The Deep Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

The Deep
Author: Alma Katsu 
Genre: Adult Horror/Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 10, 2020
Publisher: Transworld Digital

Synopsis:

Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner's illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers - including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher - are convinced that something sinister is going on... And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not - could not - have survived the sinking of the Titanic...

I've been dying to read The Deep for months and now that I've had the chance to experience it, I have a surprising array of feelings that I wasn't expecting. There were a ton of things that I absolutely loved and a couple that bothered me a little. Here's a breakdown:

Loved:
Writing: The author never fails to disappoint with her writing. It's so descriptive that it immediately drew me into the story and the setting. It felt like I was alongside the characters experiencing everything they did. The attention to detail - even the tiniest of things - made it obvious that the author did extensive research before writing to make it all as real as possible. That dedication and truth shines through on every page and really sets the author's books - especially this one - apart from anything else like it. I could rant on forever about how much I loved the writing style and how incredible it was, but I think you get the point. It was nothing short of amazing.

Story:
Stories about the Titanic always fascinate me, so that's part of what initially drew me to this book. The part that made it a must read? The paranormal aspect. I'm a huge fan of anything paranormal, so a haunted Titanic was a no brainer for me. The story feels very authentic mostly due to the author's writing style (see above) and it was unlike anything I've ever read before. There were certain aspects to the way the story was told - from different periods of time, from specific dates and places, and several perspectives - that also really impressed and enthralled me. I loved getting to know all of the characters and their personal stories throughout the book. I also enjoyed watching their relationships with one another begin, change, and grow as the story progressed. The plot was fascinating and I loved the way the author blended historic facts with fiction and added a splash of the paranormal for good measure. It was truly an amazing book and one that I intend to reread.

Cons:
Writing Style: I know that I have writing style listed as something I loved, but there were definitely aspects that I wasn't the biggest fan of. First of all - point of view. If you've read my reviews before, you know how incredibly important POV is to me. It can make or break a book for me. I basically always prefer the first person POV because I feel it lets the reader have a deeper connection to the narrator. The author chose to write this story in the third person POV from several different perspectives. I can understand the reasoning behind this and it makes perfect sense. But for me personally, it was a big negative. Like I said, I love the first person because the reader gets to know the narrator on a really personal level and I don't feel the other writing styles allow this to happen. Sadly (for me), that's exactly what happened with this book. Although I got to know the main characters pretty well, I didn't get to connect with any of them on the level that I wanted. Without that connection, it makes it harder for me to get lost inside their world - inside the story itself. And the fact that the story is told from four different perspectives only made it that much harder for me to connect with each one (or any of them) on the level I love and also made it harder for me to get lost inside their stories. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but it did take away some serious points in my book. Please remember that these are my own personal opinions and feelings and not every reader is going to feel the same way as me. I'm just sharing my thoughts honestly. I don't mean any of this to reflect poorly on the book or the author at all - again, it's only my opinion.

Overall, this was a creepy historical fiction novel that lets readers travel to the past to experience both the Titanic and the Britannic as if they were there themselves. The writing is beautifully done and I very highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction, paranormal, and readers who love anything related to the Titanic.

 

 

Alma Katsu is the author of The Hunger, a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party with a horror twist. The Hunger made NPR’s list of the 100 Best Horror Stories, was named one of the best novels of 2018 by the Observer, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books (and more), and was nominated for a Stoker and Locus Award for best horror novel.

The Taker, her debut novel, has been compared to the early works of Anne Rice and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for combining historical, the supernatural, and fantasy into one story. The Taker was named a Top Ten Debut Novel of 2011 by Booklist, was nominated for a Goodreads Readers Choice award, and has been published in over 10 languages. It is the first in an award-winning trilogy that includes The Reckoning and The Descent.

​

Ms. Katsu lives outside of Washington DC with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. In addition to her novels, she has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly, and a contributor to the Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Program and Brandeis University, where she studied with novelist John Irving. She also is an alumni of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Prior to publication of her first novel, Ms. Katsu had a long career in intelligence, working for several US agencies and a think tank. She currently is a consultant on emerging technologies. Additional information can be found on Wikipedia and in this interview with Ozy.com.

Win a finished copy of THE DEEP by Alma Katsu (US Only)

Starts: March 10, 2020

Ends: March 24, 2020

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All the Bad Apples Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

All the Bad Apples
Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle 
Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery
Release Date: August 1, 2019
Publisher: Penguin

Read more about the book: Goodreads

Buy the book in the UK: Amazon | Waterstones | Google Books

Buy the book in the US: Amazon | B&N | Google Books

Other international sites: iTunes | Bookdespository | Kobo

Synopsis:

The day after the funeral all our mourning clothes hung out on the line like sleeping bats. 'This will be really embarrassing,' I kept saying to my family, 'when she shows up at the door in a week or two.'

When Deena's wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears - presumed dead - her family are heartbroken. But Mandy has always been troubled. It's just another bad thing to happen to Deena's family. Only Deena refuses to believe it's true.

And then the letters start arriving. Letters from Mandy, claiming that their family's blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions - but a curse, handed down through the generations. Mandy has gone in search of the curse's roots, and now Deena must find her. What they find will heal their family's rotten past - or rip it apart forever.

All the Bad Apples is a beautifully told story that blends past and present, revealing the same prejudice that exists in both times. The story is a layered one that speaks of several topics that include family, love, forgiveness, hate, fear, guilt, figuring out who you are, loving yourself, believing in yourself, and so many others. As soon as I read the book's description, I knew that I had to read it because it hinted at a family curse and a strange treasure hunt of sorts. I wasn't expecting to really love this novel as much as I did. 

It's hard for me to pinpoint all the aspects of the book that I liked. It's a combination of several things that leads to an amazing story with true emotions and connections. The characters were all well written, even if some of the secondary characters were a bit stereotypical. I really liked Deena as the narrator. She's very realistic and easy to empathize with right from the beginning. She has strengths, weaknesses, and flaws that make her easy to identify with. The other characters are interesting and I liked getting to know each of them and watching their relationships with one another change and grow during the course of the story.

I can't say much about the plot because I don't do spoilers in my reviews. You get a pretty basic idea of what's going to happen just by reading the description, but it's so much more than that. The letters that Deena finds and follows to find Mandy are full of history and stories of their ancestors that were also cursed for being "bad apples." The major thing that got me with this book was the writing style. It's a major aspect for me personally and can literally make or break a book for me. I found that the author's choice of style was interesting and really worked for telling the stories of all of these people. I was able to really connect with Deena right from the beginning of the novel, especially because the main part of the story is told from her point of view. First person POV is my favorite by far because it lets me really get to know the narrator and feel a deep connection with them. However, the letters that Mandy sends Deena that contain the history of the family curse is done in the third person (which I normally don't like). But the author had this amazing way of writing these "letters" that detail the past where I fell right into their stories and lives almost as easily as if it had been done in the first person. I felt deeply connected with each of the individuals we meet and get to know, and my heart hurt for them when we learn their stories. I almost never get emotional invested in books that are written in anything besides the first person POV, so it proves to me the amazing talent the author has because I was feeling all the "feels" throughout the whole book - no matter the POV, narrator, or time frame. All I can say is that I ended up really loving this book, more than I thought I was going to, and I highly recommend it for people who are looking for something different than most stories out there right now and for fans of YA, fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, LGBTQ, mystery, and magical realism.

 

 

Moïra Fowley-Doyle is half-French, half-Irish and made of equal parts feminism, whimsy and Doc Martens. She lives in Dublin where she writes magic realism, reads tarot cards and raises witch babies.

Moïra’s first novel, The Accident Season, was shortlisted for the 2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize & the North East Teen Book Awards, nominated for the Carnegie Medal & won the inaugural School Library Association of Ireland Great Reads Award. It received two starred reviews & sold in ten territories. Her second novel, Spellbook of the Lost and Found, was published in summer 2017, received a starred review from School Library Journal and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.

 Prize: Win (1) of (3) copies of ALL THE BAD APPLES by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (UK/Ireland Only)

Starts: August 22, 2019

Ends: September 5, 2019

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Finding Me Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

Finding Me

Author: Kelly Gunderman

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 30, 2019 

Publisher: Swoon Romance

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Synopsis:

Can you ever truly love someone who robbed you of everything?

Sixteen-year-old Claire Williams spends most of her days feeling angry and alone. After a car accident took her mother and Claire’s ability to walk, life in a wheelchair is the new normal.
 

When she’s sent to live with her grandmother, away from school and friends, Claire has a chance for a fresh start. Just when Claire thinks she can handle things, she runs into Todd - the son of the man who caused the car accident.

At first, Claire wants nothing to do with him, but the more time they spend together, the more she hates to admit her feelings. She’s slowly falling in love with Todd.

Now, Claire’s father wants to move and take Claire with him. But she can’t go. Not now when everything is falling into place, and she’s just now finding herself. Claire’s defiant. She won’t leave Greenwood, her new friends, her grandmother, or Todd.

Can Claire find the strength to let her dad go on with his life while leaving her behind to live hers, or will she allow the guilt and shame of surviving the accident pull her back under? 

Claire’s Letter to her Mother

When I was writing Finding Me, I thought about including an epilogue in the form of Claire writing a letter to her mother. The purpose of the letter was going to be for Claire to talk to her mom about the things that were going on in her life, the changes that she’s made, and the fact that she was able to search within her heart to forgive others who hurt her, as her mother would have wanted her to. I didn’t actually end up including this letter in the book, but I did write it, so I thought I would share it with you.

Dear Mom,

It’s been over two years since the accident; two years since you left me. At first, I was feeling bitter toward everyone, including you. I felt like you abandoned me. Everything changed for me, and I needed you more than ever. But you were gone, and I was alone. While it hurt a lot when dad started being away all the time, I felt so numb that it barely even registered to me.

Mom, I miss you. So much has changed. I’ve changed. I’m not the same girl I used to be, back before the accident. I don’t live in the same place. I don’t have the same friends. I don’t even go to the same school. Everything is different.

Grandma told me that writing a letter to you would help me sort through my grief. I told her there’s no way that could accomplish anything, but she has been right about things before, so I try to listen to her.

I started dating Todd. You never got to meet Todd, of course, but I did on my first day of school in Greenwood. At first, I couldn’t believe it. I had never come face to face with him or his dad. I didn’t know how to act, so I had a panic attack and got out of the school as quickly as I could. That’s when I met Lisa. Lisa was there for me through every dip on the emotional rollercoaster that had become my life.

But you know what? I took Grandma’s advice. I spent time with Todd. And mom, I fell in love with him. He’s perfect for me, and I can’t imagine life without him now. He’s been there for me through everything. And he’s learning how to forgive, too. He’s trying to forgive his dad – he’s even gone to the prison to see him. But it’s hard for him, too. And his mom. Their family suffered, too. I guess I was too selfish to realize it at the time, but now that I do, I feel for him.

I live with dad and his new wife. They’re having a daughter – she is due in about a month. She’s nicer than I thought, but I’ll never forgive dad for moving on so fast. I mean, I’m trying, but it’s hard. Grandma lives with us, too. I refused to move without her.

I wish I could go back in time and have a few more minutes with you, mom. There is so much I would love to tell you, so much I think you would want to know. I wish I could hear you laugh again. I wish we could go to Starbucks for coffee before school, just one more time.

I’ll never forget you, mom. You will always be my first friend, my best friend. You will always crop up in my thoughts, every hour of the day. Grandma tells me stories about you all the time and she talks about how important it is to keep your memory alive. I’ll definitely keep telling those stories, so you can live forever – even if it’s only in my heart.

I love you.

Love,
Claire

Kelly Gunderman

Kelly Gunderman was born a child of the late eighties in small-town Pennsylvania. A bibliophile in her own right, she is hoping to one day surpass the number of pages she has turned with those she has written of her own accord.

Having recently completed her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Development, Kelly suddenly found herself with a bit more free time than usual, and began her immediately successful foray into blogging and Freelance Writing, which subsequently led to her renewed desire to finally put her ideas and imaginings “on paper.”

Focusing primarily on the Young Adult genre, Kelly has recently finished and her first novel, Finding Me, which is set to be published in early 2019 by Swoon Romance.

She currently resides in her original home town with her husband, their two daughters, and a few cats that constantly challenge the sanity of all with their ill-advised attempts at what can only be assumed to be world domination.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.kellygunderman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kagunderman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kellygunderman

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kagunderman

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kagunderman 

A coffee mug, tea, and a $10 Amazon gift card from Kelly Gunderman (USA only)

Starts: 9/19/19

Ends: 9/28/19

 

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