. 
But I could be skinnier. 

Lucy Rogers was skinny. All bones and no boobs. 

Charlene Carverton was a babe. Cheerleader. Big chest (which she pushed out generously with a push-up — if only guys knew). Toned thighs. Charlene only dated college boys (back then), which I still think is pretty gross for a girl her age. 

“He’s not for you,” Jack said out the blue.

“Hmm?”

“This...Mike — he’s wrong for you, Miss Kira.” For all Jack’s faults (mainly, being dead), he has a good heart. Factually, probably it’s why I kept him around at first.

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why don’t you dump him?”

I braked at a stop sign. Looked left and right. “Because I’d look like an idiot. I flirted with him and showed interest, and one kiss later I can’t stand the sight of him.”

“So dump him.”

“It’s not that simple. Kids at school — they can be vicious. I have to let it fade slowly. If I drop the bomb on him, I’ll never hear the end of it through senior year.”

“And you care?”

Yes, I did. Forget Guantanamo, schools are rough. “You don’t understand, Jack. Maybe school was different in your day. But in mine, well, we walk through metal detectors.” 

“Schools weren’t too different in my day.” I noted the sadness in his voice.

“You okay?”

“I’m dead.”

Right. “You miss...your life?”

Jack shrugged. “I like being with you, Miss Kira. And I don’t remember much of my life. I think I’m in limbo.”

“Limbo?”

“Yes, like I have some unfinished business. If only I could remember...what...it is...” He scratched his head. 

“Any ideas?”

“Well, it can’t be love. If it were love, I’d be a vampire. That’s who teenage girls fall in love with these days.”

“A vampire? That’s just what I need — two undead beings stalking me.”

“I feel I have something to do around you, Miss Kira. I don’t know what, but something. Something important.”

I looked over at him. “Me?”

I was still looking at him when I missed the stop sign.

The Mack truck drove straight into us.

Buy Links:
R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. 

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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Book Review: Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Sanctuary Bay
by
Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller, Young adult 
In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.



Oh, wow. I just realized that this is my first 5 star rating this year. Well, not that I've already read a lot of books this year but still.. I just know that this book will remain, I want to say forever, but let's be a little bit realistic here, lol but this book will remain to me for a long long long time. The first page alone grabs my attention and managed to hold it tightly refusing to break hold. That got to mean something.

When I started reading this book, I was so sure I would give this a 4 star rating. This book still contains a cliche that I usually encounter in my paranormal read and some underdeveloped ideas and story along the way. However, halfway through it, when the ridiculous and unpredictable plot without unnecessary romance kept me at the edge of my sit, I thought, screw this shit Imma give this sonavabitch a 5 star.


"Compared to them, hell, compared to pretty much anything, Sanctuary Bay was a paradise, no matter what lay hidden underneath it."
Sarah, an orphan who pretty much lived her whole life bouncing from different foster home, suddenly and mysteriously received a scholarship from Sanctuary Bay Academy- an Elite Prep school in the middle of a nowhere island. Suspicious, should've been Sarah's first reaction, after all no once could've recommended her. She didn't even try applying there- not even in her dreams, but awe and confusion was all she felt.

"Sarah remained quiet. She didn't think her first thought, 'That's what we call a first-world problem, bitch,' was quite the right way to go about making friends."
Reading Sanctuary Bay was such a breathe of fresh air. First, our perfectly flawed MC was transferred on a elite school, now that may sound a little unoriginal, but what I enjoyed here was that for the first time I read a book where people rich people were not being unreasonably bitchy to the new poor black kid in school, instead everyone was nice, and everyone was relatable. In fact, Sarah was the one being a bitch, and you really can't blame her when she grew up without a single friend around.

The relationship between the girls are so easy to relate to. Sarah doesn't whine like a bitch when her "new friends" decided not to let Sarah join to whatever they are doing in the middle of the night. She doesn't mind, because she knows how to mind her own business. She's also strong and doesn't got sway with pretty boys. Plus the love interest was someone you'd definitely root for. Ethan has a hint bad-guy reputation without being an obnoxious person. Anyway, there wasn't much a romance in the book, but it's there. A slight touch that made the book so much more interesting!

I thought I knew what this book was about when I was 40% of the way in, but this shit surprise and scare the hell out of me the more I flip on the next page. Sanctuary Bay will give you a plot with a very refreshing start-to-disturbing-to-mysterious-horrifying-to-compelling-to..

description

I would love to tell you more about this book, to persuade you to pick this book up and read it and fangirl with me, but I really rather not, because this is the kind of book people will definitely enjoy when you go in it blind.

Over all I believe that Sanctuary Bay is one of the best YA-thriller mystery I read so far, not that I've read a lot, but I wouldn't mind reading more from this genre when everything I'd read would be this fucking good.

P.S. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS BUT I.NEED.THE.FUCKING.SEQUEL.

Book Links:

Laura J. Burns has written more than thirty books for kids and teens, touching on topics from imaginary lake monsters to out-of-control Hollywood starlets. (Those two things have more in common than you'd think.)

With Melinda Metz, she has also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Their next book is SANCTUARY BAY, coming in January 2016!

Laura lives in New York with her husband, her kids, and her two exceptionally silly dogs.

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Friday, January 22, 2016

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow


Now Guys! I can't believe I'm already revealing to you the book 2 of Elementals Series by Michelle Madow when I just finished the first book from this series!

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra is the second novel in Michelle Madow’s Elementals series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Title: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra
Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: April 18, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Series: Elementals #2
Format: eBook and paperback
ISBN: 9781311296788


A DEMIGOD WHO CAN KILL WITH A TOUCH. IT’S AN ABILITY THAT MUST BE KEPT SECRET FROM EVERYONE, EVEN FROM THOSE TRUSTED MOST.

Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.
Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.
The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?
Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.


Now for the exciting part...

Are you ready???

COVER REVEAL:

Now the Cover of the first book was a girl, which we can all assume was Nicole, now it's a boy which supposed to be Blake right?! 

Pre-Order Links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks 


Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook! 

Author Links:

Giveaway:

Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:


Add the Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Countdown Timer to your blog!


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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Book Review: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1) by Michelle Madow

The Prophecy of Shadows
(Elementals, #1)
by
Michelle Madow
Genre: Young-adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love! 

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.


"I don't know how to explain it, but I've felt connected to you since I saw you walk into homeroom on your first day."
Why do I think I've read this before? Oh, because of course, I've read it before! A typical paranormal read where a new girl in town caught the eye of a hot guy in school who's dating an equally gorgeous girl, but no problem cause there's this thing called, cheating.

No, I'm not angry or even disappointed anymore, I'm more sad. This is the 2nd book of Michelle that I've read so I was kind of expecting some of the things I didn't like in this book, but I'm just sad because I badly wanted to like this book, I really really liked the author you see. I guess sometimes there just things that wouldn't work out.

Elementals reminds me why Remembrance was a disaster for me. From the unrelatable characters to the disaster romance included in the book, include the lack of world building.. it's just won't work for me.

It actually started out good, great even. Nicole Cassidy was swept in right into the world of the witches - people who apparently are a descendant from the bloodlines of the Gods. Yep, they called themselves witches, don't ask me. I liked the idea of powers that was represented by colors. Like Yellow energy, to help with focus, blue to keep you calm, red to boost your confidence etc. It's refreshing. Then everything went downhill when our very special MC met Blake.
"My heart was pounding so hard that he could probably hear it, and even thoughI'd wanted to be alone with Blake since I first saw him, I needed to control whatever I was feeling for him. Nothing could happen between us. At least not right now, while he had a girlfriend."
description

I didn't read this book because I wanted to read more drama and cheesiness. I wanted to read this because I'm a sucker in both paranormal, fantasy and GREEK Gods story. Seeing that this books target audience were the fans of Percy Jackson Series, I'm definitely in, but this book should have gotten a thing or two about romance in that book as well. Shouldn't hurt to do so. I'm just probably making this a big deal but I wholeheartedly believe that Nicole is being a bit obsessive with Blake, and reading things like that in a book tend to get really really ugly and annoying.

I already said it, but I'll say it again, the idea of the story and plot was good and eye catching, at least for its target audience, but the world building are not good enough for me. It leaves a lot of questions because the story tried to move only the sequence of events further leaving little details to the world itself. Like, It is illegal for underage people to use their power, or else they'll risk having their powers purged completely. Seriously, how would the elders know know or detect when someone's using their powers illegally? I also find it funny how the school is operating a all magic classes for witches inside a perfectly school for human/perfectly normal people. A little details wouldn't hurt I guess.

Don't even get me started on how Nicole gets the hang of everything in only a matter of 1 or 2 weeks. Sure, she's powerful and everything being the main character of the story, but really, there leaves a little growth for her.
"I had no idea how I knew that- but I knew I was right."
Well aren't you just special?

Summary of my review:

Bad News: I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. Unrelatable characters, too much romance for my liking, not much of a world building.

Good News: The book was fast paced making it a quick read for me, I guess one of the reason why world building wasn't given much chance to shine. I did enjoy the adventures and quest along the way. Also, it's good that the copy I have contains sneak peak for the 2nd book, The Blood of the Hydra, because I'm liking it. It gives the hint that book 2 is still going to be a fast paced read, I no longer cared if there wouldn't be much of a world building there, I just want both Nicole and Blake to calm their fvcking hormones and everything would be perfect for me.

Despite my initial disappointment in this book, I'm still not ready to give up on this series and I'll still definitely read the 2nd book.

Book Links:


Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook! 


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Sunday, January 10, 2016

Book Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

Seven Ways We Lie
by
Riley Redgate
Genre: Young-adult, Contemporary
Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—whether it’s Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage; or Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.

When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.



This book. Wow. This book was surprisingly good. Like what I keep saying over and over again, Contemporary is the least genre I like but ironically, this is also one of the genre I've read that hasn't angered and disappoints me(I hope I don't jinx my luck by mentioning it). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've not read that many books in this genre. But right now, I'm just so glad I've got the chance to read Seven Ways We Lie. I regret that I wasn't able to read it right after getting a copy from Netgalley.

One of the best thing about this book that captured my interest was the fact that it is narrated in not 2 or 3 but 7 POV's. And mind you, it was done wonderfully well. The author has given them different and unique personalities that made them remarkable and realistic. You would've probably guess(with its striking cover) that each character represents the 7 deadly since, a fresh take in this genre if you ask me, made it more unique and interesting. Although the book didn't actually broaden the sins as I expected it to be, it still didn't disappoints as the problems and issues included were crazily good and relatable AF.
"Sometimes you go a long time having fooled yourself into thinking that you're as grown-up as you'll ever be, or that you're more mature than the rest of the world thinks you are, and you live in this state of constant self-assurance, and for a while nothing can upset your pedestal you've built for yourself, because you imagine yourself to be so capable"
Ha! You said it buddy.

Now, let's get to the part that messed this book up for me that I ended up giving it a 3 star rating after my love for this book. It wasn't because of the scandal that was tackled in the book. I think it was perfectly Ok and handled with sensitivity that I don't think it was a big deal at all. It was mostly because I felt robbed! I was enjoying the book so much, devouring the words per pages, then all of sudden, everyone seems to have realized their mistakes so fast. It's like someone slapped reason to their faces that they suddenly realized where they doing it wrong.
"I should have realized it before, realized that I spend every second trying to escape myself. I'm all I've got anymore, and I don't even want me."
It would have been touching, if not because of the fact that everyone realized their mistakes at the same time, and I'm not just talking in a literal matter. I mean, the trigger wasn't that believable and besides, I think it's anticlimactic.

But regardless of my problems, I still enjoy this book a lot and I definitely recommend it to everyone. If I, who don't usually read contemporary YA book liked it, I'm betting those who loved this genre will loved this book even more!

P.S My favorite POV was from Matt! The guy's deep, or was it the pot?

Pre-Order Links:
Hey, hi. Riley here. I am a(n):

—YA novelist
—Shark enthusiast
—Economics major at Kenyon
—ECON IS FUN I PROMISE
—Okay
—Also a classical pianist & singer-songwriter
—I am a human person comprised primarily of soft tissue, and by golly, I hazard a guess you are, too. we have so much in common.
—So look, when I was like 15, someone messaged me on fanfiction dot net telling me that the "sheer amount of stupid" on my profile guaranteed that they would never read my work
—Clearly, I have not learned my lesson
—I hope you're having a really good day!
—Bye!

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Monday, January 4, 2016

Blog Tour: Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer


Thicker Than Water
by
Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: Young-adult, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: December 29th 2015 by Kensington Books
On his own

Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.

Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.

The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.

Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…

Buy Links:

"Loneliness is a funny disease. You don't realize how badly you're infected until someone gives you a shot of contentment-and then it wears off."
I knew I made the right decision to read this book just after reading the first page of the this book in the midst of having a book slump. You rarely meet a book that can grab and hold your attention that fast, but Thicker Than Water did it so effortlessly, at least for me. You see before this book, I've read like 2 books and I can't seem to finish them in a span of a week. Those books just won't hold my attention. I thought maybe there's a problem with me, but when I finally decided to read this book, I realize it wasn't me after all since I have no problem engaging with this book, at all.

I have been a fan of Kemmerer ever since I've read her Elemental series. The dual POV and great characterization in her books were some things I really liked in her novels. She gives every character these unique personalities that make them standout in my mind, and that is one of the best thing to win me over because characters usually make or break a YA book for me and this book obviously passed that department with flying colors!

The story follows Thomas Bellweather , a seemingly cold and unaffected teenage boy who is just new to town that became a main suspect of a murder - of his own mother. Even though there weren't any evidence, people treat him like he already did it. Everywhere he goes suspicious glares follow him around, making his life harder and harder to live.

Then there goes Charlotte Rooker, the only person in town, that is brave enough to approach and talk to him. But the girl is trouble, she might only bring him more misfortune than he already have. Because Charlotte has 3 older brother that is a cop, who probably is the most suspicious of him after the crime. Charlotte doesn't seem like it, but she can kick your ass if it comes down to it. I admire how she can be hormone-driven teenage girl and then be suspicious all at once.
"Fear is a quiet friend, sneaking up to its fingers between mine."
She's actually afraid of Thomas and quite suspicious as well, but doesn't seem to find the courage to stay away from him. Hormones at work if you ask me. Anyway, Charlotte annoys the shit out of me at first, but her character growth throughout the book was remarkable I've eventually liked her along the way. Both of them work their way around to solve the mystery of the crime that will led them to the dangerous answers they both so desperately seek.

I've devoured this book like a child would on her first ever ice-cream experience. I enjoyed solving the mystery and secrets with the main characters. The only thing that taken me off-guard was the ending. Sure, it was action pack and all, but I think it was lacking, I don't know if there's going to be a second book, I think the probability is higher with how the things ended. Not that I wouldn't like a sequel but I think a couple more or pages and the novel could have ended well. The only problem I had but everything about this book is more than worth reading.

Thicker Than Water is everything I've ever wanted in my paranormal mystery read. This book kept me up at night when I'm supposed to be sleeping. Thriller and mystery aren't my type of thing, but I might make an exception with this book. If you love mystery and paranormal books with unpredictable plot, then Thicker than water is definitely more than worth reading!


Thicker Than Water Excerpt
“People are staring,” I murmur.

“Let them stare.”

“Is this a service you provide?” I say, intending to tease, but my voice is too broken for that.

But she’s kind, so she takes the bait and runs with it. Her eyes are on the knot as she threads the fabric. “Absolutely. Tying ties, buttoning jackets . . . you should see me pin on a flower.”

I almost smile, but then her hands make the final loop. Satin slides against cotton, and then the knot hits my neck. Quick and sudden and tight. I can’t breathe.

I jerk the fabric out of her hand without thinking. My movement is too sudden. She stumbles back, catching herself against the wall.

I gasp, pulling at the knot of fabric. It’s barely tight, but I can’t stop myself.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” I choke out. This is insane. I need to get it together. The knot finally gives an inch. Air can’t seem to make it into my lungs. “It’s not even tight.”

I suck in a breath and sound like an asthmatic. I run a hand down my face. This is not getting it together.

“You all right, Char?”

It’s another cop in dress uniform, talking to Charlotte but looking at me like I’m a purse snatcher or something. No, looking at me like I’m a murderer.

This guy’s young, not much older than I am. His hair is military short, almost blond, and his eyes are just looking for trouble. I swear to god he’s holding his hand near his gun, and I’m tempted to fake him out, just to see if he’d pull it. Knowing my luck, he’d shoot me.

Right this instant, I’d welcome it.

“I’m fine, Danny,” Charlotte says. “This is Thomas. Stan’s new—”

“I know who he is.” Of course he does. Everyone in uniform probably does. I’m sure some of them still think I did it. But Danny takes the edge off by putting a hand out. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

I shake his hand. “Thanks.”

His grip is solid, almost too tight. He doesn’t let go, and I can tell he’d hold fast if I tried to pull free. “You want to tell me why you put your hands on my little sister?”

Oh. Now I get it.

Charlotte is looking worriedly between the two of us. “It’s fine, Danny—he didn’t touch me.”

“I saw him shove you.” His grip tightens. “You’d better watch yourself.”

His tone grates against my nerves and reminds me why I don’t like cops.

“He didn’t shove me,” Charlotte says.

“Watch myself?” I say to him. “It’s my mother’s funeral.”

He gives a little laugh, and he lets go of my hand, somehow making it feel like a shove. “Yeah, you look really broken up about it, taking the time to rough up a girl.”

My hands are in fists again, anger weaving its way through the less aggressive emotions. This narrow stretch of shade has turned too hot, almost stifling. I can smell my own sweat. I hate this suit.

Danny’s watching me, his eyes almost predatory. I’ve gotten in my share of scrapes, and I can read the signs. Dangerous potential rides the air. He wants to hit me.

My mother’s voice is like a whisper in my head. Behave yourself, Tommy.

I force my hands to loosen. Danny’s right, in a way. I did shove her. I shouldn’t have put my hands on her. Someone spends five minutes being kind, and I act like a caged animal. It takes a lot of effort to back down. “Sorry,” I say, turning away from them. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to find my sister dead in her bed. Get me?”

Something snaps inside of me. Anger splits into fury. My fist swings.

I’m strong, and years of being the new kid taught me how to throw a punch. It’s stupid, and reckless, and my mother’s voice is screaming in the back of my skull.

Tommy! He is a police officer!

It sucks that he’s a cop, too, because he knows how to deflect a punch. He catches my arm and slams me into the wall of the church. My hand is pinned behind my back and I inhale brick dust. The tie drags on the bricks, too, pulling tight against my neck.

I am such an idiot.

He’s enjoying this. We’re the center of attention now. He’s probably hoping I’ll fight him so he can continue playing the badass.

I don’t want to fight him. This is her funeral. Her funeral. My throat is tight and my eyes are hot. Reason catches up with action and I’m swimming in a special blend of humiliation and shame.

I will not start crying right now. I will not.

Charlotte is smacking her brother, it sounds like. “Danny! Danny, stop it! What is wrong with you?”

Hot breath finds my neck, followed by a little shove. The bricks scrape at my skin. I expect him to hold me here, to suffer the judgmental stares of the crowd that I can hear gathering.

Or maybe he’ll tell Stan to keep me in line, or something equally demeaning.

Instead, he speaks low, just to me. “Did you get off on it? Think about it in the shower this morning? All hot and bothered for killing your mother?”

Rage flares, hot and painful, blinding me with fury. I jerk back, trying to break his hold, knowing it’s futile.

But suddenly I’m free. My head is buzzing, and he’s on the ground, yelling. Clutching his head. Charlotte is standing back, glancing between me and him, her breath quick.

Did I hit him? What just happened?

Before I can get it together, a hand falls on my shoulder, pushing me back against the wall. I feel metal against my wrist.
I freeze. Another one of these jerkoffs is cuffing me and talking about assault on a police officer.

Now Danny’s on his feet, talking about resisting arrest. He grabs my arm and drags me away from the wall. The crowd grows.

We’re heading for a police car.

I’m going to miss the funeral.

Brigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an infant to a teenager.

While writing STORM, it’s ironic to note that Brigid’s personal life was plagued by water problems: her basement flooded three times, her roof leaked, her kitchen faucet broke, causing the cabinet underneath to be destroyed by water, the wall in her son’s room had to be torn down because water had crept into the wall, and her bedroom wall recently developed a minor leak. Considering SPARK, book 2 in the series, is about the brother who controls fire, Brigid is currently making sure all the smoke detectors in her house have batteries.
Brigid loves hearing from people, and she probably won’t refer to herself in the third person like this if you actually correspond with her. She has a smartphone surgically attached to her person nearby at all times, and email is the best way to reach her. Her email address is brigidmary@gmail.com.
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