I'm so thrilled to have the Paradox Blog Tour stopping by today with my review and a blog tour wide giveaway...
Paradox
by A.J. Paquette
6/25/13
Random House BFYR
Ana
only knows her name because of the tag she finds pinned to her
jumpsuit. Waking in the featureless compartment of a rocket ship, she
opens the hatch to discover that she has landed on a barren alien
world. Instructions in her pocket tell her to observe and to survive,
no doubt with help from the wicked-looking knives she carries on her
belt. But to what purpose?
Meeting
up with three other teens--one boy seems strangely familiar--Ana
treks across the inhospitable landscape, occasionally encountering
odd twists of light that carry glimpses of people back on Earth.
They're working on some sort of problem, and the situation is
critical. What is the connection between Ana's mission on this planet
and the crisis back on Earth, and how is she supposed to figure out
the answer when she can't remember anything?
(I received an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review)
Paradox begins
with Ana waking aboard a spaceship with no memory of who she is or
where she is. Ana soon discovers that she is on a desolate planet
called Paradox and has clear instructions to observe and survive.
This planet is home to a terrifying and huge worm like creature, as
well as strange streams of light that give Ana a glimpse of life back
on Earth. Ana encounters three other teens who have the same
instructions and the four set out to the sea and the safe-haven
colony supposedly there. But the worm creature follows them and the
four must face dangerous obstacles and their own fears as the
critical situation on Earth depends on their success.
I
was instantly drawn to Paradox because
of its wicked cool sounding premise (and maybe because the worm-like
creature on the cover reminded me of the Graboids in the “Tremors”
films!), and, for the most part, the premise really lived up to my
expectations. Paquette took me on a wild, twisted, sci-fi filled
thrill ride full of the unexpected and the intriguing.
The
world-building in Paradox is
really great. Paquette has crafted a complex, layered, and fully
realized world that is both refreshingly post-apocalyptic and sci-fi.
Like Ana, readers “arrive” on Paradox with no preconceived ideas
or information regarding this strange planet, and we get to discover
all the wondrous and unusual things this dangerously alluring planet
has to offer. And Paradox the planet, with its pink sky; two suns;
purple sands; and green ocean, makes for an awesome setting. Tidbits
about the dire situation on Earth and the events that have led up to
the exploration of Paradox are sprinkled throughout the book in the
form of news articles. I appreciated this background information, but
think this aspect of the story needed some fleshing out and further
explanation to create complete logical reasoning behind the
sci-elements.
Ana
begins her journey with no memories, but I loved that we still get to
know who she was and who she is in the present, and I really liked
her as whole. She's got a great feisty, curious nature and is a
capable, clever heroine. The flirty interaction between Ana and Todd
is fun and amusing, but I like that the romantic aspects don't
dominate the story.
Ana's
time on Paradox takes some thrilling and shocking twists and turns,
creating a refreshingly unpredictable plot. Paquette weaves a really
clever and innovative story that leads up to a thought-provoking
climax. Expect the unexpected, y'all!
MY
FINAL THOUGHTS: Paradox is
a fast-paced, thrilling read with really awesome and well crafted
sci-fi elements. A.J. Paquette's imaginative and innovative world
kept me entertained and enthralled from beginning to end.
A.J.
Paquette has been writing stories since early childhood. She and her
sister would spend hours creating masterpieces of stapled paper and
handwritten words, complete with pen-and-ink covers and boxed
illustrations. The
road to publication was long and winding, peppered with many small
successes including: a variety of national magazine publications,
being a 2005 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award honoree,
and receiving the 2008 SCBWI’s Susan Landers Glass Scholarship
Award, for the book that would later become Nowhere Girl. Her first
picture book, The
Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies,
was published in 2009. She
now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Boston area,
where she continues to write books for children and young adults. She
is also an agent with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
MY RATING
A.J. Paquette
A.J.
Paquette has been writing stories since early childhood. She and her
sister would spend hours creating masterpieces of stapled paper and
handwritten words, complete with pen-and-ink covers and boxed
illustrations. The
road to publication was long and winding, peppered with many small
successes including: a variety of national magazine publications,
being a 2005 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award honoree,
and receiving the 2008 SCBWI’s Susan Landers Glass Scholarship
Award, for the book that would later become Nowhere Girl. Her first
picture book, The
Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies,
was published in 2009. She
now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Boston area,
where she continues to write books for children and young adults. She
is also an agent with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. 
A.J. Paquette is giving away three Paradox ARCs during this tour in a blog tour wide giveaway!
(US/CAN)
You can enter below:
Week
Two Schedule
June 24th -Word Spelunking- Review (that's me!) June 25th -Emilie's Book World- Guest Post June 25th -Confessions of a Readaholic- Review June 26th -Nick's Book Blog- Interview June 26th -Magna Maniac Cafe- Review June 27th -A Book and a Latte-Guest Post June 28th -I Am A Reader Not A Writer- Guest Post
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