Blog Tour Review & Giveaway - Stitch by Samantha Durante

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN EBOOK OF STITCH. OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

Paperback: 314 pages
Publisher: Samantha Durante
Publication date: Aug 1st 2012
ISBN13: 9780985804602

First Line - She woke to the sound of heavy boot steps marching down the hall and the familiar pang in her hip bones wrought from too many nights on a rigid metal cot.

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

OOh, this is a good one! I was lucky enough to be offered a place on the STITCH Blog tour and before I even read the synopsis I was interested...that cover...oh my it looks lovely, doesn't it? Drew me right in. Then I read the blurb and the second box was ticked, it sounded just like the kind of book that appeals to me. I'm in!

I purposely didn't read any reviews for it beforehand though so I had no clue what I was going to get. I went into it expecting Sci-fi because the cover looks a bit 'techy' and the blurb made me think Paranormal/Ghosty/Romance but what I actually got is so much more. Dystopian is the new buzz word right now and that's probably as good a genre as any to slot this into it's but it's not just a one trick pony. This pony has a trick up every sleeve! It's got so much going on in the pages.

It's like being on a Tilt-a-Whirl, one minute you're heading one way and seconds later you've got whiplash from a rapid change in direction and your head is left spinning. Sometimes that irritates me, the constant backwards/forwards/sideways thing and the accompanying POV changes but with STITCH it just sucked me in even more. Unless a POV change is really well done I tire of it easily because I'm attached to certain characters above others, (*whisper* Shhh, don't tell anyone but, - I sometimes....skim-read the bits with characters I don't like. AMG!! Did I say that out loud?!) but here I actually looked forward to the POV changes. I wanted to know what was going on in other people's heads, I wanted/needed to know how they were interpreting things. With this type of book I like to know how everyone is dealing with situations and it helps build the world too.

Through Alessa you realise early on that there's something a bit 'iffy' going on and I was constantly trying to piece together all the little clues alongside her. I'd think I'd got it in one chapter only to find I was way off course by the next. It's frustrating, but in a good way.

What I loved most about it all though, is the one thing I can't talk about. When everything was unravelled and things fell into place I was so excited! It's one of the plots I've always wanted to read about in a book. There's a film out there that uses a similar setting. The storyline's are nothing alike but the setting is one that just seems to appeal to me and sucks me in. I can't say more than that without spoiling the surprise and I hate to be cryptic but I'm afraid you'll just have to read it for yourself to find out what the twist is.

I'll absolutely be reading the next part in the trilogy when it's released and can't wait to see how it all unravels for Alessa and Isaac. I hope I make the cut for that blog tour too!

A blog tour participant list can be found here so check out those other awesome reviews if you get a chance!

As promised you can be in with a chance of winning STITCH in ebook form, just by entering the giveaway below. It's open internationally and the lucky winner will be notified by email. Prizes are sent directly from the author Samantha Durante who you can find at her website

Be lucky!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thin Air by Lynn Seresin - Character Interview with Delilah and a Giveaway!

Today, I'm very excited to have one of the main characters of Lynn Seresin's debut novel, THIN AIR, with me on The Bookshelf Chronicles to answer a few questions. Read on for the interview and a giveaway! The blog tour is being organised by Bree at The Awesome Magic Attic.

Allow me to introduce, Delilah!

For those who haven't already had the pleasure to meet you, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Certainly. My name is Delilah. My last name is unimportant; you don’t really need to know it.
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Ok, well, let's talk about Daniel. What first attracted you to him and how did you meet?
How did we first meet? Let’s just say I met Daniel on a camping trip. I was immediately attracted to him, basically because he’s positively gorgeous. I mean, how many tall, well-built guys with auburn hair, green eyes, and features to die for do you see walking around?
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Was Daniel your first boyfriend?
Of course not. Men have always been drawn to me, like moths to a flame.
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What were your first impressions of Alice?
Do we have to waste our time talking about that slow-witted, little phoney? Maybe Daniel and his friends didn’t see through her little act, but I sized her up the moment we met. She likes to play the damsel in distress—all “I don’t know how to do anything, and I need help”. Her type makes me sick. She knows exactly what she’s doing, so don’t be fooled. She came to steal my boyfriend because she couldn’t find one of her own.
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You're both very different but yet similar in that you both have feelings for Daniel. Do you think you and Alice could have been friends, if meeting under different circumstances?
Never. I can’t even stand being in the same room with her. As far as I’m concerned, she can go back to where she came from—and stay there.
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No offence, but you seem like a High Maintainance girlfriend. Were you surprised when Daniel took an interest in Alice?
Me? High Maintainance? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I gave Daniel a great deal of freedom when we were together. I mean, just because I have certain requirements, it doesn’t necessarily make me demanding. So what if I don’t want to live in the city? It’s not like I’m denying Daniel his right to an education. What’s the big? He can transfer out of NYU and go to another university. Somewhere we both can be happy. And is it too much to ask that he spend a little less time playing guitar and pretending to be a rock star, and a little more time focusing on
something more practical, like getting a “real” job? I don’t think so.
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In hindsight is there anything you wished you'd done differently?
I should have resolved the situation with Alice more quickly. I tried talking to her, but she wouldn’t back down. She kept saying that Daniel wanted to end things with me, but how did she know what Daniel truly wanted? I was his girlfriend for two years. I think I’m in a better position to know Daniel’s mind than she is. Who does she think she is, anyway?
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What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?
I wish people would realize I’m not a bitch. I’m just a simple girl fighting for her man. Alice is the one at fault here. She’s the one making all the trouble. I just wish people would stop criticizing me for doing whatever it takes to make sure I hold onto Daniel. What we have together is special. I gave up a lot to be with him, and I’m not about to walk away just because some insipid, little skank comes along and wants to take what doesn’t belong to her. I’m not a bad person, really. But I’m also not afraid to do whatever is necessary to make sure Alice doesn’t come between Daniel and me.
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Finally Delilah, is there anything you'd like to say to your author Lynn Seresin?
I’d like to tell Lynn that I don’t like the way she’s represented me in the book. I hope I’m wrong (I mean, an author should act impartially toward her characters, right?) but I really think sometimes she’s on Alice’s side. She’s not being fair to me, always showing me in a negative light. What about all the good things I’ve done for Daniel? I saved his life, didn’t I? She just touches on that, but she’s quick to point out how hot-headed I am. So, what’s wrong with being passionate? And she makes sure that readers know Daniel’s friends don’t exactly like me, either. Ask me if I care if a bunch of losers don’t want to hang out with me. I think Lynn should examine her own motives and ask herself why she paints me in such a negative light. What’s her issue, anyway? Maybe she has a problem with strong female characters. Well, Lynn, do you?
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Okaaay. Thanks for stopping by Delilah, it's been lovely to have you here.
Thanks for letting me tell my side of the story — not that it’s going to change anything. I mean, Lynn isn’t even in my camp. She’s been duped by Alice, just like all the other characters in the book. I just hope I’ve made some of your subscribers realize I’m not the villain here. Alice is.
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I'm sure everyone is itching for a chance to read your side of the story Delilah, and thanks to a stellar giveway they can be in with a chance to win their very own copy of Thin Air! I loved it and I think others will too!



Time for a Scavenger Hunt Giveaway!

Blog Tour Grand Prize: The winner shall receive a signed, Paperback copy of Thin Air and specially made earring similar to Alice's, shown here

To win, all you need do is find the red letters scattered about the participating blog's on the tour. Not all the blogs will have one, but they will pop up from time to time in the tour posts and when they do, the letter will be in bold and will be red.

To get your hands on these great prizes, enter to win by simply collecting all of the bold red letters from the blog post's on the blog tour. Once you have found them all they will spell out two word's which you can enter (along with your details) on this FORM!

The tour began October 3rd at The Fairytale Nerd and runs until October 31st.
Make sure you visit each blog on the tour to collect all the letters needed. Participating blogs are listed here.

In the meantime, if you'd like to find out more about Thin Air and Lynn Seresin, go to any of these links:

Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Facebook