Bardacious! Shakespeare Rocks

23 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Shakespeare, YA, Young Adult

Tags

10 Things I Hate About You, Bard, Bardacious, Elizabeth Fais, Shakespeare, Shakespeare in Love, She's the Man, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night

Bringing this one back because…

Today is Shakespeare’s birthday!

Or the day his birth was registered (traditionally on a Sunday back then, which it was on April 23, 1564), for those who want to be picky about it. But whatever. It’s still cause to celebrate, in my book. Because after 448 years his stories are still as popular as ever. Maybe more so, given the variety of media and audiences they’re still adapted for.

Which if you think about it, makes him one of the coolest dudes. Ever. But … how did he do it? (Photo credits: Shakespeare in Love)

Shakespeare’s Secret

No. I’m not talking about the age-old dispute over who wrote all those plays. If you really want to know who wrote Shakespeare, Eric Idle spills the undiluted truth here. Not for the faint of heart (you could die laughing). Don’t say you weren’t warned.

The REAL question (and most important for any writer) is… What makes Shakespeare’s stories so timeless? I admit I was clueless for a long time. I couldn’t get into the language, so of course I missed the bawdy jokes sprinkled throughout. That is, until I took a class in Shakespeare one summer to satisfy an English credit. To cut to the chase … Shakespeare was one racy dude. The professor delighted in his translations of all the bawdy bits. He made Shakespeare fun, and I was hooked. I discovered that Shakespeare keeps on appealing to generation after generation, because his stories are wrapped in the comedy and tragedy of the human condition. Not to mention being written to entertain the common folk (hence the bawdy jokes), as well as the elite.

YA Shakespeare

In case you’re thinking, “Yeah, right. Shakespeare’s just for old farts.” Think again. Aside from a new Romeo and Juliet movie coming out almost every decade (Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes in the 1996 version, and Gnomeo & Juliet in 2011), other Shakespearean plays have become hits with a Hollywood YA spin.

She’s the Man is really Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, a romantic comedy of mistaken identity that’s centered around a high school soccer team. When the girls’ soccer team is discontinued and Viola (Amanda Bynes) isn’t allowed to play on the boys’ team at her school, she’s out for blood. By impersonating her brother Sebastian (James Kirk…who’s away on a secret rock band trip) at his high school (her high school’s worst rival), she lands a position on their soccer team. She wants to help defeat her own school’s team in the season’s opening match.

But revenge is never that easy. Viola has to room with Duke (Channing Tatum), another soccer player, and falls for him hard. Of course, Duke is crushing on Olivia (Laura Ramsey), and Olivia only has eyes for Viola, because she thinks Viola is really Sebastian. Add a liberal dose of hormones, toss, and side-splitting hilarity is served. Amanda Bynes’ physical comedy is priceless. Seriously!

10 Things I Hate About You is really The Taming of the Shrew with a contemporary high-school spin. Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) are polar opposite sisters. The younger Bianca is pretty, popular, and shallow. Kat, the older sister, is sharp of tongue and wit, but has the street cred of being the Ice Queen. Their father, Walter (Larry Miller), laid down a family law … Bianca can’t date until her older sister does.

This is a social death sentence for Bianca, because no guy in his right mind will talk to Kat, much less ask her out. As prom approaches, Bianca has two boys fighting over her: cool, vain Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) and kind, shy Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Working as reluctant allies, Joey and Cameron go after a date for Kat (so Bianca can go to prom with one of them): Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger). He’s perfect, because he’s as scathing as she is and has the rap sheet to back it up. But getting Kat and Patrick together is harder than they thought. That is, until Patrick finally realizes that he’s in love with Kat and goes to shameless lengths to win her trust and tame the shrew.

What’s your Shakespearean favorite?

play … Movie … character … Actor

you name it!

Inquiring minds want to know!

“BLACK ICE” by Becca Fitzpatrick ~ Author Signed Giveaway!

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Books, Giveaway, YA, Young Adult

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Becca Fitzpatrick, Black Ice, Elizabeth Fais, Giveaway, Thriller, YA, Young Adult

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there…and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous… [Jacketflap Synopsis]

A Chilling, Edge-Of-Your-Seat Tale

Honesty Hour: I got this book last Fall when Becca Fitzpatrick visited Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA. It took me this long to read it, because psychological thrillers scare me more than anything else. That’s because they’re so real.

Needless to say, I shouldn’t have waited so long to read this amazing story. Once I was brave enough to read the first line, I was hooked. From then on, I kept turning the pages until I was done. Black Ice is expertly written with well-developed characters I could identify with, and plot twists I never saw coming. That’s all I’m going to say. Watch the trailer below, and then enter to win a signed copy of this book. If you dare…

Beware if what you can’t see. -Becca Fitzpatrick

Win an Author Signed Copy & Swag

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of an author copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you’d love to read this book– by midnight Friday, February 27th (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, using #BlackIceGiveaway in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and pick a winner that I’ll announce on this blog Sunday, March 1st.

BLACK ICE ~ Official Trailer

LAST BLAST YAppiest Giveaway! “Ten” by Gretchen McNeil & “Unremembered” by Jessica Brody

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Fiction, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Elizabeth Fais, Gretchen McNeil, Horror, Jessica Brody, Last Blast, Sci-Fi, Ten, Thriller, Unremembered, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the LAST YAppiest Giveaway! And we’re going out in YAppy style, showcasing TWO awesome books: Ten by Gretchen McNeil and Unremembered by Jessica Brody.

For a chance to win a FREE copy of each of these books, see the “How to Win” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

TEN ~ Gretchen McNeil

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine? [Synopsis]

Ten teens. Three Days. One Killer.

If you’re a fan of suspenseful, fast-paced stories with a rising body count, look no further. Be warned! Once you start reading this thriller, you won’t be able to stop until the last page is turned.

UNREMEMBERED ~ Jessica Brody

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget? [Synopsis]

The only thing worse than forgetting her past … is remembering it.

If you enjoy a face-paced, exciting read with well-developed characters, this is a story for you. Jessica Brody knocks it out of the park with the first book in the Unremembered series. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series.

How to Win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, January 19th (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, January 21st. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

15th YAppiest Giveaway! “Struck” by Jennifer Bosworth

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Dystopian, Supernatural, Thriller, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Apocalyptic, Dystopian, earthquakes, Elizabeth Fais, Jennifer Bosworth, lightning, Los Angeles, Mystical, natural disaster, Power, religious cults, Struck, supernatural, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 15th YAppiest Giveaway! for Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth.

For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

A High Voltage Dystopian

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything. [Synopsis]

To save everyone, she must risk everything…

Mia is haunted by her ability to attract lightning, and frightened by the power each strike has left building inside her. She sees her power as a curse, but the warring religious cults in Los Angeles see it as something to be claimed and manipulated to their own ends. Mia wants nothing to do with either faction, but her brother is drawn to one side and her mother the other. To make matters more confusing, she meets an enigmatic, totally hot guy named Jeremy who possesses a strange power that draws her to him. Mia doesn’t know who she can trust. Not her brother or her mother. And least of all Jeremy, who shows up when she least expects it and then disappearing just as mysteriously.

STRUCK is an engaging, super fresh take on the dystopian theme with a unique paranormal twist. Mia may be a lightning addict with mystical powers, but she is also a teenager with insecurities and family drama we can all relate to. Her mother is left mentally broken as a result of what she endured in the massive quake, and Mia is doing whatever it takes to hold their small family together. The mystical elements of the story are woven through the realistic setting of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, substantiating a plausible explanation for the cataclysmic events Mia faces.

STRUCK is equal parts high-voltage action and thoughtful character study. For nothing shows a person for who they are more than how they act in a crisis. In the first sentence of the book, we learn that Mia’s life has been a royal flush in that department…

When you’re struck by lightning as many times as I have, you start to expect the worst pretty much all of the time.

Check out the following book trailer…

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, December 6th (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Sunday, December 8th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

14th YAppiest Giveaway! “Rootless” by Chris Howard

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Chris Howard, Dystopian, Elizabeth Fais, Giveaways, Rootless, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 14th YAppiest Giveaway! for Rootless, by Chris Howard. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Brutally gritty … yet fueled with hope

17-year-old Banyan is a tree builder. Using scrap metal and salvaged junk, he creates forests for rich patrons who seek a reprieve from the desolate landscape. Although Banyan’s never seen a real tree—they were destroyed more than a century ago—his father used to tell him stories about the Old World. But that was before his father was taken . . .

Everything changes when Banyan meets a woman with a strange tattoo—a clue to the whereabouts of the last living trees on earth, and he sets off across a wasteland from which few return. Those who make it past the pirates and poachers can’t escape the locusts—the locusts that now feed on human flesh.

But Banyan isn’t the only one looking for the trees, and he’s running out of time. Unsure of whom to trust, he’s forced to make an uneasy alliance with Alpha, an alluring, dangerous pirate with an agenda of her own. As they race towards a promised land that might only be a myth, Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees. [Synopsis]

When you lose everything, you’ll try anything…

Banyan’s post-apocalyptic world is as brutal as it is desolate. The people who survived the Darkness, and later the flesh eating locust, are desperate and borderline feral. So when Banyan loses his father in a dust storm, he is driven to search for him; the only family he’s ever known. Luckily, serendipity is in his favor. Banyan takes on a construction project for a despicable man that uncovers secrets to the location of the last living trees on earth, and evidence that his father is there. If he’s still alive.

Banyan’s harrowing journey to find his father and the last living trees on earth, throws him together with unlikely comrades who prove their worth as friends when the going gets ugly. And trust me, “ugly” is an understatement. Howard doesn’t pull any punches with this fully realized view of what our world could become. The characters are drawn with realistic brush strokes as well, revealing the harshness of their flaws. This is not a “light” read. But the ugliness of the world makes the threads of hope and humanity woven through the main characters shine all the brighter. I can’t tell you much more about the plot without spoiling this monumental story for you.

What continues to resonate with me long after finishing the last page of Rootless, are its thematic questions: “What defines family?” and “Where do you draw the morality line?”

But that’s just my interpretation. Which is what’s great about a good story — it touches each of us on a personal level. Here’s what Chris Howard says about Rootless on his blog:

In ROOTLESS I tried to draw an analogy between human creativity with the forces of nature and the cycle of life.

Rootless is the first book in a series. For more information about Chris Howard and the upcoming books in this series, visit his web site: chrishowardbooks.com

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, November 22nd (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Monday, November 25th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

13th YAppiest Giveaway! “Revived” by Cat Patrick

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Romance, Thriller, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Cat Patrick, Elizabeth Fais, Forgotten, Revived, Romance, suspense, The Originals, Thriller, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the LUCKY 13th YAppiest Giveaway! for Revived, by Cat Patrick. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Death might not be final, but it always has a price…

Daisy Appleby died in a bus crash when she was four. Then her undercover life began. She was brought back to life, along with nineteen other children on that bus, as part a covert government program for a drug called Revive.

Daisy barely remembers the fatal bus crash. Even so, now at fifteen Daisy has died and been Revived five times. She’s not exactly an expert at avoiding life-threatening accidents, her last being an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

To keep Revive a secret, each time Daisy dies and is revived it means a new name, a new city, a new identity. Daisy accepts her gypsy lifestyle without attachments … until they move Omaha and meets Matt and Audrey McKean. Audrey quickly becomes Daisy’s first real friend outside of “the program”, and then she falls for Audrey’s brother Matt. Hard.

For the first time, Daisy wants a normal life. She wants someone outside “the program” to know who she really is, including her secret. Daisy soon discovers that the Revive experiment is more sinister than she ever imagined, and her sharing her secret with Matt could very well cost him his life.

Epic Romance & Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller

The heart of this story is wrapped in Daisy’s relationships; how she deals with her first friendship outside the program, and then a romance with and outsider. People she isn’t “supposed to” get close to, because they can’t know her secret about Revive.

The mystery simmers beneath the surface, building tension as it slowly unravels with Daisy’s deepening friendship with Audrey and her romantic relationship with Matt. Daisy can’t ignore the signs. Something isn’t quite right with the program, but she can’t put her finger on it. That is, until she uncovers disturbing information she wasn’t supposed to find. Daisy is conflicted about sharing her secret with Matt, and after she does she discovers her indiscretion has endangered his life.

Cat Patrick is a master at creating authentic characters with believable strengths and weaknesses. The supporting characters—Mason, Cassie, and Megan—are as interesting and well-rounded as Daisy, Audrey, and Matt. The author is also adept at weaving suspense throughout, hinting at what’s just out of sight until the final climax. Like a horror movie where what’s lurking in the shadows is never shown. What we don’t see is more terrifying.

I can’t tell you any more without spoiling the edge-of-your-seat ending. You’ll have to read the book to find out if Daisy can out run the Revive program after uncovering its darkest secret.

I loved this book. So much so that I immediately picked up Forgotten, Cat Patrick’s debut novel, and devoured it just as quickly. Now I can’t wait to read The Originals, Cat Patrick’s most recent release, and Just Like Fate, which she co-authored with Suzanne Young.

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, October 20th (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, October 22nd. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

12th YAppiest Giveaway! “Populazzi” by Elise Allen

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Romance, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Elise Allen, Elizabeth Fais, Populazzi, Romance, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 12th YAppiest Giveaway! for Populazzi, by Elise Allen. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

What would you do if you could re-invent yourself?

Cara and Claudia met kindergarten, when an embarrassing incident cemented their friendship and put them at the bottom of the social ladder … through high school.

Cara and Claudia dream of being one of the glittering few at the top of the popularity tower, one of the Populazzi. But there’s no chance that dream will ever become reality in the small town where they live.

But all that changes for Cara in her junior year, when she moves to a new school. Claudia insists it’s Cara’s chance; that she has to take this opportunity to climb the popularity Ladder. Claudia spent months researching The Ladder, and presents Cara with the bulletproof formula for social success.

It’s simple,eEarch rung on the ladder is a relationship. All Cara has to do to climb to the top of the ladder—and become a Populazzi—is to transform into the perfect girlfriend for guys that are higher up the ladder. The trick is using her current relationship to hook the next guy, one higher on the popularity tower.

Cara isn’t thrilled about The Ladder the way Claudia is; she doesn’t even think it will work. But since Claudia has been her best friend since forever, Cara follows the rules Claudia has laid out for her. What starts out as lighthearted social experiment—that actually works—quickly turns into a downward spiral into becoming a person Cara never thought she could be. When the worst thing possible happens, ruining everything she’s worked for and hurting the people she cares most about, only a truly audacious act has the chance of setting things even a little bit right for Cara.

Fresh & Funny Tossed with Sad & Soulful

It’s easy—at any age—to look at someone from afar and think their life is perfect. Up close the reality is often anything but. Cara gets glimpses of this as she rises up the Ladder, but the brutal truth doesn’t register until it’s too late. The truth is, it’s lonely at the top because the people who act like friends will do anything to push you down and take your place. Through Cara’s sharp and sensitive first-person narration we experience the highs and lows of her pursuit for what’s ultimately intangible: popularity.

Cara, Claudia, and the main characters at Cara’s new school are all unique, well-defined, and easy to relate to. Cara’s parents are an interesting juxtaposition to Cara and Claudia. They are just far enough over the edge to win Cara our empathy, but not far enough over for us to hate. What I liked most about Populazzi is how Cara’s envelope is pushed in every way possible, making me laugh, cringe, and cry, while keeping the plot fresh.

One of Claudia’s quirks is quoting Shakespeare whenever she wants to make an emotional point. Cara’s Shakespearean quote for her learning experience on the trip up and down the Ladder would have to be…

…To thine own self be true…

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, October 6th (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, October 8th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

11th YAppiest Giveaway WINNER! “Pivot Point” by Kasie West

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Giveaway, Winner!, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Elizabeth Fais, Giveaways, Kasie West, Pivot Point, Winner, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

The 11th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Pivot Point, by Kasie West. This epic read is off-the-charts awesome in so many ways!

And the Lucky Winner Is…

… Drum roll …

~oOo~

Kierra

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*** Tosses buckets of confetti! ***

~oOo~

I’ll contact you via email for your address.

Coming Up Next!

The 12th YAppiest Giveaway! for Populazzi, by Elise Allen is just around the corner, so…

Stay Tuned!

For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.

11th YAppiest Giveaway! “Pivot Point” by Kasie West

15 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Paranormal, Romance, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Elizabeth Fais, Kasie West, Paranormal, Pivot Point, Romance, Split Second, suspense, swoony, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 11th YAppiest Giveaway! for Pivot Point, by Kasie West. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Knowing the future doesn’t always make a choice easier

Addison Coleman is gifted, like everyone else in the paranormal compound that’s been her home since forever. But her gift is unique—she’s a Searcher. Someone who can look into the future and see the outcome of a choice that she’s faced with. A clairvoyant automatically knows when something is going to happen, which is so not Addie. Otherwise, she would have known about her parents’ divorce before being blindsided with the news.

Addison thought her gift was the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. That is, until she’s forced to pick which parent she wants to live with. That’s when she discovers that knowing what will happen sometimes makes her choice harder.

Addie doesn’t want her life to change, so her decision should easy. Should. One Search, six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

Her father is leaving their paranormal compound to live among the “Norms.” In that potential future, Addie is the new girl in a Norm high school outside the Compound. She meets Trevor, a cute guy with loads of artistic talent who totally understands her. She falls for him. Hard.

Her mother is staying in the compound, amid the life Addie has always known. In that potential future, Addie is pursued by the hottest guy in school. And even though she never wanted to have a quarterback for a boyfriend, for some reason she loses all sensibility whenever she’s with Duke.

Trouble comes with a murder in the Compound that threads through both of Addie’s potential paths. Her father—who’s gift is lie detecting—is called in to consult on the investigation, without knowing Addie and her best friend are in danger of becoming the next victims.

No matter what path Addie chooses, there’s loss…

It all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through … who she can’t live without.

Smart, Swoony, & Suspenseful

In alternating chapters we follow Addie along the two paths of her search. One living with her father, going to a normal high school outside the Compound. The other living with her mother, staying at the same high school with her paranoramlly gifted friends. Both paths end with severe consequences.

What I liked most about his book is the seamless finesse with which we become part of Addie’s world. We experience Addie’s choices as they unfold, the suspense of the mystery quietly building. The power of the mystery and the choice Addie finally makes is in the relationships that are affected by it, the people Addie cares about. The characters are authentic in a way that put me in their shoes each step along the path.

Addie is forced make a hard choice, and accept the immediate consequences. But we’re left with the hope that Addie’s best friend, Lailia, may be able to wipe away the resulting damage by extending the power of her paranormal gift. If she can learn how to master that power. The sequel, Split Second, will be available February 2014, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, September 22nd (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, September 24th. Good luck!