Lifers Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

LIFERS

Author: M.A. Griffin
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Chicken House (Scholastic)
Pages: 288
Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook 

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads


Description:

Fear haunts the streets of Preston's city: a girl has disappeared. Preston is drawn to investigate, exploring the city in the hunt for his missing friend. And deep in the bowels of a secret scientific institute, he discovers a sinister machine used to banish teenage criminals for their offenses.

Captured and condemned to a cavernous dimension, Preston is determined to escape. But this is no ordinary jail. Friendships will be forged and lives will be lost in a reckless battle for freedom, revenge--and revolution.

Set in a world all too similar to our own, Lifers is thrilling, pulse-pounding storytelling of the highest degree. 

Lifers is a unique young adult novel that blends elements of several genres together to create something fresh and new. I wasn't quite sure what to think going in to the book - the description was pretty vague, but it sounded interesting. It took me a little while to get into the story. The book is told from the third person point of view - and if you've read any of my other reviews, you'll know that I'm not a big fan of this style. It was a bit hard to connect with the characters, especially Preston (the main character), because of the POV. Personally, I think it hindered my reading experience more than I thought it would, but this is purely my own preference and other readers won't have the same issue. The author also uses a lot of flashbacks and memories throughout the novel - which I normally don't mind - but due to the POV, I just couldn't connect with them. If the story had been told from the first person perspective, I truly believe it would have been a whole different story for me. Again - just my own opinion.

The plot of the story was intricate and did a fantastic job of weaving together several genres. There's a bit of something for everyone - mystery, dystopia, contemporary, suspense/thriller, science fiction, action and adventure. I have to give props to the author for doing such a fantastic job of meshing all of these genres together and then make it incredibly fascinating. The story line had several layers and I enjoyed trying to figure things out before they happened - even though most of the time I was wrong. The author uses lots of detailed descriptions and vivid imagery to really bring the characters and the plot to life. I definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy all types of fiction and for those looking for something different than what's out there right now.

I'm a writer of children's fiction, represented by Ben Illis at the B.I.A., available for workshops and school visits when I'm not chained to a laptop cursing my lack of progress and/or poverty of imagination.

My debut novel, The Poison Boy, was written as Fletcher Moss. My second novel, Lifers, is my first for teen readers. It arrives April 2016. 

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

(3) Winners will receive a finished copy of LIFERS - US Only!

 

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Tour Schedule: 


Week One:
1/23/2017- YA Book Madness- Interview 
1/24/2017- Here's to Happy Endings- Review 
1/25/2017- Novel Novice- Excerpt 
1/26/2017- A Dream Within A Dream- Review 
1/27/2017- Fantasy Book Critic- Guest Post


Week Two: 
1/30/2017- Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile- Review 
1/31/2017- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Interview 
2/1/2017- Book-Keeping- Review 
2/2/2017- Wishful Endings- Interview 
2/3/2017- A Gingerly Review- Review