BOOK TOUR: Saving Raine by Fredrick Lee Brooke

A country torn apart by greed, corruption, and chaos. A boy sent on a mission that could kill him. A girl who's in grave danger...and doesn't have a clue. Can Matt beat the odds stacked against him and outrun the drones raining down on his head in time to save Raine--and America?

Find†Saving Raine†on†Amazon†and†Barnes & Noble. Add†Saving Raine†to your Goodreads to-read list!

Find†Inferno†on†Amazon†and†Barnes & Noble. Add†Inferno†to your Goodreads to-read list!

About†SAVING RAINE

"Matt, Raine went to California because her parents thought it was safe. Itís not. You've got to get her out as soon as possible. She could die, Matt." When 19-year-old Matt Carney gets a cryptic message from his father telling him to go to California and save his girlfriend, Raine, he doesn't hesitate, grabs his AK-47, revs up his blue pickup, and gets ready to make the 2,300-mile roadtrip. But cross-country travel in 2021 isn't easy, sometimes, even possible. The U.S. has become a near-military state: 17,000 checkpoints severely restrict interstate movement, Predator drones target innocent civilians without cause, and explosions rock cities daily. Matt and his stepbrother, Benjy, face deadly attacks from a corrupt government, ruthless local law enforcement, and bloodthirsty terrorist groups as they embark on their trek. They're about to find out that their trip is much more than a private journey, and their success could change the face of the country forever. Can Matt and Benjy outrun the drone missiles raining down on their heads? Can they avoid assassination by government officials hell-bent on taking over what little is left of the country? Can they outsmart the deadly schemes set in motion against them? Break the rules. Save the girl. He only gets one chance before she is gone forever.

About†INFERNO

*WARNING: SAVING RAINE SPOILERS* When 19-year-old Matt Carney saved his girlfriend, Raine, from the crossfire between the government increasingly ruthless Homeland Security and March22, a terrorist group taking steps to strike a new, legitimate path, he thought his work was done. Was he ever wrong. Kidnapped by the brutal Dark Fiber militia, Matt is shocked to discover he is been betrayed by those he trusted most. Stranded in an isolated location in the middle of Michigan, far away from the girl he fought so hard to regain, Matt is made March 22 is point man in a plot to get control over a cache of thousands of stolen ground-to-air missiles. As time runs out, he is their last and best hope of sparing the country of a heinous attack on commercial aviation that could quickly turn the United States into a permanent war zone. In this action-packed, explosive follow-up to Saving Raine, the first book in Frederick Lee Brooke's The Drone Wars, Matt Carney finds himself at the center of a firestorm of stolen missiles, stolen drones, and stolen dirty nukes, tormented by stinging betrayals, clinging to a last hope for love. Sure, he was able to save Raine but as the inferno rages around him, can he find a way to save the country from further violent chaos and a way to save himself?

About Frederick Lee Brooke

Frederick Lee Brooke launched the Annie Ogden Mystery Series in 2011 with Doing Max Vinyl and following with Zombie Candy in 2012, a book that is neither about zombies nor sweets. The third mystery in the series, Collateral Damage, appeared in 2013. Saving Raine, the first book in Fred's entirely new series, The Drone Wars, appeared in December, 2013. A resident of Switzerland, Fred has worked as a teacher, language school manager and school owner. He has three boys and two cats and recently had to learn how to operate both washing machine and dryer. He makes frequent trips back to his native Chicago. When not writing or doing the washing, Fred can be found walking along the banks of the Rhine River, sitting in a local cafe, or visiting all the local pubs in search of his lost umbrella. Find Frederick Lee Brooke on his†website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

-MY REVIEW of SAVING RAINE-

There seems to be a lot of positive reviews on Goodreads, so i'll just be a biit critical.

First of all, the story was set in 2021. It's a really minor thing, but I think it would have been more believable if it was set in 2050 or something. I take pity on us all if this stuff is going to happen in 7 years.... Oh dear. Drones overtaking the world and whatnot, world ending, whenever I read this stuff all i'm thinking is 'People stop giving the government ideas! :o' Ahhh.

The Characters

I couldn't really connect to the characters much because there were so many different PoVs, and it was all in third person. It's kind of hard to emotionally connect with someone if it keeps swapping around every chapter. However, there was potential and it was interesting to see because Brooke managed to make every character have a distinct personality, so I was never confused at who was talking. I do think that there were some unneeded PoVs that made the general story more messy though. But it wasn't a big deal. 

Our MC Matt was cool. What annoyed me a little in the beginning was that all he thought about was Raine. We get it, you're in love and all that but you didn't have to constantly talk about her hair or eyes! I don't care about her lookssss. Oh SPEAKING of Raine, she was such a jerk! I didn't like her personality at all. She's so gullible and cold. I don't know why someone nice as Matt would fall for her. 

The Plot

It was kind of confusing for me because this was written in a more classic, Sci-Fi feeling instead of a YA book as i'm used to. So it took a while to adjust. As I read on, the plot became clearer and that twist at the end was really surprising/weird! 

The beginning was so strange though... What kind of dad tells his son to risk his life to save his girlfriend? Uhhhh okaaayy then. Nice dad, I think. *shakes head* 

It was a bit long as well, and I think without the extra PoVs and irrelevant scenes, the story could have been shorter and straightforward, but I loved reading the descriptions the author used. (Except the rat eating. I honestly felt nauseous at the rat eating >.<) The whole resistance March 22 thingy had my brain jogging to keep up with the pace as well.. need more explanations on that.

The ending was a gamechanger! I think that the second book will be more action packed than the first one, and more stuff happens. And there are also less PoV changes, hopefully. It was mentally exhausting to keep up with everybody's life. 

Overall, it was a good sci-fi read! If you don't have much experience in this genre, It'll probably confuse you. A lot. But if you enjoy those old feeling classic science fiction books, then check this out! (-has some mature themes)

*thank you Amy the lovely publicist for providing me with a free review copy!*

—MissOddball™ Over and Out.  

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Jackaby by William Ritter

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.



Jackaby by William Ritter
My Rating: ★★ ★
Stand Alone? Idk
Page Count: 299
Recommended For: Quick quirky mystery novels. Fans of Sherlock/Doctor Who, I suppose
Genres: YA, Mystery, Paranormal
Cover Rating: 9/10 !! SO PRETTY. But that model.. erm.. does not look like Jackaby.

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This world is full of dragon-slayers. What we need are a few more people who aren't too proud to listen to a few fish.

—Jackaby, William Ritter 

——————————————————

Jackaby was a really interesting, quirky read. To me though, it felt a bit unoriginal because it felt like it was trying too hard to be a cross between Sherlock (BBC) and Doctor Who. Mind you, I've never seen Doctor Who (don't kill me), but the similarities to Sherlock were really obvious. First I had this feeling that Jackaby was a mix of Sherlock and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp's version) because I don't know Doctor Who's personality and I didn't read the blurb... it was kind of a weird, fitting mix actually xD But anyways.

On the blurb, it bluntly states that it's a cross between Sherlock and Doctor Who. This made it feel a bit like fan-fiction instead of a novel. If you've never watched any of those shows though, I think you'll really enjoy it :) (-and you should totally watch Sherlock. I command you!!)

Getting past that issue, it put a nice twist on a classic detective plotline! I loved the paranormal aspect. And it was well descripted as well. You could really easily imagine being along with Abigail in her 'big adventure'. The place this took place was a bit confusing though... because it said in the beginning that it was set in America, but the language and scenery were clearly London :/ Meh.

Characters

I loved Jackaby! He was awesome. Like said before, personally it was like a cross between Johnny Depp's Hatter and BBC's Sherlock. What I would pay to see them both having tea. 

Abigail, our protagonist, was really cool too because she was independent. She wanted adventure, and she got one! With Jackaby of all people. I want!

There isn't really much to say about them though because they felt too similar to the TV shows. In books, I like it when authors put themselves inside the characters, (see my review of Every Ugly Word. That's a really well done book.) but they don't seem emotionally real enough if they're mostly based on someone else's work. 

Overall it was quite nice, but the character issue put me off a bit. There was nothing that made my jaw drop and go WOW, BUT it was still a funny, quirky and just a quick mystery read that I enjoyed loads!

—Miss Oddball€ Over and Out. 

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Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand

Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me.

Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. 

Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now.

When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?



Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand 
My Rating: ★★★
#1 of the Clone Chronicles 
Page Count: 272
Recommended For: Sci-Fi fans. The Island film fans.
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Clones
#Coverlove :D

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When I am called to duty, I will be ready. I will serve my Authentic in any way necessary. 

- Imitation, Heather Hildenbrand

—————————————————————

Anyone.. The Island much?!

Concept: The richer people can make Imitations AKA Clones of themselves. Those Imitations can contribute to organ harvesting, or filling in for events. 

The main character, Ven, was cool. She didn't really stand out against the world of YA female protagonists, but she didn't annoy me too much as well, so I appreciate that. When I say 'too much', it meant that she still annoyed me at parts... especially the romance parts. 

Let's look into that, shall we? *offers arm*

The romance was way too fast in my opinion.

It was like... 

Linc: You're different *cocks head* I can't place it.. but you're not that celeb-y Raven Rogen....

Ven: I HAVE A SECRET TO TELL YOU......... I'M ....A......CLOOONNNEE

Linc: *le gasp* THAT IS SO AWESOMEEE

Ven: :D REALLY?!

Linc:  YES TOTALLY. UN. BELIEVE. ABLE. 

Ven: YAY

Linc: kissy kissy kissy

Ven: Swoony swoony swoony

Me: *rolls eyes* Come on, guys. Get your head in the game. 

It also wasn't believable that she's been training for 4 years. I mean.. even you're still you're own person, you ARE still a clone. And all you've been doing it train train train. Doesn't she have to be at least a bit okay in acting her Authentic? Because she was complete rubbish at it. Sorry Ven, but it's the harsh truth *pats head* Also, I didn't get how Obadiah was an Authentic for her friend.. unless I read it wrong. Because I'm pretty sure you can't change genders with cloning.. o.O

Another down part was that the dialogue between the characters was a little stiff for me to read comfortably. There weren't any parts where I had to go back a few paragraphs because I didn't understand, but more like a '... did he really just say that. Out loud.' reaction. 

There was also an issue with the setting, because I really wanted to know what year this book was set in. Also I wanted to know more about Ven's Authentic, Raven. All that came out about her was that she was a player, and never turned down a boy, and that she's a shallow bimbo who only cares about her appearance and gossip. That's LITERALLY the only information we get about her. Kind of sad, don't you think? 

Apart from that though, I liked the ending, and how it was a cliffhanger. I think the second book will be much better than the first, because things are actually starting to happen :) This book was a bit of a slow start. 

Do I Recommend?: Ummm lemme get back to you on that after I read the sequel... it wasn't that bad though. Just kind of meh.

**Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for review<3**

—MissOddball™ Over and Out.

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Pretty Girl by Amy Heugh

PRETTY GIRL
by
Amy Heugh

Page Count: 393
Stand Alone.

My Rating: ★★★
Current Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.88

Synopsis:
If there were one day that she could change it would be the day she was taken. 

After her parents’ divorce, seventeen-year-old Izzy Scott and her mother move to the old town of St. Augustine to begin a new life, a life beyond the media attention and the memories of the traumatic experiences that left an everlasting affect on their family. 

The former ballerina is trying to adjust to the outside world without suffering a panic attack and exposing who she is - all while getting through her senior year at a new school. That’s easy to say until she meets local boy Mason Winchester, a boy with a tragic past. 

Mason has a reputation for violence, but a love for motorcycles. At the age of eleven he lost his mother to cancer and from then he has been running from something, but could never really get away. 

Like any other angry teenager, he just wants to be left alone and to have nothing to do with anyone else because he believed that he had nothing to offer. That changes the moment he saw what was in the new girl eyes. 

Tragedy wasn't new to either of their lives but among the secrets and the memories the one thing they both never excepted was to find hope. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pretty Girl.

Can you guess what it's about? ;)

The book was overall a little cliche and nothing I haven't seen before. But Amy pulled it off pretty (heh) well and it kept my interest throughout.

My first thought was These are seriously some MESSED UP characters.

But it reminded me of Pushing the Limits. Two characters with bad history attracts for no particular reason, get together, have problems, blablah. And also like in that book, the only reason I could tell the two PoVs apart was because Mason swore a lot. If there was a curse every two sentences, might as well be Mason. So if I was confused, I just kind of skimmed the page looking for a curse word o.O Not weird at all.

The writing was great, with a few exceptions of typos but that's nothing an editor or a proofread can fix ^.^ I loved the wide range of vocabulary used. This lady knows a lot of words xD
It lagged a LOT in the middle though. I actually skimmed 40%ish of the book :/
Me: *at 40%* Lalala....this is getting kind of boringggg......
*50%* Hey, even if I skim these five or so paragraphs, I'd still get the story!
*60%* Ugh there's no dialogue.....skim skim skim.... oh look they talk! Oh no that's over...skim skim...
*80%* They're talking more now! Hallelujah! No more heaps of descriptions to skip overrrrr

Yep. So basically, there was one sentence of actual talking, and then either Izzy or Mason went into these looooooong borrrrrring descriptions of how they were broken and scarred. Dude, we get it. You had a tough past. WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW EVERY OTHER PAGE!
So I skipped over those and only read the dialogue.

Example:
He opened the door. "Get in"

*insert 10 paragraphs of random description here*

"And why should I listen to you?

(Okay, I made those up xD I'm pretty sure there that wasn't in the book)

And I still got the story really well! So the book could have been like two times shorter and equally good (or maybe better.) That was annoying. It picked up pace around 75-80%, but it was so latee! Me no like waiting for more than half the book to actually start getting in the story.

I didn't particularly take a favourite of the characters, I have to admit. I know none of them were meant to be perfect or anything..... but just....yeah. Izzy wasn't bad though :D

The sliight love triangle wasn't necessary.

Dear Authors, 
You can have an amazing YA book even without two guys pining over one girl like idiots.

Sincerely, 
Cassie.

*mails letter*

I've seen way too many examples where they just stuff another love interest there for the sake of it -.- That's just a noooo!

Jake could have been an awesome friend, not a love interest. Shame he wasn't a more major person though. He seemed quite nice. And just as messed up as the rest of the lot *le sigh*

I DID NOT like Mason's decision and character in the beginning. So sexist -.- Girls aren't playtoys.
But we had a bit of development so it was all good. Meh.

There were also some spots were it jumped around a lot and left me confused. Like Izzy would be walking towards an art room, and then DUN she's going home in a car.
I'm just like ... Wait what?

and a few descriptions tried too hard to be metaphorical. Metaphors have to, you know....actually make sense for the reader to visualise more clearly. Not just saying some random things and yeyyy it's an awesome metaphor! *shakes head*

So I think that could have been improved.

Oh also, it FRUSTRATED me when Mason kept calling her "pretty girl" ... he sounded like a pervert! >.<
Like if someone always said something like Hey pretty girl, whatcha dooin? to you,
doesn't it sound a bit creepy? Only me?

There isn't really much more to say... hmm.

Yeah overall, it was
—a relatively unoriginal story.. (how they met first annoyed me the most.)
—Okay characters (no one stood out)
—Too long. Could have been shortened.
—Too jumpy. The scene changes could have been smoother.
—Interesting. It held my attention . (My other ARCs didn't work out so well....heh..)
—Reminded me of ALL OF ME by John Legend xD And aaaaalll of meee..loves aaall of youuu...all your curvess and all your edges...all your perfect imperfectionsss ;)
—Instalove -.- Ugh.

I liked the ending.. I'm not really sure how I feel about it but I liked it! PLOT TWIST!

Recommend? Why not. Just a warning though, the middle is horribly boring. If you just get past that part it's okay :)

*Thank you Amy for giving me a free copy in exchange of an honest review.*

—MissOddball™ Over and Out.

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The Girl and the Clockwork Cat by Nikki McCormack

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
by
Nikki McCormack

Page Count: 224
Stand Alone. (Horrible choice)

My Rating: ★ ★ ★

Current Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.05

Synopsis:
Feisty teenage thief Maeko and her maybe-more-than-friend Chaff have scraped out an existence in Victorian London’s gritty streets, but after a near-disastrous heist leads her to a mysterious clockwork cat and two dead bodies, she’s thrust into a murder mystery that may cost her everything she holds dear.

Her only allies are Chaff, the cat, and Ash, the son of the only murder 
 suspect, who offers her enough money to finally get off the streets if she’ll help him  
find the real killer. 

What starts as a simple search ultimately reveals a conspiracy stretching across the entire city. And as Maeko and Chaff discover feelings for each other neither was prepared to admit, she’s forced to choose whether she’ll stay with him or finally escape the life of a street rat. But with danger closing in around them, the only way any of them will get out of this alive is if all of them work together.

**Thank you Entangled Teen Publishing for giving me a review copy!**

Unfortunately, it wasn't good as I hoped. If i'm being honest, I don't even know why I picked it up because I usually don't read steampunk.. oh wells. The story is centred in London with a "street rat", Maeko (half Japanese), who gets sucked into this mystery revolving around a cat with a clockwork leg. Interesting? Mehhh..

The mystery was a bit laggy. It didn't really feel like a mystery either... Just some gal and an attempt at a love triangle, running around places trying not to get caught. I was bored at times, and had to really push myself to carry on till the end. (*cough* That's why it took ages to finish this..) It wasn't like the "I can't continue on for the life of me, please kill me now" feeling though. Some parts were actually decent. Just I think the general story could have been improved.

aaaaand,
The romance didn't work.
Seriously, the love triangle just didn't make sense in this one. A plain one to one could have done fine! Just because most YA books have triangles these days, there is NO NEED to grab a random male character and stick it in a love interest position :/ It's like... Ash's interest was believable. Sorta.
He's never seen her before, he's in a higher social cast, and well, she's interesting enough. A teenage half Japanese spunky girl hiding around the streets of London getting herself involved with really dangerous situations. Okay, i'll take that as a reason for romancee? XD

But the second guy, Chaff, has been her mentor of how to survive since she was really young. They have a special bond.. and then *DUN* Ash comes in. Chaff gets jealous. He turns into a mentor/friend/family to 'love interest' overnight.
Right.
Well then.

And then Maeko's all conflicted like NO WHO WILL I CHOOOOSE D:
*ends up not choosing anyone*
*book is a standalone*

Wth?

(It bothered me that Maeko was always saying "i'm not a rat!" but then she always called herself a rat.. Self confidence is the first step, darlin'. But I did like you somewhat :D Strong laddyy)

The writing was cool, I must admit! McCormack did a good job portraying historic London ^.^ Well the language anyways. I didn't really read much about the setting.. maybe she thought "Hmm where shall this scene be set... Pffft. London language, steampunk, yeah. The readers will know where the characters are right now. Just some random place in London. *shrugs and continues with story*"
Me: Whattt *is a bit confused through out the book*

Oh, and since mine is an ARC copy, I hope they proofread this before publishing xD McCormack slipped up and used "mom" twice near the end.. *looks around for editor* HELLOOO?

The ending was terrible! and not in a good way.
I recently (as mentioned above) found out this was a standalone? From Lola's review?
Sigh.. This was a big mistake :/ I hope the author really changes this decision. You can't leave a standalone in a cliffhanger, unless you're planning on finishing it.
And it wasn't like even "Eleanor and Park"'s deliberate 'open ended' ending. (btw that was an overhyped book, people. Overhyped book. Jus saying XD) This was a real honest CLIFFHANGER. Not that I would read the second book, but you just can't do that! IT'S NOT THE WAY OF THE UNIVERSE. *pulls hair*

Mer.

Overall, it was a bit of a easily forgettable read with a dragging on mystery (ish) and characters that didn't stand out (notice I haven't said much about them. Ain't really anything to say..) , an unnecessary love triangle, and a confusing plot. Should really be a sequel even if I won't read it, and i'm immensely glad I managed to finish it.
Yay!

—MissOddball™ Over and Out.

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The Winter People ~ Rebekah L. Purdy

Source of Pic: GoodReads

The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Average rating on GoodReads: 3.61 out of 5 stars

Pages: 320

Synopsis:

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

So, when I first got the opportunity to review this book, I was excited! The concept seemed so cool and I figured it would be an amazing first ARC to read for the blog.

Unfortunately though, I was extremely disappointed /: The author just didn't execute the concept as good as I had been hoping for. I'm sure if another author was writing this it would have been better, because with as good a concept as Rebekah L. Purdy had, it had the potential to be a fantastic book.

The main thing that bothered me was all of the love interests. It was basically a freaking love square and that bothered me to no end. Love triangles are bad enough, but a love square? Totally unnecessary. She "fell in love" with all three guys too easily. And I know y'all are gonna say "but Tia! The first two were using charms on her! She couldn't have fought it!" But she could have. You always see protagonists beat the odds and fight the compulsions that people try and put them under...but Salome didn't do that.

Which brings me to my other point. Salome was too dependent on those around her. She didn't do things for herself. She whined and let her fears control her. She expected everyone to just be there to save her and to answer her questions. Even when she started looking for answers herself, she still brought someone with her because she didn't want to do it alone. I just *growls* I absolutely hate protagonists like that! Grow a backbone! Be independent for gods sake! -.-

Although I liked the concept of this book, the execution just wasn't up to par. I'm sure there are people who would argue with me on this but this is my honest opinion and it's not going to change. The Winter People only gains 2 stars in my eyes, but if you want to see for yourself then go ahead and read it ^^ I won't stop you.

LittleMissTotem™ Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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