Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Perfect Tear - Blog Tour

The Perfect Tear

By Connie Lansberg

blogtour3
Published: December 15th 2015 by Shooting for Success LLC DBA Rockit Press
Pages: 326
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Links:
      Goodreads
      Amazon

Summary:

            Eleanor is a singer. Her songs keep nature in balance, but when they are stolen from her, a grey mist descends and her world fails to thrive. This timid orphan is thrust into a course of action she never asked for, not envisioned. Set against a backdrop of abandonment, loss and betrayal, she must find her way through strange and dangerous landscapes in her desperate search for the Perfect Tear, a dark crystal which holds the future of her world. But, Eleanor is no savior. She is a simple girl with strong instincts and she must learn to trust them. Just like the notes of song must connect to create a melody, Eleanor must discover the connections needed to create the harmony required to truly save her world.

(This is the poster for the upcoming film based upon The Perfect Tear by Connie Lansberg)
blogtour1

My thoughts:

Note: For being a part of this blog tour I was provided with a free e-book copy of The Perfect Tear in exchange for my honest review.
            After reading the synopsis is Jen's email, I wasn't quite sure what to think. The Perfect Tear seemed interesting enough, but more like something I would've been enjoyed more when I was younger. I guess I was correct in my assumptions because after finishing the novel it was just...ok. I know younger me would've loved the idea of saving the world with a crystal, the balancing of nature and harmony, and especially a prince going for a peasant girl, but older me has read one too many books that are much too similar. I'll give The Perfect Tear credit for having some of the same olf cliche bits in it, but still being different enough with the interesting plot points and story. The Perfect Tear was still interesting, and incredibly well written (I adore Connie Lansberg's style), but, for me, the story just wasn't that interesting. I know younger me would've given The Perfect Tear five out of five stars, but current me gives it three and a half stars for content and four and a half stars for the writing, and I average that to be four out of five stars. I wish that it was younger me who'd picked this book up and enjoyed it thoroughly, but, nevertheless, I'm so exited for the movie that's coming out next year, and I will definitely be seeing it. If you wish to learn more about the upcoming movie, click here.
blogtour4
            Lerion forced his lips into a smile and nodded politely in an effort to feign interest in the creations of his fellow novices. Their excited chatter and heightened energy pulsed the length of the room. They seemed foolish to him, but he managed to conceal his disdain. Social transparency in his society was the norm, but hiding his feelings from the collective was something he excelled at. It was his secret talent. Today however, he struggled to maintain a pleasant countenance.
           The novices were allowed to see their competition for only a few moments and Lerion extended his glance the length of the narrow corridor again. He had to be certain he would win. Only the best young designers were invited to enter the Creation Contest, and then, only once. Lerion knew this was his only chance to achieve his dream, and he forced himself to scan the room once more. He was searching for any design that might pose a threat, but after another quick reconnaissance, nothing he saw gave him cause for concern. He took a quick, shuddering breath and lifted his chin. Why had he been so nervous?
            He felt his energy uncoil and his step became light. He’d worked for this opportunity almost from the day his two co-creators sung him into being – he deserved to win.
            Lerion clenched his jaw. The arrogance of his desire was not lost on him. The Creation Contest was much more than a matter of whose design was the most innovative or which novice showed the most initiative. The winning design had to uphold and even surpass the standards of creation set by the Ancient Ones. It had to enhance the evolution of their society as a whole. Had he achieved that?
            He stopped in front of a nine-dimensional hologram and pretended to be intrigued with the design, while he slyly studied its creator, a feminine-biased novice named Lalycri. The energy emanating from her shimmered against his outer layer and he involuntarily vibrated in response. Her eyes lit up and he swallowed hard. Her animated smile caused her nose to crinkle and her energy swelled in gentle waves. It undulated softly through him. He felt himself surrender to the pleasure of it and immediately blocked its flow. He would not allow himself to respond. This was not the time to reveal his attraction to her, and he nodded curtly. He had to admit, he found Lalycri appealing and she peaked his curiosity. On any other day, he might have encouraged her, but this kind of personal chemistry often led to a desire to co-create and he was not about to break the rules. Not today, anyway.
           Novices were forbidden to form creative partnerships of any kind. Only those having twelve activated strands of DNA were allowed the privilege of co-creation. Lerion sighed. He had activated only seven strands of the twelve that lay within each of his cells. More than all the other novices, but still, not enough.
            Determined to ignore her vibrant energy, Lerion gave Lalycri a small nod. He leaned in and studied the extremely unusual construct while she beamed at him. He couldn’t work out what its purpose must be, and he stiffened. It had never occurred to him Lalcyri might be competition. How had she managed such a complicated design?
            He made sure to keep his voice polite rather than accusatory. “I had no idea you’d been selected.”
            Lalycri tilted her head and her smiled faltered. “Well, I was.”
            Her tone had a sharp edge and he realized he had insulted her. “Certainly. I’m not surprised.”
            “You sound surprised.” Lalycri’s voice was stern but the twinkle returned to her eyes. “I’m grateful for the honor. It’s definitely the most daring design I’ve produced so far.” She lowered her lashes an her mouth grew firm. “I would give anything to win. I long to pit myself against Tsera.”
             Her words came fast and her voice had a ferocious quality that startled him. Lerion blinked and looked sharply at her. They all wanted the honor of winning. However, it had not occurred to him there might be others who desired to win as much as he did. Nobody could want this as much as he did. His every cell informed him being Main Creator was his destiny, and the idea she could snatch it from him was ludicrous.
            He felt his vibration quicker, but Lalycri did not seem to notice the change in his demeanor. She smiled brightly, as if she had not just made a startling admission, and began to prattle without taking a breath.

About the author:

blogtour2Connie Lansberg is a singer/songwriter and now author based in Melbourne Australia. She’s had her original songs placed in some of Australia’s best loved TV shows that play around the world and The Connie Lansberg Quartet is a fixture in the Melbourne jazz scene. Her most recent original musical project, Alone with Bees, performs her songs written especially for The Perfect Tear. This is Connie’s first novel and the movie is coming.
She also received several grants from the Victoria Council of the Arts for the development of mobile phone games that she created.
Connie joined the Melbourne Writers Group in 2010 to work on ideas and scripts and during this time the idea for The Perfect Tear began to develop and take shape. She continued her education by taking scriptwriting classes at the Australian Film and Television School in Melbourne and later, worked extensively with Marcy Kennedy on the book. She has two more stories to complete The Perfect Tear Trilogy and is hoping to have the second book finished by 2016.
blogtour5

Blog tour schedule:

You can check out the rest of the blog posts written as part of this tour here:
July 30th: Jordan https://www.readbyroe.com
August 1st: Laura http://www.lifeisabookblog.com

If you would like to purchase The Perfect Tear
Amazon
Book Depository
Barnes and Nobles
Thanks! - CG


Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Six of Crows - Book Review

Six of Crows

By: Leigh Bardugo

DISCLAIMER: There might be some spoilers in here so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. 

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.(Goodreads summary)

My Review:  This book. This. Book. To be honest, I started Six of Crows several months ago actually, but I hadn't had the chance to complete it until this week, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. 
             The beginning of this book started off slow. It may have been that I was bored because I was stuck in an airport for upwards of twelve hours waiting for a functional plane, or it could've been that the build up to the main heist and the action was too long, but either way, it was just a little too long for my liking. Length aside, I thought that Bardugo did a fantastic job in building up each of the characters, giving us a taste of what they're like, and a glimpse into the past, present, and future in the build up. Bardugo continued the character development all the way until the end which was something I truly enjoyed. By the time I finished Six of Crows I had three new ships--all of which are more precious and special to me than my own love life. The way Bardugo was able to create the chemistry between the characters-both romantic and platonic-was simply amazing, and the sexual tension between some characters (COUGH**NINA AND MATTHIAS**COUGH) was so well described that I could almost feel it. 
            My favorite pairing overall has to be Jesper and Wylan, every time those two flirted I found myself internally cheering them on, but my favorite character over all has to be Inej because I started out pitying her because of how she was captured by slavers and forced into the Meringue, then I idolized her for her strength and for how she wanted to put the money she would earn from this job towards her new life and dreams, and then I just wanted to protect her after she was kidnapped by Van Eck in the last few pages.
           Overall, I thought that the plot of Six of Crows was actually quite entertaining. I was hesitant at first because sometime heist books can be quite boring because many of them have the same overall structure, but Six of Crows kept me guessing till the very end. It was not clear to me through out the entire book that they would succeed. In fact, for the majority of the book I thought there was no way they would be able to pull it off, and the means that they have to go though to pull it off are....drastic to say the least. 
            One particular thing that I quite enjoyed, and that Bardugo did very well, was the character POV switches every chapter. Bardugo succeeded in giving each and every character their own voice, I was able to tell who's POV it was without even looking at the same at the beginning of each chapter.
            Lastly, THE CLIFFHANGER!!!!! Bardugo left us on the edge of our seats! The gang had just succeeded in pulling off a heist that no one thought they could to, they were on their way to bigger and better things, and she just had to have them kidnap Inej and fuck everything up! Also, what's going to happen to Nina!?! Is she going to be addicted to Parem?? Is her body going to resist the addiction? Will she DIE!?!?! I need answers! And, most importantly, WILL KAZ FINALLY GROW A PAIR AND TELL INEJ HOW HE FEELS! I know Six of Crows is coming soon, but it ins't coming soon enough. (Author's Note: I once had an English teacher that said that there are probably only going to be three times in your life where it will be proper to use an exclamation point......I used waaaaaay too many exclamation point, but they were definitely necessary.)

             In conclusion, I give Six of Crows four stars because it was amazing overall, but it took a long while to get to the good parts. I highly recommend that you pick up ANY Leigh Bardugo book because her writing is amazing. I highly enjoyed the Grisha trilogy, and I can't wait to see how the Six of Crows duology ends with Crooked Kingdom (EVEN THOUGH LEIGH SAYS NOT ALL OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS WILL SURVIVE AND I DON'T WANT ANY OF MY BABIES TO DIE!!!).

              
If you would like to purchase Six of Crows
Book Depository
Barnes and Nobles
Amazon
-CG


Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)