False Sight - Dan Krokos

Synopsis: All Miranda wants is a normal life. She's determined to move past the horrible truth of her origin as a clone so she can enjoy time with her boyfriend, Peter, and the rest of her friends at school. But Miranda quickly learns that there's no such thing as normal - not for a girl who was raised to be a weapon. When one of her teammates turns rogue, it begins a war that puts the world in jeopardy. Now Miranda must follow her instincts - not her heart - in order to save everything she's fought so hard to keep. with the image of a terrible future seared into her mind, what will she have to sacrifice to protect the people she loves?Dan Krokos's sequel to the tour de force False Memory is a mind-blowing thriller with high-octane action that will leave readers begging for the final book in this bold and powerful trilogy.

This was not what I was expecting. At all. I love False Memory, but when I read it, it was a little hard to keep up. Miranda is constantly on over-drive and I don't remember her sleeping, ever. In False Sight, she sleeps! The pace is still very fast, but it was a manageable quick pace so I was able to finally connect with Miranda, Peter, Noah and Rhys in a way I couldn't really in False Memory. I followed them through book one, but in book two I really came to care about them. So one of the things that really shocked me in this book was the fact that the end had me tearing up and it's actually making me a feel a little weepy just thinking about it again.

False Sight went in a different direction than I was expecting. It was a little jarring at first, because the story seemed to be on one track and then suddenly, you’re not even on the tracks anymore. I was skeptical, but that went away pretty quickly. I feel a little bit like book one was super humans and book two is super heroes. There’s this more intricate back story with more about where they come from and what they were meant to do that just bumped them up a level. I’m not huge into comics, but I feel like there’s a bit of classic superhero influence that went into this. I could be way off on that, but that was my impression. 

The thing I carried with me from book one, a year later, into book two was the relationship between Peter, Miranda and Noah. In False Memory, Miranda wakes up with no memories, so when she finds out Noah is her boyfriend she’s not really connected to him and instead falls for Peter. I had so many conflicting moments that caught me off guard in False Sight. Noah’s character has an interesting role, which is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. If there’s any testament to Dan’s skill as a storyteller and a writer, it’s in the way he connects Noah to Miranda and makes an unconventional relationship feel natural. Noah amplified the pain I felt at the end, as if he was in my own head telling me it would be okay when I knew it wouldn’t.

This book is actually hard to talk about, because there is magic in the way it unfolds and the places you end up unexpectedly. And because of that I can’t be specific or talk about the things that kept me glued to the page. I blew through this book so fast, partially because Miranda seems to just speed through life and I was trying to keep pace. I really liked False Memory, but False Sight knocked the breath out of me and I love it for that.

Birthday Week Extravaganza

Hey lovelies! I'm back! Caralyn did an awesome job keeping everything up and writing some great posts while I went off galavanting (in a scholarly manner, of course) in Colorado. Alas, the galavanting has come to an end and I'm back to real life. BUT I'm pretty excited because my birthday is on Thursday. Yay for getting old(ish).

This week is gonna be off the hook (can't you hear my 90's VJ coming out...off the hook, yo!) because birthdays are great. I'm going to have an awesome giveaway every day until Thursday, which is the actual day of my birth and then I think we can have some Twitter fun, with some fun Twitter prizes (chapter samplers, books, maybe some bookmarks...). 

Here's the basic schedule - I'm going to post a giveaway every day, and they'll only be open for a week so jump on this while you can! And spread the love, because that's what giving is all about! 

So today I'm giving away an ARC of False Memory by Dan Krokos - this book is crazy - and an ARC of The Waiting Sky by Laura Zielin! 

Tuesday I have an ARC of Defiance by C.J. Redwine. Trust me. You WANT this book.  

Wednesday I have a SIGNED copy of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody - I LOVE this book you guys. 

These three giveaways are for US and Canada only - sorry international friends. BUT

ON my birthday, Thursday, August 16, I will have an international giveaway. I will be giving away both Wildefire and a pre-order for Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight. WHEEEEE. 

(So, I have to admit now, that I wrote this whole post after downing a Venti Americano. I'm a little jittery and way hyper. If you couldn't tell.)

So even with all this awesome, I think on Thursday we're going to have some Twitter fun. Every time you tweet this week, using the hashtag #BestWorldsBirthday you'll be entering to win Karsten Knight's books, plus some fun extra swag I have - including some signed chapter samplers of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, a My Life Undecided bracelet, and some My Life Next Door bookmarks. I'll be announcing those winners on Twitter throughout the day on Thursday. You can tweet starting now, up until 6:00 PM Central time on August 16. Your tweet can say anything as long as you use the hashtag. 

For all other giveaways, all you have to do is fill out Rafflecopter. 

Have a happy week everyone!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

False Memory - Dan Krokos

Synopsis: Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn't at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn't easy--especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn't seem to matter...when there may not be a future. (From Goodreads)

I finished this book a few days ago...and I'm still not quite sure what happened to me. The pace was breakneck, the concept was insane, and every five seconds I felt like the ground was pulled out from underneath me. Generally, I like to be able to establish myself within a story, and to connect with and feel like I completely understand a character. I didn't really get any of these securities with this book, but in this case - I kinda liked it. There were a lot of crazy things going on, but it was impossible to tear myself away. I needed to know what was going on, and the more Miranda started to learn about who she was the more dimensions this book held.

I have to start with the romance aspect, because, honestly, that's the only area where I felt grounded. I know who I wanted Miranda to pick. Where I didn't know who she could trust, I did know which boy was right for her. This is what kept me tethered to this story and this world. Which, the more that I think about, is so amazing. Generally, love is the great mystery, the thing that could potentially leave you confused and hurt - but without apparent effort, Dan Krokos made it the one safe and stable thing in a world where not even your own thoughts are to be trusted. Genius.

Moving on from the most girly thing I could pick out of a book that contains next to nothing that could be classified as girly - I want to talk about Miranda. Now, when we meet Miranda all she knows is her name. The opening scene in this book, by the way, was one of the best first chapters ever. There's so much confusion and chaos, yet it somehow you can read it with perfect clarity. Again, genius. But back to Miranda - I don't know how she has time, with all the missions and people trying to capture her and all, but every time she remembers something or someone tells her about who she used to be, I just completely gave myself to her and her story. She isn't a trustworthy narrator - but, when she's remembering something she's completely vulnerable - and those were my windows into the world.

Other than those moments - the love and the memories - I was floundering through the story. I kept trying to grasp who was who, who remembered what, who was thinking what, why they needed to complete certain missions at certain times - and I came out with no solid footing. This is where I'm still kind of just trying to figure out what happened to me. Because I remember reacting to the action while I was reading, but for the life of me I can't remember what my thoughts were or what actually was going on. And again, maybe that's part of relating to these characters who can lose their memory so easily.

This is a book I kind of want to read again and then talk out. But I can't say much more here without heading into spoiler territory so I'm gonna chill. Even with my uncertainty, I do know that this is a great book. It's different - with totally bad-ass characters, some crazy government stuff, some science fiction, and a whole lot of action. If you're looking for something that doesn't slow down, doesn't ever get soft or quiet, and will just move through your life like a tornado and move on - then this is the book you're looking for.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR

1. Something Like Normal by Trish Dollar
2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

3. Reunited by Hilary Grahm

4. Defiance by C.J. Redwine

 5. Pushing the Limits by Katie

6. Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight

7. False Memory by Dan Krokos

8. Team Human by Sarah Rees Brennan & Justine Larebalestier

9. Rift by Andrea Cremer

10. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas