January 21, 2015

Tunnel Vision Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

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Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Tunnel Vision blog tour being presented by St. Martin's Griffin! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book, and then enter to win a finished copy!


Tunnel Vision
Author: Susan Adrian
Genre: YA Fantasy/Action & Adventure
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Description:

Romance and action come crashing together when a teenage boy with incredible powers is brought to the attention of the government.

Jake Lukin just turned 18. He's decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he's also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there's a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.

When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to "tunnel" into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It's an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.

Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn't agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he's juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.

Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he's doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel's help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22537667-tunnel-vision?ac=1
Tunnel Vision is a fast paced adventure full of romance, action, and superhuman powers. Our main character, Jake, is just a normal teenage guy who enjoys tennis and video games. He also has the ability to "tunnel" into other people just by touching an object of theirs. When he tunnels into the other person, he knows exactly where they are and he can see, hear and feel what they do. He's been trying to keep his powers a secret, like his dad told him, but he slipped - and now the government knows all about him. He's basically forced to become a consultant for the government - helping to find kidnapped victims and terrorists - or they threaten to hurt his mom and sister. Now Jake has to manage his normal teen life - like flirting with a cute girl named Rachel - along with being a government asset. When the good guys suddenly seem to be not so good anymore, Jake - with the help of Rachel - must decide if using his gift to help the government is worth it or if he should finally find a way to live a life of his own, instead of just "tunneling" into other people's.

I found this to be a really intriguing and original novel that mixes a lot of genres together to create something fantastic. There's really something for everyone in the book - action, adventure, suspense, thrills, fantasy/paranormal, and romance - which will appeal to just about anyone. Jake is a great main character for the book and I liked him right from the start. He's smart, determined, a loving and devoted son/brother, and stands up for what he believes in. Not to mention his awesome ability of tunneling into other people. He's very realistic and easy to identify with early on, so readers will empathize with him and be fully invested in his story throughout the entire book. The plot wasn't wholly original - the government coming after a teenager with superhuman powers and then having the good guys actually be doing not so good things. Although the plot was totally unique, the author put a ton of great detail and imagery into every aspect of the story - which I think gave it a twist that makes it stand apart from others in the genre. The writing itself was incredibly well done with a fast pace that had me eagerly reading to see what was going to happen next. The romance in the story is obviously a part of the plot, but it wasn't a large part. It didn't overtake from the main story line, which I found to be great. I liked reading the exciting and thrilling adventure Jake was on, along with the small hints of romance throughout. Overall, this was a fantastic book that fans of YA fantasy, action, and adventure will definitely want to get their hands on.

Susan Adrian is a 4th-generation Californian who somehow stumbled into living in Montana. In the past she danced in a ballet company and worked in the fields of exotic pet-sitting, clothes-schlepping, and bookstore management. She’s settled in, mostly, as a scientific editor. When she’s not with her family, she keeps busy researching spy stuff, learning Russian, traveling, and writing more books. (Author information and picture taken from Goodreads)

Author Links: 

Giveaway: (1) Hardcover copy of Tunnel Vision - Open to US only!





  **A huge thanks to the wonderful people at St. Martin's Griffin for sending me a copy of the book for review, and for allowing me to host this giveaway!**



 

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