Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Release Day: A Tale of Two Centuries and Control

Today is an extremely exciting day!  Today, we have two amazing novels releasing into the wonderful reading world of YA.  It's always thrilling to see these books come to fruition, especially knowing that behind each book is hours of grueling work, drafts, revisions, PR, cover design, marketing, etc!  I know as an avid reader, I seriously respect the dedication and perseverance that these authors, editors and publishers take to get these pretties in our hands!  So, thank you, thank you!

Now, on to the debuts!


First off, we have Rachel Harris' long awaited A Tale of Two Centuries (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #2)!  I must admit that I did not read the first in the series, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, but that being said, I don't believe that the two are dependent on each other.  ATOTC is strong enough and complete enough to stand on it's own...I am sure however, that if you are reading the series this just adds that additional layer of information!  So what am I saying?  Well basically, whether or not you have read the first in the series do NOT hesitate to pick up A Tale of Two Centuries! 

Let me start off by saying that I was instantly drawn to the cover art.  I am a sucker for a pretty book and this one is absolutely gorgeous! I seriously love it when a cover can sweep you off your feet.  They say you eat with your eyes, and like a good meal I think a well thought out book cover can set the tone before cracking that first page...

Yes, this is a story of time-travel.  No this is not Sci-Fi by any stretch of the imagination.  We find ourselves in the 16th Century with Alessandra (Less) longing to marry for love and yearning to become an actress but in a situation where neither seems possible and to top it off she finds her heart broken by betrayal, but alas that is what sets events in motion...

I cannot even start to explain to you all how much this story absolutely made me blush and fall in love all over again!  The characters are wonderfully developed throughout the novel and they continue to grow and mature right in front of your eyes.  It's so wonderful to see the exterior of the "Hot Bad Boy" fall away into the wonderful leading man we love to see as well as to see our main heroine, Alessandra's (Less) adventure being as she becomes more comfortable in her own skin and really be allowed to show who she really is inside (a wild and free spirited) as she's introduced to the modern world. 

I highly recommend this book to all of you who are looking for adventure, love and a twist that, I tell you now, you will NOT expect!!!

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Now, it's time to switch gears...our next review takes a shift for the dystopian future and we find ourselves with Shifter, Scott Tyler on the ride of his life in Control (Shift, #2) by Kim Curran.  Control also plays with the "time travel" idea but on a very different level.  Our main protagonist is a shifter which means that by the power of thought he can change the surrounding reality.  This concept is really something very intriguing and something that Curran does an excellent job explaining.  Also, as a side note, and more and more seemingly rare to the YA genre, this novel is told from the male POV which I really enjoyed.

Just by looking at the cover art for Control you can instantly tell this will be a high-def read!  What a dynamic cover that really pulled me in from the get-go!

Control is another second in a series that can also act as a standalone but let me be honest when I say, that after you finish this book you will want both the first (Shift) and the third!  This is a fast-paced, action-packed, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of book and boy, what a ride!  Curran plays with similar ideas to the Butterfly Effect...eventually you need to stand by your decisions.  What is the truth when you keep changing the past and the present alters?  The outcome might not be all you wished for...You will not be disappointed as you join Scott and girlfriend, Aubrey on their grand adventure that will uncover a world filled with amazing as well as truly frightening and suspenseful moments!

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