Young Adult Giveaway HOP [INT]

Young Adult Giveaway Hop
Featuring Young Adult stories
August 14th to 21st

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Geek Girl #2 Model Misfit

Presenting Geek Girl #2 Model Misfit by Holly Smale.

Here is the summary of the book:

“My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.”

Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.

What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives.

With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.

Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.

Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

Harriet Manners - Oh I love her so! Our favorite Geek turned Super Model is back and spouting all those reasons that made us fall in love with her in the first place. I simply loved every bit of it as Harriet embarks on a journey across the ocean to the land of the Samurais and Manga, Japan without parents, best friend Nat or stalker-turned-friend Toby by her side but with her wacky Grandmother Bunty in tow. In short Model Misfit had all that ingredients to make it into a worthy sequel with the stumbles & fumbles. the sarcasm and the awkwardness and the love that keeps peeping in every corners.

I know I may sound like I am gushing but there is something about Harriet that endears us to her. She is spunky, she is awkward and loves to draw lists and charts way too much. She is a geek. She loves to learn and spews out facts without meaning to or when she gets nervous. Of course Yuka Ito saw something in her which she doesn't seem to realize and she is definitely not that great at modeling ..... but she tries her hardest at it with blunders a plenty, she tries and the results show. It is her imperfectness we adore and that innocence we root for.

Without giving anything away, Model Misfit is the perfect sequel. Harriet is still the same rough-hewn clumsy geek we know, following the dream in fashion. Of course impediments mar her way, someone discrediting her efforts but she doesn't back down and keeps working for a better tomorrow. Being away or rather breaking from Lion Boy doesn't help but then Harriet has been known to mix things up in her nervousness. So it was definitely heartwarming - their reunion, and all the new friends she made in Japan, especially the uber-excitable Rin were the highlights of the ordeal. Holly Smale is by now (after reading her refreshingly fresh books) cemented towards the top of my favorite authors list and I would not have it any other way.

"A hilarious laugh-out-loud fun sequel with its bouts of seriousness, boat loads of facts and dry humor"

Genre :     Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Humor

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 21st July, 2015

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books in the Series(review links):

           #1 Geek Girl 

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

The Corridor #1 The Corridor

Presenting The Corridor #1 The Corridor by A.N. Wills.

Here is the summary of the book:

Infinite worlds. Endless possibilities . . .

Stel Alaster has never known life without the Corridor. It appeared suddenly seventeen years ago, the only portal to a parallel version of our world—Second Earth. Everyone on First Earth fears Mods, the genetically modified Second Earthers who built the Corridor. They are too smart, too strong, and have powers that can’t be controlled. Any Mod found on First Earth is branded, then detained in the Corridor’s research labs.

Only Stel has a dangerous secret. She has a power, too: She can open a portal to Second Earth . . . and several other parallel universes she’s discovered. If anyone ever finds out, she’ll be imprisoned, no better than a Mod or common lab rat.

But when the Corridor starts to fail, emitting erratic bursts of energy that could destroy First Earth, Stel must risk everything to save the people and world she loves. With the help of an escaped Mod and an infuriatingly arrogant boy from a third universe, Stel sets out to unravel the mysteries of the Corridor and stabilize it before it’s too late. The fate of every world lies in the balance. . . .

The first of the series, The Corridor is a fast paced sci-fi drama about alternate realities or multiverses, alternate Earths. There is never any conclusive proof that alternate realities exists bit if you (like me) are sci-fi nerds with an open mind then you'll believe that our choices coupled with all that 'what if' scenario available on a grand scale, then anything is possible. Just believing is the key. But we are weening off topic, A. N. Wills spins a vivid and imaginative spectrum within its pages around the portal - the Corridor through which inter-dimensional travel to other worlds is very much possible.

The Corridor is a much coveted technology on First Earth but it is also unstable. Where one such bout of fluctuations gave protagonist Stel Alaster her unique ability to be able to create portals on her own. But necessarily doesn't understand what it would mean for her. First Earth is a bleak dystopian world where having powers like that makes you inherently a mod (and gets you tagged), refugees from Second Earth. She loves her family very much but doesn't know what to do with them. Her absent minded father, who was once a great contributor of the Corridor's maintenance and study, now relegated to the position of a lowly scientist or her brother, who puts much more stock in the beliefs of his new manipulative boss than his own family.

Suffice it to say, she satisfies herself by doing her own explorations of her new found powers. One such incident leads her to a different inhabited world, where she meets Cohl. A cocky and brash testosterone fueled teenager who tends to hide his true nature behind an indifferent and angry mask. Of course the attraction between  Stel & Cohl is instant and felt rather rushed but in this situation that can be quite believable. Stel is someone who would give it her all too her family and loved ones safe and Cohl readily accepts that and helps her as much in her endeavors to save her world.

Starts out slow and ending in a high octane battle across realities and the confines of time & space. The Corridor sets the ground work for the sequels (yes this is a series) in vivid proportions. Be it the technology to travel through dimensions or lush Earths or consisting of characters with questionable motifs and all the actions and twists & turns woven throughout the pages makes this a book you shouldn't miss out on. Add a strong and inspirational protagonist like Stel, who goes through cosmic proportions of hardships but comes out still maintaining the love and compassion for friends & family .... Of course it just had to end on a cliffhanger ...... Definitely on the lookout for the next book because really cliffhangers are a pain.

"Fast paced, astoundingly scintillating and scientifically vivid. Keeps your attention"

Genre :     Young Adult, Sci-fi, Thriller, Dystopia, Romance

Publisher: Alloy Entertainment

Release Date: 23rd June, 2015

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             4/5 (Really Like It)

Buy:         Amazon 

Gates of Thread and Stone #2 The Infinite

Presenting Gates of Thread and Stone #2 The Infinite by Lori M. Lee.

Here is the summary of the book:

The walls of Ninurta keep its citizens safe.

Kai always believed the only danger to the city came from within. Now, with a rebel force threatening the fragile government, the walls have become more of a prison than ever.

To make matters worse, as Avan explores his new identity as an Infinite, Kai struggles to remind him what it means to be human. And she fears her brother, Reev, is involved with the rebels. With the two people she cares about most on opposite sides of a brewing war, Kai will do whatever it takes to bring peace. But she’s lost her power to manipulate the threads of time, and she learns that a civil war might be the beginning of something far worse that will crumble not only Ninurta’s walls but also the entire city.

In this thrilling sequel to Gates of Thread and Stone, Kai must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to lose to protect the only family she’s ever known.

A much more concise plot and better than the first book but somehow I still don't care very much for it. Which is pretty sad because this here has a lush narrative and vivid landscapes but somehow I just couldn't keep my wits about to enjoy it as I wanted to. The world building as usual was striking enough with the occasional conflicts and controversies thrown in.

Kai somehow always makes me pity her for her circumstances. She is at a cross roads, time draws nearer (literally) to make her decisions of leaving humanity and joining the Infinites and somehow she can't seem to use her magic anymore. But she doesn't give it much thought because Kal Ninu might be dead but their troubles surely have not. There is a danger to Ninurta both from the outside and inside. And Reev and Avan, the two most important men of her life seem to be at the opposite of it.

Overall not my favorite by far but it had potential. I will definitely read this again at a later date in a much more tranquil state of mind to see what I make of it then.

"Expanding on its predecessors, a vivid drama but a lukewarm experience"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Dystopia, Paranormal

Publisher: Skyscape

Release Date: 10th March, 2015

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Other Books in the Series(review links):

           #1 Gates of Thread and Stone 

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek

Presenting The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek by Seth Rudetsky.

Here is the summary of the book:

Broadway, New York. The shows, the neon lights . . . the cute chorus boys! It's where Justin has always wanted to be--and now, with a winter internship for a famous actor, he finally has his chance to shine. If only he could ditch his kind, virtuous, upright, and--dare he say it?—uptightboyfriend, Spencer. But once the internship begins, Justin has more to worry about than a cramped single-guy-in-the-city style. Instead of having his moment in the spotlight, he's a not-so-glorified errand boy. Plus, Spencer is hanging out with a celebra-hottie, Justin's best friend Becky isn't speaking to him, and his famous actor boss seems headed for flopdom. Justin's tap-dancing as fast as he can, but all his wit and sass might not be enough to switch his time in New York from nightmare-terrible to dream-come-true terrific.

Seth Rudetsky's second YA novel is endearingly human, laugh-out-loud funny, and for any kid who's ever aspired to Broadway but can only sneak in through the stage door.

Went in with much expectations but came out dry. Disappointed really. It is a rather accepted fact that anything with Geek in the cover is automatically supposed to be fun (not sure about others but its been true in my case). Here dripping with the Theater panorama and the sarcastic one-liners you expect but after reading it ...... Well I don't need to repeat it again. Somehow I was hoping that i'd have as much fun reading this book as I do reading Holly Smale's Geek Girl, maybe such high expectations colored my opinion a bit but it wasn't meant to be.

Justin is our jealously selfish with a one track mind protagonist. Really he is so annoying that his quips don't even have us laughing at all. I can't really pin-point what had me cringing throughout this book but most of what makes us appreciate such selfish characters is the apparent character development we are sure to get at the end. But then Justin just rains on that parade. He breaks off from his boyfriend, claims to find someone new, ends us finding a boy too much like himself just so he could make his ex jealous. He lies his way to get what wants not caring who gets hurt in the process and almost never apologies first.

There is no apparent development to his character in the end, just that he helps one actor gets his stuff together. And after that harrowing ordeal he faced in New York , his ex takes him and goes and proclaims to Justin to never change. Really aren't relationships about compromises. T this point the story just dragged on and on. Author Seth Rudetsky tries hard to make his characters work but really it doesn't seem to hold at all and i'm not trying to be rude but this annoyed me very much.

"Tries hard to be fun but end up a disappointment"

Genre :     Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Humor

Publisher: Random House Books 

Release Date: 23rd June, 2015

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             2/5 (It was Ok)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository