Blog Tour: Vengeance by Megan Miranda

Title: Vengeance
Author: Megan Miranda
Series: Fracture #2
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: February 04, 2014
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn't matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker's father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can't forgive Delaney until he knows why.

Community Reviews:

Reading Teen

The Starry-Eyed Revue

Book'd Out

Book Blitz: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Hi and welcome to today's stop on the Heartbeat blog tour! Today's book blitz is brought to you by Kizmet Book Touring and me, Elegantly Bound Books! This book sounds awesome and I can't wait to read it!

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can’t tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn’t have interested Old Emma. But New Emma—the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia—New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love? 

About Heartbeat: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, IndieBound

Praise for Heartbeat:

“An intense examination of a family coping with grief, this absorbing character study easily keeps pages turning.”

-Kirkus on Heartbeat

About Elizabeth Scott: Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr

ELIZABETH SCOTT grew up in a town so small it didn't even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She’s sold hardware and pantyhose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn't want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, D.C., with her husband, and firmly believes you can never own too many books.

Emblaze Blog Tour: Interview with Jessica Shivington

Title: Emblaze

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Series: The Embrace Series #3

ON SALE NOW!!!

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

I'm so excited to have you on the blog for the Emblaze blog tour! The Embrace Series is one of my most favorite angel series right now!

Thanks so much for having me as a guest. And, yay! I'm so excited to hear you are enjoying the books!

How much research of angels and demons went into starting Embrace?

The research was extensive. Once it starts it kind of just escalates. I find that I stockpile a lot of different stories and take my times to become familiar with them and then, at the least expected times, I find an interesting way to weave them into Violet's world. Sometimes it is obvious to the reader and other times it is more subtle.

When featuring scripture through out the novels, do you find verses that fit the story or do you mold the story to fit a particular verse?

I find verses that fit my story - though that isn't to say that biblical stories and verses don't influence me along the way.

Who is your favorite character to write?

I write in Violet's point of view so I naturally feel closest to her. That said, I love them all. It is like asking a mother to choose between children. Very hard! And I really shouldn't! ;-)

Were you a big reader while growing up?

No. Not at all. In fact, I'd probably go out of my way to avoid reading books that I was told I should - even now I find it hard to be told what I am supposed to read. Although I am getting better!

It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I really discovered my love of reading. It is strange sometimes to think about what I missed out on now that I know what a huge part of my life reading and writing are. I really feel a bit cross with myself over it to be honest.

Who are your inspirations as a writer?

To tell a good story. That's it. Then once I do that, I'd really like to do that again.

If you had to recommend one book (or series) that you believe is a must read, what would it be?

Any book that grabs your attention. I don't know. Like I said above, I don't love being told what to read - it's personal, so I don't want to do it to other people. I love authors like C.S Lewis and I think there are some amazing authors like Neil Gaiman out there who should not be missed, but that's just me. Everyone is different.

Sum up The Embrace Series in 140 characters or less.

Angels are not always good. Consequence chases every choice. And love will kill them all.

Can you give us any spoilers or hints at what the future holds for Violet and Lincoln?

At the moment I'll give everyone a chance to enjoy EMBLAZE since it has just come out. ENDLESS will be out soon in October this year and then the final book will follow shortly after that. I'm very excited to share ENDLESS in October and I can let you know this much - I cried when I wrote it. A lot.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! The Embrace Series is fantastic and I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of the novels!

Thanks Crystal!! xx

Blog Tour: Giveaway of Nobody and Every Other Day!

Rules:

• US and Canada ONLY! 
• No cheating! I will find out and you will be disqualified.
• Must be 13 years or older to enter.
• Winner will be contacted by email and given 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Giveaway provided by Egmont.
• Elegantly Bound Books and Egmont are not responsible for any books that are lost or stolen in the mail.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway! Breathe by Suzanne Cox

Hey! I'm glad you stopped by! Welcome to the Blitz Tour for Breathe by Suzanne Cox! Have you seen that awesome cover!! Isn't is just gorgeous?! I already bought a copy for my Nook and I hope you do the same!! Book Blitz is hosted and created by Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette!

Title: Breathe

Author: Suzanne Cox

Release Date: October 22, 2012

17 year old science prodigy, Laney Brookes, is looking for two things: a cure for the flu virus that’s ravaging the world and the truth about what happened to her father. Using clues from her father’s secret journals, she and her two friends Kate and Carter follow what she thinks is the path to the answers.

It’s a path that lands them in the lost world of Atlantis, a world struggling to survive. Laney finds more than just answers in Atlantis. She finds love. To get her friends and herself home, Laney will have to travel into enemy territory, led by Andrew a young Atlantean determined to return his people to power. In the process she’ll even unravel the mystery of her missing father. But first, she’ll have to figure out who the real enemy is.

About the Author: 

I remember writing my first stories when I was about nine or ten years old. I've been writing ever since. In 2002 I decided to seriously try and get some of my work published. On February 14th of 2005 I sold my first book, A Different Kind of Man, to Harlequin Superromance. While trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, besides a writer, I went to college (alot) and worked a variety of jobs. I have a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in secondary education, a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in career and technical education with an emphasis in adult education and most recently, a master of science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner. I was also a National Board Certified Teacher in career and technical education. Along the way I've worked as a high school English teacher and an elementary teacher. I've worked as a registered nurse on a cardiac unit, brain injury rehab unit, and several different medical-surgical units. I've also done stints as a home health nurse and a commnunity health educator at a hospital, and many years as an allied health instructor at a high school career and technology center. Presently, I'm working full time as a family nurse practitioner at an inpatient psychiatric facility.

If I'm not writing I like to spend time reading. My husband and I share our home with our four legged children. Our boy and girl in puppy dog clothes, Toby and Sassy, who masquerade as Miniature Pinschers. We are also owned by three cats Chase, Jackson, and Spots. We are all terrorized by Gray Kitty, a stray who decided to stay and take over.

Suzanne's Blog

Suzanne's Author Website

Suzanne's Facebook

Suzanne's Twitter

Buy Breathe: Amazon, B&N

Giveaway:

• US Only
• (1) copy of Breathe & (1) Marked.
• Sparkly nail polish that coordinates with the book cover.
• A stoneware necklace with concentric circle design from Breathe by Kaatee art.
• Metal bookmark

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Ghost Planet Blog Tour: Interview with Sharon Lynn Fisher!

Today I have the pleasure of having Sharon Lynn Fisher on the blog for an interview about her new book Ghost Planet! Ghost Planet is so awesome and I think you all should go out and read it!! Scroll down through the entire post to read an excerpt from the book!

A world in peril. A bond deeper than love.

Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world - a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these “ghosts.” She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.

Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy - creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone - oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love - Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.

But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man she loves.

1. How did you come up with the concept of Ghost Planet?

I had been mainly writing fantasy romance up to that point, and decided I wanted to try my hand at sci-fi. The title came to me first, and then I started noodling on what a story with that title would be about. I came up with the concept for the ghost-aliens, and thought it would be cool to have my heroine travel to the planet and discover she was tethered to one. Then I thought no, SHE should be the alien. That’s really what got the story going.

2. What drew you to combine science fiction and psychology?

That’s a great question. It was really a natural direction for this particular story. When I came up with the concept for the ghosts – aliens who are created in the form of dead loved ones, and symbiotically bound to the colonists – I put myself in the colonists’ shoes. I tried to imagine how I would react if I traveled to a newly discovered world, only to meet up with a deceased mother, father, or husband who was actually an alien. And what if it happened not only to me, but also to the thousands of others who had colonized the planet. Chaos, right? Depression, PTSD, suicides, even murder.

And of course that was the reason the hero -- psychologist Grayson Murphy-- was recruited to work on Ardagh 1 (the “ghost planet”), and came up with the Ghost Protocol.

3. Did you read a lot of science fiction when you were a kid?

No, I wouldn't say a lot. But one of my favorite books as an adolescent was A WRINKLE IN TIME, which, like GHOST PLANET, combines sci-fi and romance. I read that book a dozen times. I also read the Star Wars novel SPLINTER OF THE MIND’S EYE (Alan Dean Foster) several times. That story also combines sci-fi and romance.

Beyond that I read mostly fantasy -- Piers Anthony, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien. I loved anything about ghosts, goblins, or fairies.

4. Who are your inspirations as a writer?

All of the above plus Richard Adams, Charlotte Bronte, Anthony Trollope, and Jane Austen.

5. If you lived on Ardagh 1 who would be your ghost?

Interesting question. I've been asked a few times whom I would *choose* as my ghost, but not who would actually BE my ghost.

Following my own world building rules, it would be either my dad or one of my grandparents. Loved them all dearly but I think my gran (my dad’s mom) would be the easiest (and most fun) to live with. She was an Okie, part Cherokee, who told great stories and said things like “God love your meat” while pinching my cheeks. Please don’t ask me what that means because I have no idea.

6. Who was your favorite character to write?

I find this question tough! I enjoyed writing them all, for different reasons. If I translate “favorite” to “most fun,” I think of characters that sprang fully formed from my brain and required very little revision. By that definition: the smart-ass, suicidal, physicist-turned-transport-pilot Garvey.

7. If you had to recommend one book that you think is a must read, what would it be?

I wish everyone would read WATERSHIP DOWN (Richard Adams). I think people are put off by the fact that it’s about rabbits, but that’s like saying THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH is about a church. WATERSHIP is about very human trials and emotions, plus it’s full of adventure, mystery, politics, and even romance.

8. Sum up your book in 140 characters or less.

Psychologist takes a job on an alien world. On day 1, she learns she's: Dead. Reincarnated as an alien. Tethered to a man who must shun her.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog and answering a few questions! Your book is fantastic and I can’t wait for the next one!

Wow, thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you very much for having me.

Excerpt from Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher!

We trotted up half a dozen steps and were passing through the glass doors when Murphy said, “We’ll be scanned by security just inside. I hate them being here, raising people’s anxiety level in a place where we want them to feel safe. But all new arrivals pass through here, and someone decided it was a good idea.”

Thinking about the illicit-substance and weapons scans in all the airports and public buildings back home, I raised my eyebrows. “What’s it for?”

“To get a sort of fingerprint on everyone,” he explained, walking through the doorframe-shaped scanner. “Just to make sure we know who’s who. They can’t do it at the transport terminal because no one has ghosts when they first arrive.”

I followed him through the scanner, and a long beep sounded somewhere off to my left as I joined him inside. Murphy’s head jerked toward the sound. His eyes moved to the glass doors we’d just come through, and slowly back to me. He glanced at the security desk on our right.

“Where is it?” Murphy called to the guard, whose fingers were flying over his keyboard. The guard’s ghost leaned against the wall behind him, little more than a shadow.

The man stopped typing and looked up. “I’m sorry, Dr. Murphy?”

“I heard the alert go off, but I don’t see her. My ghost, Simon,” Murphy added, growing impatient. “Do you see her?”

The guard blinked at him a couple times. Then he cleared his throat. “She’s standing right next to you, Dr. Murphy.”

SHARON LYNN FISHER is the author of GHOST PLANET, coming from Tor Books on Oct. 30. The book -- a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist -- is a sci-fi/romance blend that offers a "fresh and fascinating take on the human-alien problem" (says author Linnea Sinclair). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is hard at work on her next novel and battles writerly angst with baked goods, Irish tea, and champagne. You can visit her online at SharonLynnFisher.com.

Blog Tour: Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt-Guest Post!

I have the great pleasure of welcoming Tiffany Schmidt to the blog today with a guest post! Tiffany's new book Send Me a Sign was released this week and has already received great reviews! I hope you guys are able to pick up her book soon and that you enjoy her guest post!

I was the type of child who makes adults say, “You just wait until you have children of your own—I hope they’re just like you.”

They usually said this when we were en route to the Emergency Room so I could be stitched up, or casted, or otherwise reassembled. Or they said it as they put me in time out for the third time in an hour. Or as the cleaned up the mess I made after I’d given myself and my Barbies a haircut. Or as they called home from school to tell my parents how I’d told the whole class to “start circle time without me, I’m busy. I’ll catch up in a few minutes.”

My mother often stated that while one of us might survive until my 18th birthday, she doubted both of us would.

This might have been true if it weren't for books. Reading and writing were the only times I sat still long enough to stay out of trouble.

...Though there were plenty of phone calls home about getting caught reading during math, science, history, spelling… and even reading. Yes, it takes a special talent to get in trouble for reading during reading class. Apparently you aren't supposed to ignore the kid who’s reading aloud and just forge ahead… Apparently it’s not okay to decide the excerpt in the anthology isn't enough and get up in the middle of a story discussion to see if the whole novel is in the classroom library…

I spent most of my early school years having books confiscated.

Luckily, I got in less trouble as I got older. By the time I was a senior in high school, my yearbook superlative was “class angel.” This isn't to say I wasn't reading during algebra, bio, chemistry and world civ…. I’d just gotten much better at hiding it. And writing poems in my French notebook totally looked the same as copying verb conjugations off the board.

I can think of only one time that I was caught in high school – that’s when I decided that a movie-day in Chemistry was a great time to finish reading A Separate Peace. The movie ended. The lights turned back on. I was holding the book with tears still pouring down my sob-splotchy face. I think the teacher thought my ugly-crying was punishment enough…

This morning I rescued one of my toddler twins from the third shelf of our bookcase—meanwhile, his brother was removing his diaper and running laps around the kitchen yelling: “Nudie! Nudie!” As soon as they had all four feet on the ground (and clothing on) the first thing they demanded was “Book! Snuggle!” – yup, my children are just like me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Blog Tour: Foreign Identity by Becca Campbell

Title: Foreign Identity
Author: Becca Campbell
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Cold. Confusion. Fear. This is how it all begins.

Waking up without your memory in a cell and bound by chains is terrifying.

Two nameless strangers, a man and a woman, find themselves imprisoned together. With no memories of their own identities, let alone their captor and tormentor, escape is the only option. The pair faces a bizarre labyrinth of rooms and clues that confuse more than they explain. Every discovery only brings more questions.

Who captured them? Why were they taken? What does their captor want from them? What can the riddles mean?

Who are they?

Lacking allies and options, the duo must learn to trust one another. Mazes, puzzles, and even strange, lurking creatures force them to rely on their wits--and each other--for survival. But survival isn’t enough. They need answers.

Will the answers be enough? Will the truth bring them closer together, or drive them forever apart? Will discovering their identities finally bring them home?

My thoughts: 

Foreign Identity is so different from the books that I usually read and review here. I mainly stick to YA because it’s the genre I identify easiest to but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy adult type books. Many of my favorite books are considered “adult” and if I find the synopsis of a book that I really like, chances are I’m going to read it whether it’s YA or not. With that being said, Foreign Identity was one of those synopses that really grabbed and made me really excited to read it!

Foreign Identity really jumps right into the action with the two main characters who find themselves chained up and they can’t seem to remember anything, even their own names. I got really excited when I read the first chapter because it sounded like it was going to be a little like a Saw movie without the intense horror or blood and guts. But the plot line of the story turned out to be like nothing I’ve ever read before.

The whole time I was reading this book I kept thinking to myself, “How did this happen? Where are they? Who are they? When are they going to remember anything?” I’m flying through the book because I want to know the answers to all these questions! And the next thing I know I’m at the end of the book what can I say? It was pretty good! All my questions were answered which is great because I like to read books that are just one book! Even though my first inclinations of this book were Saw, it ended up being a science-fiction version of saw without the horror and gore. I give Foreign Identity 4 hearts because it was really fast-paced and a unique novel!

Follow the links below to check out some author interviews, guest posts and more reviews!

7/10 - Lillie McFerrin Writes

7/11 - Christie's Book Reviews

7/12 - PaulaShx Book Reviews

7/13 - PaulaShx Book Reviews 

7/14 - Now is Gone

7/16 - Books and Needlepoint 

7/17 - Nikki's Notes 

7/18 - Elegantly Bound Books 

7/19 - The Peasants Revolt 

7/20 - Sweet Banana Ink 

7/21 - The Bibliophile's Corner

7/23 - Dustin Metzger 

7/24 - Blood, Sweat, and Books 

7/25 - M Pax 

Becca is also doing an awesome giveaway! For anyone who purchases a copy of Foreign Identity during the blog tour, Becca will give away a free copy of her science fiction dystopian super hero short story Not the Norm! So if you did buy Foreign Identity follow this link to get your free book! So go ahead, enter the giveaway!

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Blog Tour! Transcendence by CJ Omololu

Title: Transcendence
Author: CJ Omololu
Publisher: Walker & Company
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC provided by Publisher

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?

My thoughts: 

There’s just something so versatile about the topic of reincarnation. And there is so many things that authors can do with it! I haven’t read many books dealing with reincarnation but my fascination with the theme continues to grow! I would have to say that Transcendence is one of the best reincarnation books I’ve read yet! I loved the setting, the characters, the story line and the little surprises that were thrown in here and there!

The basic storyline of Transcendence is that everyone is reincarnated throughout the centuries and those who are able to remember their past lives are called the Akhet. The Akhet don’t start off remembering everything but during one of their lifetimes they begin to remember their past lives. In Transcendence, Cole begins to remember bits and pieces of her past lives while she is on a trip to London. Soon it becomes clear that an acquaintance from one of her past lives is trying to exact revenge on her!

Cole is a pretty awesome character! She’s going through life like a normal teenager except she’s a brilliant cello player and then she starts remembering scenes from her past lives. My favorite of her past lives is when she is beheaded in England during the Tudor era. She’s also very naive but I don’t mean this in a bad way. The whole notion of the Akhet is so very new to her that she thinks is strange that someone could hold a grudge against her for so long.

Griffon, the guy she meets while in London, acts as her guide through becoming Akhet. He is so cute and as a reader, I could tell that he really liked her right from the beginning. What I thought was the most amusing was his relationship with his mom. Since his mom is also Akhet, he called her by her first name and she only acted as a hands-off guardian, allowing him the freedom to do as he pleased. Although I really loved the story, I felt like Griffon held back too much information from Cole which kind of left her one her own to figure out certain things.

There are so many elements that I love about this story! I do have to say that the old English flash backs were so of my favorites! I have to give Transcendence 4 hearts for really incorporating a lot of surprises into this story!

Unbreak My Heart Blog Tour- Guest Vlog by Melissa Walker

I am so excited to have Melissa Walker on the blog today! Her newest novel Unbreak My Heart hits the shelves May 22 and is definitely a great summer read! To read my review, click here!

Melissa Walker is a writer who has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. All in the name of journalism, she has spent 24 hours with male models and attended an elite finishing school for girls in New Zealand, among other hardships.

She co-founded I Heart Daily with fellow ex-ELLEgirl Anne Ichikawa in 2009. It’s a daily newsletter about likable stuff.

Melissa lives in Brooklyn and has a BA in English from Vassar College. She would tell you her SAT scores too, but, you know, the math part was hard.

Melissa's other books:

Violet on the Runway, Violet by Design and Violet in Private (Penguin), are the books in a trilogy about a small-town girl who is scouted to become a model and finds herself in the middle of the crazy fashion world. Lovestruck Summer (HarperTeen) is a beach read full of indie rock and cowboys. Small Town Sinners (Bloomsbury) is the story of a girl who wants to star in her Evangelical community’s Hell House production.

Melissa's bio, picture and other information is provided by Melissa's author website.

For this very special guest post, Melissa made a vlog, telling about her experience of spending a summer on a sail boat!

Find Unbreak My Heart by Melissa walker here:

Amazon

Goodreads

Blog Tour- Fracture by Megan Miranda

Welcome to today's stop on the Fracture Blog Tour! I hope you enjoy my review.  For more information on the book, where Megan Miranda will be signing and exclusive exerpts, please visit the Fracture Facebook Fan Page.  I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour and I can't wait to get my book signed when she comes to Southern California next week!

Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker & Company
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of the publisher

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

My take:

Fracture is a beautifully written novel about a girl who dies and is not quite the same when she comes back to life.  When I first started to read this book, I thought it was just a contemporary novel.  But then it turns out that there is a little paranormal twist to it.  It's not full-blown like the existence vampires or werewolves, but it's subtle, and very well done.  

I liked the characters a lot.  Especially Delaney.  At first I thought she was really distant and hard to relate to, but then when I thought about, how can I really relate to someone who died and then was brought back to life.  She's dealing with not feeling like herself and a new aspect to her life that would have never had happened if she hadn't died.  Then I realized that the way she was acting was very appropriate for what she was going through.  She was mourning the death of her old self because she knew she was never going to be the same again. 

I loved Decker! Oh, but I got so mad at him and then I loved him again! I'm pretty sure someone who dives into an ice cold lake to save your life is a keeper!  Troy totally fooled me.  I though he was good and was going to help Delaney on the journey of discovering her new found gift.  I really wanted him to be good. 

Fracture is a great novel.  It's heartbreaking most of the time but the ending makes up for it.  It's a must read this year!

Review- Cinder and Ella BLOG TOUR!

Title: Cinder and Ella

Author: Melissa Lemon

Publisher: Bonneville Books (Cedar Fort)

Publish Date: November 08, 2011

Rating: 4/5

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: ARC via Netgalley

After their father's disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn't long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself-the most dangerous place is all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you'll never forget.

My thoughts:

First of all, I love re-tellings of old fairy tales, Greek Myths or true historical events with a fiction twist. This story was so unique and different from Cinderella and I really loved it.

I loved how Cinderella was broken up into two characters, Cinder and Ella, two sisters who are the most level headed and realistic two in the family. They are also the closest among all the sisters. Cinder, being the family's favorite of the two, is pretty much the main provider and will do anything for her family members. Ella is much more stubborn and doesn't let her sisters take advantage of her. When the two split up, Cinder working at the castle and Ella running to wherever she can go, her family begins to forget about Ella and pushes the two into one, Cinderella.

My absolute favorite part of the book is the story of the life tree. Everyone in their world is given a life tree at birth and they can ultimately live or die depending on the condition of their tree. It's just so creative and unique. Cinder and Ella has a lot more elements to it that make it so much more than just Cinderella.

It is truly a story about love, honor and family loyalty which is what I love most about Young Adult novels. It was so fun to read and to see Cinderella in a different light.

For more information and further tour dates, please visit the Cinder & Ella Blog Tour website.