Blog Tour: Review & giveaway for Catch by Michelle D. Argyle

Hi there and welcome to my stop on the tour for Michelle D. Argyle's novella Catch! Below you can find out more about the book & author, as well as my review and an international giveaway.


THE BOOK

Release date: September 20, 2014
Publisher: MDA books
Format: ebook, 20,000 words/90 pages

Goodreads description:
When eighteen-year-old Miranda chases a purse snatcher on the Las Vegas Strip, the last thing she expects is for the pursuit to turn into an extended game of hide-and-seek. All Miranda wants are the old black and white photographs buried at the bottom of her purse. They’re the only things she has left of the grandmother she never knew. But how much is she willing to put on the line to save them? And is it possible she’s falling in love with a thief?

Goodreads    Amazon

THE AUTHOR

Michelle D. Argyle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She adores cheese, chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in the time she grabs between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life. Michelle writes contemporary Young Adult and New Adult fiction (and other genres when she feels like it).

Website    Twitter    Facebook

The following review is based on a copy provided to me by the tour organizer in exchange for my honest opinion.


REVIEW
I loved Michelle Davidson Argyle’s The Breakaway and Pieces (click for my reviews), so when the opportunity to be part of the tour for this novella arose, I had to be on it! Catch didn’t deliver the kind of emotional punch that the former two books did for me, but that’s okay because this is a different type of story and I still very much enjoyed it.

Miranda’s dad has to go to Las Vegas on business, and because Miranda will be going to college once summer is over, her family decided to turn it into their last vacation together. Miranda loves her family but is unsatisfied with the predictability of her life and disillusioned with guys after having made a couple of negative experiences. When her mother sends her and her sister on a hunt to rediscover their dead grandmother’s life via a bunch of old photographs, her purse is snatched from her by a young guy in a suit.

Almost to her own surprise, Miranda goes after him but eventually has to give up. Her phone, her mother’s camera, her wallet… lost. Most of all though, Miranda wants the pictures back because they cannot be replaced. When her sister suggests in jest that she should just call her own phone, she never expected the thief to pick up, nor the crazy bunch of days to follow after that initial conversation.

Miranda is a very likeable character that I think a lot of girls who are in that gap between high school and college, family and a life on their own, will be able to identify with. She’s lived a fairly sheltered life with parents who love her and left her a lot of freedom, but she’s also been burned by relationships in the past and does not trust easily. I really enjoyed the focus the novella put on family constellations, memories, reconstructing the past, but also looking towards the future and building your own life by making independent decisions.

As for Ollie, the thief, he remains a mystery for quite a big part of the book, and that’s part of the reason Miranda is fascinated by him. Why does a seemingly well-to-do guy steal purses? Why is he sending her on a ‘treasure hunt’ around the city to get her stuff back? Who is he, and how does he tick? I can’t say too much here because of spoilers, but I really enjoyed seeing the two of them get closer to each other and I loved the setting and the conversation when they really got to know one another. The moment was somehow suspended in time, both artificial and natural, and I found myself highlighting a lot of passages because I liked them so much.

There’s a twist towards the end that I wasn’t expecting, but it definitely added to the story and heightened the tension. The ending itself could have been cheesy, but wasn’t because it still manages to remain realistic and somewhat open (not in the sense of being left hanging).

Despite being rather short (20,000 words), quite a lot of themes are packed into Catch. What stood out for me was the wavering between opposites: safety vs. risk, family vs. independence, past vs. future, fear vs. desire. The way these subjects were treated went beyond the superficial and made me think about my own situation.

"In all reality, she wanted safety. Staying in one place could guarantee that. But she also craved excitement and adventure and had always dreamed of breaking out of her shell. To her, safety and excitement were akin to oil and water. Was it possible to have both?"
(Loc. 716 / 75% through the ebook)

If you’re looking for a short contemporary treat to devour in one sitting, Catch should be up your alley, especially if you enjoy stories that fall into the overlap between YA and NA. The main characters are well-developed despite the shortness of the story, and the pacing kept me engaged throughout. All in all, a great story and a good way to check out the author’s writing if you’ve been thinking about reading one of her novels (which you should).

GIVEAWAY

Enter below for your chance to win! Also, don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour with interviews and excerpts (links below). Thanks to Shane from Itching For Books for organizing everything :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 28th -

the enigma of herself *Review & Dream Cast (blogger's choice)
Book Savvy *Review

October 29th -

Beth's Blog *Review
The Book Town *Review & Favorite Quotes

October 30th -

My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews *Guest Post
Crossroad readers *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)
deal sharing aunt *Blurb

October 31st -

Book Freak *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)
Two-tall-tales *Interview
Stephanie Parent Reader and Writer *Review
Some Like It Paranormal *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

November 1st -

kimberlyfaye reads *Review
Pete de violet *Review
Shelfspace Needed *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)
Random-ish *Interview

Stacking the Shelves: cloaking myself in obscurity

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase all the books we got in the past week. Those can be bought, won, gifted, for review, borrowed, print or ebooks... no matter, just share what you got :)


First off, I need to apologize once more for the lack of posts. August 1 is my country's national day and somehow, between Tuesday night and Friday night, I never turned on the computer. I just couldn't bring myself to. So last night I had a ton of email and after answering and deleting and reading and whatnot, I just had no more time and motivation to post anything. I'll try to be better next week! I also hope that next week brings lower temperatures because in this heat, I just don't feel like doing anything apart from lying on my bed and reading and occasionally dozing off...

Anyway, my haul this week is really small. Exactly one book. But hey, after my big London haul last week I should try to be slower with the buying and quicker with the reading anyway. Because what use are lots of awesome books if you never get around to reading them?!




Mourning Cloak, by Rabia Gale

I really loved Rabia's novella Rainbird, which was the first review request I ever got (read my thoughts here). I read an excerpt of Mourning Cloak a couple months ago and somehow I just felt like the time was right to actually get the book. Such a pretty cover, too!

Anyway, that's it from me. What new books did you get in the last week?

Non-YA review: Thistle & Thorne ('Til The World Ends), by Ann Aguirre

Release date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Luna
Format: Paperback, 368 pages

Goodreads description:
Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre

After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside-in the Red Zone-is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good. 


The following review is based on an eARC provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review:
Thistle & Thorne is the second story in the ‘Til The World Ends anthology. I am reviewing all three novellas separately and you can read my review of Julie Kagawa’s Dawn of Eden here.

I haven’t read anything by the author before, but I really enjoyed this short novella and I think I’ll look into her Razorland series after all, even though I wasn’t all that intrigued with it before! From what I’ve heard, Thistle & Thorne precedes the events in Enclave but features different characters. 
EDIT: Ann Aguirre contacted me and cleared up that the world in this story is not related to the Razorland series. I'm sorry about the confusion - I read in someone else's review that it was a prequel and simply believed that because I didn't know any better at the time.

Thistle & Thorne is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a sharp division is made between rich and poor. Those who are either rich enough to buy their way in (or born privileged) live in gated communities called fortresses. Their lives are full of luxury and they have enough food, clean air, actual trees etc. The less lucky ones have to try and survive in the Red Zone among crumbling buildings, backstabbing, and crime. It took me moment to get a hang of the world building but I soon found myself at home and figuring out the rules of the place. The world our heroine Mari lives in is harsh and gritty and I felt the way it was developed in the story very realistic.

Mari herself is a strong woman trying to survive in a world that is primarily shaped by powerful men. She has two younger siblings whom she is taking care of as best she can, working as a thief-for-hire to pay her way through life and to protect her brother and sister from the dangers of their surroundings. For them, she would do anything and despite her grim prospects she never gives up.

When a theft she was contracted to commit goes badly, Mari has to team up with Thorne Goodman to escape the wrath of Stavros, a crime boss threatening her block with annihilation. Together, they form a plot to overthrow Stavros’ reign. Thorne himself and his motivations are shady at first, but I really enjoyed seeing his character gain depth and grew to like him a lot. He and Mari made a killer team! Each of them could stand on their own but working together they were so much better. There was a bit of romance, too, but it never hijacked the story. There is also a cast of side-characters that rounded the story off well and showed more sides of the world Mari moves in. I loved her neighbor, Nat! That woman can make you soup and take care of your siblings just as well as craft you a knife.

The writing flowed very well and the pace built up more and more towards the resolution and final showdown. I would have read the whole story in one setting if real life had not interfered. Even though the setting is bleak, there were also descriptive passages I found very beautiful and that showed Mari’s ability to find hope among the darkness and imagine a different, better future. The ending wasn’t a huge surprise but it also wasn’t guaranteed from the beginning and there were a few twists.

Overall I really enjoyed Thistle & Thorne and actually wished it was a bit longer! I’d love to see what happens next, but as far as I know these exact characters don’t make an appearance in the Razorland series. I think there’s a loophole kept open for another story though. I can hope, can’t I? I’d be up for another team-up between Mari and Thorne anytime.
I’d recommend the story to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic books or stories about organized crime featuring a strong heroine and layered hero. Small warning: there is quite a bit of graphic violence, hence why the story falls into the Adult category.


Have you read Thistle & Thorne or any other of Ann Aguirre's books? How did you like it? Does the premise of the story appeal to you? Let me know in the comments :)

Non-YA Review: Dawn of Eden ('Til The World Ends), by Julie Kagawa

Release date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Luna
Format: Paperback, 368 pages

Goodreads description:
Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden-as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems...


The following review is based on an eARC provided to me by the pubisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.


Review:
Since this is a novella collection rather than one of the short story anthologies I'm used to, I've decided to review each of the three novellas separately.

Julie Kagawa's Dawn of Eden was the novella I was most curious about, since I've never read anything by the other authors. I loved The Immortal Rules (you can read my review here), and this novella takes place a few decades earlier, when the Red Lung virus first broke out. You’ll pick up on a few more things if you’ve read the book (as well as a cameo appearance of one of my favorite characters), but it’s not necessary and anyone can follow along easily even if this is their first encounter with the series.
It's also Julie Kagawa's first ADULT story, and the shift in tone is noticeable. That being said, I think it's one of the best pieces of prose I've read by her so far.

The story follows Kylie, a doctor in training in D.C. fighting a losing battle against the virus. The country is in chaos, electricity, the internet, and any type of broadcast media have broken down. People are looting and killing each other in the streets, hospitals are overflowing with the dead. Kylie is constantly surrounded by death as she and her two interns do their best to ease the pain of the dying. And yet, despite all the bleakness and blood and death surrounding her, Kylie never gives up hope. She does not become immune to her patients' suffering. She believes that some of them might get better, and refuses to leave them and save herself. This inner strength and determination to fight to the last really made me admire her!

Enter Ben Archer and his injured friend. Kylie feels immediately attracted to Ben, but doesn't get distracted from their very desperate situation. When her dead patients eventually start to reawaken around her as rabid beasts, Ben has to own up to what is really happening and what role his friend had in it. He and Kylie set out on an adventurous journey through a country that seems deserted but could be crawling with enemies as soon as the sun goes down, following the hope that Ben's estranged family might still be alive and healthy on their middle-of-nowhere farm.

As I’ve already hinted, the bleak and desperate, apocalyptical atmosphere of the novel was palpable. There were also parts that made my heart hammer because I just knew something horrible was going to happen, but not exactly when or how! Definitely some major creep factor here! But apart from all that, I loved to see Kylie and Ben’s relationship develop. They are thrown together, but their relationship never felt forced and there were also no attempts to make them fall in love faster than was reasonable. The scenes between them were fairly explicit but well done – however, not YA. I was actually surprised by how explicit it was because I think of Julie Kagawa as a YA writer, but I didn’t mind ;)

Overall, I really enjoyed this glimpse at a time before society in a way reestablished itself in The Immortal Rules. The scenario and the way people reacted to the world going crazy around them felt very realistic to me, and I liked the pace – it wasn’t building towards one big peak but had several smaller ones with calmer moments in between. If you love dystopian/postapocalyptic settings with a little romance thrown into the mix, you should definitely give it a try! However, if you have a weak stomach and a problem with graphic violence, you should better sit this one out…

Have you read The Immortal Rules? Are you anxious to get a glimpse into the 'before' of the story? If you've already read it, what did you think of Julie Kagawa's first non-YA story? My curious mind wants to know :)

Review: Never To Sleep, by Rachel Vincent

This was my last post (originally published on my tumblr for lack of a blog) for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by Fiktshun. I’m sad it’s over :( It was a great way to feel part of a community of people all reading the same books. I also regret not getting around to posting reviews of all the books and novellas / short stories.

goodreads. amazon.

Goodreads description:

Don't Close Your Eyes.

Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?

Review:

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR IF I DIE

It was strange being inside Sophie’s mind and seeing Kaylee and everything that’s going on from her perspective. I don’t like her any more than I did before (I still think she’s a spoilt egocentric brat) but I understand her better. Her boyfriend is at the psych ward, her Mum is dead, and she knows there are things concerning her death, and just in general, that everyone else in her family seems to know about but no one is telling her. Blaming Kaylee for everything just gives her a target for her fears and frustration.

The novella also made me realize that Sophie has her own kind of strength. It takes a lot of effort to stay part of the in-crowd – loads of planning, loads of elbow action. She does not hesitate to go after what she wants, be it a certain position, a pair of shoes, or a boy.

But HOW does Sophie travel to the Netherworld?! She was supposed to be all human! And she had no intent to cross – she just, well, screamed. Banshee style. Which landed her and Luca, the not-quite-human (not that she knows) guy she just met and herself in the Netherworld – a place which will force her to re-evaluate both Kaylee’s sanity and her own.

When she meets everyone’s favorite hellion and is separated from her newfound crush, she needs to toughen up an face her fears if she ever wants to get back home…

This novella was as great as the rest of the series and helped setting the stage for what’s to come in Before I Wake. Apart from Sophie’s added perspective, her Netherworld trip will also make it much more difficult to keep herself, and impossible to keep her out of the loop. What are Avari’s plans for the Cavanaugh cousins? How do all the other part-human part-Netherworld species fit into the mix? There’s more of them in every installment of the series! Who is Luca anyway, and why did he come to that school? I don’t believe in coincidences…

Great read. Interesting developments for the reader, even though or maybe because Sophie is only aware of about half of what’s going on. I’m glad that BIW comes out in less than two weeks!