{Blog Tour} Aftermath - Clara Kensie (Review)

Aftermath
by Clara Kensie
Publisher: Merit Press
Release: November 15th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Synopsis:

Charlotte survived four long years as a prisoner in the attic of her kidnapper, sustained only by dreams of her loving family. The chance to escape suddenly arrives, and Charlotte fights her way to freedom. But an answered prayer turns into heartbreak. Losing her has torn her family apart. Her parents have divorced: Dad's a glutton for fame, Mom drinks too much, and Charlotte's twin is a zoned-out druggie. Her father wants Charlotte write a book and go on a lecture tour, and her mom wants to keep her safe, a virtual prisoner in her own home. But Charlotte is obsessed with the other girl who was kidnapped, who never got a second chance at life--the girl who nobody but Charlotte believes really existed. Until she can get justice for that girl, even if she has to do it on her own, whatever the danger, Charlotte will never be free.

Review

This book follows Charlotte who has been kidnapped when she was a young child.  Charlotte kept going at her kidnapper's house by thinking of her loving family assuming they were doing great and had moved on without her.  When Charlotte is finally found and released she has found out that her family has completely changed from when she was abducted.

First I love Charlotte as a character.  The author did an amazing job creating a teenager who has been abducted and found.  I felt like the emotions that Charlotte was going through were very well represented by the author.  I loved how the author would describe what Charlotte was doing as well as thinking because sometimes you want to put on a front to move forward.   Also, I liked how the author handled all the gruesome acts that must have happened to Charlotte, we get to see bits and pieces of what happened to her and it is not overwhelming to read.   Charlotte is a very strong character even if she doesn't always see it, the author did a great job showing the strength that Charlotte possess.

I could not believe the twist towards the very end of the book.  I did not see that coming at all and it tore out my heart and stomped all over it.  I felt so connected with Charlotte at that moment in the book I wasn't sure how she was going to go on with her life.  It felt like the entire book was building up to a large event and the book did not disappoint. 

The side characters in the book where perfect.  I enjoyed reading about Charlotte's twin sister as well as her parents.  They each suffered in different ways when Charlotte disappeared and handled the situation differently.  The author did a great job showing how each coped with what happened and how guilty they each felt.  I loved by the end of the book we get to see 180 degrees in all of these relationships.

Things I didn't love in the book was I felt like the author could have expanded more upon Charlotte's recovery.  I felt like the author picked a few major issues to talk about, which probably kept the book shorter, but I felt like she was going through so many emotions I would have love to read more about what was going on Charlotte's brain and how someone can recover from such a trauma. 

I would suggest this as a weekend read or a vacation read.  I found this book hard to put down.  I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end and if Charlotte would be able to succeed in life.   This story was so gripping I couldn't put it down.  It is a book that you need time to digest and think through.

I received a copy of this book from the Fantastic Flying Book Club for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not effect my opinion of this book.

My Rating:  5/5

Winner of the 2015 RITA Award for Best First Book

Clara Kensie grew up near Chicago, reading every book she could find and using her diary to write stories about a girl with psychic powers who solved mysteries. She purposely did not hide her diary, hoping someone would read it and assume she was writing about herself. Since then, she's swapped her diary for a computer and admits her characters are fictional, but otherwise she hasn't changed one bit. 

Today, Clara is the author of dark fiction for young adults. Her debut, the super-romantic thriller RUN TO YOU BOOK ONE: DECEPTION SO DEADLY is the winner of the prestigious RITA Award for Best First Book.

The RUN TO YOU series was named to several Best Books of 2014 lists, including RT Magazine Editors' Pick. The two-book series was originally published as a six-part serial by Harlequin Teen in 2014 (First Sight, Second Glance, Third Charm, Fourth Shadow, Fifth Touch, and Sixth Sense). By popular demand, the six-part serial is now available as two full-length books: DECEPTION SO DEADLY and DECEPTION SO DARK.

Her next book is AFTERMATH, a dark, ripped-from-the-headlines contemporary about a girl who returns home four years after being kidnapped, only to find her family has fallen apart in her absence. To fix her broken family--and help find the body of her captor's first victim--the girl must first heal herself. AFTERMATH is a story of hope, healing, and triumph over tragedy, perfect for fans of ROOM and THE LOVELY BONES. Available November 15th 2016 from Merit Press.

Clara's favorite foods are guacamole and cookie dough. But not together. That would be gross.

October Wrap Up - November TBR

Goodbye October

Hello November

 ...................................................

So October flew by I could barely keep up! Halloween finally came and went!! I know we will start Halloween 2017 in December but I have November to catch up on life!!! 

October was a busy month for me.  I went away with my husband and friends for the first weekend and it was awesome!! We went to Baltimore and I loved every moment of it! We did eat a lot, but it was well worth it!! 

I got to see another show in the city with my friend this time it was puppets of the Golden Girls! It was one of the funniest things I have seen ever.   The show was adapted to present day and the jokes where great!!  

November is going to fly by to my husband and I are going on vacation to Barbados the first week, which is why this post is delayed and I hope to get tons of reading done!!  

My goal for November is going to be to focus on blogging and updating my blog.  I should have some more free time so I also hope to get through a lot of reading!! I also want to get more of a social media following.  

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My top clicked on post for October was: Curse of the Moon - Beth Trissel (Review)

My favorite book I read in October was:  It's Been You - Rina Grey (Completed 10/26/16)

I can't wait to read in November:  Aftermath - Clara Kensie
 
Books Completed in October:
The Row - J.R. Johansson (Completed 10/2/16)
Curse of the Moon - Beth Trissel (Completed 10/11/16)
Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld (Completed 10/11/16) 
The Lost and Found Life of Rosy Bennett - Jan Birley (Completed 10/16/16)
Tell Me Again - Michelle Major (Completed 10/17/16)
Cowboy Karma - Mia Hopkins (Completed 10/19/16)
It's Been You - Rina Grey (Completed 10/26/16)
The Panther Moon - Beth Trissel (Completed 10/27/16) 
Return of the Continuum - Jennifer Brody (Completed 10/30/16) 


Audiobooks Completed in October:
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell (Completed 10/7/16)
A Season for Fireflies - Rebecca Maizel (Completed 10/12/16) 
Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell (Completed 10/19/16)
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling (Completed 10/24/16)
Cinder - Marissa Meyer (Completed 10/31/16)
 

My November TBR List (which will most likely change 100 times):
Everyday Magic - Emily Albright
Aftermath - Clara Kensie
Can't Stop Loving You - Miranda Liasson 

Challenge Participating in:

Backlist Books Reading Challenge 2016

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 How was your October?  What do you have planned for November?

{Blog Tour} Everyday Magic (Untitled #2) by Emily Albright (Review & Giveaway)

Everyday Magic (Untitled #2)
by Emily Albright
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: December 2nd 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

For once, Maggie McKendrick just wants to control her own life. Her overbearing Hollywood director father has it all planned out for her: UCLA, law school, then working as an entertainment lawyer, preferably for him. But Maggie has other, more creative-spirit friendly, plans. Namely, Thrippletons School of Fashion and Design in England, and then onto becoming a designer, preferably a wildly successful one. The big snag in her plan? Getting it past her dad.

A movie shoot takes the family to the Scottish Highlands for the summer, and closer to Maggie’s dream school. While there, she runs into the charming Preston Browne. Maggie is intrigued and decides to bend her no guys rule—instituted after her ex used her to get close to her dad. Forced to keep secrets from Preston in order to protect the future plans she’s made, Maggie finds herself falling for the tall Brit. And for once in her life she knows that he’s interested in her, not her Hollywood connections. When Maggie's father blackmails her into dating his lead actor, she isn’t left with a choice. The biggest problem isn’t having to date hunky, mega-hottie, Ben Chambers. No, it’s praying she doesn’t lose Preston in the process.

Excelling at her dream school, Maggie’s personal life is a tangled mess. She needs to decide if living a lie is worth losing Preston or chance going against her father and facing his wrath. When the tabloids expose the truth of her fake relationship with Ben, Maggie's world is thrown into a tailspin. Ultimately, Maggie must find the courage to take risks and forge ahead on her own path.

Review

This book follows Maggie and her family as they move out to the Scottish Highlands for the summer.   Maggie is close with her mother and brother, but her father is a big director and she is far from close from her father.  We can tell right off the bat that Maggie's father rules the family and she is constantly walking on eggshells around him.   Maggie really opens up throughout the book about the struggles that she has had in life.

The author did a great job setting up the scenes for the book and all of the little details.  I felt like when I was reading I was able to picture where Maggie was going and what she was seeing.  The author did a great job with details to help create a very vivid picture of what was going on.

I liked Maggie as the main character in the book.  She is still very young with just entering college so some of the things that she does is not in the best judgement, but it matches with her being so young.  I felt like Maggie had a very strong support system in place even if she didn't always see it that way.  The story is told completely through Maggie's eyes and she really grew on me throughout the book.  I did like that we got to see her fears and flaws as well as her successes it gave me a true picture of who she was as a character.

There are a few side characters in the book that I just couldn't stand like Ben Chambers.  I felt like the author didn't really focus on him to much so I got a bad taste in my mouth from the small details that I knew about him.  

The story is very cute to follow along with and the author does a great job keeping the reader entertained.  I didn't see some of the stuff coming in the book so it was a great read!

Things I didn't love was the topic of abuse was brought up a lot during the book and I felt like it was handled well.  I sort of felt like it was an after thought.  I felt like we all knew what was going on and the author didn't want to make it to graphic because then it would have needed to be addressed further.  This was the main reason I couldn't give this book a 5, although it is a very enjoyable read.

I would suggest this as a perfect nighttime read.  The book was very easy to follow along with and I enjoyed reading about Maggie's life crisis.  The book is pretty fast paced so it was very easy to take your mind off of everything.

I received a copy of this book from The Fantastic Flying Book Club for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not effect my opinion of this book.

Emily Albright's debut novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is releasing January 18, 2016 from Merit Press.

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).

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{Blog Tour} Return of the Continuums (The Continuum Trilogy #2) - Jennifer Brody (Review)

Return of the Continuums (The Continuum Trilogy #2)
by Jennifer Brody
Publisher: Turner Publishing
Release Date: November 1st 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rate: 4/5

Synopsis:

One thousand years after a cataclysmic event leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, the survivors take refuge in continuums designed to sustain the human race until repopulation of Earth becomes possible. Against this backdrop, a group of young friends in the underwater Thirteenth Continuum dream about life outside their totalitarian existence, an idea that has been outlawed for centuries. When a shocking discovery turns the dream into a reality, they must decide if they will risk their own extinction to experience something no one has for generations, the Surface.

This is not a book that could be read as a standalone novel.  The book jumps right into the action following Myra and her friends as they search for the First Continuum.    It picks up with the same characters and the plot line exactly from The 13th Continuum.  Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character.   We get to learn a lot more about the world that the characters live in.  We also get a much better picture of how everything is related. 

 

I loved how we get to learn a lot more about the individual characters and really see their personalities take form.   I loved Myra as a character, we get to see her strength and loyalty grow throughout the book.  We also get to see her make mistakes and grow even stronger.  I loved getting to see her interact with other characters as well as reading about her from different perspectives in the book.  I also love her brother Tinker I feel like he is way beyond his years in his knowledge and he really brings out the best side in people.   I feel like I would love a Tinker standalone novel or even chapters told by Tinker.

 

This story takes place mostly in the present tense, but we do get a lot of flash backs into what happened to some of the continuum's.  The author did a great job showing how humanity evolved during the Doom.  We also get a lot of details pieced together towards the end of this book.  There is still a large amount of questions and I will be reading the next book in these series because I need to know how it all pieces together.  The author does a great job with leaving you wanting more while you are reading. 

 

I loved how the author really brought a whole new world to life in my mind.  The details the author gives really help to create pictures in my mind of what the author is thinking about.    

 

Things I didn't love was some of the details in the book I felt like the author could have went into a little more detail.  I felt like some of the science details we were getting quickly and I could sort of picture what the author was talking about, but still had questions.  I felt like this book was a very fast paced nature and I would have liked the author to expand more upon some of the details so create a clearer picture in my mind. 

I would suggest this as a weekend read.  I felt like the story had a lot going on and it took a lot more of my focus while I was reading.  Science fiction is generally a harder book for me to follow so I like when I have more time to digest the novel.  Also, there was a lot of suspense so it made me keep wanting to read.

 

I received a copy of this book from The Fantastic Flying Book Club for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not affect my opinion of this book.

Follow the The 13th Continuum by Jennifer Brody Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Jennifer Brody’s debut novel The 13th Continuum sold to Turner Publishing in a 3-book deal and is being packaged into a feature film. The book is the first in a trilogy and will come out in Spring 2016. She is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. She lives and writes in LA.

After studying film and graduating from Harvard University, she began her career in feature film development. Highlights include working for Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and New Line Cinema, most notably on The Lord of the Rings films and The Golden Compass. In 2008, she produced the feature film Make It Happen for The Weinstein Company. Her recipes and articles have appeared in xoJane, Fox News, Parade Magazine, Whole Life Times, and Meatless Monday, and many other publications.

She is an alumni of the Sirenland Writers Conference, where she studied with Meg Wolitzer, and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, where she studied with Victor LaValle. She recently completed a 3-week residency at The Lemon Tree House and has been accepted for a residency in Spring 2016 at the Helen R. Whiteley Center, run by the University of Washington.

She founded and runs BookPod, a social media platform for authors with 400 members. She’s also a mentor for the Young Storytellers Foundation. In Spring 2015, her mentee’s script was picked out of over 900 scripts for the Glee Big Show, where it was performed by the cast of the hit Fox TV show, and in Fall of 2015, her mentee’s script was chosen for the Biggest Show, where it was performed by Jack Black and Leslie Mann.