Feral by Holly Schindler Blog Tour

Publication: August 26, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: The Author & FFBC

Thank you for joining me on my stop of the Feral by Holly Schindler Blog Tour! Take a look at my review below and feel free to pre-order the book if your interest is peaked. Oh and don't forget to follow the other tour stops and to enter the giveaway as well!☺

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know. It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew. But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened. But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley…. Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

The story focuses on Claire trying to re-adjust to life after a violent incident back in Chicago had her and her father moving to Peculiar, Missouri in hopes of a fresh start. Things don’t exactly go as planned when she stumbles upon the body of a dead teenager behind school grounds.

The author did a good job at making me question Claire’s sanity. I wasn’t sure if things that happened actually happened or if it was all in her mind.

Feral was an interesting read. There were a lot of creepy and strange things occurring. And I don’t think I will ever look at another cat the same way again. It didn’t seem to have a big air of suspense going on like I thought it would. But my curiosity regarding all of the strange occurrences that kept happening to Claire and in the town kept me reading.

If you are looking for something unique and a little creepy then you might want to check out Feral.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly Schindler is the author of the critically acclaimed A BLUE SO DARK (Booklist starred review, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year silver medal recipient, IPPY Awards gold medal recipient) as well as PLAYING HURT (both YAs).  

Her debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY also released in ’14, and became a favorite of teachers and librarians, who used the book as a read-aloud.  Kirkus Reviews called THE JUNCTION “...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve.”  Bloggers also quickly fell for the book; Susan at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books said of THE JUNCTION, “Triumphant and compelling, this is one of those books that will make you cheer.  And look a little bit closer for the unique beauty in all of us.”  

FERAL is Schindler’s third YA and first mystery / thriller.  She encourages readers to get in touch, and can be found at hollyschindler.com, hollyschindler.blogspot.com, @holly_schindler, Facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor, and http://hollyschindler.tumblr.com/

GIVEAWAY:

Win (1) signed hardcover of FERAL (US/CAN Only)

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Book Blast: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Synopsis Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back. And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they’re sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few “dates”, it looks like her plan is going to work!  But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game. What’s a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you’re meant to be with, if you’re still figuring out the person you’re meant to be?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated from Washington University and the Goldfarb School of Nursing. When she’s not writing, she’s kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers! Find her online at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY!!!

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

2 Winners will receive a Copy of The Art of Lainey+Swag by Paula Stokes.

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Waiting on Wednesday # 32

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. The goal is to spotlight upcoming books that I am super excited for.

This week I am waiting on Blackbird (Blackbird Duology #1) by Anna Carey.

Publication: September 16, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants. A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.  On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.  The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

This book sounds very, very cool. And the cover? Awesome. I love edge of your seat thrillers and Blackbird seems like it would keep me turning the pages and guessing.

What is on your radar for this week???

Waiting on Wednesday # 28

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. The goal is to spotlight upcoming books that I am super excited for.

This week I am waiting on On the Fence by Kasie West. 

Expected Publication: July 1, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door… Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high. Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

I enjoyed reading Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us, so naturally I am looking forward to Kasie West’s newest book coming out this summer.  

I feel like a lot of awesome books will be releasing over the summer and I am super excited for it to start already!

What are you waiting for this week?

Waiting on Wednesday # 15

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. The goal is to spotlight upcoming books that I am super excited for.

This particular week I am waiting for House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple.

 

Expected Publication: April 15, 2014

Publisher: Harper Teen

Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.

 

This book sounds like it is right up my alley. It will be the first time I have read a book from this author, so I hope that my expectations won’t be too high by the time it releases.

What book are you waiting for?

Don’t Turn Around (PERSEFONE #1) by Michelle Gagnon

Publication: August 28, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

 

Synopsis:   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 hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a 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 in no uncertain terms. 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.

 

I thought that the story started off really well. Noa wakes up in what first appears to be a hospital, with no recollection of how she got there or why she doesn’t remember. The good news is that her memory is not completely wiped. Noa does know who she is and all the moments in her life previously, just not after she was taken.

Sick of being bounced around from foster home to foster home, Noa decided to put her hacking skills to good use by creating a sort of new life for herself where she live on her own.

Apparently not only is this girl a good hacker, but she can also kick butt and take names later. Noa can easily and quickly adapt to whatever situation she is put in. I liked her. She is a pretty tough cookie.

As for Peter, he is completely different from Noa; he is a rich teen, living the good life.

His problems begin after he discovers some suspicious information in his father’s desk. He tries to research what he found on his computer, but his efforts are thwarted when several mysterious guys storm into his home and take his laptop. His parents seem to have the answers, but they aren’t willing to give him the full scoop. He is warned that he is snooping into something that does not concern him.

He ends up meeting  Noa when he goes online to request help in decoding the information that he found.

Noa and Peter are two teens with their own set of problems. But it turns out that that they are both connected by the information Peter discovered. But how and why remains to be seen unless you read the book J

The story begins with a bang and doesn’t completely let up throughout the whole book. I was a little surprised. Oftentimes when a book begins strong it tends to lag in the middle, but I didn’t feel it did that with this one. I was highly entertained and never bored.

The ending left more questions than I would have liked, but there is a second book Don’t Look Now that was just released over the summer. Hopefully my questions will be answered in that one.

 

RATING: 4 out of 5.

 

 

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