Girl Last Seen Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for GIRL LAST SEEN! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, check out the tour schedule at the end of the post!

Girl Last Seen

Authors: Heather Anastasiu & Anne Greenwood Brown

Genre: YA Mystery

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Publisher: AW Teen (Albert Whitman & Co.)

Description:

Kadence Mulligan's star was rising. She and her best friend, Lauren DeSanto, watched their songs go viral on YouTube, then she launched a solo career when a nasty throat infection paralyzed Lauren's vocal chords. Everyone knows Lauren and Kadence had a major falling-out over Kady's boyfriend. But Lauren knows how deceptive Kadence could be sometimes. And nobody believes Lauren when she claims she had nothing to do with the disappearance. Or the blood evidence.

As the town and local media condemns Lauren, she realizes the only way to clear her name is to discover the truth herself. Lauren slowly unravels the twisted life of Kadence Mulligan and sees that there was more to her than she ever knew. But will she realize she's unknowingly playing a part in an elaborate game to cover up a crime before it's too late?

Girl Last Seen is a gripping young adult mystery that will have readers guessing until the end. Mysteries and thrillers are one of my favorite genres, so I knew I had to read this book as soon as I could. Having read other novels by both authors before, I knew that the story was going to be very well written and original. I wasn't sure what to expect, but my hopes and expectations were a bit high. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about in the least - the novel far surpassed anything I could have hoped for. There are a few aspects of the book that really sets it apart from others in the genre and made it an exciting read for me personally.

The first aspect is the way the story is written. If you've read any of my other reviews, you'll know that I'm a huge advocate for the first person point of view writing style. I always come back to the fact that the reader is able to make a much deeper and personal connection with the narrator when the book is written in this manner. The authors took the first person POV and added a few unique twists - the book is written from four separate characters' perspective, three of which are done in the first person style. The last comes as brief videos found on one of the main character's computer, and is told in a third person POV. This gives the book four main characters, all with differing stories and viewpoints. In my opinion, it creates a lot more intrigue for the reader and definitely assists with the twists and turns throughout the book. The further into the story we get, the more we learn about each of these characters and how everyone and everything comes together to solve the mystery at the heart of the book. I loved the creativity and originality that this writing style provided and it made a big impact on my experience as a reader.

All of the other aspects of the novel were incredibly well done - from the rounded characters, the histories and backstories of each character and how they were all connected in one way or another - to the twists and turns thrown into the mix to confuse the reader and make us second guess everything we thought we knew. I love trying to figure out the mystery before the characters in the book do, and as it's one of my favorites genres - I'm often able to do so. Not this time - I would get a theory going in my mind and think I had it all figured out, only to have a huge twist come out of nowhere and put me right back at square one. When I come across a novel that has this ability - I know I've found an author with true talent and real storytelling abilities. This book had me guessing until almost the very end - which doesn't happen often. I found myself drawn into the story from the very beginning and couldn't put it down. I ended up reading it straight through in a matter of hours because I just had to know what in the world was going on and who was responsible for everything. I could keep rambling about how well the story was written or how much I liked (or disliked) the characters - or even talk about parts of the book that bothered me (which there really weren't any), but all of that seems secondary to me compared to the writing style and the obvious talent of the authors. I absolutely loved this book and I can't recommend it highly enough for fans of the genre, along with readers who enjoy suspense, thrillers, action, and contemporary fiction. I know I'll be re-reading this book several times to find little clues that I may have missed before, and I honestly can't wait to be captivated all over again.

Heather Anastasiu is the author of the young adult sci-fi GLITCH trilogy as well as the historical adult duet Tsura and House of Stone. She grew up in Texas but recently moved to Minnesota with her family. She teaches creative writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. 

Author Media Links:

FB: www.facebook.com/HeatherAnastasiu 

Twitter: @h_anastasiu 

Website: www.heatheranastasiu.com 

Blog: www.heatheranastasiu.blogspot.com 

Anne Greenwood Brown lives in Minnesota with her patient husband and three hilarious children. She is the author of the LIES BENEATH trilogy, and has her first New Adult book coming under the name A.S. Green from Entangled/Embrace, summer 2016.  

Author Media Links:

Website: http://annegreenwoodbrown.com 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/annegreenwoodbrown 

Twitter: @annegbrown 

Instagram: @annegbrown

(1) Winner will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card + a Signed Copy of GIRL LAST SEEN 

(1) Winner will get a Signed Copy of GIRL LAST SEEN

Must be 13+ To Enter | Ships in US only 

Please see terms and conditions for full contest rules. Some restrictions apply.

 

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Tour Schedule:

March 7th Book Hounds YA REVIEW
March 8th Literary Meanderings REVIEW
March 9th A Leisure Moment 10 RANDOM THINGS
March 10th Dream Within A Dream REVIEW
March 11th Storybook Slayers REVIEW

March 14th Bookish Things And More REVIEW
March 15th In Wonderland REVIEW
March 16th The Hollow Cupboards REVIEW
March 17th The Cover Contessa AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 18th Me, My Shelf and I REVIEW

 

Shutdown Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Shutdown blog tour! Today I have an excerpt from the novel, my review of the book, and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!


Shutdown (Glitch #3)
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Genre: YA Dystopia
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Buy Link: Amazon

Description:

The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution.

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands.

Full of romance, high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Shutdown is a heart-pounding conclusion to an exciting sci-fi adventure trilogy for young adults.


The thrilling conclusion to an action-packed sci-fi trilogy. 

Check out the first two books in the trilogy:

The sunset blazed fingers of bright purples and oranges outward over the mountains. The breeze tugged at my hair. I shivered even though it wasn't cold and wondered if I'd ever get used to it: the open sky, the wind, the feel of sunshine on my face.

I leaned against the rock wall where the transport bay opened to the Surface and breathed in deeply. After months of practice controlling my mast cells with my telekinesis, my throat didn't even begin to close up during an allergy attack. It was still amazing to me to be able to stand here without fear of my allergies killing me. Thanks to the Chancellor, I'd been allergic to everything - plants, molds, even sunlight. But as I stood here now, there was no shortness of breath, no swelling tongue, no rash.

When Adrien had first told me of his vision of me standing under the open sun a year and a half ago, I thought it would mean I'd one day find a cure for my allergies. Instead, it was a constant battle to use my telekinetic powers to internally surround and suppress my mast cells from releasing deadly amounts of histamine - at least any time I was outside of the Foundation with its complete air-filtration system. I couldn't say I did it quite without thinking yet, but I was getting there. I let the breath I'd held in my lungs out in a steady stream. Everything was ready. I was the Resistance's strongest asset now, and tomorrow I'd leave for a mission that could change the world.

Shutdown is the captivating and thrilling final installment in the young adult dystopian trilogy that follows teenage heroine Zoe as she continues to fight the Community as a part of the Resistance. Although she must still deal with her serious allergies to the Surface, Zoe and her friends in the Resistance - including the handsome and heroic Adrien - are on the verge of going on a mission that could end the Link for good - if the Chancellor doesn't complete her scheme of killing the majority of humankind first. Will Zoe and the Resistance be able to permanently disable the Link and the V-chips? Or will they die trying?

This was one of the most exciting and engrossing series that I've ever read and I'm quite sad to see it end. This final installment was bittersweet as it ended the adventures of Zoe and the Resistance, but it also provided closure and answers that readers have been burning for since the beginning. The plot remained incredibly detailed and full of action and adventure. There were twists and turns thrown in throughout the book and I found myself eagerly devouring each page as fast as I could just to see what would happen next. The tension and eagerness was palpable with each page and I loved immersing myself in the dystopian world the author had created with this trilogy. It was intricately detailed with vivid descriptions, which made it easy to imagine myself beside Zoe and the rest of the Resistance. I loved the characters as much in this final book as I had in the first two. All the main characters - Zoe especially - experienced a lot of character growth and maturing throughout the series and it was great to see how they each grew into their roles and their confidence. The writing was excellent and definitely showcases the author's talent. The book was definitely fast paced and had a flawless execution that had me desperately wanting more, even though the ending was obvious. I'll definitely be missing this series, but I'm already anxious to see what the author will come out with next. Highly recommended for fans of YA science fiction and dystopian novels.

Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she's not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

www.heatheranastasiu.com | twitter.com/h_anastasiu

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