Mirror X Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Mirror X blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the tour, click on the banner above.

Mirror X (The Van Winkle Project #1)

Author: Karri Thompson

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopia

Release Date: June 30, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

Cassie Dannacher wakes up in a hospital over 1,000 years into the future after her space capsule is retrieved from space. She soon learns that 600 years prior to her arrival, the earth was struck by a plague, killing over half of the world’s population. Naïve and desperate, Cassie, who longs for home and is having trouble adjusting to the new, dictatorial 31st century government, is comforted by Michael Bennett, the 20-year old lead geneticist at the hospital where she was revived.

But why is Cassie in genetics’ hospital in the first place, and why do several of the people around her seem so familiar, including Travel Carson, the hot and edgy boy she is fated to meet? Soon she discovers there is a sinister answer to all of her questions – and that they want something from Cassie that only she can give.  

Mirror X is an unique and fascinating first book in a new young adult dystopian trilogy. The story follows main character Cassie as she wakes up in a strange hospital and is told that she was cryogenically preserved - and it's now over 1,000 years later. Cassie tries to digest all this seemingly impossible information and is determined to find her place in this new world. However, things are incredibly different in the 31st century and Cassie's finding it hard to live under all the constraints the government has placed on the population. She finds solace in the hospital where she's being treated - a genetics hospital - and with the lead geneticist Dr. Bennett. Cassie begins to question things when she meets several people who seem oddly familiar to her - especially a guy named Travel. What exactly is happening at the genetics hospital and what do they want from Cassie?

This is one of my favorite dystopians to date. While most other books in the genre start out in the new world with a brief mention of things that happened beforehand to bring them to this state, the way this book starts out makes the whole situation seem plausible - which I found to be both creepy and wonderful. The author uses a world that we can relate to and then spins a tale of how the main character was injured and then brought back to life in this new world. The way Cassie behaves and speaks - and what she remembers from her old life - is told in a way that I could easily relate to. I could shut my eyes and basically switch places with Cassie. The development of the new world from the old was detailed and written in a way that made it feel realistic. I really liked that the author used this writing style for the book - I was able to immerse myself completely into the story, which I usually can never do with other dystopias.

Cassie was a realistic main character who showed her determination, strength, and intelligence to figure out what was actually happening around her. I liked Cassie from the very beginning of the book and I loved watching her character grow throughout the book. The story is told from Cassie's point of view, in first person, and was conversational in style. This technique also made it easy for me to lose myself in the book and to be able to feel as if I were there. The other characters were well written, but without as much detail as Cassie. The plot wasn't completely original, but the author made it unique by the intricate details and the intriguing mystery behind the hospital. I loved the writing style with the vivid imagery and detailed descriptions of everything from the characters to the setting. The book was fast paced and had me eagerly reading as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen. I'm incredibly glad that this is the first book in a series and I can't wait for the next book to find out what will happen next. I very highly recommend this book to fans of YA science fiction and dystopias, as well as those readers looking for something different and thought-provoking.

My debut YA novel, Amateur Angel, was released May 1, 2012. The next book in that series, Hollywood Angels, comes out September 1. The first book in my upcoming dystopian trilogy, The Van Winkle Chronicles, will be released by Entangled Publishing Summer 2013. 

Author Links: 
http://www.karrithompson.com/ 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5841442.Karri_Thompson 
https://twitter.com/KarriThompson 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karri-Thompson/197577710292829?ref=hl 

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amateur Angel Tour: Review

 

Amateur Angel

Author: Karri Thompson

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Description:

Only 18-years-old, Ashley is no ordinary teenager. Not only is she dead, but upon her death, she mistakenly enters the wrong line in the afterlife, a line meant for trained, guardian angels. With a pair of wings on her back, Ashley is sent to Los Angeles to replace another angel whose "assignment" was none-other-than Cannon Michaels, a current member of the band Sendher, the sexiest man alive, and Ashley's celebrity crush in life.
 

While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?  

Review:

Most of the YA novels featuring angels these days deal with fallen angels or the like. Amateur Angel takes the topic of angels and breathes new life into it by making a light and fun story. The story was innovative and fresh, which made it a quick read. The characters were all interesting with unique quirks - especially the main character Ashley. These little oddities along with her somewhat sarcastic dialogue makes her really likeable to the reader. I thought that the story was well written and had a great flow, which made it a really enjoyable book. Fans of angel fiction who are looking for a lighter read should definitely pick this one up.

About the Author:

As a first-time author, I cannot express- not even in words- how excited I am about the release of my debut novel, Amateur Angel. It took a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. There were many disappointments and rejections along the way, but in the end, my persistence and determination eventually paid off. In many ways, I think writing a novel is easier than finding an agent to represent it and then a publisher to buy it. Two years ago, I almost gave up on my dream to become an author, but then my son, Kyle, wrote a special poem for me, and it inspired me to write a new book and try again. The new book was Amateur Angel.

Here is his poem:

You fail and you fail,

You fix and you fix,

You wait and you wait,

Until you succeed. 

I hung this poem in my closet and read it every day when I was getting ready to go to work and each night before I went to bed. It is still there and always will be. I know what I’m about to say will sound like a cliché, but based on my own personal experience, the best advice I can give anyone is to always believe in your abilities, hold your head high, swallow your pride, accept criticism and then learn from it, and most importantly, never give up.

I grew up in San Diego County and attended San Diego State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in education, and my teaching credential. I am a high-school English teacher in the East County of San Diego where I also live with my husband, our son, and two dogs.

Being a lover of Victorian literature, my favorite author is Charles Dickens although I haven’t quite finished reading all of his books. Someday I’ll finally finish David Copperfield- I promise. If you are one of my students, you are either laughing or shaking your head at this.

I lead a very busy life, but when I’m not teaching, grading papers, or attending my son’s soccer games, I find time to write novels, my greatest passion.

Author's Links:

Website

Purchase on Amazon

Purchase on Barnes and Noble

Facebook

Twitter