The Legacy Human (Singularity #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn + Excerpt and $25 Giveaway

    

What would you give to live forever? Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender—a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid—after all, they’re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is. The Legacy Human is the first in Susan Kaye Quinn’s new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

Amazon * Goodreads

Susan Quinn is an author that I'm always interested in.  Her Mindjack series was amazing and that is where I first fell in love with her writing.  I also loved her steampunk fantasy romance series, The Dharian Affairs.  Susan has a way of making people and places come alive in her books.  

This new series is more science fiction.  I will admit that science fiction is one of my least favorite genres, but when an author you love gives it a whirl, you do too.  :)

The Legacy Human started off really slow for me.  I felt like I was sort of stuck in one place and the forward movement inched along while the foundation was set up.  Thankfully things began to pick up.  

Eli is an interesting character.  One of the things I love best about him is his fierce determination to save his mother.  His love and devotion to her and her well being is one of Eli's most attractive characteristics.  Eli is also a bit naive, and I liked that as well.  Others around him are far more informed and experienced with dabbling in things illegal and on the down low.  Eli is constantly grappling with new ideas and information being thrown at him, trying to catch up with what everyone else already knows.

By the last third of the book was I was finally in a place where I felt like I had to keep reading to find out what happened next.  I was personally invested in Eli, it just took me a while to get there.  I have the next book, The Duality Bridge, and I'm looking forward to starting that here soon.  This book leaves off in a place that has me anxious to know what comes next for Eli.

Excerpt: 
 “I will buy it from you.”

“Um…” I’ve missed something, but I’m not sure what. “You already own it.”

“You would not be looking to sell it, if you didn’t need the money.” Her voice is soft with compassion. “And I can’t bear to part with any of your works. It seems a fair exchange. Do you agree?”

Embarrassment flames my face, but I can’t afford to say no. “Yes.”

She rewards me with a dazzling smile that sweeps away my embarrassment. “Good! I’ve already transferred the untraceable chits to your account.”

Untraceable. She’s already figured out the money’s going toward something illegal. And yet she’s breaking the law, no questions asked, all because it’s what I need and she wants to keep my art. She’s always been generous, always given me exactly what I need, effortlessly and with grace, but this… I don’t have words for this thing she’s doing for me. I don’t believe in angels, but if I did, Lenora would have to qualify.

I am so hopelessly lost when it comes to her.

       

What does it mean to be human? Elijah Brighton is the face of the Human Resistance Movement. He’s the Olympic-level painter who refused an offer of immortality from the ascenders—the human/machine hybrids who run the world—in solidarity with the legacy humans who will never get a chance to live forever. Too bad it’s all a complicated web of lies. Worse, Eli’s not even entirely human. Few know about the ascenders’ genetic experiments that left him… different. Fewer know about the unearthly fugue state that creates his transcendent art—as well as a bridge that lets him speak to the dead. But the Resistance is the one place he can hide from the ascender who knows everything the fugue can do. Because if Marcus finds him, he’ll either use Eli for his own nefarious purposes… or destroy him once and for all. The Duality Bridge is the second book in the Singularity series and the sequel to The Legacy Human. This thrilling new young adult science fiction series explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world.

Excerpt:

Delphina is watching me from outside the holo matrix… along with Kamali, whose wide brown eyes hold silent judgment for the things she thinks I’ve done. Forbidden things, like being a love toy for my ex-patron and current-rebel-ascender, Lenora. Who happens to be standing right next to her. While Kamali’s graceful dancer body is hidden under the black military garb of the resistance, Lenora’s perfect bodyform is barely covered in scintillating ascender-tech fabric. The thing is, I’ve never so much as kissed Lenora. Except in my dreams, which really shouldn’t count against me. Any seventeen-year-old guy would have those kinds of thoughts. But the truth is Kamali’s not wrong to judge me.

My feelings for Lenora have always been… complicated.

Amazon * Goodreads

 

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the Singularity Series, the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, and the Debt Collector serial, as well as other speculative fiction novels and short stories. Her work has appeared in the Synchronic anthology, the Telepath Chronicles, the AI Chronicles, and has been optioned for Virtual Reality by Immersive Entertainment. Former rocket scientist, now she invents mind powers, dabbles in steampunk, and dreams of the Singularity. Mostly she sits around in her PJs in awe that she gets to write full time.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

   

   

  $25 Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon eGift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/6/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com eGift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Gift of Lies by Norma T. Rudolph

The locals call the place Jake’s Hell after Summer McCalister’s crazy uncle Jake who claims to have seen impossible things there. It’s a badlands of rugged rock cliffs and sharp pinnacles that no sane person would attempt to enter. The Atomalians call it Daneye, a secret alien city of unequaled beauty, masked behind illusion. Atomalians believe that natives of Earth must never know about them and their powers of the mind or it will destroy the Atomalians’ peaceful lives. When Summer is drawn out of bed and pulled to Jake’s Hell by an urge she can’t control, she fears she’s crazier than her uncle. But when the young Ahtomalian, Bentri, steps out of thin air, she knows she’s either crazy—or dead. Taking her to his unbelievably beautiful city doesn’t erase the fact that he’s keeping her hostage in a room with no door and no way out. Bentri’s world is suddenly and completely devastated by the appearance of the native Earth girl. If she’s discovered within the city, law decrees she be destroyed. As Bentri is bonded with her, that means he would also die. Their only chance might be to escape—but can Bentri survive in her world?

 * Goodreads * Amazon *

This book is a young adult sci-fi, fantasy/paranormal kind of mix.  I would say it would probably please the younger end of the YA spectrum better, maybe even middle grade readers.  The story here is very simply written.  It had more telling and less feeling but it was a good story with a lot of imagination.  I can imagine a 12 or 13 year old (boy or girl) reading this and enjoying it.

As for me, I felt it lacked the tension and emotional build up that I like to see in books. I could easily picture the places and scenes described which was a fantastic thing, but I just wasn't feeling it. There were points that I did some skimming and was still able to keep up with what was happening.  The "history" read from the scrolls went on for pages and it was hard to read. It felt like the author needed to explain a whole bunch of things and needed a way to do that in one fail swoop.  It read just like a history lesson.  

Bentri probably had the most character development.  He has always been taught that "natives" are lesser beings with little intelligence and he treats Summer accordingly.  Actually, he treats her abominably.  Gradually he realizes that "natives" are intelligent and gifted.  His prejudice's diminish and he becomes kinder.  There is a good lesson in that.  What we think we know may not always be correct- especially regarding people.  The more time we spend knowing and trying to understand others, the better off we will be.  Prejudices are never good, and rarely correct.

This book is clean- no swearing or sexual content, which I always greatly appreciate.

Dangerous by Shannon Hale

Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There's no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?

I was so completely stoked to read this new title by Shannon Hale.  It's a different genre/style than her other books and I was curious.  It's always a little exciting and scary to see authors you know and love in one genre branch out into another.  What if you don't like it?!  See, I was worried because this has a science fiction feel to it and sci-fi isn't my most favorite genre to read.

I'm so glad to say that I REALLY liked this book.  It started out a bit slow for me but it sure didn't take long for me to settle in and want to stay.  In fact, by the time I got to the end, I wasn't ready to let it go.  I wanted more.  I thought about it for quite awhile after I finished and to me that is a good, good sign.

Maisie is a character you can't help but love.  She is awesome.  I want her to be my friend.

This book is packed with action and intrigue.  I swear, I didn't ever know if I could trust half the people in the book!  It was crazy!  There were several times in the book that my heart started to beat a little faster.  :)  I love that.

This is one of my favortie new books.  I'm handing it off to my daughter next.  She is going to love it too.  I just know it.

I scored a review copy of this on NetGalley (woot, woot) through the publisher, Bloomsbury and I kindly thank them.

You can purchase Dangerous on Amazon.

Since the publication of her first book, The Goose Girl, in 2003, Shannon Hale has become a beloved author to young readers as well as booksellers and educators. Her third novel, Princess Academy, earned her a Newbery Honor and was a New York Times, Book Sense, and Publishers Weekly bestseller. The sequel, Palace of Stone, was also a New York Times bestseller. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shannon lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, Dean, and their four children.www.shannonhale.com

The Blue Between by Patricia Little

Title: The Blue Between

Author: Patricia Little

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication date: August 29, 2013

ISBN 10: 1484066456

ISBN 13: 978-1484066454

Format: Paperback

Number of pages: 278

Genre: Young Adult – Sci fi, fantasy

Sixteen-year-old Heather Lucas is the freak girl who got hit by lightning, and she has a scar on her palm to prove it. Since then, everything has gotten weird. Her mother left them, which makes no sense. Her Dad thinks she's a liar, because she won't explain why she keeps running away.The thing is, she can't explain it. She just disappears and then reappears miles away, with the scar on her palm tingling. In between, she drifts in a sparkling blue void outside of time and space, where indistinct forms of people float by, lost in the blue. Is she going crazy?

Odd things are even happening at school. Why would the new boy, Alex, be interested in her? He shows her a paper he's written about a place called Alanar. The make-believe city from Mom's old bedtime stories? What does he know about her mother? Heather is determined to find out, especially after she sees the scar on his palm, identical to her own.

The Blue Between has a great premise.  I was interested in it when I first read the blurb.  Although the story and ideas aren't necessarily original- freak lightning, special powers, other worldly people- it was put together in a way that it felt original for the most part.  

The trouble I had with this book wasn't the concept or the story itself, it was just the lack of emotional feeling and depth that I was looking for.  I never felt personally invested or driven to read.  I just felt like it stayed on the surface and didn't go any deeper.  I wanted to care a lot more than I did.  

Having said that, I do think this was an okay book.  I read it, I finished it and, like I said, the story line is a good one.  There were a lot of ideas I can really get behind as a reader.  I just wanted more feeling and depth.

The relationship between Heather and her brother felt the most believable.  I think that was my favorite part of the book.  The relationship and interactions between Heather and Alex were more friendship than romance and that was okay with me.  

There was some mild swearing and profanity.

I'm currently living in Portland, Oregon; a wonderful city where you don't have to pay sales tax or pump your own gas. I've written three novels and several screenplays, all of them starting out in the real world and then veering off into the otherworldly.
​
The idea for The Blue Between was simply 'girl gets hit by lightning, then disappears and reappears somewhere else.' Okay, good start, but then what? I was originally going to tell the story with Heather as an adult, struggling with repressed memories of a traumatic event in her past. I wrote a short story about that event called Anywhere But Here, and it was a finalist in the Writer's Digest Writing Competition. That's when I decided to go ahead and stay with 16-year-old Heather as the events unfolded.

I'm currently working on the sequel, where Heather gets into even more trouble with Alex and the Travelers from Alanar.
http://www.patricialittle.com

Terra on Tour! Review, Scavenger Hunt and Giveaways!

On Tour with Prism Book Tours... 

Hello there! My name is Gretchen Powell. I am 24 years old, half-Chinese, and the owner of two adorable miniature schnauzers. I am an occasional drinker of classy wines, and I wrote a book.

By day, I work for a government contractor in our nation’s capital.

By night, I binge on episodes of Doctor Who and sleep fitfully.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, I write another blog called Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen! about weight loss, food, fitness, and my life.

Some of my favorite things include polka dots, Harry Potter, pretty much any TV show that airs on Thursday nights (yep, I'm talking Vampire Diaries #notashamed), and playing the ukulele.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Terra

by Gretchen Powell
Paperback, 286 pages
Published December 12th 2012 by Hopewell Media

Premise:

A broken and desolate Earth. A young girl struggling to survive. A lost boy with a powerful secret.

A discovery that will change everything.

In the distant wake of a plague that has decimated the Earth's population, humanity is split in two: The rich and powerful live in skycities that float overhead, while those who remain on the ground have gathered in settlements strewn across a dying planet. Eighteen-year-old Terra Rhodon is a terrestrial--a denizen of the barren groundworld--who makes her living as a scav. Long abandoned by her father, her caregivers gone, Terra supports herself and her younger brother, Mica, by scouring the earth for discarded scraps and metals to recycle for profit. One day, while on a routine scavenging run, she discovers something that shocks her home settlement of Genesis X-16. When the value of her discovery is revealed, Terra's world is turned upside down.

Terra suddenly finds herself asking questions no one will answer. Her search for the truth leads her to Adam--a beguiling skydweller unlike any she has ever met. But Adam has secrets and a quest of his own, and with him by her side, the world Terra thought she knew begins to unravel. Soon her discoveries unearth a terrifying conspiracy that has the potential to shatter everything--a revelation that will test the bonds of loyalty, family, and love.

Amazon  *  Barnes & Noble

I'm excited to be a part of this blog tour for Terra.  Laura over at Prism Book Tours really knows how to put on a party of a blog tour.  This tour has a scavenger hunt which totally picks up on the theme of Terra.  Such a lot of work went into this tour.  Hats off to Prism Book Tours and Laura!

Terra was a great read.  It is like a dystopian/science fiction genre which I really enjoyed. The world has changed as we know it.  Terra is of the "lower class" living on the earth and working as a scav to try to keep herself and her brother alive.  It's a dangerous job and people have been known to lose their lives doing it.

Terra is a great character.  She is smart and she knows how to work and how to survive.  Her main priority is to keep her brother safe and make a better life for him.  I love Terra's devotion and loyalty to those she loves.  

The plot just keeps pushing forward in this book.  There is always a sense of something coming~ that wedge of suspense that is always there.  It makes you keep reading.  I was definitely caught up in Terra's world and life.  I could picture it clearly in my head.  You know how I love that.  A movie in my head.  Sweet.

The ending left me wanting more.  It wasn't so desperate a cliff hanger that you feel like you've literally been left hanging over a cliff but the ending, along with the book will ensure I come back for the next in this series.  I really, really enjoyed it.

Content:  There is some kissing, some violence (torture) but this book is mostly on the clean side.

In Terra's world, resources are scarce and many people make their living as "scavs," hunting for scraps to turn in on Collection Day in exchange for credits. For this tour, YOU are a scav, and there are scraps all over the blogosphere for you to find! On each participating blog, there will be one of 9 possible questions. Answer the question to receive a keyword that will get you an extra entry in the awesome giveaway!

Giveaway April 1 - 26

One lucky scav will win a Terra prize pack! Get a signed copy of Terra, along with three exclusive (and gorgeous!) bookmarks, as well as a delicate silver watch--just like Terra's!--all packed up inside a scav bag of your very own! US only.

An additional five (FIVE!) winners will get a digital copy of Terra in the format of their choice. International.

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Gretchen Powell. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terra on Tour!!

April 2013

Check out the Reviews of Terra!! And become a "scav" and track down all the answers to the Collections questions hidden in the excerpts. :-)  Plus, celebrate Gretchen's birthday by bringing something fun to the party!!

1 - April Fool's Day LAUNCH!
 - Colorimetry
 - I Am a Reader, Not a Writer Excerpt 1
 - fuonlyknew Excerpt 2
2 - A Tiffyfit's Reading Corner Review
 - Pause Time - Review
3 - Jessie's Book Place Excerpt 3
 - The Reading Diaries - Excerpt 4
4 - Mel's Shelves - Review
5 - Lovin' Los Libros - Review

7 - Christy's Cozy Corner - Review
 - Total Book Geek - Excerpt 5
8 - The Quiet Concert - Review
9 - LDS & Lovin' It - Review
10 - Jessabella Reads - Excerpt 6
11 - Gretchen's Birthday Party!!
 - Passion & Life - Excerpt 7
12 - Tressa's Wishful Endings - Review

14 - Living a Goddess Life - Review
 - Books, Books and More Books - Review
15 - Marked by Books - Excerpt 8
16 - Blood, Sweat and Books - Review
 - My Seryniti - Review
17 - Bookworm Lisa - Review
 - Mortality Bites - Excerpt 9
18 - Getting Your Read On - Review
 -The Broke Book Bank Interview 10

19 - Grand Finale Blast!!