Book Review: Beyond by Mary Ting

Beyond
Crossroads Saga #3
Author: Mary Ting
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal/Angels
Release Date: September 12th 2012
Review Source: Author
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Torn between the past she can't remember and a future she isn’t ready for, Claudia feels at a loss. With unanswered questions, she is certain there is more to her past than just being a venator. Finding the missing pieces in her life won’t be easy because duty calls. When mysterious dark shadows get released, an apocalypse sets in motion. The venators and the alkins must work together once again. Knowing Claudia would be the key to destroying the demons that were released, a familiar stranger appears to protect her. Drawn to the beautiful angel, Claudia finds she must unravel the mysteries of her past in order to help save the world. Who is the angel assisting her and why does she feel a strong connection to him? Time is running out. Will she discover all the secrets before it’s too late?

"Reading the Crossroads Saga has always put me in a very ethereal place while turning its pages. Well in BEYOND Mary Ting takes its to another level and I embrace the new darkness with open wings just like Michael would with his heart-shaped wings!"

In the book market right now there are a few Angel stories, but Mary's has more to it then just Angels. Its makes you happy like a contemporary novel affects you when you read it. It has paranormal beings that usually don't exist in the Angels world. Its a thriller with all its action and what next's. Beyond just brings so much to the table, that a reader will feel satisfied after finishing the book. Crossroads Saga is one of my top favorite series. I haven't rated any of the books anything less than a 5. 

So Beyond is the third installment in Crossroads Saga. At the end of Between we were left with such a life changing event between Claudia and Michael. It was so heart wrenching but a perfect example of a major cliff-hanger. So Beyond continues where we left off. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ (might want to stop reading here) Between or Crossroads, I suggest you don't read what I writing next. It will contain spoilers from previous books. Claudia has no memory of Michael now and Michael is in pain from what he has had to do so Claudia could forget him. Will Claudia remember? Not if Austin can help it. Claudia knows she has a large blank in her mind but even knowing that she is determined to become the venator she was meant to be. Jumping in immediately to her duties as a venator, Claudia doesn't have time to try and dwell on the past she can't remember. She is given task for venators that have been doing their jobs for a long time. When Claudia and the rest of the venators and groups find out that these creepy demonic shadows have been released into the world, they must stop them before there is an apocalypse. Claudia takes note that a certain angel with heart shaped wings keeps appearing when she is in a jam, she can't see his face but she feels like she could trust him with her life. Will Claudia remember and if she does will that help or worsen the apocalypse that is set to come. Will those she trusted be now her enemies? (begin reading again)

Mary as I mentioned above took Beyond to another level. There is this darkness that just drags you in to the story that she conjured with new characters and beings. I am truly lucky that Mary let me read the manuscript even before editing was completed. Then I find out after I finished that there will be a book 4 and that made my day. If you are familiar with Crossroads Saga, you will be in for a serious treat and if you are new or unfamiliar with Mary's Crossroads Saga, I give this series my big stamp of approval. Not all great stories come from big authors or publishing houses. This is why I never turn my back on indie or self-published. You will always find the diamond in the rough. Beyond is just purely AMAZING!!! 

Author Interview & Giveaway: Mary Ting - Crossroads Saga

Today we have the lovely Mary Ting stopping by and answering a couple of questions for us. Mary is the author behind the Crossroads Saga that consist of Crossroads (#1), Between (#2), Beyond (#3) and coming next year book #4. The Crossroads Saga is a favorite for OUaT and you can catch all our reviews HERE.

Mary Ting Links: Website • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter • Email

Author Bio: Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing Crossroads was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. It was inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl.

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OUaT: Hi Mary and welcome once again to OUaT. I just finished reading Beyond which is the 3rd book in your Crossroads Saga. So far which of the 3 books completed have you enjoyed writing and which was the hardest?

First of all, thank you for having me back again. I love being here…hehe! It’s really difficult to say because each book is different and focuses on different types of angels; however, I would have to say that I enjoyed writing book two, Between the most. More characters are introduced, lot more twist and turns and more action. I had a great time writing about betrayal and flirty Austin. Also, chapter 29 was based on a scary dream I had. I woke up thinking these demons would be so cool to write about so then it wasn’t scary anymore…lol! The hardest one to write was Beyond. How to tie everything together? How do I help Claudia remember? Do I end the story or could I write one more book? There were many questions. Due to spoiler I won’t go further into details…sorry

OUaT: You shared with me on twitter that there will be a 4th book in the Crossroads Saga. Which I was excited to hear that piece of news. Can you tease us with 5 words or less what to expect in the 4th book? 

Yes of course…anything for you, Yara…hehe! You’ll get to read about Michael’s past. I’m really excited about this part.

OUaT: In Beyond you introduced some new Angels and Beings/Demons, how much research went into Beyond? 

To tell you the truth, they are all made up. I wish I could type demons on google and find all kinds of information…lol!

OUaT: If you could choose one of the places in your book you can visit anytime you want, which place would you pick if it really existed? 

This is a difficult question. Can I choose more than one? Just kidding… okay…being serious now. I would have to say Nubilus City, where venators (demon hunters) resides. A castle nestled on the clouds…only because I dreamt about it. Seriously…I dreamt of this place and if I took a wrong step, I would fall straight down.

OUaT: Since Twilight what other books or series have impacted your writing?

Yes. Twilight was my first love for books as an adult. Then I got into Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and Fallen series by Lauren Kate. Recently, I’ve become a fan of author Joann Buchanan, I Am Wolf.

Crossroads Saga is available on Amazon: Crossroads • Between • Beyond

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Thank you Mary for those great answers and I'm super excited for book 4, especially after reading Michael and his past will be included. Now readers Mary is offering to one lucky reader an ebook copy of your choice from the Crossroads Saga. Please read Terms & Condition at the bottom of the rafflecopter to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Five: 8/31/12 - Top 5 Colors that I love to see use for Book Covers

It's Friday so that means Friday Five that was inspired by Author Cheryl Renee Herbsman. Our friends at Eve's Fan Garden and Page Turners have also taken part in this meme. Each Friday we will post a question or topic, then respond with our five choices.

Top 5 Colors that I love to see use for Book Covers

• all varieties of Green
• Black with silver accents
• Ocean colors
• Any cover with a shimmer
• White

• red/black/white
• red and green
• blue and green
• red/white/blue
• red and white

• Lime Green
• Teal
• hot pink
• purple
• hot orange

Audiobook Review: Just for Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Just for Fins
Fins #3
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Reader: Emily Bauer
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Mermaids
Run-time: 6 hrs 12 mins
Released: July 3rd 2012
Review Source: Harper Audio
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does.

But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Lily knows this is a seven seas–sized problem: from sea animals dying to oil spills and threats to humans. They’ll need to create some serious waves to make the mer community aware and get it to join together to make things right. Even if that means facing one of the iciest queens in the mer kingdoms.

Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and Quince after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave!

In this third installment in the series that began with Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people as well as for the humans she loves.

Its official, Lily Sanderson is now Crown Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia. Lily is living on land and is happy to do so. She is also trying to keep up with her duties as princess which she finds her cousin Doe has a better handle on than she does. When an underwater quake shakes up more than her home on land Lily sets out to do all that she can to make the world a safe place for humans and mer folk alike. Lily thinks she may be able to do more good on land where she can study the happenings above the water that are affecting the mer-world under water. As she sets out to do just that she offered a great opportunity to further her education and get a degree that can put her in a position to help on both sides.

One afternoon, Lily gets a surprise visit from her Dad the King where she is told that in order for her to stay with Quince the boy she loves, even through their bond was broken and she has bonded to Telen for the sake of keeping her title and helping out Telen’s kingdom, Quince will be put through a series of tests to prove his love for her. If he does not pass then he is banned from the ocean forever and she will not be able to return to land. This poor mer-girl has her hands full. How can she balance all this and try to save the mer-world that is suffering and the human world from a Mer-queen with an agenda?

I have to give it to Narrator Emily Bauer. She does a great job keeping you in the moment with this story. She has a knack for making you feel what the characters are feeling. When someone is upset, excited, happy or tired, it comes through in her narration. I got swallowed up in this story and it was hard to pull me away. The audio is nice and clean and a joy to listen to.

Blog Tour: Don't Turn Around Author Michelle Gagnon Interview + Giveaway

Welcome to the next stop in Michelle Gagnon's blog tour for her YA debut novel called Don't Turn Around. The tour is hosted by Harper Teen. Today Michelle answered some questions we gave her. 

Michelle Gagnon Links: Website • Goodreads • Twitter • Facebook

Author Bio: Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling adult thrillers THE TUNNELS, BONEYARD, THE GATEKEEPER, and KIDNAP & RANSOM have been published in North America, France, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. BONEYARD was a finalist for a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
In September 2012, her young adult debut novel DON'T TURN AROUND will be published by HarperCollins Teen. In May of 2013, her YA standalone STRANGELETS will be released by SoHo Teen.

Michelle lives in San Francisco.

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OUaT: Welcome Michelle to OUaT. Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

Before I was a writer, I had a series of strange careers, including work as a dog walker, bartender, freelance journalist, personal trainer, model, and Russian supper club performer. I like to think that each of these weird professions ended up contributing in some way to my writing.

OUaT: If you can go back and do it all over again, is there anything you would change in your novel or getting published?

Not with this one, no. DON’T TURN AROUND is my YA debut, but I’m fortunate in that I’ve published four other thrillers for adults, so I’ve benefited from that learning curve. There are definitely things I would change if I could go back and take another swing at my first novel, THE TUNNELS.

OUaT: Do you have a favorite chapter in your book and why?

Honestly, it’s a bit of a cop out, but Chapter One. I love beginnings, and for me this one was so clear from the outset. I had a foster care girl waking up on an operating table in a warehouse, with no memory of how she got there. The suspense was there for me from the opening sentence.

OUaT: What are your comfort books, books you can read again and again, that foster and rekindle your desire to write?

Marcus Zusak’s THE BOOK THIEF blew me away. It’s gorgeous, poetic, the character development is phenomenal, and the imagery is mind-blowing. I almost never re-read books, but I could go back to that one indefinitely.

OUaT: If you weren't writing what else would you love to be doing full-time?

Dancing! I was a modern dancer in my twenties in Manhattan, before my knees gave out. And I still take class a few times a week. But I’m a total “So You Think You Can Dance” junkie, so I live vicariously through those dancers now!

OUaT: In Don't Turn Around the plot centers around hacking and computers, did you have a lot of experience with both before or did you have to do extensive research?

Ironically, almost none. And my computer hard drive suffered a total melt down during the editing process, which my hacker friends/advisors found utterly hilarious. I’m embarrassingly inept with computers. I keep a running list next to my laptop of all the little things I need the Genius Bar to help me with on my monthly visits; I’m pretty sure they draw straws to see who will get stuck with me the minute I walk through the Apple Store door. But luckily, I managed to enlist a slew of experts who provided ideas and checked the manuscript for errors.

OUaT: Can you tell us a little bit about your main character Noa?

She’s a former foster kid who used her smarts and computer skills to set up a fake foster family, effectively bailing out of the system. And she’s been surviving just fine on her own; until she wakes up on that operating table. Self-sufficient, tough, and distrustful of authority, Noa isn’t someone who tends to play well with others. But she’s got a soft side, too, that’s revealed through the course of the book.

OUaT: Can you describe the setting of Don't Turn Around?

The setting is modern day Boston, with a twist; the only thing I added was an imaginary disease called PEMA that only afflicts teens; it’s a wasting disease that’s always fatal, there’s no cure, and it’s rapidly reaching epidemic proportions.

OUaT: What can we expect in the future for the trilogy? 

I wish I could tell you, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy! I will say that the stakes are much higher for both Noa and Peter in the next installment.

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Don't Turn Around
Persefone Trilogy #1
Author: Michelle Gagnon
Reading Level: YA
Released: August 28th 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Available: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound

Summary: (from goodreads) Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Filled with action, suspense, and romance, this first book in a new trilogy offers readers nonstop thrills.

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Tour Schedule:

8/22 The Mod Podge Bookshelf— Character of Names
8/23 Book Twirps— Movie Dream Cast
8/24 A Good Addiction— Author Interview
8/27 Reading Lark— Author Interview
8/28 Confessions of a Bookaholic— Guest Post
8/29 Bookalicious— Author Interview
8/30 Once Upon a Twilight— Author Interview (that's us)
8/31 Making the Grade— Character This or That
9/3 A Life Bound By Books— Author Interview
9/4 The Irish Banana— Author Interview

FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/dontturnaroundtrilogy
COUNTDOWN WIDGET: http://harperteen.com/feature/widgets/dontturnaround/
THE DIGITAL NOVELLA: http://www.harperteen.com/books/No-Escape-Michelle-Gagnon/?isbn=9780062239020

We are excited to offer to one lucky reader a chance at winning a ARC copy of Don't Turn Around. Only for US and CA. read the terms at the bottom of rafflecopter. Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trailer Thursday: Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Don't Turn Around

Persefone #1

Author: Michelle Gagnon

Summary: (from goodreads) Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Filled with action, suspense, and romance, this first book in a new trilogy offers readers nonstop thrills.

Don't Miss a stop on the Don't Turn Around Blog Tour:

8/22 The Mod Podge Bookshelf— Character of Names
8/23 Book Twirps— Movie Dream Cast
8/24 A Good Addiction— Author Interview
8/27 Reading Lark— Author Interview
8/28 Confessions of a Bookaholic— Guest Post
8/29 Bookalicious— Author Interview
8/30 Once Upon a Twilight— Author Interview (that's us)
8/31 Making the Grade— Character This or That
9/3 A Life Bound By Books— Author Interview
9/4 The Irish Banana— Author Interview

Audiobook Review: Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Fins are Forever
Fins #2
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Reader: Emily Bauer
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Mermaids
Run-Time: 6 hrs 50 Mins
Released: July 10th 2012 (audio)
Review Source: Harper Audio
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

Lily is happy on land and spending time with her love Quince, while getting ready to celebrate her 18thbirthday in Thalassinia. The thing is, by Thalassinia law, if Lily is not bonded by her 18th birthday she must give up her title as Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia. She is ready to do just that when she gets a visit from her trouble making cousin Dosinia. Doe shows up at Aunt Rachel’s with a note from Daddy letting her know that she has been tasked with keeping an eye on Doe and keeping her out of trouble. Problem is Doe hates humans and is now exiled from Thalassinia and has to stay on land.

This is an adventure that will take you through the struggles of a teenage mer-girl who feels that she has been wronged by the very species she is now forced to live with. As if Lily didn’t have enough to deal with, she is trying to find out what Doe did that was bad enough to get her exiled and trying to get ready to make a life altering decision. All the while, Doe is getting really friendly with Brody, Lily’s former crush. One thing leads to another and before you know it, Lily is rushing back to Thalassina to fix Docinia’s latest mistake which will bring Lily face to face with an old friend and the need to re-evaluate her decision to give up her future seat on the throne. Will Lily stay on land with the boy she loves or help out her old friend and possibly the entire mer-world?

Narrator Emily Bauer brings the characters to life in a bright and fun way. She is easy to listen to and makes the characters easy to love. She does really well with the female voices but at first I found it hard to tell when she was reading Quince and when she was reading Brody.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to any young girl that loves mermaids. The audio is crisp and easy to fall into. If you don’t have time to sit down and read the book, Audio is the way to go.

Cover Revealed: The Grass is Always Greener, Flukes, Slated, Timeless, The Elementals & Shards & Ashes

The Grass Is Always Greener

Belles #3

Author: Jen Calonita

Release Date: April 16th 2013

Publisher: Poppy

Summary: (from goodreads) How many secrets can one family keep?Amid preparations for Emerald Cove's extravagant Founders Day celebration and their own shared sweet sixteen, Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are longing to break free from the tight constraints that come with being the daughters of a prominent public figure. When Izzie's estranged aunt, Zoe, breezes into town, the already uneasy family dynamic is turned on its head.

Izzie's finally found her footing in Emerald Cove by leading the Social Butterflies, her school's prestigious club, and she has no interest in getting to know yet another long-lost family member. But Mira, who's on a mission to try new things and make new friends, is drawn to Izzie's artsy aunt. And when Mira meets a handsome, brooding painter, her entire perspective on life begins to shift.

As tensions mount in Emerald Cove, Zoe's laid-back attitude appeals to both girls. But when she offers Izzie the chance of a lifetime, it's time to make a tough decision. What's more important: family or freedom?

Flukes

Author: Nichole Chase

Release Date: October 8th 2012

Publisher: unknown

Summary: (from goodreads) Meena has a secret guarded closely by her family—a secret as dangerous as the sea, and buried just as deep. When court appointed community service workers are assigned to Flukes, the family-owned animal sanctuary, everyone is on high alert. It doesn’t help that Meena finds herself attracted to sexy-as-sin Blake Weathering, one of the new workers. If he wasn’t so distracting, she might be able to land Flukes a much-needed cruise line contract.

Blake Weathering, the first in his family to attend public school, has developed a tough image. Unfortunately it lands him in trouble. Now banned from his high school graduation ceremony, getting his diploma is dependent upon a community service gig cleaning fish crap. No diploma, no trust fund fortune—and no way to escape his overbearing father. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a mysterious girl with teal eyes who pulls at his heart strings.

When Blake discovers Meena’s secret, they are both thrown into a desperate search for information about her past. Two worlds pull them in opposite directions, and they will have to fight to hold onto all that really matters.

Slated

Slated #1

Author: Teri Terry

Release Date: January 24th 2013

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Kyla has been Slated—her memory and personality erased as punishment for committing a crime she can’t remember. The government has taught her how to walk and talk again, given her a new identity and a new family, and told her to be grateful for this second chance that she doesn’t deserve. It’s also her last chance—because they’ll be watching to make sure she plays by their rules.

As Kyla adjusts to her new life, she’s plagued by fear. Who is she, really? And if only criminals are slated, why are so many innocent people disappearing? Kyla is torn between the need to know more and her instinct for self-preservation. She knows a dangerous game is being played with her life, and she can’t let anyone see her make the wrong move . . . but who can she trust when everyone is a stranger?

Debut author Teri Terry has written a brilliantly compelling, original and thought-provoking novel about an uncomfortably plausible future.

Timeless

Transcend Time Saga #3

Author: Michelle Madow

Release Date: November 20th 2012

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

The final novel in the Transcend Time Saga.

To make things right, they must go back to when it all began ...

The Elementals

The Vespertine #3

Author: Saundra Mitchell

Release Date: June 4th 2013

Publishwer: Harcourt Children's Books

In 1917, war spells the death of one age in Europe; the rise of motion pictures heralds the birth of a new one in America. Caught between both are two extraordinary souls, bound by destiny. Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents, and she’s infused with their wanton disregard for social norms. She’s determined to become a film director, and she doesn’t intend to do that in a corset. Meanwhile, midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the tenacity and wanderlust that fueled his parents’ adventures. War calls, yet not for him—but he refuses to let his disability define him. Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles, the city of dreams. There, they each struggle to find their independence. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realize their true legacy: the ability to triumph over death, over time. But as their powerful parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price. In this sweeping companion to The Vespertine and The Springsweet, the teenage children of the heroes of the previous novels confront a decades-old tragedy still unfolding. At the crucial moment, will Kate and Julian have the courage to embrace their gifts?

Shards and Ashes

Anthology

Authors: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Veronica Roth, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl and more

Release Date: Febraury 19th 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins

Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

Stories from:
Kelley Armstrong
Rachel Caine
Kami Garcia
Nancy Holder
Melissa Marr
Beth Revis
Veronica Roth
Carrie Ryan
Margaret Stohl

Waiting On Wednesday: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

OUaT's Pick:

Level 2

The Memory Chronicles #1

Author: Lenore Appelhans

Release Date: January 15th 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Available: Amazon•Barnes & Noble•Indiebound

Summary: (from goodreads) Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2.

Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Book Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Beta
Annex #1
Author: Rachel Cohn
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Dystopian
Release Date: October 16th 2012
Review Source: Disney Hyperion
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

AMAZING!! Simply amazing. I have never read a book like Beta. This is one of those books that grabs you from the very beginning and can’t stop reading it until you have read the very last sentence. What an awesome story. This is my first book from Rachel Cohn and I am in love! I want the next book now, ASAP!! LOL

Elysia emerged at age 16 an exact replica of her First. In order for her to exist, her First had to die. That was the only bit of information she was given when she awoke for the first time. You see, Elysia is a clone. She was created to serve the richest and most powerful residents of Demesne Island – a bio-domed island engineered by humans where only the privileged and wealthy can live. Everything in Demesne is perfect and meant to cause pleasure to all of its residents. Elysia was bought to replace the void that was left in Mrs. Bratton's home when her rebellious daughter, Astrid, went to the Main Land for college. Now, don’t think that the Brattons are all warm and fuzzy. The Bratton’s only concern is their social status in Demesne, especially since Mr. Bratton is the Governor. Elyisa is told to train their son, Ivan, who is to start training in the military. Then one day, Elysia starts to have these flashbacks while swimming under water. She sees an image of a guy, which by the way, sounds super hot. She doesn’t know what they are, but is suspicious that they are memories of her First. Then things start to go not so perfect in Demesne. There are rumors that some of the clones have gone “Defect”. The thing is that since clones don’t have souls, they shouldn’t have feelings or emotions – they are supposed to be empty vessels whose only purpose is to serve their owners. But now, some of the clones have begun to show emotions and it seems that a civil war might be brewing.

This is definitely one of those books that will leave you with many questions. Who is Astrid and what is her part in this? What’s going to happen to Tahir? The ending is definitely one of those cliffhangers that are completely twisted, but I’m not complaining. If you are into sci-fi and dystopian books, Beta is your book. Trust me, you are going to love it!