{Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway} Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Series: The Illuminae Files #1
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This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

First, I'd like to thank Pinoy Book Tours for giving me a chance to be a part of this tour.

So, where do I even begin? I mean seriously.

The ARC that was passed around was around 600 pages and I only have three days to read it. How did that happen?

Illuminae is fast paced and unique. It's written unconventionally through a series of files that varies from transcribed interviews to description of videos. I felt ultimately smart or maybe close to those people in the intelligence groups that read classified information. You know the thing...anyways. It's not your usual indented paragraphs. It was that cool. Maybe that's why I finished it within a day because of the unconventional (well, at least for me) way it was written.

Kade and Ezra's relationship is complex. They broke up just when their home was attacked and they were forced to flee. Ezra's a second lieutenant in Alexander while Kade's a secret hacker in Hypatia. They are being pursued by Lincoln, this evil helicarrier across space. They find out things, mostly classified information, that can and will change their lives forever.

Kade is very strong. She's spunky, bad-ass, you-don't-mess-with-me-because-I-know-your-secrets-in-the-interweb-so-back-off-before-I-hack-the-shit-out-of-you kind of girl while having pink girl and petite. I love her very much. She sensed danger. She knew that the higher ups in Alexander, from where Ezra is, is hiding something. Ezra, on the other hand, is every bit of a tortured hero. He has lost people he loves the most aboard the carrier and off the carrier. He still loves Kade but wouldn't act up on it, at least not yet, because he knows that something is wrong.

What's wrong you ask? AIDAN

AIDAN is this super intelligent computer program...think Iron Man's JARVIS and Ultron. He's artificial intelligence with feelings. He runs all the helicarriers and is the only chance of surviving against Lincoln's death grip. But, now, he is rendered useless because of some crazy glitch. I'm no tech expert but from what I understand, they asked too much from AIDAN until he couldn't do it anymore so he retaliated.

 This is where things get really tricky, edge-of-your-seat sort of thing. They shut AIDAN to fix him and then bring him back up again. Only AIDAN wasn't the same anymore. I thought about it. Illuminae is set in a far away future where humans could literally travel through space as if you could just book a flight to another country. Wouldn't that be amazing? We'd have artificial intelligence, which according to Stephen Hawking, will be a possible feat for human race. But then we'd have to be wary about it. Humans created computers. We created their minds. We created their feelings, even if it's hard to comprehend. And that scares me. I mean, humans turn against humans. Who says that artificial intelligence or even computers won't turn against humans?

Just a side thought there.

Kade and Ezra get back together and it is the sweetest thing in the world! Don't worry. Their love story in no way took the bad-ass aspect off of this book. I mean, really. They are the couple of 2015. I love them to bits.

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff beautifully crafted this story. I mean, it's just amazing! Really, really amazing. It literally blew my mind. Plot twist after plot twist. Surprise after surprise and here I am clinging on to what's left of my sanity because I need the next book now.

(P.S I have no idea if you can consider this a review because I mean, really. I rambled my ass off here. Thanks for understanding)

 

All thanks to Random House and Pinoy Book Tours! You, yes, you can get a chance to win HARDCOVERS of ILLUMINAE! (PH ONLY)

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Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, and Illuminae, the first in a new series starting in 2015. She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

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Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy. Part 3, ENDSINGER, is out now. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015, and NEVERNIGHT, the first part of a new fantasy trilogy kicking off in 2016.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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{Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway} Shifter: City of Wolves by Avery Burch

Welcome to Day 2 of the Shifter: City of Wolves Blog Tour! Special thanks to Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours and to Avery Burch! Today, I'll be sharing my review and how I fell in love with this hot, romantic book.

Shifter: City of Wolves by Avery Burch

Publication Date: August 3, 2015

Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance

Amazon

He'll risk anything to be inside me. I'm his fated mate.
Lyla: 
What the hell am I thinking? I can't fall for a wolf. He's a criminal and an outcast. I'm an elite. If we get caught, they'll destroy us. I'll be disgraced. He'll be tortured and killed. But his wolf instinct has locked on me. He says I'm his fated mate. And every time we're alone together, he melts my heart ... and makes me so wet I'll risk anything to feel him throb inside me.

Zac: 
Everything they told me about fated mates is true. And that means I'm in a lot of trouble. I'm risking everything. As a shifter, I'm used to living on the edge. The regime wants me dead. But now it's so much more complicated. I'm obsessed with this girl. I can't get her out of my mind. I need to devour her, body and soul. I know I should resist, for her sake as much as my own, but I physically can't. My wolf lust has locked onto her. There's no way we get out of this alive, but one night inside her will be worth any punishment.

I would like to thank Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours and to Avery Burch for this opportunity to review this book.

Lyla has lived the privileged life. She's used to wearing pretty clothes, riding fancy cars, surrounded with bodyguards yet she's burdened with her duty and the reputation she has to live up to. Shifters are those who can shift into wolves, are considered a nuisance in thee country. It's the job of the enforcers to keep those shifters out of the elites way. Lyla's father was a revered enforcer during his time. He ruled with an iron fist. Since Lyla has the ability, meaning the ability to sense shifters in crowds, she's enrolled in the enforcer academy.

But as any caged and privileged heroine, she longs to be a normal person. She longs to break free from the vice grip her uncle, who's also her betrothed (I know, it's weird), and the society she lives in. Until one day, she met Zac.

Zac is on a quest to look for answers about his father's past. In the countryside, shifters can live freely. But in the city, he's wanted. Zac meets other shifters and lives with them in the city, trying to stay out of trouble and the watchful eyes of the enforcers.

Unfortunately, that's not the case for Zac and Lyla.

They were caught up in a steamy, whirlwind forbidden romance. Since I'm such a sap and I love forbidden romances, I got hooked. I absolutely loved this book. Seriously, it's so steamy that I had to take a cold shower afterwards. The only problem I had with this book was the ending was a bit rushed. But, I know this is just the first book in the series. I would love to know more about shifters and there history and how the elites hated them.

If you're not 18 and above, I suggest that you wait till you're 18 and then you can read this book. *insert evil smirk*

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 Avery Burch is a hot new paranormal romance author and her series, Shifter: City of Wolves is going to have a huge impact. She writes chilling tales of shifters and heart-wrenching stories of love and lust. If you like your romance spicy, your shifters sexy, your love stories intense, and your heroines passionate, then her books are for you.

She lives in Toronto, Canada.

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{Blog Tour: Review} Lost and Found by Elle Casey

Welcome to Day 2 of the Lost and Found Blog Tour! Today, I'll share with you my review on this phenomenally crazy and hilarious book. (Superlatives everywhere, I know!) Thanks to Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours and of course to Elle Casey.

Lost and Found by Elle Casey

(Love in New York #1)

Publication Date: December 25, 2014

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.

Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She’s awkward, he’s poised. She’s completely crazy, he’s way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they’d be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they’re both lost … until they find one another.

I lost count how many times this book left me giggling while reading in a public place. It's that funny. So, okay. Leah is super crazy. She works in a shop that sells all these hippy oils and fragrances. She hasn't paid rent in a long time and her landlord offers to sleep with him and her debt would be paid of. She's friends with a homeless man named Mac. She meets James, the handsome doctor.

Leah believes in karma and the effect it does to people. The minute she bumped into James, she felt that from then on, it won't be a really good day. A series of mishaps later and she found herself as the owner of a five hundred grand Cartier engagement ring. She found crazy ways to give it back to the owner. It involved her dressing up as a fake rapper to giving it back to the charity just so her life can be normal again. James, on the other hand, played along with her. He didn't want that ring back because it was a sign of everything that went wrong with his life lately: his girlfriend (who is such a total bitch) slept with his brother, his lovely niece is suddenly without loving parents. Both of them have dealt with something horrible and lost some in the process and in the end they found each other.

The ring was what connected them together. The ring brought them all sorts of misfortunes but it was what ultimately led to their happy ending. I definitely recommend this book for those who are looking for something lighthearted to read after reading heavy plots. This one is for you.

Get a chance to win an ebook of Cabin Fever (Love in New York #2)!

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Elle Casey is a prolific, NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, and several furry friends. She writes in several genres and publishes an average of one full-length novel per month.

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{Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway} Alexa Crushed by T.R Cupak

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 2 of the Alexa Crushed Blog Tour. Today I'm going to share an excerpt of T.R Cupak's debut novel.

Alexa Crushed by T.R Cupak

Series: Alexa Crushed #1

Publication Date: May 20, 2015

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance

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Alexa Morgan lost her mother when she was two. At eighteen, her father and stepmother died when a devastating earthquake hit the Bay Area. Only one person has remained a constant in her life: Devin.

Devin has been Alexa’s best friend since childhood. The two are inseparable—or they were until Devin declared his love for her at sixteen. When Alexa can offer him only friendship in return, Devin retreats, brokenhearted.

Alexa, on the other hand, longs for Ethan, the boy next door. Four years older than her, and with an ever-changing roster of girlfriends, Ethan is everything Devin isn’t: wild, sensual, and unpredictable.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, Ethan makes his move on Alexa, who reciprocates in a confused whirl of grief and desire. When Ethan leaves town shortly after, Devin comes back into Alexa’s life, offering support and expecting nothing in return.

Alexa begins to see the advantages of Devin’s quiet, stable love. But just as her feelings for her old friend begin to blossom, Ethan returns. Now Alexa must choose—the perfect boyfriend or the wild, thrilling bad boy. It’s a choice that changes her life forever.

I get up out of bed, go brush my teeth, run downstairs to grab a sugar-free Red Bull from the refrigerator, and come back up to my room to sit out on my balcony, as I do most mornings that I don’t have school. I grab my laptop to check Facebook, Twitter, and my e-mails. Out of habit, I glance down and see Ethan’s car in his driveway. He must be taking some time off if he’s still home right now. I’m not sure why he would when he should be close to graduating college.

         As I’m scrolling through Facebook and liking random pages and pictures, I hear the front door to Ethan’s house open and see a leggy blonde leaving with her heels in hand, doing the walk of shame. Ethan has his arms stretched above his head with his hands placed on the doorjamb, showing off his tight washboard abs and the sexy V where his sweats hang low on his hips. All I could think is, Yum. The blonde turns to kiss him, but just as she tries, he turns his head so she ends up kissing his cheek instead of his lips. All the while, his eyes are fixated on me. A ping of embarrassment followed by jealousy washes through me as I watch this soap opera unfold.

         The blonde yells, “Call me!” over her shoulder as she walks down the driveway to her car, which is parked on the street. I swear I hear Ethan laugh a “hell, no” kind of laugh. Soon, the blonde is driving away in her perfectly suited Porsche Boxter.

         Ethan is still standing in his doorway, now with his arms crossed over his chest when he acknowledges me in his luscious voice, which makes my toes curl. “Good morning, Lexi.”

         “I’m sure it is, Ethan,” I snap back. My voice sounds a little too irritated for my liking. I don’t want him to think the blonde bothers me, even though she most certainly does.

         “I’ll see you later, Lexi,” he says, smirking as he turns to go into his house.

         He is so frustrating, but even with that being said, watching his last conquest leave made me wish I was the one doing the walk of shame instead of her. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m a sophomore in high school who has kissed one boy in my entire sixteen years of existence. It was a horrible first kiss, too. It was one that scared me enough to not want to do it again anytime soon.

Get a chance to win a can-be-signed paperback second edition copies of Alexa Crushed (US only) or an ebook copy w/ $5 Amazon Gift Card (INTL).

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T.R. Cupak was born and raised in the suburbs of a Bay Area city in California. She was the closet nerd who hid her love of reading and writing short stories and poetry when she was younger. Back then it wasn’t considered cool to be into those types of activities for pleasure, whereas today you have TV shows, movies and books that glamourize that being a nerd is actually cool.

T. lives in a quiet, little, country town south of where she grew up. She is happily married to an amazing man who supports her in everything she does and spoils her rotten. They have a crazy little Shih Tzu named Harley. He's their fur-baby and even though he’s a pain in the arse most days, they love the little guy. She has an obsession with cars, especially fast ones. She enjoys her music louder than anyone should. Admittedly it’s to drown out hearing her own singing voice, or lack thereof. When she’s not at work or busy writing you can find her curled up reading a book on her Kindle with a glass of wine or Dirty Shirley.

T. lost touch with her creative side and stepped off the path of all things written in her early twenties. Six years ago, her passion for reading was rekindled. She began to utilize reading as a way to escape everyday chaos. Late 2013 she began journal writing. After a couple of months of journaling T. realized that this form of writing wasn't keeping her interest nor was it helping her to relax. After that realization settled in she changed the direction of her writing. Her creative aspirations were flowing once again and she happily embraced it. As her fingers started to dance across her keyboard she began to see her fictional characters begin to breathe life. Writing was only supposed to be a way for the new author to relax, but a story was born and T.R. Cupak is excited to be releasing her self-published debut novel, Alexa Crushed.

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{Blog Tour: Giveaway + Review} Belong To Me by Laura Howard

Welcome to Day 2 of the Belong To Me Blog Tour. This tour is brought to you by the wonderful people over at Xpresso Book Tours.

 

Belong To Me by Laura Howard

Publication Date: March 26, 2015

Series: Moore Crossing #1

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

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Kate and Noah thought they had the kind of love that could last through anything. Until their world crumbles out from beneath them.

After months of separation, the tragic death of Jack, Kate’s twin and Noah’s best friend, throws them back together. As they try to heal from the horrific loss, will they be able to overcome old wounds or are they destined to live separately forever?

They were each other's first. They were best friends and what was supposed to be a no strings attached relationship went haywire. It was painful to read, really. Kate fell for Noah and Noah fell for Kate but they were too scared to admit to each other. Their relationship resulted to a baby that unfortunately passed away after Kate gave birth. Double pain.

Kate was too wrapped up in her own wounds that she left home to go to England to study. I can't even imagine how that must feel like. Kate lost her baby and then later on she would lose her brother, her twin brother at that!

She didn't realize that Noah, the love of her life, was also in pain. She didn't realize that he too was hurt by the passing of their baby. And now, his best friend is gone.

It's been said before. Love hurts. A band even made a song for it. But that's just how it is. You have to endure the pain that comes with that four letter word. Even if this book was really short, I definitely felt all the pain and all the love that came with this book. The characters are developed well and I fell in love with them immediately.

Belong To Me is just the first book in the series and I'm excited to know what happens next.

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Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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