Colony East Blog Tour {Review and Giveaway}

I am so thrilled to have the Colony East Blog Tour stopping by today with my review and tour wide giveaway...

Colony East 

(Toucan Trilogy #2) 

by Scott Cramer

Genre:Young Adult Science Fiction/ Dystopian

Age: 12 +

Published: Oct. 2013

In a terrifying world where an epidemic has killed off most of the world's adults, fifteen-year-old Abby struggles to keep her brother and sister safe.

When a new, deadly disease spreads among the survivors, Abby must make the dangerous journey to Colony East, an enclave of hidden scientists caring for a small group of children for reasons unknown.

Abby fears that time is running short for the victims, but she's soon to learn that time is running out for everyone outside Colony East.

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |iTunes | KOBO

Night of the Purple Moon (Toucan Trilogy #1)

Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. The lightning-fast epidemic sweeps across the planet when the germs attack the hormones produced during puberty.

On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her -- adolescence.

Night of the Purple Moon is FREE on Amazon & for Nook.

I received a galley of this title in exchange for my honest review

Last year, Scott Cramer’s Night of the Purple Moon captivated me and left me breathless with its intriguing post-apocalyptic and sci-fi elements, wonderful characters, and palpable atmosphere…so I was really excited to dive into its sequel Colony East, and it definitely did not disappoint! Cramer returns with a strong, thrillingly fast-paced sequel that had me feverishly turning pages until the very end.

At the end of Night of the Purple Moon, Abby and her siblings had overcome devastating obstacles to survive the deadly space germs that wiped out the world’s adult population and was quickly killing off those survivors that reached adulthood. In this sequel, Abby, Jordan, their friends, and some new friends find themselves once again at the mercy of the newly mutated virus and Abby must make her way to Colony East, in NYC, where a group of surviving military, medical, and scientists adults have erected a new sanctuary for kids…but at what price?

Everything I loved about Night of the Purple Moon is seamlessly carried over into Colony East- the fascinating sci-fi elements, the excellent world-building, relatable characters, and the exciting pacing. In Colony East, the already complex and layered world-building is expanded and explored even further and more in-depth. Throughout the course of the book we and the various characters are placed in several settings and, while these settings are vividly laid out, I do wish some were explored a bit more and I’m hoping we learn more about them in book three. This is a world that feels terrifyingly real, yet utterly captivating. Cramer doesn’t hold anything back when crafting and exploring this post-apocalyptic world and I love that he isn’t afraid to depict its realistically brutal, bloody, desperate side. The scientific aspects concerning the space germs and viruses, while at times went a little over my head, are given proper and realistic explanation and definition, which I really appreciated.

At the heart of this book, and its predecessor, are the characters. Cramer has created such realistic, interesting characters with such depth. None of the characters ever feel cliché or one dimensional, and many surprised me in startling and moving ways.  Abby continues to be a heroine that is easy to connect with and impossible to not root for. The adolescent characters, like Abby, must take on so many adult responsibilities and literally have lives in their hands, yet they are still kids, and Cramer explores and depicts this conflicting, complex notion so beautifully. Because the characters are so well written and developed, the emotional atmosphere in Colony East feels that more real and poignant.

The pacing in Colony East is fantastically fast, but never feels rushed, and adds to the story’s addicting intensity and thrilling plot.  And once again, Cramer has woven one hell of an ending! Like with Night of the Purple Moon, the last several chapters of Colony East had me furiously turning pages and left me breathless. 

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Colony East is everything a sequel should be! Once again, Scott Cramer has entertained, captivated, intrigued, and moved me in so many ways. This series is only getting better and I can’t wait to read book three!

MY RATING

Scott Cramer has written feature articles for national magazines, covered school committee meetings for a local newspaper, published haiku and poetry, optioned a screenplay, and produced customer reference accounts for a big computer company. His pursuit of a good story has put him behind the stick of an F-18, flying a Navy Blue Angels’ fighter jet, and he has trekked through the Peruvian mountains in search of an ancient Quechua festival featuring a condor. He is the author of Night of the Purple Moon and Colony East. Scott and his wife have two daughters and reside outside Lowell, Massachusetts (birthplace of Jack Kerouac) in an empty nest/zoo/suburban farm/art studio with too many surfboards in the garage. Find the author: Website |  Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

$35 Amazon Gift Card

(open anywhere with an Amazon available)
10 winners of ebooks of Night of the Purple Moon and Colony East

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