Deadfall Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

DEADFALL

Author: Stephen Wallenfels 

Pub. Date: December 11, 2018  

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 

Formats: Hardcover, eBook 

Pages: 384 

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD 

Twin brothers Ty and Cory Bic are on the run. When they encounter a dying deer in the middle of a remote mountain road with fresh tire tracks swerving down into a ravine, they know they have to help. But when they reach the wrecked car the vehicle appears empty, with signs that the driver escaped. 

Until they hear a sound coming from the trunk. 

Ty and Cory are escaping demons of their own. But what they discover in the trunk puts them in the crosshairs of something darker and more sinister than their wildest nightmares. 

Told through a gripping, lightning-fast narrative that alternates between present and past, this unputdownable survival thriller unravels the tangled circumstances that led Ty and Cory to the deer in the road and set them on a perilous course through the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. 

Deadfall is a thrilling new young adult mystery that fans of survivalist fiction are going to love. Here's what I liked and disliked about the book:

Liked:
Characters - The twins, Ty and Cory, are completely different in almost every way but they stick together and have each others' backs no matter what. I liked getting to know both of them throughout the story, especially Cory who we get to know even better in the 'present' part of the book because he narrates it. 

Writing Style - I love that this was written in a different way than most books. It alternates between the past and the present with both narratives adding together to create the overall story line and plot. We get lots of backstory from the past part of the story and we see how that past has effected each twin in the present while running from the villain. I liked watching how the stories eventually lined up and everything fell into place, although I personally had seen it coming. I normally don't like the third person point of view style, but the author uses it to narrate the past portion of the book. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would and it made it easier to learn more about each twin and their situation. The present is told from the first person POV, from Cory's perspective. I love the first person and I'm so glad the author did this in the story. We get a more intense feeling of tension and suspense with the first person than can usually be gained by any other writing style. Which is exactly what happens here. The blend of the two varying styles was a nice touch and makes the story stand out from others in the same genre.

Didn't Like: This is my own personal opinion and has nothing to do with the author or the work. I know others are going to feel completely differently than I did, but I want to be thorough and mention everything in my review, including things that I didn't care for. In this case, it was the predictability. Almost from the beginning I knew where things were going to go because of the not-so-original plot, and by the middle of the book I knew exactly what was going to happen. When I read stories, especially mysteries and thrillers, I like to be kept guessing as long as possible. This just didn't live up to that for me personally and made the reading experience a little less positive than it could have been otherwise.

Stephen Wallenfels lives in Washington state with his wife.  He wrote freelance for the Health and Fitness industry for fifteen years before turning writing novels.  His passions are family, hiking, cooking, reading, movies, climate change, and especially writing.  

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads  

(3) winners will receive finished copies of DEADFALL - US only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 


 

Tour Schedule: 

Week One: 

12/3/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review 

12/4/2018- My Books-My World- Excerpt 

12/5/2018- BookHounds YA- Excerpt 

12/6/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review 

12/7/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt 

  

Week Two: 

12/10/2018- Book Bite Reviews- Review 

12/11/2018- FUONLYKNEW- Spotlight 

12/12/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Review 

12/13/2018- The Pages In-Between- Review 

12/14/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo Blog- Excerpt 

  

Week Three: 

12/17/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert- Review 

12/18/2018- Savings in Seconds- Review 

12/19/2018- Lifestyle of Me- Review 

12/20/2018- Eli to the nth- Review 

12/21/2018- Literary Meanderings- Excerpt 

  

Week Four: 

12/24/2018- Falling For YA- Excerpt 

12/25/2018- Books,Dreams,Life- Spotlight 

12/26/2018- Good Choice Reading- Excerpt 

12/27/2018- Wishful Endings- Excerpt 

12/28/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt 

  

Week Five: 

12/31/2018- All the Ups and Downs- Excerpt 

Bad Call Blog Tour: Review

Bad Call
Author: Stephen Wallenfels
Genre: YA Mystery/Survival
Release Date: December 19, 2017
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Description:

It was supposed to be epic.

During a late-night poker game, tennis teammates Colin, Ceo, Grahame, and Rhody make a pact to go on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park. And poker vows can’t be broken.

So the first sign that they should ditch the plan is when Rhody backs out. The next is when Ceo replaces him with Ellie, a girl Grahame and Colin have never even heard of. And then there’s the forest fire at their intended campsite.
But instead of bailing, they decide to take the treacherous Snow Creek Falls Trail to the top of Yosemite Valley. From there, the bad decisions really pile up.

A freak storm is threatening snow, their Craigslist tent is a piece of junk, and Grahame is pretty sure there’s a bear on the prowl. On top of that, the guys have some serious baggage (and that’s not including the ridiculously heavy ax that Grahame insisted on packing) and Ellie can’t figure out what their deal is.

And then one of them doesn’t make it back to the tent.
Desperate to survive while piecing together what happened, the remaining hikers must decide who to trust in this riveting, witty, and truly unforgettable psychological thriller that reveals how one small mistake can have chilling consequences.  

 

Bad Call is a young adult survival/adventure story that fans of the genre will surely enjoy. I was under the impression that it was going to be more mystery/thriller as well, but that part fell flat, which left the book lacking for me. Don't get me wrong - the story is well done with complex characters, an interesting plot with lots of action and deadly survival scenarios. I just personally wish there would have been more thriller included. It would've made a big difference in my experience. On top of the great descriptions and vivid imagery, the author wrote the book in my favorite style - first person with the bonus of multiple characters' points of view. I love when stories are written this way because it allows the reader a deeper connection with the characters and you can usually invest more into the story. I think the author picked the perfect writing style for the novel and it made a huge plus for me personally. Although this one wasn't quite what I was hoping for or expecting, it was still a good book with lots of great aspects. I recommend it to fans of YA contemporary, action, adventure, and survival stories.

I wrote freelance in the health and fitness industry for twelve years before re-committing myself to my first love - writing fiction. After publishing several short stores for kids, I wrote and published my first novel, POD (namelos.com | Penguin/Ace), a YA scifi survival story set in Prosser, Washington and Los Angeles, California.
 
My second novel, BAD CALL (2017 with Disney/Hyperion) is a YA survival thriller set in one of my favorite stomping grounds, Yosemite National Park.
 
My third novel, TANUM CREEK BRIDGE (2018 - Disney/Hyperion) is another YA survival thriller set in the Pacific Northwest.
 
I grew up in the northeast and enjoyed backpacking and later, during my college years in California and Montana, rock climbing and wilderness survival.
 
My favorite books to read (and write) are centered around real characters dealing with extraordinary circumstances and how they rise to meet those challenges.
 
My passions are my family, reading, writing, cooking, racquet sports, and the environment--particularly climate change. The basic rule in wilderness survival is shelter first. (Author bio and photo taken from Goodreads.)

Links:
http://stephenwallenfels.com/  

*A huge thanks to the wonderful people at Disney-Hyperion for sending me a copy of the book for review!*