Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Shatter by Nikki Trionfo + $30 Giveaway!


“We never knew there could be people in the orchard. Dangerous people.”


When a mysterious explosion kills her sister, Salem becomes convinced the death was no accident--it was a conspiracy. But no one else at her high school believes her, and all she has so far are theories and clues. With Carrie's killers still out there, Salem's not sure who she can trust. If she can't she prove she’s right before it’s too late, the conspiracy might take another life—hers.


I'm excited to share with you a bit about Shatter today!  This will come as no surprise to people who know me or follow my reviews but I'm a very lazy blurb reader.  And, if I do happen to read a blurb, chances are that I'll forget it by the time I actually read the book.  Then I'm completely surprised when I start reading because I have no idea what is coming at me!  That's what happened with this book.

This book is a YA murder mystery with a dash of suspense and danger.  As with most murder mysteries, there are a lot of characters in this book but the author did a good job of introducing them so I didn't feel too overwhelmed.  Everyone was suspicious at one point or another so that was awesome.  There were moments of intensity and then moments of quiet when Salem was just in her head, thinking and feeling but the story always had a good forward momentum.  

Salem was a very likable character.  As a reader, I couldn't help but feel compassion and even a little pity for Salem who found herself in a very sad and lonely situation.  She was so desperate to figure out what exactly happened to her sister.  I loved how Salem listened to her intuition.  She wasn't always exactly right, but close.  Her intuition never steered her completely wrong.  I loved how she gradually found a small circle of people she trusted and how they all worked together to solve the mystery.

This was a good change from my usual reading fare and I enjoyed it!

Content:  some violence (gang violence, murder, shooting, beatings, guns)

Enjoy the following excerpt:

The class is dead silent. Mr. White’s lips tighten. He swallows. There’s something dangerous about the new guy. The teacher leans over AddyDay’s desk and spins her packet so he can read the list of partnerships. “Fine. We’ll break up the threesome. You’ll pair with . . . Salem Jefferson.”

At the sound of my name, I turn to look at my new partner.

The guy near the door is tall. He has the kind of incredible good looks that invite stares, but that’s not the only reason he’s getting them now. The cursive lettering of a tattoo rises from the opening of the guy’s worn flannel shirt. Two gold chains hang from his brown neck. A guy accessorized in gang paraphernalia, not caked with it. His only completely visible marking is an upside down V inked onto his right cheekbone, black and distinct. The tattoo calls my attention for some reason, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen a symbol like that before. An upside down V . . . it seems so familiar.

His expressionless, dark eyes dart to meet my gaze from under a stiff, backward-facing ball cap. My classmates watch him stare at me.

“Salem Jefferson,” he says slowly, putting a slight emphasis on my last name. He waits for my response.

I realize he knows exactly who Salem Jefferson is. Exactly who I am. I’m Carrie’s sister.

Terrified, I whirl back around to face forward. Gang members targeted Carrie, made her frightened. Was he one of them? The skin between my shoulder blades tightens. Why were gang guys after Carrie?

About the author:

Nikki Trionfo lives in Riverton, Utah with five kids, a CrossFit-training husband who writes computer code, and lots of hip hop background music. Her teen murder mystery, SHATTER (May '17 from Cedar Fort), won grand prize in LDStorymakers’ First Chapter Alongside Heather Clark, she hosts free writing webinars on YouTube at #50FirstChapters.

A committed party-girl, Nikki serves as the social coordinator of LDStorymakers Conference and chair of Storymakers Tribe. Other notable stuff includes an honorable mention in Writers of the Future and a spot in Utah Horror Writer's shorty-story anthology. This all sounds really serious, but if you run into her, she gets down. Truly.  www.nikkitrionfo.com/Shatter


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32 comments:

  1. I want to read Shatter because I love thrillers and mysteries. Even though I am long past the age of young adult I like to read these type of books.

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    1. I'm long past the YA age as well, but I do love to read YA books sometimes! If you love mysteries, you really should give this book a go. I think you'll enjoy it!

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  2. This sounds so suspenseful! I like to read blurbs, but I also like to forget them by the time I pick up the book if they have too many details about the direction the book will go.

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    1. I think I just like to read the story and not the blurbs, but you have to read a bit of the blurbs to know if you really even want to read a book. Especially from a new author, right? I guess I've trained my mind to forget blurbs. If only I could train it to forget other things. . .

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  3. I never forget blurbs and I hate if they give too much info! lol. Just kidding. I'm sure I forget blurbs sometimes, but I definitely like learning what happens when I actually read what happens!
    Aimee, thank you so much for reviewing Shatter. It means a lot to me! I love that you caught on to Salem's sadness and isolation. When I first started the story, I didn't know how to end it, but Salem's drive to know became my drive. :)

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    1. Ha! Long burbs drive me nuts. I won't read them. I'd rather just read the story. :) Thanks for dropping by, Nikki! Can't wait to see what comes next from you.

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  4. This is awesome, and I LOVE this book! Salem forever!

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  5. I love YA books and I love murder mysteries so this sounds like a book I would love!
    I love the cover too!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  6. I think this would be a fun book for my stepdaughter and I to read together for our mini book club. She's very into this genre.

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    1. How cool that you do a book club with your stepdaughter! I love that. This would be a fantastic book for that purpose. There are a lot of things you can talk about with this book.

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    2. Yes, that's very cool! I presented to a middle school book club in Herriman Utah and 35 kids showed up. I was impressed!

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  7. The story sounds very intriguing.

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  8. Shatter sounds like an exciting read. Thank you

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  9. What makes me interested in reading this story is the excerpt. I haven't read a murder mystery in ages.

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    1. Sounds like a good time to revisit the murder mystery genre! This one is good!

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  10. I'm always up for a good orchard story. (Besides,ever since my sister moved to Salem we've developed an interest in these things.)

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    1. I love orchards too! I can just imagine the smell of the peach orchards in this book.

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  11. Like to read Shatter because I too like good murder mysteries.

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  12. The plot and the cover! They both are awesome :)

    mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net

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  13. It sounds like am intense and fast-paced story line, one that will hold my interest for sure.

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    1. There were some very intense moments! I hope you get to read it and I hope you enjoy it!

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  14. I love mysteries and this look like a great one! I enjoyed the excerpt sounds exciting and intense!

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  15. I really enjoy murder mysteries and a gift card would be awesome. I could buy more books!!

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  16. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    The book looks really amazing!

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  17. I have a feeling you are a braver reader than me. Thrillers usually scare me!

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