A Dream Within A Dream: Earthbound Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the official Earthbound blog tour being presented by Book Nerd Tours! Today I have my review of the book and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!

Earthbound (Earthbound #1)

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

Buy Links: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Description:

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.

Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them--and that she may have been the true intended victim--she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.

Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.

Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do.

Earthbound is a wholly original science fiction/fantasy novel that begins a new young adult series that's sure to be a hit. It follows Tavia Michaels and her life after the plane crash that ruined her life. She and her parents were on a flight to visit a prestigious art school when their plane inexplicably crashed, killing everyone aboard - except Tavia. Now she's living in seclusion where the media can't find her. Everything seems to be going okay - until Tavia sees a beautiful yet strange boy one afternoon. She feels a pull in her heart for him that she can't explain. Soon she's seeing him all over town, along with a man wearing sunglasses who seems to be following her and people who flicker. Stranger than all of this is Tavia's new found abilities - she can make things appear from thin air. Turning to Benson - her crush and best friend - Tavia attempts to piece together who she really is and what these people want from her. Soon she discovers that no one is who they seem and she can't trust anyone. There are ancient brotherhoods after her - and she doesn't know why. Will Tavia be able to get the answers before they find her?

This was a really fascinating and unique book that immediately drew me in from the first page. The characters were well done - especially our main character Tavia. I liked how she was so broken and yet had so much strength that she didn't realize. I found myself rooting for her right away. The rest of the characters were definitely shrouded in mystery for the majority of the book, which only added to the suspense. The plot is a science fiction one that deals with supernatural beings and abilities along with underground societies and secrets that could save - or destroy - the world. I loved that the author mixed together so many different genres into one book. There's action, adventure, mystery, suspense, fantasy, and romance. They're all woven together seamlessly to create this amazing book. The story had me guessing for most of the book - I was constantly trying to figure out who or what Tavia was, who these societies were, what they wanted, what was really happening - there were so many different questions and lots of twists and turns to go along with them. I loved that I only had one character pegged from the middle of the book, but the rest had me stumped - which takes a lot for a thriller lover like myself. The writing was phenomenal with a fast pace and vivid detail and description that had me feeling like I was right beside Tavia the entire time. There's so much that happens in the book that it seems it should confuse the reader, but it was written in a way that made complete sense and I was easily able to keep up with the plot. There were some big questions and openings left at the end of the book, so I'm now eagerly awaiting the next installment to see what will happen next. Highly recommended for fans of multiple genres, especially YA fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and romance.

Critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author Aprilynne Pike has been spinning tales since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found out running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and four kids; she is enjoying the sunshine.