The Waiting Booth Book Blast & $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

 

The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry

A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal... Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High-find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia's drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it's no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia's secrets, she begins to wonder if there's more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...

Purchase:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Praise for The Waiting Booth:

"The book kept me on the edge of my seat with its perfect balance of teenaged angst, interdimensional portals, and a fractured family."
~ Author Christine Ashworth

"The description was so good I could easily see things as they happened...like a movie playing in my mind as I read. I just love Regulus. He's my kind of hero for sure."
~ Author Lynn Rush

Author Brinda Berry

Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn't mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.

Links:

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter 

Goodreads * Youtube * Google+

The Waiting Booth Book Trailer:

Book Blast Giveaway Details:
$100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 PayPal Cash from Author Brinda Berry
Ends 11/1/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow Brinda and leave the others blank.


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Review: The Waiting Booth and Whisper of Memory (Whispering Woods 1 & 2)

The Waiting Booth

Author: Brinda Berry

Genre: YA/paranormal
Series: Whispering Woods: Book 1

Release Date:July 15, 2011

Review Source: Author

Format: ebook

Summary: A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal...

Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...

Review:  The Waiting Booth is a great start to a new YA paranormal series. It has an interesting plot that hasn't been overdone in the genre before, which gives it a fresh voice. The characters are all intriguing, especially the main heroine Mia and her mysterious visitors Regulus and Arizona. A really cool aspect of this story deals with synesthesia, a medical condition where senses overlap. This gives the book a real edge with realistic but uncommon situations. The narrative is good and the book flows well and is easy to read. Berry blends common teen problems with paranormal twists - which keeps the readers on their toes. The ending is pretty open, which leaves the reader wanting answers in the next installment. I did think that the characters could be developed a little more, but I'm hoping that the writing style and characters will mature in the next book.

1/2

Whisper of Memory

Author: Brinda Berry

Genre: YA/paranormal
Series: Whispering Woods: Book 2

Release Date: March 16, 2012

Review Source: Author

Format: ebook

Summary:  Weapons training and winter formals...a deadly combination.

All Mia ever wanted was to fit in at Whispering Woods High. But being a portal-finder who dates a guy from another dimension sort of makes it hard. A month ago her brother disappeared, and agents from the IIA began policing people's movements through dimensions. She'd trusted Dr. Bleeker from the local university when he'd told her the IIA were the bad guys. But even a girl with an extraordinary ability to sense things can make mistakes.

Now two people are dead, and as a portal gatekeeper for the IIA, Mia needs to find Dr. Bleeker before he hurts anyone else. And her boyfriend Regulus, an Agent for the IIA, carries secrets of his own. Between learning about weaponry, finding the perfect dress for the winter formal, and catching bad guys, who has time to fit in?

Review: I read this book only a day or two after finishing The Waiting Booth, the first book in the Whispering Woods series. It was an easy and fun read - I finished it in one day. Although I liked the overall premise of the book and the series itself, I thought this one had only a mediocre storyline and predictable outcomes. The narrative and writing are well done, but there doesn't seem to be any evolution from the first book. The characters also seemed a bit flat - I didn't really get invested in any of their problems, except for Mia's relationship with Regulus - and you saw that coming. I'll most likely check out the next book in the series because they are fun reads, and the plot & characters have potential. I'm hoping the series will grow into itself by the next installment.

*I received free copies of the books in exchange for an honest review.

 

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

"Mr. Crew Cut made eye contact, and he smiled with dark gray menace. His face didn't read the friendly, 'Hi kid, we're all having a good time, now aren't we' type of smile. His response was a creepy, acknowledging smile and showed just enough teeth to look dangerous."  pg. 141

What are you reading this week?