The Neptune Project Blog Tour {Review, Dream Cast, Giveaway}

I'm so excited to have The Neptune Project stopping by today with my review, my dream cast picks, and a blog tour wide giveaway...

The Neptune Project

by Polly Holyoke

5/21/13

Disney Hyperion

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Purchase: Amazon

With her weak eyes and useless lungs that often leave her gasping for air, Nere feels more at home swimming with the dolphins her mother studies than she does hanging out with her classmates. Nere has never understood why she is so much more comfortable and confident in the water than on land until the day she learns the shocking truth—she is one of a group of kids who have been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of the "Neptune Project" are supposed to build a better future under the waves, safe from the terrible famines and wars and that rock the surface world.

But there are some big challenges ahead of her: no one ever asked Nere if she wanted to be part of a science experiment; the other Neptune kids aren't exactly the friendliest bunch, and in order to reach the safe haven of the new Neptune colony, Nere and her fellow mutates must swim across hundreds of miles of dangerous ocean, relying on their wits, their loyal dolphins and one another to evade terrifying undersea creatures and a government that will stop at nothing to capture the Neptune kids ... dead or alive.

Fierce battle and daring escapes abound as Nere and her friend race to safety in this action-packed marine adventure.

(I received an ARC of this title from the pub in exchange for my honest review)

Polly Holyoke makes a fantastic splash with her middle-grade debut The Neptune Project! Part dystopian, part sci-fi, and overflowing with adventure, action, and suspense, this middle-grade read kept me captivated for hours.

Nere Hanson lives in a grim dystopian future where the Earth has been ravaged by global warming and humans lack of care. Nere has always felt like a freak, with her super pale skin, weak lungs, and telepathic abilities, but she learns that she's special. Nere and her companions were genetically altered to be able to live in the sea, and when the corrupt government finds out what Nere's scientist parents have done, she and the other altered kids must take to the sea and travel hundreds of miles to an underwater safe haven. Guarded by her beloved dolphins, Nere and her companions must face dangers, like sharks and the government divers after them, and fight to survive.

The Neptune Project was such a fun, fantastic middle-grade read! Holyoke as crafted a truly original and unique dystopian/sci-world and has done so wonderfully. With superb underwater world-building, an exciting plot, and great characters, The Neptune Project is sure to please readers of all ages.

The thrills, chills, and twists are plentiful and the underwater setting makes for an endlessly exciting and unpredictable story. I have one issue with this book, which I'll get out of the way first, and that is the world-building outside of the ocean. Nere obviously lives in a dystopian future where the seas have risen, the air is polluted, the government is corrupt, and important wars have taken place, but I don't feel like we are given enough history or backstory regarding how and why the world has become like it is. We're pretty much plopped right into Nere's world and I would have appreciated a little more information. But that aside, the underwater world-building is superb, and 95% of the book takes place in the ocean, so this world-building is the most important.

Holyoke has clearly done her oceanography research and it shows in the realistic underwater world she has created. This ocean landscape is breathtakingly vivid and detailed; every smell, sound, taste, and color jumps off the page. I felt completely immersed in this beautiful, mysterious, and thrillingly dangerous world. This underwater world is full of mesmerizing beauty, wondrous mysteries, and terrifying dangers, and I love that Holyoke doesn't hold anything back when painting this world. This is a world that will simply enchant and enthrall young readers.

There's a great diverse group of characters that includes humans and dolphins. Each of the characters brings something worthwhile and interesting to the table and together they create an eclectic, amusing bunch. Nere is a wonderful heroine, full of curiosity, intelligence, bravery, and compassion. I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the story and become a capable leader. Nere gets a few cute boys to interact with (I'm totally Team Tobin), and the romantic elements are very innocent and appropriate for the book's audience. I really loved all the dolphins and how each is given their own personality, and the way they interacted with the altered kids.

I was pleasantly surprised to find how intensely suspenseful The Neptune Project is. The action-packed plot, electrifying dangers, and wicked chapter cliffhangers kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages with gusto until the very end.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Polly Holyoke had me completely hooked with this excellent midle-grade adventure. The Neptune Project has enough action, scares, romance, and awesome underwater world-building to keep even the pickiest readers entertained. This would make a fantastic summer read for all ages!

MY RATING

Polly Holyoke

Site / Goodreads / Twitter 

Polly Holyoke has been imagining stories since she was in fifth grade. When she isn’t writing, Polly loves reading, camping, skiing, scuba diving and hiking in the desert (where she quite stupidly got herself bitten by a rattlesnake). She lives with three rescue dogs, two spoiled cats and a nice husband who is tolerant about the piles of books all over their house. Her debut middlegrade novel, THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, is the story of a young girl leading a group of genetically altered teens fighting to survive in the sea. She is thrilled that this novel will be published by Disney/Hyperion and Puffin Books UK summer, 2013. She thinks the best part about being an author is going to work in her sweatpants and getting paid for daydreaming!

I've been given the fun task of picking a dream cast for some of the characters in The Neptune Project. Here are some of my picks...

Willow Shields as "Nere"

Madison Pettis as "Lena"

Cameron Boyce as "Robry"

Connor Jessup as "Tobin"

Ryan Potter as "Dai"

What do ya think of my dream cast choices?!

Win a finished copy of 

The Neptune Project!

(blog tour wide giveaway, US only)

You can enter below

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Chantress Blog Tour {Review, Dream Cast, Giveaway}

I'm thrilled to have the Chantress Blog Tour stopping by today with my review and Dream Cast...

Chantress

(Chantress Trilogy #1)

by Amy Butler Greenfield

5/7/13

Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books

Format: eARC

Source: Edelweiss

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful — and most hunted — girl in England.
“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing — and she is swept into darkness.When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses — women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

BOOK TRAILER

Amy Butler Greenfield's Chantress is a captivating mix of magic, romance, and historical adventure. In 1667, fifteen year old Lucy lives on a deserted island with her guardian Norrie. Norrie's most important rule is that Lucy must never sing. But when Lucy hears a haunting melody on the wind, sing she does and she and Norrie are swept away by magic to England. Lucy discovers that she is a Chantress and can use magic through song. And Lucy's Chantress powers are needed to save England from the evil Lord Protector and its deadly Shadowgrims. Taken in by the Invisible College, a group of scientists and thinkers, Lucy must learn to control both her abilities and her confusing feelings for Nat, a young apprentice at the Invisible College.

Chantress certainly cast a spell on me and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Greenfield weaves a beguiling tale full of enchantments, historical intrigue, and likable characters. The concept of a Chantress, one who can manipulate and use magic through song, isn't a new concept, but I really liked the way Greenfield ran with this idea and what she did with it. Greenfield is a great storyteller and much of the writing in Chantress is quite beautiful. Like Lucy, I was easily swept away into this world of magic and science, fiction and history, and, for the most part, found it to be a fascinating world. The magical Chantress elements are a wondrous mix of whimsical and dark; I only wish more enchantments and spells were shown (I'm sure/hoping more will be shown in future books), but the ones present in book one are very cool.

The magical elements are fictitious of course, but I like how historically grounded the backdrop and setting are. Greenfield clearly did her historical research regarding this time period in England, and this really shines through. The historical, scientific, and magical aspects all work really well and just seem to fit together. I do wish the overall storyline was less predictable and more twisty. There are few instances where the plot feels a bit too forced or convenient and I would have appreciated more subtlety or complexity. A little more action would have been nice too.

Lucy is a likable, relatable heroine. She grows a good deal as a character and I enjoyed watching her come into her power, but I liked that she remained realistically fifteen. It took me some time to warm up to Nat, but after getting his backstory and getting to know him, I ended up really liking him. He isn't your typical overly romantic, grand gesture doing, cheesy love speech making, swoon-worthy YA love interest...but this is a good thing! Instead, he simply felt real and believable as a teenage guy who's been through some shizz, is kinda wary of magic, and who is falling for this girl who isn't sure he can trust. The interaction between Lucy and Nat is full of fun snark and I'm excited to see where their connection goes in future books. The villainous Lord Protector makes for a sinister and frightening villain, but I wish we were given more "facetime" with him.

The ending is satisfying but open, and I'm definitely interested to see what's next for Lucy.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Chantress has an enchanting premise that Amy Butler Greenfield ran with beautifully and that captivated me from beginning to end. An awesome first book in what I'm sure will be a fantastic series!

MY RATING

Amy Greenfield Butler

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author. 

Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and bounds over book piles as high as Tower Bridge. 

Among other honors, her books have won a PEN/Albrand Award, the Veolia Prix du Livre Environnement, and a Beacon of Freedom Award.

I've been given the very fun task of picking my Dream Cast for a Chantress movie. So here are my picks for actors to play a few of the key characters (and yes, I did choose an entire cast consisting of actors who have been on Supernatural! Why? Why not, lol?!)...

Madison McLaughlin as Lucy

I think Madison looks the age and part and would rock it as Lucy!

Osric Chau as Nat

I just adore Osric! I think he can pull of that smart, scientist vibe but also be a charming, makes your heart flutter, love interest.

Jim Beaver as Penebrygg

Jim Beaver is just plain awesome and I think he should play ALL the roles ever! 

Loretta Devine as Norrie

Loretta could definitely pull of the loving, motherly guardian role, right?! 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Lord Protector

There's nothing better than a hot, evil villain and who's hotter than JDM?! 

Whaddya think of my picks?! 

Win a signed finished copy of Chantress!

(blog tour wide giveaway)

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The Nightmare Affair Blog Tour {Review and Dream Cast}

I'm excited to have The Nightmare Affair Blog Tour stopping by today!

Below you will find my review, my dream cast picks, and a giveaway...

The Nightmare Affair

by Mindee Arnett

3/5/13

Tor Teen

Format: ARC

Source: from pub

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Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.Literally.Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.Then Eli’s dream comes true.Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Mindee Arnett's The Nightmare Affair is a refreshing and wonderful mix of whimsical, romance, mystery, and the supernatural. I had been very excited to read this book since I first learned about it last year and I'm happy to report that it doesn't disappoint!

Dusty Everheart is a Nightmare. An actual, for reals Nightmare that feeds off of people's dreams. The 16 year old attends Arkwell Academy, a school for magickind beings. Dusty is half-human, half-magickind, and that, plus her mother's infamous reputation, hasn't helped her make friends at Arkwell. And when Dusty invades the dreams of human Eli Booker and discovers he's dreaming of a murder at Arkwell, a murder that comes true, things get super complicated for the Nightmare. Dusty must follow the dream-clues and the real-world clues she uncovers to stop the murders, but what she discovers is surprising.

The idea of a living, breathing Nightmare fascinates me, as this isn't something we see a lot of in YA. And Arnett has taken this wicked cool idea and created something really unique, fun, and awesome. The Nightmare Affair not only offers an excellent story, but has a great heroine as well.

Mindee Arnett weaves a fantastical and whimsical story that mixes the supernatural with the real-world wonderfully and in a way that is utterly absorbing. Arkwell Academy is home to all sorts of magickind- fairies, sirens, wizards, witches, demons, werewolves, and more- and Arnett blends real lore with her own creative spins to craft a magical world that is both familiar and unexpected. The world-building is vivid and nicely layered. Arkwell Academy makes for a really intriguing and cool setting, and is like a more modern Hogwarts.

I greatly enjoyed the combination of mystery, action, and romance. The story itself is fairly predictable, but not in a super frustrating way. I would have liked a bit more subtlety when it came to the murder mystery, but there are plenty of twists and surprises to keep readers captivated and addicted. And for me, Dusty's journey with her new friends was far more fun and important than the actual destination (the ending).

I really like Dusty and her voice. She's a very likable and relatable heroine, with a really fun snarky personality. This is a heroine that I didn't always agree with and, at times, I became frustrated with, but I always felt connected to her and rooted for her. Selene, Dusty's roommate and best friend at Arkwell, is such a fantastic supporting character. Selene is a beautiful siren that has taken a stand against sirens being objectified and turned into mere sexual idols, which is just so badass. She's got a charming fierceness and endearing loyalty to Dusty, and I loved her a lot.

Dusty has two very different love interests, which does mean there's a slight love triangle. I actually didn't mind this love triangle much because I genuinely liked both guys. It took some time for Eli to grow on me, but he turned out to be quite sweet and likable. Paul, on the other hand, I liked him and his nerdy ways immediately. Dusty's chemistry with both boys is believable and fun. I'm not 100% ecstatic with how the romantic aspects played out, but I am definitely interested to see where they go from here.

One of the more intense and complicated relationships in the book is between Dusty and her mother Moira. I have a love/hate relationship myself with dark, mysterious Moira and I'd love to learn more about her infamous past.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: The Nightmare Affair pulled me in with its intriguing premise and kept me captivated with its fresh, fun story and memorable characters. There's magic in Mindee Arnett's words and they've definitely cast a spell on me!

MY RATING

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Mindee Arnett

Site / Goodreads / Twitter

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.

I've been given the very fun task of coming up with a dream cast for 

The Nightmare Affair. So, here are my casting picks for the four main teenage characters...

Jane Levy as "Dusty"

She's got the red hair and that pretty girl-next-door look that Dusty has.

  

Selena Gomez as "Selene"

Selena is beautiful, like a siren, but can pull off the tomboyish look that Selene has.

Steven R. McQueen as "Eli"  

The guy is all hotness and smolder like Eli, but looks like he'd be your BFF too.

Austin Butler as "Paul"

He's super cute, has Paul's longish blonde hair, and would make any girl swoony.

There is a tour wide giveaway for two (2) signed copies of The Nightmare Affair, open internationally. You can enter below.

(giveaway is NOT being run/sponsored by Word Spelunking)

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