Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Last Year Blog Tour ~ Review & GIVEAWAY


I'm happy to be a part of The Last Year Blog Tour.  I have a review of book one, Whispers of Autumn, and a fabulous giveaway.  Check it out.

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Source:  Received an eBook copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

From Goodreads:

In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. 

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. 

Then she meets Lucas, everything changes. 

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. 

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

My Thoughts:




4 stars:  A unique twist of elemental magic and sci-fic, Whispers in Autumn is fast paced and full of surprises.

When I started reading this book, I hadn't read the description.  At first, I was thinking - oh I get what's going on.  But quickly, I realized it wasn't what I expected.  There are elements of different types of paranormal books all woven together to make a unique tale that doesn't fit in one YA category.  There's this shifting or traveling as Althea calls it, then there is elements with some magic attached to them, there are aliens, there is mind control, there is a mystery boy, there is an isolated girl who struggles to know who to trust...I could go on and on.  This book blends all those different elements into something fresh and different.

The characters are great.  I like Althea.  She's trying to go unnoticed but she also needs to be brave enough to figure things out.  I love how her spurts of bravery helped her grow over the course of the book.  She may have been too winy for me at times, but I did like her.  I really liked Lucas.  Of course, I usually do like the boys better - go figure.  But Lucas was mysterious but calm.  It could be his ever cool nature, but he calmed Althea and he was the thinker.  I loved his relationship with Fils.  That was also a great source of sorrow.  His slightly more trusting nature was fun.  I really liked the interactions between Althea and Lucas.  Althea is cute about thinking things are just for show, when I don't think Lucas ever saw it that way.  They were cute together.

The story moved steadily and the pages just blew past.  I figured out a few things with the brilliant hints the author left between the lines but there were also a few surprises.  I love it when a book surprises me.

So the ending made me run to the book description for Winter Omens, and I wasn't happy at all.  Yeah, enough about that.  I'm gonna read it but I may be grumpy at this Pax boy until I find out the deal with a certain other boy.
I had a TEASER up from Whispers in Autumn this week.  If you missed it, you can find it here.

Thinking if you enjoy YA and paranormal, then this book is a good choice to pick up.


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 Winter Omens (The Last Year #2)

NOW AVAILABLE

From Goodreads:

Winter Omens

Althea and Lucas barely escaped the Others’ clutches in the autumn, and were separated in the process. Alone and on the run from the cruel alien race determined to exterminate her, Althea struggles to adapt and survive in a world she never imagined. 

When a boy named Pax appears out of nowhere, he quickly recognizes Althea for what she is – a human/Other hybrid just like him. Althea begs him to help her find Lucas, but Pax refuses, intent on following his own mysterious agenda. 

The Others’ presence continues to devour the planet’s resources, and if history is an indication, they won’t leave until Earth is destroyed beyond repair. Althea and Pax sense the only way to save themselves – and maybe their home – is to understand the powers simmering inside them. 

Together they push the limits of their capabilities in the quiet Wilds, but are soon confronted with a terrifying fact: no place is safe from the relentless pursuit of the Others.

Least of all their own minds.


****GIVEAWAY****

The giveaway is for (3) $10 Gift Cards to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (Winner's Choice).  See the rules in the rafflecopter below.
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

20 comments:

  1. This does sound like a unique story, Val. I'm glad you really enjoyed it!

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  2. Great review! I have my review today too lol!! By the time I read this I had forgotten what it was about so I was a little confused at first, but I did enjoy it. I will definitely read the next book at some point. I only joined the tour for book 1 though.

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  3. these covers are awesome. I think I have to get them just to display them like that.
    tinyauthor at yahoo dot com

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  4. Great review. I enjoyed these books also. I liked Winter Omens better than the first one. There was more action. I loved Lucas to. There is another hottie in the second book, Pax.

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  5. I usually prefer the boys too! Not sure what that says about us...lol This one sounds really interesting! I really wanted to sign up for the tour but I just had way too many things to read lately. I like when there is a large mix of paranormal and it doesn't fit just one genre. Makes things interesting! And I just hate it when I read the description of the next book and I am disappointed.

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  6. Thanks for the review . And I just love the covers :)

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  7. These cover illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! They definitely get my attention.

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  8. Love the cover!!! The review really piqued my interest. Thanks :)

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  9. The covers are awesome. Thank you for the giveaway and review.

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  10. Love the covers! Def puting this on TBR list!

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  11. I hadn't heard of this series before now, but now that I know about it I definitely want to read it! Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention and for the awesome giveaway:)

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  12. I sadly haven't read any of these! Okay anyways I need to put those on the to. Read list! Anyways I am like I love with the Reviews of all these books. Also, I would be ecstatic to win this giveaway so I can buy those books!

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  13. This sounds like a great series. I'm looking forward to reading them. Thanks for the giveaway

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  14. Wow, this is the first I am hearing of this series and it sounds amazing. Thanks for the great review, cannot wait to read these

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  15. Hi! Thank you for the review and giveaway.
    sounds like a great series, cant wait to read it

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  16. I'm also part of this tour and I've read both book so in my opinion book 2 was is better than Whispers...I like it more! :)

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  17. I really wanted to read these books. They sound so good!!! Thanks for the giveaway. I didn't realize the 2nd book was already out.

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  18. great review! the series it's on my must-read list.
    thank you for the giveaway!

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  19. Love sci-fi novels, yeah for aliens! There definitely needs to be more great books like these two. Thanks for the spotlight and giveaway!

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  20. This science fiction has peaked my interest. I M curious about the main character, Althea, and what makes her immune to the alien mind control. Thank you for the giveaway!!!!

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