Release Day Blitz: Stolen Art - Ruth Silver

 

Title: Stolen Art - Ruth Silver

Publisher: Lazy Day Publishing

Release Date: April 28, 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance

   

Sixteen-year-old Madeline has been living on the streets, biding her time until she's eighteen. With little to no money, she takes on a heist in hopes of making ends meet. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Getting caught is just the beginning of Madeline's adventure as she meets Weston and discovers the secret of where she came from.   Fans of Orphan Black, The X-Files, and Fringe will fall head over heels for Stolen Art. Recommended: 15+.

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Excerpt

I rush back up the dark stairwell, shoving the key into the doorknob. It takes a minute for the lock to click and I push myself inside the apartment, securing every lock and deadbolt. I can’t stay here in Hutchinson, Kansas any longer. Pulling my phone from my purse, I text Weston. Tatiana is here. It’s not safe for me. I grab the few belongings that have any value to me, sentimental or otherwise, and shove it into my shoulder bag, including the stolen silver necklace. It has value and if I’m forced on the run, I’ll need money to survive. I know. What did Weston mean he knew Tatiana is at the bar? Had he seen her? Is he there? What do you mean, you know? I type into the phone. If he saw her, why didn’t he warn me? I can’t go down out the front door and it’s only a matter of time until she finds me just a few feet away. I grow restless waiting for an answer. The phone buzzes and displays an incoming call from Weston. "Wes, tell me you’re here." The only thing to do is hop in his car and drive into the night, far from Kansas. A female’s voice bubbles with laughter. "Oh he’s coming darling, but you should know he won’t get here in time. Amazing how easy it is to clone a phone number and steal his service. The advancements Stem Tech has made is encouraging."

     

About the Author

 

 Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of the Aberrant trilogy. With a passion for writing and a love of story-telling, Ruth is actively writing multiple series under her name as well as the pen name Ravyn Rayne. Her interests include traveling, reading, and photography. Her favorite vacation destination is Australia. Ruth currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois. 

Follow Ruth here: Blog- http://writeawaybliss.com Facebook- http://facebook.com/writeawaybliss Twitter- http://twitter.com/writeawaybliss 

  Looking for a steamier read? Check her out here: Blog- http://ravynrayne.com Facebook- http://facebook.com/ravynraynereads Twitter- http://twitter.com/blushingravyn 

   

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Uglies - Scott Westerfield

In a world where everyone gets turned Pretty when they are 16, one Ugly runs away from that chance. Her best friend stays, but before she can turn pretty herself, she is sent to recover the Ugly and to out the secret Ugly society living away from the city. There is no problem, until she finally arrives and sees for herself what an Ugly life can be like.

The Good:

• Our main character is really believable and relatable. When I was her age, everything was about being pretty and popular. She is basically me at that age to begin with, as I also would be wishing my own face away for a chance to become beautiful, especially if that was the normal thing to do. She has a excellent character arc too, something that would connect with a lot of teenage girls at the point. Also, kudos to the author for being able to write a teenage girl so well.

• This book deals with some amazingly tough issues, starting first with the issue of human ideals of beauty and the concern that these ideals really shape a persons self-image until they do not feel remotely pretty. It also touches on cosmetic surgery and how that would impact someone's life. That makes this story truly thought-provoking as you self-evaluate, and you also realise how close we are to becoming this type of society. That's the scary thing. This dystopia is not so far from the truth and is quite believable.

• The dystopia its-self is well thought-though, complete with slang terms, procedures, living quarters, lifestyle choice and inventions. This creates a very well put together world where there were no gaps in knowledge, meaning that the narrative had no holes and the image was a complete one.

The Bad:

• Some of the slang is banal: bubbly, for example, is a term that could get on my nerves.

• The relationships between the main character and others can seem a bit forced, possibly from where the book is quite short, so gives little time for her to get to know people.

• One character is introduced right at the beginning, then disappears only to reappear for a moment at the end. I can only assume he has a much larger part to play in future books.

• There's a major cliffhanger! Not fair!

Overall:

A good read and something that I want to read more of, definitely. There are three more to go, so look out for them some time in the future!

Kyra_x

Film Review: Hercules (2014)

The story of Hercules has been done and redone til it hurts, and yet I still bought this new film and had a watch of it. I think no matter what, the Disney version will always win hands down in my book. This movie made a brave attempt though.

The Good:

• A realistic take on a classic story.
• Some good names: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan.
• One absolutely inspired character; Tydeus, a savage killer who never speaks a word, but is reptty brutal and actually quite funny at times. He is also extremely brave, and I could not get over some of his actions.
• Interesting greek mythology origin story which stays true to the original story of how he killed his wife and children after going mad.
• Loads of action.
• A nice twist in the plot that you don't completely expect.
• Includes Atalanta, who is easily the best human female character in greek mythology. Two thumbs way,way up.

The Bad:

• Fair CGI, but didn't really make too much use of the 12 labours to help the story along.
• Some of the casting, specifically that of Dwayne Johnson is a bit dubious. He carries off the look and strength of the character, and does show some levels of character, but for me he was a bit flat. He is almost convincing.
• On the character point, I can't say that I cared at all for the characters. None of them was very relatable, and many were one-dimensional. I didn't even care about the kid, seriously.
• The plot is fairly boring and not terribly memorable. In fact, you really remember the fighting rather than anything else.

Overall:
A good ending which satisfies, but probably not something I am likely to watch again. It is really best for men who like action films and realism.

Kyra_x

Cover Reveal: Stolen Art - Ruth Silver

Stolen Art - Ruth Silver

Genre - YA Sci Fi Adventure

Expected Publication Date - May 4th, 2015

Publisher - Lazy Day Publishing

Sixteen-year-old Madeline has been living on the streets, biding her time until she's eighteen. With little to no money, she takes on a heist in hopes of making ends meet. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

Getting caught is just the beginning of Madeline's adventure as she meets Weston and discovers the secret of where she came from.

Review: Spirits Manifest - Sophie Weeks

Synopsis:

Two ordinary young women, new to adulthood, seeking to define their futures against a world that has already defined them. Two uncanny encounters with a world of spirits hostile and benign. This intriguing collection contains two novels that deftly blend poignant human drama with unleashed supernatural bonds. Two stories of hope, and finding the courage to break from traditions that haunt us.

Faced with an impossible decision, 20-something Margaret Campbell must choose between returning home to her father’s farm in Alberta to help raise her two orphaned cousins, or fulfilling her fashion designer, city-life dream. What would you do? In the second of the two novels, against the backdrop of old and dusty Cambridge, recent Ivy League graduate Sarah is an engaging voice for new adult women who strive to break from tradition and find a place in the world.

The Soured Earth Review

So, to start I should probably tell you that I do not usually read New Adult books. I am not hugely into love affairs or talking about sex in books. I prefer action and really big events. I like the supernatural. I like sweet love that grows slowly but doesn't embroil its-self within the plot too much. So anyway. I liked the sound of these two books because they had a supernatural label to them, but I was pessimistic about the rest.

So this book took me forever, even though it's rather short. I think the fact that this story is set in a ranch in America really doesn't help me, As I live in the UK and am more used to the Great British countryside, meaning I couldn't connect to the place.

As I was reading, I found that the story was very much about Margaret and her relationships, rather than the ghost story I was expecting. Although there was a slight bit of otherworldliness in the story, I found it was very much based in reality, even down to the final explanation as to why the crops were not growing.

Overall this story was enjoyable, but not really for me, and could benefit from not being in this collection as it doesn't quite work with the description.

Unsettled Spirits Review

This story was much more like it. There is most definitely a ghost here. The beginning of the story is great and I really got into it as the characters are all very engaging. Although I may not agree with some of the things that Sarah does, I can relate to her and her situation well.

Unfortunately the story then starts to lose its way as it goes very much into Sarah's personal relationships with her employer and her boyfriend. While I do care, I actually care more about the ghost, who seems to fall entirely by the wayside.

Luckily, that is all rectified in the end, and I was content with how the story turned out.

Overall

While is did enjoy these books, they took me some timeto get to grips with them and didn't capture me the way others do, perhaps simply because I didn't think they were otherworldy enough, or caught my attention enough with mysteries. Anyone who liked some drama with a little bit of otherworldy thrown in will definitely love these. Maybe NA just isn't for me.

Kyra_x