Blog Tour Book Review and Giveaway: Contact by Laurisa White Reyes

Contact by Laurisa White Reyes is a young adult novel about sixteen year old Mira, a girl with a unique ability that is driving her to attempt suicide. When ever she touches anyone else skin to skin she gains their every thought and memory. Some might see this as a gift, but Mira sees it as a curse. Complications are mounting, as if things are not hard enough for Mira. Her father is being investigated for misconduct in unsanctioned drug trials that lead to the deaths of several volunteers, and Mira's mother starts asking questions and ends up in a coma. Mira cannot let it go, and her questioning could very well led her to the death she had been hoping for just as she finds something worth living for.

Contact had me interested from the very beginning. Mira is a sympathetic character with desire to end the torment she feels when she touches anyone else skin to skin. She also carries guilt for this desire, and love for her family, and disappointment with her father's distance. The combination makes her a well developed character with a lot of room to grow and develop further as the story goes on. Her parents are each caring, though in their own ways. I really enjoyed that no character felt like they were exactly what they appeared from the beginning. Even Mira's new friend slash love interest was a multi layered character. The mystery and suspense aspect of the story had me intrigued and while I suspected part of the twist, I did not see the full extent of the reveal coming.

I would highly recommend Contact the young adult, new adult, and adult readers that enjoy dynamic characters and a unique story. The mystery, suspense, and deep character development kept me turning pages several times instead of tending to dinner or going to bed. A book, or anything really,  that an make me delay bed time after the kids have crashed is pretty special. The story left me satisfied with the ending, but also with plenty of room for a sequel. I cannot wait to see where we go from here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5244611.Laurisa_White_Reyes
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laurisa-White-Reyes/e/B006IL8HUK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwreyes
Blog: http://laurisareyes.blogspot.com
Web: http://www.laurisawhitereyes.com

Author Bio:

After earning her B.A. in English in 1995, Laurisa White Reyes spent many years writing for newspapers and magazines before gathering enough courage to live her dream of writing novels. Contact is her third published book. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in creative writing, is a book editor for Hamilton Springs/Xchyler Press, and is the Editor-in-chief of Middle Shelf Magazine. She lives in Southern California with her husband and five children. 

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Book Review: Alice in Tumblr-land: And Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation by Tim Manley

Alice in Tumblr-land: And Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation by Tim Manley is a quirky and sardonic look at what would happen after the stories we know ended, but set in the era of social media. This book is a funny look at how princesses and their princes, the Ugly Duckling, the Frog Prince, Alice, Peter Pan and more might have continued their tales in the age of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, OkCupid and more. Peter Pan deals with an internet addiction, Red Riding hood deals with a different kind of wolf, the Tortoise and the Hare stalk each other via Facebook, and much more. The book is formatted in short paragraphs and pictures, much like the social media sites that the book uses in the stories.

Alice in Tumblr-land is a quick read that will have middle grade, young adult, and adult readers chuckling as they recognize behavior that seems most prevalent on social media. Fairy tale characters losing themselves in Facebook and dealing with the social issues we all struggle with makes the little bursts of stories that much more relatable and humorous. The illustrations are a perfect pairing to the tiny tales, adding some humor and insight to the stories. I will admit that  expected some of the stories to come together, but the book still really worked for me.

Alice in Tumblr-land is an entertaining and quick read. It is perfect for light reading outside or where you might need to occasionally put the book down to take a swim to beat the heat. It was funny, and sometimes surprisingly insightful. I really enjoyed the read, and finished it off in a single sitting.

Book Review: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires is a picturebook that will speak to the inner perfectionist in us all. The book follows a young girl and her canine assistant as they try to make the most magnificent thing ever. They plan and work and build, but despite all the hard work the girl is not happy with any of their creations.She quits and walks away, but during a long walk with her assistant the young girl figures out just what she needs in order to succeed.

I really enjoyed The Most Magnificent Thing. I can relate to the young girl with an image of something perfect, but not quite able to met her expectations. It is only after walking away and seeing the bits of good in what she had deemed rows of failures that she sees how magnificent her work had been to that point. I feel like many of us can even relate o the canine companion, who sees the potential early and can only offer support. Many parents and teachers have felt like the cute little pug as they see wonderful artwork or writing tossed away as the creators cannot see the good in their own work. The story offers some perspective to both the youngest readers and the adults that might be sharing the story. I have failed to mention the wonderful artwork in the book, for shame! The illustrations are perfect in combination with the text of the story. A great deal of the story, especially the greatness of the young girls work, is told in the illustrations alone. The pictures are charming and a perfect addition to the story as a whole.

I would highly recommend The Most Magnificent Thing to readers of all ages. It could be used to start discussions with young children with perfectionist tendency, and help parents deal with their role as quiet supporter. The book would do wonderfully in a storytime setting, a small group, or for sharing one on one. I would suggest it as an addition to public and personal library collections.

Book Review: Scorched by Mari Mancusi

Scorched by Mari Mancusi is a young adult novel that has more twists than I expected. Sixteen-year-old Trinity Brown is used to her grandfather's crazy stories and has spent a good amount of time trying to make their home a permanent one. When he spent money he should not have on a treasure, she did not believe that it could be a real dragon's egg. Only when soldiers trying to steal it and a strange boy who tells her the world as she knows it will be wiped out in a fiery dragon war does she start to believe. Meanwhile, there is a voice whispering to Trinity, calling to her, telling her what to do...the dragon inside her egg is not ready to give up without a fight.

Scorched took me a while to get into, manly because of the fact that the point of view jumps between different points of view. Connor comes from the future, on a mission to stop the egg in Trinity's possession from hatching, and in turn preventing the dragon wars that destroyed the world that he knows. Trinity lost her mother to suicide and is just trying to have a stable home, all of which pales in comparison to the idea of the world being destroyed. Caleb is Connor's brother and working on his own mission to save the world and the dragons. The story is made more complicated by others from the future including plots and betrayals that will change the way all three teens view the world, the future, and each other. My main disappointment here is that Mancusi went for the love triangle, with twins no less. I saw it coming and shook my head and sighed. However, the twists and turns of the story, the development of Trinity's character, and the reveal of the dragon's possible fate all kept me reading. I am interested to see where the story goes from here- because while that is a certain level of resolution there is also a promise of more to come.

I would recommend Scorched to young adult, new adult, and adult readers that are looking for something a little different It is not a perfect book, but it was entertaining and interesting with a good deal of world and character building that leaves me curious to see what will happen in the book(s) to come.

Book Review: The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change by Yoram Bauman, Grady Klein

The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change written by Yoram Bauman and illustrated Grady Klein  is a quick and easy guide to a topic that is critical to everyone from students to politicians. While the topic is not all that funny, this book offers humor and information side by side to truly educate and entertain.

The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change offers an enjoyable presentation of mind-blowing facts and critical concepts. This is the most entertaining overview of the science, predictions, policies, and everything else pertaining to climate change that I have seen. I like that daunting subjects are explained, put into perspective, and made entertaining. I like that the information is well researched and based on the latest report from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and integrated with Bauman’s expertise on economics and policy.

I would Highly recommend The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change to anyone that wants to understand the science and policy surrounding climate change. The topic is daunting, but made understandable and readable here.