Persefone Series Blog Tour: Guest Post + Review

Welcome to my stop on the tour for the PERSEFoNE Series by Michelle Gagnon! I have a guest post from Michelle as well as my own review of Don't Look Now, and then there's an amazing giveaway at the bottom of this post. You can also check out the other stops on this tour here. 

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Guest Post: Michelle's Dream Cast

NOA: 

There’s an AMAZING Australian film called, “Tomorrow, When the War Began,” (if you haven’t seen it yet, put it on your to-be-watched list immediately!) The lead actress in it was incredible; the whole time I was watching the movie, all I could think was that if you chopped her hair short and dyed it black, she’d be a perfect Noa. Her name is Caitlin Stasey, and I’d be shocked if we didn’t end up seeing a lot more of her in the future.

PETER:

I really love Dylan Minnette, the actor who played the son in the (sadly) short-lived series AWAKE. He didn’t have much of a chance to display humor in that role, but he’s such a talented actor that I believe he’d be a perfect Peter.

AMANDA: 

AnnaSophia Robb. She’s got the right look, and I think she might manage to make Amanda more sympathetic. I get A LOT of emails from Amanda-haters; she’s a tricky character, in that she’s moralizing and judgmental; but a lot of that is a cover for her insecurity and vulnerability. So a really likeable actress like AnnaSophia could help humanize her.

ZEKE:

Zeke really needs to be a heartthrob: dark, moody, brooding. Tyler Posey definitely fits that bill, and I love him in Teen Wolf.

I add a bunch of new folks to the cast in DON’T LOOK NOW, most notably Teo and Daisy. They’re a bit younger than the others, and rougher around the edges.

TEO: 

For Teo, I’d love to see Jake Austin (my kid is a huge Wizards of Waverly Place fan!)

DAISY: 

The actress who plays Daisy really needs to capture that punk-rock look, while still appearing fragile and doll-like (which isn’t easy!) I think Joey King would totally nail it, especially with blue hair. 
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Review of Don't Look Now

When I picked up Don't Turn Around, I was surprised by how much I found myself wrapped up in the characters and their unique abilities. This series isn't the kind I usually pick up, but with emotions and stakes I can really get involved in, this is just a great series that keeps getting better.

I didn't get a chance to re-read Don't Turn Around before I picked up the second book, but the story does a great job at effortlessly blending in a recap while still moving on with the story. There were a few characters that were slow to jog my memory, but not enough to pull my mind out of the book. This book was quite different from the first book, but the stakes were higher. There was a lot more action this time around and less hacking. And I actually missed the hacking excitement a bit in this book. It was a big reason I was drawn to the series in the first place.

Still, these characters are just incredible. Noa is just so smart and it's easy to see why people follow her. It's great, though, that she's vulnerable and strong at the same time. I didn't really like Amanda in the first book, but I came to feel for her in this one. Peter confused me a bit, but I have to admire him for the way he always rises to the challenges ahead of him.

I think what I love so much is how much this story seems to fluctuate. It's tough and soft, one minute it's a million miles an hour and everyone is relying on timing, the next minute it's quietness with a computer while they're all relying on knowledge. This is just a smart series and I'm anxious to see what happens next. 

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About the Series

DON'T TURN AROUND (PERSEFoNE #1)

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Don’t Turn Around: Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes & Noble :: IndieBound :: iTunes

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DON’T LOOK NOW (PERSEFoNE #2)

Noa Torsen is on the run. Having outsmarted the sinister corporation Pike & Dolan, Noa and her friend Zeke now move stealthily across the country, protecting runaways before they become test subjects for P&D's horrific experiments. Noa knows all too well what that feels like: Whatever they did to her has left her exhausted and scared.

Back in Boston, Peter anxiously follows Noa's movements from his computer, using his hacker skills to feed her the information she needs to stay alive. But he's desperate to do something more, especially when he learns what P&D has done to his ex-girlfriend Amanda.

Then, in an explosive confrontation, Noa and her team are trapped in the one place they thought was safe. It will take everything Noa and Peter have to bring down the corporation before it gets them first. And with no one to trust and enemies hiding at every turn, they may be the only people alive who can.

This stunning second book in the critically acclaimed Don't Turn Around trilogy raises the stakes to their absolute limit and will leave readers begging for the exciting conclusion, Don't Let Go.

Don't Look Now: Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes & Noble :: IndieBound :: iTunes

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About the Author

Michelle Gagnon is the international bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. Described as “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens,” her YA technothriller DON’T TURN AROUND was recently nominated for a Thriller Award by the International Thriller Writer’s Association, and was selected as one of the best teen books of the year by Entertainment Weekly Magazine, Kirkus, Voya, and the Young Adult Library Services Association. Book 2 in the PERSEFONE trilogy, DON’T LOOK NOW, is on sale now. She splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Author Links: Website :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Tumblr :: Pinterest :: Goodreads

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Giveaway

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