Review | Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Afterworlds (it's its own genre)

Pages: 599

Synopsis (From Goodreads):

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

My Rating

My Thought

This story is honestly like nothing else I've ever read before.  I've read stories with dual narratives, but never one with dual story lines that are both completely unrelated and completely related all at the same time.  The odd chapters, which are about Darcy's life, are actually really interesting.  I found myself wanting to know more at the end of each chapter.  Then, when it came to Darcy's novel, I found it intriguing.  The beginning completely sucked me in and I didn't want to put it down (but unfortunately I had to... stupid school takes up so much time).   I found the relationships in both stories to be rather engrossing.  I highly recommend it.  So, if you are looking for a unique story, look no further than Afterworlds. 

Blog Tour: Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton

Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton

Publication date: September 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Summary

When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel.

But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met?

Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can’t get caught.

Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can’t really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here.

As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she’s to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it..

My Rating

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.  It took me a while to get into it though since I have been so busy lately.  However once I really got into this book I couldn't put it down. I found the action to be very fast paced, and suspenseful.  I really enjoyed the main character, Jess.  I thought her inner dialogue was hilarious.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot, which caused a lot of people to stare at me.    However at times I did have a few problems with the pacing.  I found the first third of the book to be a little bit too drawn out, and then the action scenes could have been a bit longer, but overall it was a really great read.

About The Author

Corporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.

Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.

Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.

Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively… creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.

Her Links: Website   Twitter   Facebook   Goodreads

If you want to see more stops on the Fire in the Woods blog tour.  You can check out the other stops here

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