{Book Blast + Giveaway} VORTEX by S.J. Kincaid

Vortex
by S. J. Kincaid
Series: Insignia #2
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Published July 2nd 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
Purchase Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

The impossible was just the beginning. Now in their second year as superhuman government weapons-in-training at the Pentagonal Spire, Tom Raines and his friends are mid-level cadets in the elite combat corps known as the Intrasolar Forces. But as training intensifies and a moment arrives that could make or break his entire career, Tom’s loyalties are again put to the test.

Encouraged to betray his ideals and friendships for the sake of his country, Tom is convinced there must be another way. And the more aware he becomes of the corruption surrounding him, the more determined he becomes to fight it, even if he sabotages his own future in the process.

Drawn into a power struggle more dramatic than he has ever faced before, Tom stays a hyperintelligent step ahead of everyone, like the exceptional gamer he is—or so he believes. But when he learns that he and his friends have unwittingly made the most grievous error imaginable, Tom must find a way to outwit an enemy so nefarious that victory seems hopeless. Will his idealism and bravado cost him everything—and everyone that matters to him?

Filled with action and intelligence, camaraderie and humor, the second book in S.J. Kincaid’s futuristic World War III Insignia trilogy continues to explore fascinating and timely questions about power, politics, technology, loyalty, and friendship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.J. Kincaid

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland, that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex came out in July of 2013. The final book in the INSIGNIA trilogy will come out in Fall of 2014.

TWITTER: @SJKincaidBooks
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SJKincaidBooks

WEBSITE: http://sjkincaid.com/

GIVEAWAY (INT)

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1 Winner will receive an Copy of VORTEX by S.J. Kincaid

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{Blog Tour} Excerpt: SCAN by Walter Jury and Sarah Fine

Scan
by Walter Jury and Sarah Fine
Series: Scan #1
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Published May 1st 2014 by Putnam Juvenile

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans. 

All Tate knows--like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid--may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret inter-species conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it. A riveting, fast-paced adventure, Scan is a clever alien thriller with muscle and heart.

EXCERPT

She squints at the almost transparent film over my index finger, a thin strip of plastic I fetched from my room on our way down here. “And that is…”

“His fingerprint.” I slide my finger into an opening in the control panel next to the door, then use my other hand to punch in my dad’s code, which took me six solid months of hacking to figure out. “It’s his fault, really. He’s the one who started teaching me chemistry when I was still in kindergarten.”

“Is that why you’re so good at it?” she asks, lifting my hand to the light. She’s a senior, and though she breezes through every other subject, I’m tutoring her in chemistry.

“I guess. It’s not that hard.”

Christina rolls her eyes as I carefully slip the transparent tape off my finger and place it in a little plastic case I pull from my pocket.

“Really.” I say. “Take this here, for instance.” I wave the plastic case at her face before putting it away again. “When you touch something, your skin leaves behind all sorts of stuff – amino acids, isoagglutinogen, potassium, and a bunch of other compounds. You can’t see any of it, of course, and it can be wiped away easily. But it’s there and available if you know how to find and use it. All it took to gather the fingerprint was a lightbulb, some foil, a bit of superglue, this strip of tape, and some vodka.”

She gives me this raised-eyebrow look. “Vodka?”

I shrug. “Okay, maybe vodka was just the beverage of choice for the evening.”

(ARC) Review: THE ALMOST GIRL by Amalie Howard

The Almost Girl
by Amalie Howard
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Format Acquired: ARC from Publisher
Published January 7th 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Purchase: Amazon / Kobo / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. But coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows.  Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

MY REVIEW

(I received a physical ARC of this book from the publisher. This in no way affected my review. Big thanks to Caroline and Leah of Strange Chemistry!)

Watch out, guys! We got a new badass heroine over here!

Meet Riven, the Almost Girl. Why 'almost'? I also asked the same question before I read the book. At first, I thought she's born as a man (LOL) or like Pinocchio who was just created then later on became real. I imagined so many things already just by reading the title! (Not to mention the book cover) Is she some kind of a cyborg?

The Almost Girl is about a girl named Riven, who came from Neospes to Earth to accomplish a mission. The mission is to find Caden, the clone of Prince Cale to save the prince from dying. She wanted to save him not only because if his royalty, but also because he is her bestfriend. They've known each other since childhood. And this mission should be accomplished without Shae, her sister, getting in her way. So she did everything she could not to be seen, followed, or tracked by her sister.

I like Riven. A lot. I can't really explain why but maybe because we're kinda alike in some traits. She's not so girly, the silent type but thinks too much in the inside, sometimes cold, and pretty much sarcastic an some times. She also has good leadership skills. So like me! Born to be leaders! And I love how her character grew in the story. Yes, it took me a few weeks to finish this, because I think the pacing is slow, but Riven kept me going on. Riven, and Caden (or Cade).

Cade, hmmm. Well, I also like him. Hehehehe. The way he's described, he's gorgeous. Not exactly the 'nice guy' type, but the 'punky type'. He's into motorbikes! I adore guys who rides motorbikes rather than cars. I just can't think of a reason why he would go out with that bitchy girl Saddie. Then all of a sudden he would be showy about the way he feels for Riven. He actually kissed her while Saddie is still his girlfriend! I like it but I also hate the idea of flirting with other girls while you're still going out with another.

But the character I love most in the story is Shae. She's an ideal sister. For me. I liked her from the moment she appeared in the book. And the way she sacrificed herself for her sister who was likely to kill her? Impressive? Quite. Touching? Yes. She made me cry. I love her and I miss her.

Overall, this book is pretty good. I may not be that impressed from the previous book I read that was also written by Amalie Howard, but this book, The Almost Girl, made me think twice about her writing. I enjoyed reading it, I like the twists and turns, I like the characters and I'm hopefully looking forward for a sequel.

MY RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amalie Howard

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive. In between writing novels and indulging her love of reading, Amalie is also a books review editor for TheLoopNY, and blogs at amaliehoward.com. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency.

Her debut novel, BLOODSPELL, was selected as a Seventeen Magazine Summer Club Read. She is also the author of The AQUARATHI series from Harlequin TEEN (WATERFELL Nov 2013 and OCEANBORN Aug 2014), THE ALMOST GIRL from Strange Chemistry Jan 2014, and ALPHA GODDESS from Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press Mar 2014.

For tour and upcoming events, check out amaliehoward.com for more information.

Author Links:
Website | Twitter

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: BROKEN SYMMETRY by Dan Rix

Broken Symmetry
by Dan Rix
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
Format Acquired: e-Book
Published July 28th 2013 by Burning Ember Press
Purchase Link: Amazon

Eleven months after the father of sixteen-year-old Blaire Adams vanished without a trace, he's found wandering outside The Scripps Research Institute vomiting blood and speaking gibberish, his sole possession a worn leather diary filled with an unrecognizable language. He has a message for her.

As he dies in her arms, he claims he never vanished. She vanished.

In a nearby military quarantine zone, scientists are being called in from around the world to sequence a previously unknown strain of DNA. Scientists…and soldiers.

When her father’s autopsy reveals a rare chromosomal disorder—a disorder, it turns out, she inherited—Blaire begins to suspect her father’s last words weren’t induced by amnesia. Like her dad, she has an additional set of instructions in her genes—instructions for what, doctors can’t say. Only one thing is certain: it’s what killed him…and it will kill her too.

But now she’s haunted by prophetic nightmares of the Yellowjacket—a young murderer, eyes the black of charcoal, who lures his victims to suicide without ever paying them a visit. The only clue she has to his handiwork is a lingering feeling of déjà vu. That, and the nagging suspicion that all she knows is a mirage. She is certain of two things—though it may mean confiding in the wrong side of good and evil, he has the answers she needs.

And he is recruiting her.

MY REVIEW

I have to admit I'm not really good at Physics and it took me quite a hard time to understand the idea of the story. There are times when I have to reread some parts to fully understand them.

This is a mix of mystery, thriller and suspense. When I read about Blaire's dad's diary, written in backwards handwriting, I suddenly remembered myself. Lol. I can write backwards, too. Actually, I do have a notebook where everything was written backwards and you have to use a mirror to be able to read what's written.

Her dad knows how to write backwards, just like me. Well, that's what I thought at first. Until I learned the whole thing about breaking symmetry and that when they enter a mirror, everything around them were just reflections; flipped, backwards. 

 

Broken Symmetry is a unique story. When I understood the whole concept, I enjoyed imagining the scenes. I picture out everything that's written and it was a fun ride to break the symmetry with Blaire and Damian. This book took me to different worlds, and there are times when I felt lost between the real world and the world inside the mirror - the reflection. To be honest, it took me a whole week to read this since I wanted to fully understand it. When  I reached the other half, my mind was mind blown.

"There's an explanation for everything, Blaire. Remember, a mystery is only a mystery until we figure out the answer. . .and we always figure out the answer."

This is what I'm looking for in a sci-fi book, it's a combination of Physics and Chemistry (two subjects I'm really not good at) but the author made a way for readers like me to understand. There may be scientific terms and explanations but later on there are also explanations that were easier to comprehend. There are parts of the story that confused me with time travel, but I also knew that this is a whole of a different concept.

This may be a little bit crazy book, that will definitely leave you crazy once you read it, but trust me. This is a crazy in a good way book. You will love it once you figure out everything.

I love the team up of Blaire and Damian. Though it also hurts me everytime Damian breaks the symmetry. I don't want him to die. I kept on praying that he won't die as a go on with the book. Blaire is kinda reckless and made rash decisions, so I believe she always needed Damian with her.

I pulled away from Damian and had to squint my eyes. "What was that for?" I said, still dazed by his kiss. "So when I die, you know how I really feel," he said.

 And that ending? Mindblowing. Awesome. Unpredictable.

Broken Symmetry, is an overall amazing book. This is a fantastic Science-fiction novel and I would totally recommend it to all sci-fi lovers out there. I felt what the characters felt. I saw what they saw. This book totally brought me in it's world.

MY RATING

IT WAS AMAZING!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Rix

Dan Rix majored in Architecture at UC Berkeley and considers himself lucky to have graduated during one of the worst housing market crashes of the century. "It made writing an easy choice," he says.

His favorite novels include Michael Grant's Gone, Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, and Dan Brown's, The Da Vinci Code. High stakes, high concept page-turners. That's what he likes to read, and that's what he likes to write.

Dan lives in Santa Barbara, California with his girlfriend. His debut thriller, Entanglement , is available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Author Links:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Review: STITCH by Samantha Durante

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1)
by Samantha Durante
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Science-fiction, Dystopia
Published: July 30th 2012 by Samantha Durante
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

MY REVIEW

(I wrote this review while watching the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. I can't believe I was able to work on this while cheering for Gilas Pilipinas! Anyway, congratulations Iran!)

To be honest with you guys, the first half of this book almost bored me to death. There has been a lot of telling about Alessa's daily routine over and over again. Sleep. Wake up. Do something else. See the ghost. Become speechless. Tell Janie. Then repeat.

Somehow, I understand Alessa. It's not that easy to move on after her parents died of car accident, leaving her all alone by herself. She's lucky to have her bestfriend, Janie, by her side to help her move on with her daily life. Plus, I can't understand why this book fall under Dystopia when everything seems to be "right now". College, sorority, late night parties, etc. I even considered DNF-ing this book, but I just can't bear not finishing something I started. So I continued reading on.

I was curious about the "ghost" and what is her connection to Alessa. Why does he keep on showing to her then just disappear? Maybe if I were Alessa I'd be frozen too everytime I see him, especially his eyes. The good thing is Alessa can tell Janie about this without her thinking she's insane. Instead, she comforts her and helped her discover the mystery behind these apparitions. Janie is an ideal bestfriend.

When I came to the next half of the book, I realized I can't stop reading Stitch! I got stitched to it! I totally regret what I thought about it because it suddenly became so good. I personally don't like Physics, or anything related to Math (yes, I'm part Chinese but I hate Math. I'm bad at Math, and by bad I mean very, very bad) but the Physics concepts in the story was amazing! It took me time to absorb and understand them but I love the ideas and the theories about time travel. While I'm still enthralled with these ideas, suddenly everything changed. Shocking revelations were exposed and I'm really shocked. I even stopped reading then stared at the ceiling for about 10 minutes, then I continued to read. 

Yeah, I know I'm weird. But Stitch suddenly turned out to be more than I expected. The issues I had with it were concealed by the twists and turns in the rest of the book. Oh! And the ending? I love it! Though it wasn't what I expected it to be. But as what they say, expect the unexpected. Aside from that, I learned a lesson from this book: Never judge the book unless you finish reading it.

So, for sci-fi dystopia and paranormal romance lovers out there, you should totally check out this one.

MY RATING

I REALLY LIKED IT!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Durante

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series.

Author Links:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

"After a long embrace, she sat up and cupped his face gently in her hands. With a bright smile, Alessa stared deeply into Isaac's eyes, her words infused with relief. "You're back."