Across The Universe by Beth Revis Release Date: January 11 2011 Publisher: Razorbill Format: Hardcover Pages: 398 Genre: YA/Sci-fi Series: Across The Universe (#1) Source: Purchased Goodreads Synopsis: A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
My Thoughts: Wow Beth did an amazing job with this story. I am not that into Sci-fi / dystopian but this novel was amazing. I loved Beth's adaptation on what would happen if we had to go in search of another planet. I honesty don't know what to say except that it was amazingly written.
I had no trouble falling into Beth's world aboard Godspeed. I feel so horrible for Amy. For a girl who didn't want to leave Earth in the first place to be stuck aboard a ship with people who think she's a freak. Amy starts to notice that things aren't quiet right with the people aboard Godspeed. She just doesn't realize how wrong things truly are.
Elder is the next in line to lead the people of Godspeed. He slowly uncovers lies and deception amongst his Leader. He goes out in search of the truth to find things are nothing as he has been told they are. Across the Universe is an amazing novel which captivated my attention from the first page to the last. It was one of those novels I couldn't put down even when I tried. Like I said this is not usually my genre of choice but it was great. Beth makes me want to read more.
I highly recommend that anyone who has not had the chance to read this yet go out and pick it up even if you don't usually read this type of novel like myself you will love it I almost guarantee it!
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and read my guest post with Katie. We both really appreciate your support. So without further ado I have some winners for you.
The winner of the $15 Amazon GC is Kate Shelley
The Winner of both of Katie's books on interactive CD is Ashley O.
Congratulations guys! I am sending you both emails.
This weeks Questions: What Book are you most forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating this book?
That is a great question but there are so many great books coming out this year its almost impossible to choose lol. But I will share a couple that I am looking forward to. I am highly anticipating Wolfsbane by Andrea Creamer her sequel to Nightshade. I am also looking forward Lover Unleashed by JR Ward and Deeper Than Midnight By Lara Adrian! I am really looking forward to these books!
What are you looking forward to? Let me know I would love to see what everyone wants to read this year!
This weeks Question: What/ Is your favorite subject in highschool?
I loved English. English was my favorite subject!! To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
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Kristen: What made you want to write Laney's story?
Joann:Well, my minor vampire addiction had turned into an obsession. I needed to turn it into something productive and that’s when Laney popped into my head.
Kristen: How many books are you planning to write for the series?
Joann:I don’t have a set numbers of books that it will take to tell Laney’s story. As of now, I foresee at least four. I also plan to write several other stories with in The Brookehaven Vampires series. As of now those include: Julz’s story, which will go back to when she met and fell in love with Oliver’s brother Oscar and continuing through to the present. I also plan to write Hayden’s story and Oliver’s side of all those stories. I also have a character that has yet to be introduced that will have her own series as well. I’m also playing around with the idea of publishing Kiera’s journal.
Kristen: How long did it take you to write your first draft of Laney?
Joann:The first draft took about nine months. It took about four more months to finish it after that.
Kristen:Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Joann: I think I’m a little of both, but mostly a plotter. Laney’s story is already plotted out in my head, but as I start to write a scene it sometimes takes on a life of its own at times.
Kristen: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Joann: That my brain goes faster than my fingers can type. That and that there never seems to be enough time in the day to write and get all the rest of daily life taken care of.
Kristen: Have you always wanted to be a published writer?
Joann Not at all. Writing just kind of came to me. I have found that it is a great way for me to express myself and deal with feelings I don’t have a place for or don’t know what to do with.
Kristen: Who or what was your inspiration for this story?
Joann:I can’t think of one specific who or what that inspired me. I think this would go back to question one – my need to curb my vampire addiction and make it productive.
Kristen: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Joann: Don’t give up and don’t worry about what will happen when you’re done. Write for you and write what you want to read. Worry about the how’s and whys once you’ve finished, otherwise you’ll never get it done. Just know you can do and you will. :)
Fun Facts
1 Fav movie?
Serenity and Romeo and Juliet (to name only a couple).
2 Fav book as a kid?
Flutterby – a Serendipity book. Pretty sure I never actually read it but I loved the pictures (I still have it too).
3Fav book right now?
Charlaine Harris’s Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse). It’s my favorite out of all the Sookie books. I loved that gentle side of Eric and the relationship that begins between he and Sookie.
4 Last book you read?
Lover Enshrined by JR Ward.
5 coffee or tea?
Tea – caffeine free of course. I get all freakish with caffeine in my system ;)
6 authors who inspire you
Christopher Paolini, JK Rowling, Charlaine Harris, Rachel Caine, JR Ward, Ellen Schreiber and Stephenie Meyer.
Thank you for the great interview Kristen. It was a lot of fun :)
Giveaway: Joanne has graciously offered up one personalized copy of Laney to one Lucky reader! This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL and will end February 1st. For your chance to enter please fill out the form below. Good luck.
The Psyonic is a different sort of Fantasy book than one might usually associate with its type. Sure, it's got princesses a plenty, kings and kingdoms and moons in it. It's got advisers and kindly old men and wizened sages, and it's got magic...of a sort.
But it's not all swords and sorcery and knights and nobility. There are no highly regarded wizards, and no lightning bolts striking the enemy forces on the battlefield. Although...that would be pretty cool to see.
There are no fantastic creatures, no differing races, no prophecies or legends to fulfill or tyrants to overthrow. But there are people. There is war and scheming, there's assassinations and manipulation and deceit. The Psyonics—born with their power—don't go to great illustrious schools to learn their powers, and they don't get to be raised to high, revered positions for all that work.
In The Psyonic, those born with telekinesis, telepathy, the ability to see the future, or even something like empathy are thrown out into the wilderness and banished as soon as that ability shows itself, even if they're only infants. Even if the parents are wrong about whether that vase really moved while the child was crying. These Psyonics are banished from all nations and forced to wander alone in the uninhabited plains between them on the threat of death. They must learn to fend for themselves and control their abilities on their own...and their only rewards are continued survival.
Even those who manage to slip back into their home kingdoms eventually must live in hiding. Even someone suspected of being a Psyonic would risk death, and there are very well paid bounty hunters who roam in search of unwary Psyonics who hope to make lives for themselves where they're unwelcome.
Hale, the one the book follows, spends much of his time in the book in such hiding, afraid to use his own abilities and accept who he is.
Of course, it is Fantasy. There's still magic and swordcraft...but the story of The Psyonic follows more than just that. The Psyonic asks the question of just how people might react to natural-born magicians, the lengths one such 'magician' might go to just to survive in a world like that...and what it takes to find someone's humanity underneath and besides all of that.
Of course, neither is a better or worse kind of Fantasy, but it is a different kind of Fantasy. And in the wide world of books, as in life, variety is the spice of choice.
Shanda Sharlow began writing short stories from the time she could hold a pencil. Through the years, she's scribbled down thousands of pages of random stories and unfinished novels that were eventually abandoned or forgotten about. In 2005, she set down to finish a full fantasy novel in the form of the Psyonic, which she managed in a few months. For awhile, she shelved the book without any way to get it realistically published. AfterAmazon Kindle came out, she found the opportunity to release the Psyonic to the public, and is now working on another full novel. Currently, she lives in Vancouver WA with her father and brother, and edits novels for other people when she's not writing.
The Psyonic:
Hale lived his entire life in hiding, traveling through slums and nondescript villages, never staying anywhere long enough for the people there to recognize his face. Never staying long enough for anyone to ferret out his secret.
When he comes across a woman who recognizes him, he becomes the confidante of a Princess. Yet the halls of the palace hold far more danger than that of the streets, for within its shadows lurk dark mysteries and murderous intent. Desperate to remain hidden from those who hunt him, Hale must unravel the hidden machinations of the gathered royal families before it's too late, or it will be more than his life that he loses.
I'd like to welcome Katie today!! Thanks Katie for allowing me to take part in your virtual blog tour! Katie is sharing with us a special excerpt of book 2 as well today. So without further ado here is Katie's post!
Author Bio:
The youngest of four children, Katie has always had a desire to entertain. Since, early childhood, she's dreamed fantastical characters and scribbled them into pages of various journals and notebooks. Taking an interest in vampires, she devoured every book, featuring those blood sucking creatures, in any genre she could find.
It was only natural that a love of reading vampire stories, turned into a love to write them.
Katie is also a Las Vegas native, having grown up in the famed City of Sin. She loves to feature it as a recurring setting for many of her stories.
Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.
Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.
Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers.
If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.
Special Book 2 excerpt:
I stormed into the master bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I needed some alone time, and a hot shower to help wash away the stress of the day.
The shower had always been a place where I could relax and be at peace with my thoughts—something I desperately needed at that moment. Between the near-death experience with Quentin and Lysander’s stubborn anger about Fallon, my nerves were on edge.
Why does he have to hate my best friend?
I walked into the bathroom and found my reflection in the vanity mirror. Mimicking
Lysander’s monotone voice I repeated, “Then accept that your friendship is over. Our two worlds cannot co-exist.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away to start the shower. A high-pressure cascade of water shot out of the showerhead as I twisted the brushed nickel knob.
“Just because it hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean that it can’t. Who’s to say we can’t remain good friends? I mean, she already knows about us.” I shrugged off my coat and unbuttoned my jeans.
“Thank goodness for Rozaline. At least she seems to be on my side.”
I slid the jeans down around my ankles and stepped out, and then made quick work of my top and bra.
“How do I get him to understand? We’re not that different, Fallon and I. We can remain friends when this mess is all over.”
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, naked, I studied myself.
“Okay, maybe we are a little different.”
No sign of the previous fights marked my perfect, smooth skin. Amazed, I fingered the spots where I remembered the bullets tearing though me. I noticed how closely my skin matched the vanilla ice cream-colored walls. I almost blended in like camouflage. Only the pink of my nipples, the blue of my eyes, and the red of my hair made me stand out. It still surprised me, even after months of life as a vampire, how different I was. As a human, I should have been dead, or at the very least, scarred and mutilated from all of the action I had seen. But my immortal body always returned to its original state of perfection, healing with no trace of injuries.
“Well.” I turned away from my reflection. “Even if we are a little different, I’m not losing my best friend again.”
Steam flowed from the shower, telling me the water had reached the perfect scalding temperature. I loved the heat. My poor circulation and slow beating heart left me in a constant state of chill—especially in places like my toes and fingertips. I loved to be around any form of warmth.
I stepped into the shower, enjoying the momentary shock, the initial hot sting from the temperature change. It quickly turned into a sensual, full, heat that warmed my entire body. I felt some of my stress melt and slide away, disappearing down the drain. Facing the water, I let it hit my face and run down my neck and breasts, washing away whatever grime might be left from the day.
The door opened, and from the corner of my eye I saw the dark hair and athletic figure of Lysander. There went my relaxing shower.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” I shouted.
I turned around and let the water run down my back and busied myself by opening a bottle of citrus-scented shampoo. I didn’t feel like being lectured by him anymore and hoped he’d take the not-so-subtle hint to go away.
“I do not wish to fight with you. But you must understand my position.” His voice carried that annoying hit of authority he used when he wanted things done his way.
I ignored him, spreading the shampoo into my long hair, massaging it into my scalp, creating a foamy mountain of lather on top of my head.
“Alyssa, stop acting childish and listen to me.”
His choice of words were far from endearing and had the opposite effect on me. I turned my back, facing the water, letting it wash away the bubbles. The rushing cascade muffled Lysander’s words.
The shower door opened and Lysander stepped inside. His hand grasped mine, pulling it from my hair. With one twirling motion, he forced me around to look at him.
“You will not ignore me,” he said, a note of frustration in his voice. He stood naked before me, holding me, crushing me against his hard body.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
I didn’t need another lecture. I had done what I thought best at the time, for better or worse. There was no way to go back and change those actions. Harping on me wasn’t going to solve anything. I tried wedging my hands between our bodies, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“You endangered us all. Don’t you see that?”
“No. I endangered myself,” I snapped at him. “Do you think I would have willingly done things to hurt the clan?” I pushed again at his body, trying to free myself from his grasp. “You think I’m so naive, that I have no sense at all, don’t you?”
He looked down, locking his eyes on mine. I felt the odd press of his mind, trying to delve into my own. I knew he was trying to use his power to subdue my anger, and I didn’t want that. I had every reason to be angry with him, and that anger helped me focus enough to break his stare. I turned my head away from him—the only real defense I had. I was no match to play mental games with a two-thousand year old vampire, and I knew it.
A low growl rumbled in his throat. I could feel the rage like an electric current, vibrating inside of him. A small voice in the back of my head told me to just be quiet and let him say his piece, but anger consumed my better judgment.
“I left you at the hotel. I went after Fallon, alone. I never once involved you or the clan in my attempt to save her. When we escaped, I brought Santino to a neutral spot. Never once did I contact you or give you or the clan’s location away. So you tell me, how the fuck I endangered anyone but myself?” I slammed my fist into his chest, punctuating the anger in my words.
He stood silent for a moment. Against my better judgment, I looked up, intending to demand his answers and apology. Our eyes met, but I didn’t see anger there. Pain was etched across his face. My rage faltered. The hypnotic pull of his twilight eyes caught me in my momentary weakness. His voice whispered in my mind. I thought I had lost you.
My head began to swim, feeling heavy as his power invaded. Fear crept into my mind—not a fear of Lysander or of death, but of the all-consuming emptiness of a broken heart.
I never want to lose you, Alyssa. He whispered in my head. I was so afraid for you. You are my reason to continue living. You ended my loneliness. Be angry with me for acting as a leader and reprimanding you, but please do not endanger yourself. I could not bear that loss. I need you at my side.
He wanted me to feel everything: the fear, the pain, the sadness, the loss. He wanted me to feel how hurt he had been when I left him there in the hotel. And I did. The crushing weight of those devastating emotions enveloped me. For a brief moment my own heart ached as if it were being slowly ripped from my chest. A lump formed in my throat, and tears welled in my eyes. It felt like my world had fallen apart.
He released me from his mental hold, and I collapsed into him.
“Please do not make me worry like that again.” His tone gave away the emotions he felt. He sounded so wounded. So lonely.
My head cleared and the tidal wave of heartache receded. I understood his anger and pain, and felt terrible for causing him to feel that way; but he needed to understand my motivations. “I’m sorry, but I had to. You wouldn’t have let me save my friend.”
“Alyssa, you will always bring trouble, won’t you?” He reached a hand up and stroked my hair.
I buried my head into his hard, muscular chest, unsure how to take his words. Did that mean he understood? It certainly didn’t refute the fact that he wouldn’t have saved her.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Probably. Trouble loves me, right?”
Lysander wrapped his arms around me. “It seems you live only to attract danger. You are my heart, Alyssa. You allowed me to feel for someone again. You could have been killed. I don’t know that I could survive that.”
“It was my life at risk, and it was a risk I was willing to take. I couldn’t let them harm my friend.”
“Your life is not something I want to risk. You are young, and though immortal, you are not invincible. I do not want to lose you.”
“But I brought her into this. I had to save her.” I felt like I would have to drill the point into his head to get him to understand.
“You did not have to bring her into this.”
“What’s done is done. I can’t change what’s already happened, and you have harped on me long enough for this.”
“You are right. I know your intentions were good. As the leader of this clan, I cannot condone your actions, but as your mate, I’m glad that you did what you felt you had to in order to survive, even if that meant bringing a mortal into this.”
I smiled, my face still buried in his chest.
He’s never called me his mate before. “You consider me your mate?”
His hand trailed up my back. Long soft fingers twisted into the hair at the base of my neck. I breathed a deep sigh, enjoying the gentle caress of his touch.
He slowly pulled me away from his chest, urging me to look up at him.
“Yes, Alyssa, how could you think we were anything less? I love you. I want us to share immortality as mates, like Crystal and Drew, or Nicholas and Rozaline. You are my heart.”
I melted as his words sunk in. He loved me. He cherished me. Underneath that hard, aloof exterior his heart beat for me.
“I love you too, Lysander,” my voice was barely a whisper, but I saw the acknowledgement in his eyes.
You can buy your own copies of Katie's books from the following links
Thank you so much Katie for joining us today! As a part of Katie's tour I have 2 gifts up for grabs a $15 Amazon Gift Card as well as an interactive CD with both books Carpe Noctum and Hunter's and Prey. If you would like to enter fill out this Form CD's are international and Amazon is International I will announce the winner Saturday January 29th
This is a weekly meme hosted by Laurie over at Bitten By Paranormal Romance 1.Make a post for your blog to direct people to this post, you will find a code for the pic on my left sidebar. That way we get more bloggers involved. 2. Place your blogs name in the first box of the Linky 3. Then add your post that you made place that ULR in the second box. 4. When you find a blog that you like to follow please leave comment on the post the blogger made, so they can tag along to your blog. This is a weekly theme, so make sure you come back next Friday if you can. Note, I am sorry this wasn't on last Friday. I had it scheduled and for some reason the whole post disappeared I didn't get back on Friday until it was to late to catch it.
This weeks Question Who do you cheer for? I love football but I am not hardcore. I just watch it when it's on lol so to be honest I cheer for whichever team my husband is cheering for at that moment lol. I know horrible isn't it lol! Who do you cheer for?
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Goodreads blurb: There's no place like home, they say. "Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic." For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier – and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone – or something – igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire. Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets? As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Thirsty but not because of the paranormal element. I enjoyed the mother daughter story. Nina is an alcoholic who looses everything. When she hits rock bottom, she enters rehab. Thirsty is a great story of one womens journey to clean up her life and write all the wrongs that she has caused. When I finished reading this book I loved it. Not because of the Vampires, they had a part in the story but to me they weren't the main part. It was the story of Nina and her daughter Meg that kept me reading. Nina's struggle to reconnect with her daughter. It is a great story of overcoming addiction and putting your life back together. I would have read this book even if they're weren't vampires. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has had a loved one with an addiction or to anyone who enjoys a great story of reconnection! This was an amazing book and Tracey did an amazing job at conveying the real relationships between mothers and teenage daughters! Great job Tracey!
Ok First off I want to apologize to everyone. There was suppose to be a review along with this but due to the Christmas season I did not receive my book on time. So I will go ahead with the book spotlight and when I get my book for review I will post that along with my guest post
Book Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Tony’s parents are in the middle of divorce, his mother sends him to his Grandpa’s along the banks of the Flint River in Southwestern Georgia. With his younger cousin Kathryn, they set out to look for a Christmas tree for the holidays, along with Grandpa’s aging beagle, Sally. The three become lost in a snowstorm, Finding shelter in a hidden cave, stumbling upon Native American wall art. Now an adventure really begins…
Book Genre is Children in the age range of 9 - 14
Author's Bio:
Growing up in central Georgia gave Author Tommy Batchelor many outdoor adventures either in the woods or along the banks of the Flint River. “Lost on Spirit River”, is Book 1 of the Spirit River Trilogy and Tommy’s first Middle grade fiction for ages 9 - 14. Tommy’s first published book, Sunday’s with Papa T, A River Adventure, for ages 5 - 8 is a 28 page Picture Book. He resides in Middle Georgia with his wife, Cathy.Contact the Author at tombatch50@gmail.com
Across The Universe by Beth Revis
