{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Title: This Monstrous Thing                                

Author: Mackenzi Lee

Publication: September 22nd 2015, Katherine Tegen Books

Format: e-ARC, 384 pages              

Source: From author through Fantastic Flying Book Club       
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Misfit Review:

Take the essence of Frankenstein and mix it all up with elements of steampunk, then you've got yourself one interesting rendition of a classic novel.

Alasdair loses his brother and decides to bring him back to life. And with a life that you take, consequences are bound to come for you. I love how edgy and gritty this novel is. It does present a very dark ages of sorts, set in old European bound culture, yet adding the element of clockwork. 

{BLOG TOUR} Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publication: Nov. 4th 2014, HarperTeen
Format: ARC, 368 pages
Source: Tour Book from Pinoy Book Tours! (Thanks Dianne)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | The Book Depository | National Book Store (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Misfit Review:

I have been excited to read this book for a very long time, and when the opportunity came for me to read it, thanks to Pinoy Book Tours, I immediately grabbed it and it was the best damn decision of my life! I'll keep this review as short and sweet as possible, but I think that it's quite impossible if I end up going on with my feelings!

"This is the message I must pass on, the one goal I have to remember after everything else I am is gone. Kill Paul Markov."(ARC 1)

Okay, so the story starts with Marguerite Caine seeking revenge for the death of her father. He wants to rat out Paul Markov, an genius assistant that killed her father and destroyed all the files that had been the fruit of their research. He also stole a device called the Firebird, which allows a person to travel into different alternate dimensions and merge with their alternate self once in that dimension. With the help of Theo, another one of Henry Caine's assistants, they search for Paul with their own Firebird prototypes, to kill him.

THIS STORY IS JUST WAY TO FANTASTIC AND I CANNOT WITH IT!!! I'm telling you already, it is beautiful and cinematic and just downright stab to the heart. We are taken into different dimensions that refer to a lot of the present culture as well as those of the past and future. It takes us into these possible cultures we would have and those that we may have forgotten. And please! A FIREBIRD? Gods I wish it was real!

What makes the plot so intense and beautifully written is that scenes are leading you into what you think you would want to happen and then BAM! Surprise surprise! I just love the twist and turns of this story. The characters are well built, conflicting, interesting and best of all, DAMN HOT!

"You paint the truth Marguerite. I don't think you could any other way." (ARC 49)

The dynamics of the characters are done well. There are hints of fluttering romance between both Theo and Marguerite and Paul and Marguerite... I am now tasked to hurt myself to choose between the two even if one pair is far more inducing than the other.

The settings of each dimension are dazzling and engaging! Especially the one in Russia! It feels very much like Anastasia Romanov and her family. The Russian dimension is my favorite and you'll know why once you read it! The one at London, which was the first stop, is very futuristic and allowed us morsels of needed information that are very vital for the growth of the story!

Since this is a trilogy, the ending didn't exactly give a lot of answers but it makes you want more. HECK! It gives you a case of separation anxiety, and that isn't so good. I'm still left with a very needy hangover and I need Firebird #2 or I might go insane. 2015, why you take so long?

Claudia Gray gave us worthy characters, a fantastic story line, an out of this world experience set in pages and though this is my first Claudia Gray book, I already consider her as one of my favorites! THANKS ATPOY!

A Thousand Pieces of You leaves you searching, wanting, longing and incredibly excited for what's about to come and having read this book is an honor that I will cherish forever!

I wish I made an infinite rating photo, coz it is soooo worthy of that!

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Claudia Gray is not my real name. I didn't choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn't), because I'd always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven't) or even because I'm hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actually the best reason to do things.

I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I've been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.

{Blog Tour}: Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Title: The Truth About Alice
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publication: June 1st 2014, Hardie Grant Egmont
Format: Paperback, 199 pages
Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thanks guys!)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble |iBooks | Kobo

SYNOPSIS:

There are a lot of rumours about Alice Franklin, and it's stopped mattering whether any of them are true. 

It all started at a party, when Alice was supposedly with two guys in one night.

Soon everyone at Healy High has picked a side in this game of he said/she said. Do they believe Brandon Fitzsimmons, the most popular guy at school and the football hero of Healy? Or do they believe Alice, the girl who wears too-tight T-shirts and was caught kissing Brandon in a closet a couple years before?

When Brandon dies in a car crash, there are serious allegations that his death was Alice's fault. As the rumour mill spins into overdrive, Alice's small town becomes suffocating. And when the truth becomes a matter of opinion, something's got to give.

Misfit Review:

Do you keep quiet when people talk about you? Do you speak up? Alice Franklin's life takes a turn as she is allegedly accused of killing football star and town heartthrob, Brandon Fitzsimmons. He dies fom an accident and everyone blames Alice after some people pin her down for it. Rather than talk, Alice keeps to herself and the rumor spreads like wildfire. 

The novel is short, 199 pages long and it was a read that I would say, moved me but also made me angry. Angry in the sense that I hated bullying. To be honest, I could never see any fault in Alice's character. I mean, she's not a goody- two shoes but she's nothing but nice to people around her and in the chaos of the rumor, no one trusts her, and people would rather throw darts at her than be seen next to her. 

“There is one thing I've learned about people: they don't get that mean and nasty overnight. It's not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they'll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world.”

The narrators, four of them-Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and. Kurt- take us into their own psyche while telling the story of how they know Alice and how they interact/ed with her. Elaine is the star of the school, seems to hate Alice but she really isn't a bad nut. She feels bad for Alice too, in ways, but would rather keep it to herself. Kelsie, is Alice's "best friend", a nerd turned popular girl after moving out or her old town. She doesn't want to lose her current image, thus, she turns her back on poor Alice. She even starts some side rumors just to keep herself around the social circle. She's despicable. Josh, Brandon's best friend and football player, is charming but is the one who accuses Alice of the accident.  Finally, Kurt, the introverted nerd who is in love with Alice and would go to any lengths to help her. But he knows something that may change the course of the story.

What the narrators may have in common is that they are all self-centered in certain degrees. As they narrate Alice's story, we dive in into their own stories, problems that may either make us understand why they are doing what they are doing or would totally make us tear their parts from the book. Kelsie's POV is the most interesting to read but also the most difficult to stomach in. Kurt is also a personal fave, especially when he has these moments with Alice.

“How much did it hurt? It was like a million paper cuts on my heart.”

Healy didn't feel like a place I would spend my summer vacation in. I felt bad for Alice ultimately. If I had some sort of power to warp myself into the book, I'd clearly tug her out of that place and bring her somewhere quiet and where she can breathe. I could only imagine what it feels like for people who are going through the same thing as Alice. This is the reason why I love that Jennifer Mathieu dedicated this novel "To all the Alice Franklins". It should drive people to stand up for themselves and know when to keep quiet. Help is always there. It's only a matter of finding the right way to seek it.

Jennifer Mathieu's writing is clean but holds that pain so vigorously that it almost hurts to turn a page. It also brings forth the subject that this does happen in real life and that it's something that shouldn't be ignored. The ending wasn't clear but it made me think that there's a way out. 

The Truth About Alice leaves you mad at the world but also aware of what truths are out there.

About the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jennifer Mathieu is an English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. Her debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, will be out in the spring of 2014. Her favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and this super hilarious 1980s sitcom about four retired women called The Golden Girls. She can basically quote every episode. She lives with her husband, son, one rescue dog, one fat cat, and another cat that is even fatter than the fat cat. When it comes to what she reads, She loves realistic young adult fiction, creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs and unauthorized biographies, and basically anything that hooks her on the first page.

I'm so sorry if I haven't been posting Misfit Booknerds.. I have been undergoing something this August, but thank you for being helpful too! I love you! Thanks!

{Blog Tour} Excerpt + Giveaway: The Real Score by Kesh Tanglao

Title: The Real Score (Gezellig #1)
Author: Kesh Tanglao
Publication: Aug 28th 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Chick-Lit
Buy it on:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords

SYNOPSIS:

Caitlin's friendship with Marcus, the de facto frontman of the world's biggest boy band Gezellig, has long been an object of scrutiny by almost everyone--their friends and families, the media, and his fans--ever since they "went public" a couple of years back. Who wouldn't be interested? She was a nobody, catapulted into the limelight of his fame when he struck an unusual friendship with her.

To both Caitlin and Marcus, what they have is a "perfect little thing." But then something comes along and threatens it.

In a no-holds-barred interview, will they finally be forced to settle the score?

EXCERPT

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

Kesh Tanglao is a full-time market researcher. When she’s not crunching numbers, she spends most of her free time watching TV shows, listening to music, and reading. Also a self-proclaimed fangirl, she likes cheering for her favorite sports teams and supporting her favorite artists.

Keep in check for more tours from Oops I Read Again Tours and for more exciting book highlights here! Thanks Misfit Booknerds!

{Book Blitz} Excerpt + Giveaway: Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune

Title: Coral & Bone
Author: Tiffany Daune
Publication: July 7th 2014, Jester Ink Press
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Buy it on: Amazon

SYNOPSIS:

Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame. 

Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all.

EXCERPT 

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

I write stories about magick, love and dark creatures lurking in the shadows. When I'm not lost in Edit Land you can find me reading a book from my towering TBR pile or at the movie theater nibbling licorice. I don't have a lucky number, but my favorite time is 11:11. I completely believe that the fortunes found inside cookies will come true and that you must be careful when wishing on stars. I live on an island, so if you want to visit you'll need a boat, and if you want to survive the passage, be sure to bring candy for the mermaids.

Keep posted on more book tours here at the blog! Thanks XpressoBookTours! And thank you Misfit Booknerds for all your wonderful support!

{Blog Tour}: Review: More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs + Giveaway

Title: More Than Music (Chasing The Dream #1)
Author: Elizabeth Briggs
Publication: Jun 17th 2014
Format: Digital Copy, 229 pages
Source: Dianne (Oops I Read Again Tours! Thanks Dianne!)
Buy it on:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords | The Book Depository

SYNOPSIS:

Music major Maddie Taylor just finished her junior year of college and has a summer internship lined up with the LA Philharmonic, yet every night she practices guitar and secretly dreams of a louder life. But geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition.

Once on the show, Maddie discovers there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation – and that he’s just as big a geek as she is. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single they’re forced to keep their relationship secret.

As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart.

Misfit Review:
*Thanks Dianne for the copy!

At first I was hesitant to read a NEW ADULT novel. I mean, I'm a 20 year old for pete's sake but I find it rather a challenge to submerge into the idea of physical intimacy taken into a whole new level, especially in books, where my imagination, runs really, really, I MEAN, REALLY, REALLY WILD. Excuse me. Here we go...

It's just that once in my life, I'd like to do something bold like that too.

{Blog Tour} Review + Excerpt: Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Title: Say What You Will
Author: Cammie McGovern
Publication: Jun. 03, 2014, HarperTeen
Format: ARC, 343 pages
Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thanks sooo much Dianne)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | iBooks |

Synopsis:

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

Misfit Review: 
*The book was provided by Pinoy Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis and saw that it was a mesh of John Green's The Fault In Our Stars and Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park, I just knew that I had to read it. And I have no regrets.

The story is about Amy Van Dorn who has cerebral palsy who has to talk through a computer called a Pathway. She also has trouble walking so she needs a walker. All she wants is a normal life in high school where she can have friends to prove that she'll be fine once she enters college. Enter Matthew Malone, a lanky, quiet boy who is part of Amy's "peer group" project, where he spends one day being Amy's peer aide. Matthew is not normal, not in the way Amy is not normal physically. He has OCD and it's getting into his head. We are taken into the world of these two fascinating teenagers as they learn that through their own problems, they would learn to lean in on each other for help. I think that this relationship was enough to say that I was gravitated towards the book in an instant.

"I ALREADY KNOW THE NAME OF MY PROBLEM. IT'S NOT A BIG SECRET."

Amy is  the adventurous sort. She wants to try out new things and be friends with every body. And she doesn't really care about having CP, or maybe she does a little bit but she doesn't want it to be the cause of her becoming a total introvert in the eyes of such daunting teenagers. She wants to experience all sorts of things and she challenges herself, much to her overprotective Mom's chagrin! I don't really like Amy's mom, Nicole but I guess parents are like that especially if you have some sort of complication which in this novel is highly suggestive of Nicole's role.

Matthew and Amy are bonded through this problem of hers. And later discovers that Matthew himself has a problem that he's been keeping in the shadows for a long time.

" IT'S NOT A MILD CASE AND YOU AREN'T GETTING BETTER. I SEE YOU COUNTING ALL THE TIME. WHISPERING. TAPPING LOCKERS. IF ANYTHING, IT'S GOTTEN WORSE."

To be rather blunt, I felt extremely attached to Matthew and his problem. I could relate to some of the things he's going particularly, his unnecessary fears. He's too afraid to venture the world because he thinks that he does not deserve it. He likes things in ritual, and I do too, though I do stuff randomly, there are times when I think that Matthew and I go into a fit when we don't get to do what we have to do. I've told my Dad that he has OCD, and I think that I might have a slight case of it.

In the novel, as I have said, Amy and Matthew help each other out, being that Amy needs Matthew's help as a peer helper while Matthew needs Amy's help to overcome his condition. But with all this helping out, Amy is realizing that she's falling for Matthew. Big time... And I'm afraid to say, I was too.

*minor spoiler alert*

There was this scene in the book where Amy described Matthew, with his brown hair falling to his face, with  his beautiful eyes and him wearing a black t-shirt with a faded guitar logo. Please, you may now imagine my reaction. I suddenly went into a spastic fit and started to really imagine Matthew for real and he was supeeeeer handsome! My heart fluttered endlessly. And it's not just his looks, but also his personality. He's shy but he cares about people...maybe a bit too much! Because of his OCD, he has a tendency to over think things and he won't calm if he does not get his answers.

Bad things would happen if he skipped it.

Matthew has this thing in his head: a voice you might say and it's entertaining as heck dear gosh! Say What You Will is a book that doesn't exactly challenge your mind in a difficult way but you will end up curious about their situations at least and why certain peer pressures lead you to do things out of the ordinary.

The writing at first was a bit slow for me but started to get really interesting as the characters opened up about themselves further. The supporting characters didn't really overshadow the main characters but I would've wished for more of them to have carried a spotlight. But all in all, the characters were enticing and not boring at all.

McGovern's style is really light and subtle. Although, make sure you prepare for plot twists. Plot twists make every story much more gratifying and also worth your time, and I think that the plot twist here was handled in a not-so harsh treatment. It was kind and well justified, so kudos to Cammie McGovern.

"My point is: you know what you wanted to say. A lot of people don't. You might not even realize this. A lot of us are still trying to figure out what to say."

A lot of people have a hard time saying what they have to say. Cammie McGovern's new novel is a new take on this that whatever should happen, there will always be someone there for you. It's just a matter of how you should say it. Everything else will fall through.

Read The Excerpt

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

Cammie McGovern was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and received the Nelson Algren Award in short fiction. Her work has been published in Redbook, Seventeen, Glimmer Train, TriQuarterly, and other publications.

Thank you for sticking around misfit booknerds! More wonderful reviews and authors to chat with soon! And please, do follow the tour for Cammie's Say What You Will.