Chapter by Chapter Blog Tour – MARKED BEAUTY Book Review & Giveaway
Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen 
Published by Ellysian Press on October 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 305
Source: the Author
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via the Author. All opinions are my own.
Today is my stop on the Chapter by Chapter Blog Tour for S.A. Larsen’s exciting new novel, Marked Beauty. Please check out my review and then be sure to scroll down and enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other stops on the Marked Beauty Blog Tour!
MY REVIEW:
S.A. Larsen’s Marked Beauty is a fresh and imaginative YA contemporary fantasy that follows high school student, Anastasia Tate, or Ana as she is called. For most of her life, Ana has been carrying around a secret: she’s an empath and can feel the emotions of those around her. Not only can she feel their emotions, but she can actually see them as well. Everyone she meets has colored life energy auras floating around them. It’s not an ability that she fully understands and so the emotions of others often overwhelm her, so most days she just tries to get by while drawing as little attention to herself as possible. When she senses a dark shadowy presence stalking her at school one day, it becomes clear that life as she has known it is about to change.
That same dark shadowy presence nearly costs Ana and her best friend, Katee, their lives, but a young man named Viktor Castle intervenes and rescues them. Viktor, however, is no ordinary young man. He possesses abilities of his own and is also carrying around a secret – Viktor is the victim of an ancient curse and Ana is the only one who can set him free. His original purpose for being in the right place at the right time is to retrieve Ana so that he can free himself, but once he sees her, he decides he can’t go through with it and instead vows to protect her at all costs, even if it means he is cursed forever.
From the moment she lays eyes on Viktor, Ana senses that the two of them have a connection that she has never experienced before. It’s an undeniable attraction. Ana also senses that he has the answers to questions she has had all her life about her abilities and so she begins to question him relentlessly and gets furious when he evades her questions at every turn. What Ana doesn’t realize, because she doesn’t know the full extent of her history and where her powers come from, is that by interceding and saving her life, Viktor has actually put her in even more danger.
Will Viktor finally come clean to Ana and answer all of her questions about her powers and about this bond that the two of them clearly share? Will Ana and Viktor be able to escape the dark forces that threaten both of their lives?
There’s so much to love about Marked Beauty. There’s mystery, action and adventure, romance, a lush fantasy world, and ancient curses, as well as characters that will immediately draw you in and keep you invested in their stories.
I especially enjoyed the main character, Ana. I thought the author did a brilliant job of illustrating her empathic powers and how challenging and often overwhelming they could be for Ana, while still infusing Ana with qualities such as being feisty, determined, and quite often stubborn. She has these powers that she’s not quite sure what to make of, but once she decides she wants to know everything about them, there’s no stopping her. That realistic and relatable mix of strong and determined yet somewhat vulnerable had me cheering Ana on from the first pages of the story.
Viktor was also a great character. I loved the sense of mystery that surrounded him from the moment he enters the story. I also liked that even though he knew Ana was the only way to free himself from this curse, he chooses the selfless route instead and vows to protect Ana and keep her hidden from those who would love to harness her power and use it for their own sinister purposes.
The unique fantasy world that S.A. Larsen has created was really what kept me so mesmerized by this story. I really enjoyed how the novel itself is set in a normal high school contemporary setting, but that just below the surface, there’s this rich fantasy world filled with the Lynceus, Rifters, hybrids, the mysterious Sixth, bloodprints, life energy auras, family curses, and so much more.
I don’t want to give too much away about the fantasy world since I think it’s best to watch the details of the mystery unfold for yourself and see how they ultimately tie back to both Ana and Viktor and their families, but it’s definitely one of the most intriguing fantasy worlds I’ve encountered. I also kept finding myself thinking about what a great film this story would make. The descriptions of the auras, in particular, were so lush and vivid that I just kept wishing I could actually see them for myself on film.
While the mystery of finding out how this fantasy world relates back to Ana was my favorite part of Marked Beauty, I have to admit that I also enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story as well. Those who follow my reviews are probably shocked since I’m usually quite critical of romance in YA fantasy and I’ll admit that I had a moment of ‘OMG, no. It’s instalove!’ but I changed my mind. Yes, Ana and Viktor are immediately attracted to one another, but in this case, there’s a clear reason for it because they’ve been somehow bound together by this curse. Their destinies were intertwined back before they ever met, so I was okay with them having that instant bond. The bond is what initially brings them together, but they do end up having enough chemistry that it worked for me.
I can’t say that I had many issues at all with Marked Beauty. The only thing that dropped it from a 5 star to a 4 star rating for me was that I occasionally had a little trouble following the mystery of the curse and how it related to Ana. The story itself is fascinating but some of the details were so intricate that they lost me once in a while. That said, by the end, all of my questions were answered so I was satisfied even though I had that occasional confusion about what was happening and why.
If you’re into fantasies that are filled with action, romance, mystery, and a hint of danger, I’d say give Marked Beauty a chance. S.A. Larsen has created a unique fantasy world that I definitely wouldn’t mind visiting again.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.
Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her.
Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.
After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger. As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls.
Purchase Links:
Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks
Blog Tour Giveaway:
One (1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
About S.A. Larsen
S.A. LARSEN is the author of the award-winning novel Motley Education, the first book in a fantasy-adventure series for middle grade readers. Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult anthologies Gears of Brass and Under A Brass Moon by Curiosity Quills Press. Marked Beauty is her debut young adult novel. Find her in the land of snowy winters and the occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty-five years, four children, a playful pooch, and three kittens. Visit her cyber home anytime at www.salarsenbooks.com.
1,000 Twitter Follower Giveaway – Enter to Win a Book of Your Choice (Up to $20 Value) – Open Intl.
I’m so thrilled to announce that I have finally reached the 1,000 follower mark on twitter. Yay! I love to celebrate blogging milestones, so I’m hosting a bookish giveaway as a way to say thanks to everyone who follows and reads my blog. You’re the best!
At first I was going to come up with a specific list of books for you to choose from, but there’s so many amazing books out there right now that I couldn’t choose just a few and didn’t want to limit your choices either. So, instead, I’m just setting a $20 value on my giveaway and letting the winner select a book of their choice (up to that $20 value) from The Book Depository. The giveaway is also open internationally as long as TBD ships to you, so be sure to check their list before entering: (Countries The Book Depository Ships To)
The giveaway runs from now until October 30, so be sure to get your entries in by then. I’ll be contacting the winner via DM. Thanks again for all of your support!
Chapter by Chapter Blog Tour – 27 HOURS Book Review & Giveaway
27 Hours (The Nightside Saga, #1) by Tristina Wright 
Series: The Nightshade Saga #1
Published by Entangled: Teen on October 3rd 2017
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction
Pages: 404
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Today is my stop on the Chapter by Chapter Blog Tour for Tristina Wright’s exciting new novel, 27 Hours. Please check out my review and then be sure to scroll down and enter the giveaway for a 27 Hours Prize Pack. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other stops on the 27 Hours Blog Tour!
MY REVIEW:
Tristina Wright’s YA science fiction debut, 27 Hours, is a diverse and imaginative, action-packed story that follows four teenagers who are trying to save life as they know it from certain destruction.
The story is set on a distant moon named Sahara, where nights last 27 hours and where three groups of individuals are not-so-peacefully coexisting. First, we have the humans from Earth who, over the course of the past 150 or so years, have traveled to and colonized Sahara. Second, we have the Chimera (or Gargoyles, as the humans refer to them). The Chimera are actually a species indigenous to Sahara, so the human colonists have encroached on their land by settling there. Not only have the colonists taken their land, but they have also deemed the Chimera dangerous monsters and have done everything in their power to eradicate as many as possible and force those that remain underground. Needless to say, tensions between these two groups run high and they battle often.
Lastly, we have another group of humans, the forest rebels, who believe that peaceful coexistence between humans and Chimera is entirely possible. Because they disagree with the colonists’ beliefs about the Chimera, this group chose to abandon the colonies and live on their own in the forest. The colonists consider the forest rebels to be traitors.
While relationships between these groups has never been good, things come to a head when a group of Chimera launch a lethal assault on HUB2, one of the major hubs where the colonists live, leaving behind only one survivor, Rumor Mora. Rumor, who has been fed stories about how monstrous the Chimera are and been trained to fight them all his life, flees to the nearby colony of Epsilon to warn them in case the Chimera expand their attacks out to other colonies.
While at Epsilon, reeling from what has happened, Rumor becomes acquainted with a diverse group of teenagers and together they learn there is more to this Chimera attack than what they have originally been led to believe. Realizing that someone is keeping secrets that could be getting people killed, they decide to strike out on their own to uncover the truth, and in doing so, to hopefully put a stop to the conflict once and for all.
Will they be successful or are they doomed to suffer the same fate as the first hub that was destroyed by the Chimera?
If you think 27 Hours sounds like an intense, action-packed story, you’d be right. I love a story that has lots of great action scenes and this one truly delivers in the action department. It quite literally starts off with a bang when the Chimera attack HUB2, and there is rarely a lull in the action from that moment on.
Wright skillfully weaves plenty of tension and suspense into the story by making it a race against the clock. The humans can only stop the Chimera while they are above ground, and the Chimera only come above ground at night. Once they go back underground, no one knows where the Chimera will next surface so Rumor and his friends must uncover the truth and stop the attacks before the night is over. Since a night on Sahara lasts for 27 hours, that’s their timeline and the clock is already ticking when the novel begins.
In addition to the action and the suspense, I also loved the diversity that is present in this cast of characters. It’s truly the most diverse cast I’ve ever come across. There’s Rumor, who is biracial as well as bisexual; Nyx, who is deaf, pansexual, and Latina; Dahlia, who is black, trans, and bisexual; Jude, who is gay; Braeden, who is asexual; and Yi-Min, who is gender neutral and prefers to go by “they” pronouns.
What was especially fantastic about all of this representation was that it was the norm rather than the exception in the colonies. Instead, being straight and white was the exception. This futuristic society has reached a point where racism and homophobia seem to have disappeared and everyone is accepted for who they are without question. As I was reading, I just really liked Wright’s vision for our society and hope that we’ll continue to strive to get there sooner than 150-200 years from now.
I also liked that 27 Hours explored some big themes as well: prejudice (against other species, in this case), loss and grieving, friendship, love, and, finally, humans vs. monsters and the question of which one of them really is monstrous.
I’m not going to call them dislikes, but I did have a few areas that caused some issues for me while I was reading. I wish these had been clearer or more fleshed out. If they had, this would have definitely been a solid 4 star read for me.
Lack of connection with the main characters. 27 Hours is presented from the perspective of four of the teens who are working together: Rumor, Nyx, Braeden, and Jude. I sympathized with each of these characters because of all they were going through – the confusion, the loss of loved ones, the fight for survival, etc. but I can’t say that I felt like I really connected with any of them. I’m hopeful that will change in future books in the series.
Missing points of view. While I liked seeing the story told from the perspective of each of these teens, I would have also liked getting some chapters from the point of view of one of the Chimera. I just think it would have taken the story to the next level to give them a voice, instead of just hearing their story relayed through Jude, the forest rebel teen.
I also would have liked the worldbuilding to be a little clearer up front. I think by the end of the book I had a clear picture of what life on Sahara was like, but it really did take most of the story for me to put all of the pieces together into a cohesive picture that made sense to me.
Lastly, and if you read my reviews, you probably know what I’m going to talk about next: yep, the romance. Okay, to be fair, I actually liked the pairings that Wright was trying to put forth in this story. Nyx and Dahlia were cute together, as were Rumor and Jude. My issue was the trying to squeeze all of these budding romances into this 27-hour window when they’re supposed to be trying to save human kind. How is there time for the grabbing of butts and the random “I’ll show you something hard” jokes? On more than one occasion, I found myself yelling at them: “Come on, kids! Save the world first, unleash your hormones second!”
While 27 Hours was not a perfect read for me, it was definitely a thrilling one. I loved how unique the story was, as well as the energy of the book, the nonstop action, and the important themes that Wright tackled. I also enjoyed watching these teens come into their own and am ready to get to know them even better in the next book in the series, especially after the ominous cliffhanger ending that Wright leaves her readers with!
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
Rumor Mora fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude Welton has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish.
But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them.
Nyx Llorca keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she’s in love with Dahlia, her best friend. Braeden Tennant wants two things: to get out from his mother’s shadow, and to unlearn Epsilon’s darkest secret.
They’ll both have to commit treason to find the truth.
During one twenty-seven-hour night, if they can’t stop the war between the colonies and the monsters from becoming a war of extinction, the things they wish for will never come true, and the things they fear will be all that’s left.
27 Hours is a sweeping, thrilling story featuring a stellar cast of queer teenagers battling to save their homes and possibly every human on Sahara as the clock ticks down to zero.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled
Giveaway Details:
A 27 Hours Prize Pack, including:
* A 27 Hours Candle
* A set of 27 Hours Character Cards
* AND a copy of an October release *
*Open internationally wherever The Book Depository ships
About Tristina Wright
Tristina Wright is a blue-haired bisexual with anxiety and opinions. She’s also possibly a mermaid, but no one can get confirmation. She fell in love with science fiction and fantasy at a young age and frequently got caught writing in class instead of paying attention. She enjoys worlds with monsters and kissing and monsters kissing. She married a nerd who can build computers and make the sun shine with his smile. Most days, she can be found drinking coffee from her favorite chipped mug and making up more stories for her wombfruit, who keep life exciting and unpredictable.