Review of Finding Fate by Keelan Storm

Welcome to the Book Tour for 

Finding Fate
by Keelan Storm
February 15-19, 2021

Today I'm going to share my thoughts with you on this YA coming-of-age romance, which is the first in the Tied by Fate series. Plus you have the chance to meet some of the characters in their interviews! Be sure to also check out the great giveaway at the end. Enjoy!

Her whole world fell apart. When she tries to piece it back together, 

will she stumble or soar?

Summary: 

Isabel Dearly is tired of feeling depressed. Still grieving over the death of her father from cancer seven months ago, the seventeen-year-old has immersed herself in dance. But just as she’s starting to emerge from the darkness, she’s brutally betrayed by the handsome boy she’d only recently begun to date.

Rescued by her best friend, Isabel falls into his arms… and his bed. And when the consequences threaten her career options, she fears she may never be happy again.

Can Isabel figure out her future when the complications of the present refuse to let her go?

 

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**My thoughts**

I love the relationship that these characters have with each other. Naturally, Annie and Izzy are going to be close because they are twins. But there's so much more than that. They have grown up together and their lives are very intertwined. And isn't it every girl's dream to fall in love with her best friend?

It's a coming of age story in the sense of first love, first loss, first time. There are a lot of emotions as the twins and their family are still mourning the loss of their father the previous year. Friendships are multidimensional and we don't always like everything that our friends do, leading to feelings of betrayal, even when their concerns are for our benefit.

Relationships are complicated. Being a teenager sucks. You are still a kid and yet you have to make a lot of adult decisions, especially in this story. I could really feel the conflicts within these characters as they had to make difficult decisions.

I think what I appreciated most about this book was its length. Too often, books are written in shorter formats and move along very quickly to wrap up everything in a pleasing ending. This one took the time to really show the ups and downs of the situation the kids find themselves in so that it couldn't all be wrapped up in 120 pages. It felt more real to me that way. I also felt like it touched on a lot of real situations that teens can find themselves in. I will say that I wish there had been better resolution with Wesley, though.

I really became invested in these characters and their story. I'm glad to know that their story continues in future books and will have to check those out as well.

Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours and the author for a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Meet the characters from Finding Fate:

Jet:

Three things to describe yourself…

Patient, Laid Back, Observant

What do you like to do in your free-time?

My best friends all live in my neighborhood, so hanging out with Tucker and the twins is always at the top of the list. Parties are great, too. I do the sports thing like a lot of guys. Football team. Captain of the wrestling team. But surfing beats either of those any day.

I’m also really into cars. My dad’s a mechanic, and he’s been teaching me everything he knows for a long as I can remember. It’s not just a skill for me, it’s a passion. My biggest passion, though, would have to be my girlfriend, Annie. She’s like no girl I’ve ever met… my perfect match.

When did you first know you were in love with Annie?

If you ask anyone else, they’d say it was probably sometime during junior high because that’s when we started dating, but in reality? I’m that sucker that fell in love with the girl next door the first time I laid eyes on her. We were only four years old, so my concept of love was way different back then, but the moment I saw her, I knew she was something special. The hardest part was waiting for her to see me the same way.

Annie:

Three things to describe yourself…

Impatient, outgoing, athletic, protective, loyal, awesome, smart… Okay, so that’s more than three, but they’re all true. Ask me to start a list, and I’ll just keep going.

What are some of your interests and goals?

I love pretty much anything outdoors…surfing, swimming, jet skis. I live near the beach, so the water thing is kind of a theme. But running beats all of it. There’s nothing better than the wind in your face and the ground beneath your feet with your favorite music blaring in your ears… Seriously the best.

Sports aside, I love to party, but school’s really important, too. I’m shooting for class Valedictorian, and I’m involved in all kinds of activities. Track and student counsel being the most important. That and putting Tucker in his place when he screws up could probably be listed as a hobby. But that’s just part of being a good friend.

I don’t have a lot of girly interests. That’s really more my twin Izzy’s department, but I do like a good chick flick or rom com, and I’m not one to turn down a good mani-pedi. Not only are they good for time with my sister, but gross feet are just…gross.

You mentioned awesome girlfriend as a goal. Can you tell us about you and Jet?

Oh, my God, Jet…that boy is seriously my other half. He’s literally the calm to my storm. I go off the rails, and he brings me down. He centers me. I can’t ever imagine not being in love with him. Doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either.

Isabel (Izzy):

Three things to describe yourself…

The honest answer? Or the one everyone wants that keeps things from getting awkward? Kidding. I don’t have to take it there. I’d say the three main things to describe myself would be that I’m a good friend and sister, that I’m comfortable spending time alone…really, sometimes I prefer it, and while I’m pretty introverted, I have no problem standing up for myself if needed. Also…all things purple and glitter, lol.

Do you have any interests or goals you’d like to share?

Interests…I love kids. I’ve been babysitting for a few years now. And as much as I like peace and quiet, I’m obsessed with dancing. Like, life would be empty and weird without it.

Life would be empty and weird without my friends, too. Annie really is the best sister. We’re different in so many ways, but she’s my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Just like I don’t know what she’d do without Jet. Any time I miss stepping up to the plate, he’s there for her. They’re the real deal.

Sometimes, I wonder if I get a little jealous of what they have, but no. It’s not like that. I mean, I’d love to have that with someone one day. That all-encompassing love that you never have to doubt. Finding that person that just being in their presence makes breathing easier. That would have been pretty helpful this past year when my dad died.

Ugh. Sorry, I don’t know why I’m complaining. I had so much support. Especially from Tucker. He was a lifesaver sometimes. People don’t always give him enough credit. He might be girl-obsessed, but he can be deep when he wants, and he’s better at reading people than you’d think. At least with me, he is.

Tucker…I’m glad you brought him up. With Annie and Jet dating, that probably leaves the two of you paired up at times. Is there anything more there than meets the eye?

Anything more? Like as in feelings? Ha! I’m sorry, I’m really trying not to laugh. Tucker is hot, yes, okay, freaking gorgeous, and flirty, and pretty much the guy every girl around can’t keep their hands off of. God bless whatever girl eventually ties him down, but no. I have no interest in being another one of his fan-girls. He’s my best friend and someone I know that I can always turn to, but that’s all.

Even if that ever wasn’t the case, I have no interest in dating someone who can’t make a commitment, and Tucker’s too in love with playing the field.

Tucker:

Three things to describe yourself…

Athletic, friendly, determined

Any interests or goals you’d like to tell us about?

Interests… Girls. Girls. And I repeat, girls.

Okay, I’m not really that shallow. Getting attention from girls is great, but I swear there’s more to me. For example, I have no problem dropping a sure thing if a friend needs me. And I’d never let one distract me from my main goal. Letting a girl distract me, that is, not my friends.

Basketball’s my main goal, by the way. I’ve been captain of my high school team since sophomore year, and the college deal is already pretty much a set thing. Next step, keep working hard to go pro.

Training, parties, and hanging out at the beach are my main go-to’s for free-time. Not much to share other than that; I’m a pretty straightforward guy. My friends know I’ve got their backs, and girls know I just want them on theirs. All girls except the two that live across the street, at least. Jet’s my best friend, so Annie got stuck on a ‘don’t even think about it’ list years ago. And Izzy? She’s just…too good for anyone we know.

What do you mean by that? About Izzy being too good for anyone. Does that include you?

Uh. Yeah, that includes me. Izzy’s a-whole-nother level of girl. Not that I see her that way or anything. I mean, yeah, she’s gorgeous and incredible, but she’s been through so much, being her friend is more important than anything else. She’s always had my back when I mess up, and I’ve got hers. That comment just meant that it’s hard for me to imagine a guy that’s actually good enough for her. She deserves the best. Someone who can really make her happy.

Finding Fate Book Tour Giveaway Contest!

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About the Author: 

An author of young adult and coming-of-age romance, Keelan Storm brings readers pages packed with drama, heat, and emotionally heartfelt moments you won’t want to put down. With her soap opera style Tied by Fate series, you’ll find unwavering friendship, unpredictable twists and turns, swoon-worthy romance, and a fun cast of characters you can’t help but adore.

Keelan lives in Texas with her husband and two children, and when she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, taking midnight drives, pretty much anything teal, and inhaling unhealthy amounts of iced coffee.

Author Links:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/keelanstormfacebook
Twitter: https://bit.ly/keelanstormtwitterpage
Instagram: https://bit.ly/keelanstorminstagram
Pinterest: https://bit.ly/keelanstormpinterest
Author Website: www.keelanstorm.com
Newsletter Link: https://bit.ly/introducingfatenl

Tour Created by YA Bound Book Tours 

Sedna Nightlock from Piper's Song (Alpha Academy #2) roasts author Sara E. Tall

 Welcome to the book tour for Piper's Song by Sara E. Tall! Today we have a great guest post, where character Sedna Nightlock tells us all about Sara. It's a pretty good roast and a lot of fun to read. You'll also get to check out an excerpt before you download your own copy. Then be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Billie thinks stopping her fellow students from committing murder and almost getting kicked out of the Realm is as bad as it gets, but she should know better. Not only are seven of the most powerful students out for her blood, but Sedna —her former enemy turned ally— turns her enemy again when Billie refuses a part in her revenge scheme. What’s more, Alpha Administration’s refusal to address the injustice in their school is sparking a full-on rebellion, and a lot of innocents are going to be caught in the crosshairs. It isn’t just the school either, the Realm itself is overrun with violence and hatred, which will have deadly consequences. Lucian, her self-imposed magical guru, insists Billie’s extraordinary magic is the key to stopping the flood of violence coming their way. Billie knows her magic is extraordinary, but she also knows its destructive power. It might do more harm than good.

Read an excerpt:

“Leave her alone.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It took about a half a second for everyone’s eyes to swivel towards me, Sedna’s included. She looked like she wanted to tear my limbs off, one by one. I gulped.

And then she chuckled. “Billie, the hero, is here to save the day.”

I ignored the flush in my cheeks as I said coolly, “We both know she’s not the one you are mad at.”

And just like that, the smirk slipped off her face as her glower returned, like my candor had reminded her how much she hated me.

“It’s really cute how protective you are of your roommates,” she said coolly. “There’s one you might want to be a little more concerned about. She’s in the hospital. Her name is Artemis.”

I could swear my temperature dropped at the icy way she said Artemis’ name. I also couldn’t stop myself from looking down. My voice was small as I said, “I’m sorry for what—”

“Don’t,” her voice sliced through mine like a knife, “you dare apologize to me.”

For a moment, I really thought she was going to tear my limbs off, but she seemed too angry to move. No one else dared move either, even her friends. They just stared between the two of us, waiting to see who would break first.

It was me. “You want to pick a fight with me, fine.” I lifted my chin, trying to look more confident about that statement than I felt. “But leave her out of it.”

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From Sedna Nightlock of Piper's Song:

Hey humans. My name is Sedna Nightlock, and I’m a Warlock currently in her senior year at Alpha Academy. My role in Piper’s Song is … not what you would expect when you meet me at the beginning of the story, but what can I say? I like to keep things interesting

For some reason Sara has chosen me to describe her, even though she knows I won’t say nice things. If I were five years older she’d totally have a thing for me. Isn’t that adorable?

Now, how would I describe Sara? She’s on the naïve side so it’s really entertaining when she tries to write someone as woke as me. It usually takes her a few tries, but eventually she gets it right. She does love to create characters so she usually ends up with a large cast. She still manages to shine the spotlight on the more important ones, like yours truly. That being said, I deserve more screen time(page time?) than I get. I keep telling her I should get my own spin-off series, but she won’t listen.

When it comes to writing, she really needs to cool it with the forbidden romance and unrequited love triangle thing. I might be the only character in the book who’s not bogged down with that stuff, but that’s just because I’ve got way more important things to do. Like starting a rebellion.

Her insane obsession with playlists can be a little annoying, albeit entertaining. For example, she spent an hour updating the playlist of a character that was closest to my personality so she could listen to it while writing this. It was insane, though I do have to agree with a lot the music choices. It’s a lot of Led Zeppelin and fem power songs.

Another thing. She’s become obsessed with whiteboards. Sure it beats wasting all that paper and killing trees but she’s constantly updating all her little goals on that whiteboard and making sure every little event is on her whiteboard calendar. What a nerd.

Though speaking of nerdiness, wait until I tell you this. She’s obsessed, like OBSESSED, with Batman comics. Pretty sure she’s in love with this character named Jason Todd, who was a former Robin who decided to break the one superhero rule of not killing and is now an actual interesting character with a personality. Anyway, she writes a ton of fanfiction for Batman and other DC comic books. She also writes Harry Potter fanfiction. The girl needs to get a life, am I right?

Alright, Alright, so she does get outdoors and go skiing, hiking, and road trips through the US. She also does this thing where she works in Yellowstone every summer, world pandemics permitting. And the dancing! People are always surprised when the find out she used to be a club rat(Another relic of the pre-pandemic world). Now she gets her kicks in by dancing down the aisles at grocery stores and having raves in her living room, by herself. You’d probably think with all that practice she’d actually have some decent moves, but you’d be wrong. Still, she doesn’t let that stop her.

Oh, I remembered another thing to add to the nerd list. Board Games. She plays them all the time. Usually with her family and cousins which is really sweet, but still nerdy. I don’t know why she doesn’t just play video games like a normal person. Oh wait, actually I do. It’s because she’s too intimidated about buying all the equipment since she never has before, and rather than ask for help she’s just decided to avoid that particular time-wasting activity. Don’t worry. She’s got plenty of other time-wasting activities. Like rewatching Buffy: The Vampire Slayer for the fifty billionth time.

Maybe I am being too hard on her. After all, she did create me. And I’m a version of one of her absolute favorite characters, meaning regardless what happens to me in Piper’s Song, I get to live on in her other stories. I’m basically immortal. Which is good, because Piper’s Song has some dark things in store for me.

Well, that’s a wrap. I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Roasting your creator is fun. But like I said, I’ve got things to do. Societies to crumble, schools to burn down, revolutions to start, obnoxious, self-righteous, over-powered Misfits to circumvent. It’s going to be an exciting year.

Sara’s enjoyed creating fantastic stories since she was old enough to hold a play sword, around the time she learned how to walk. Gradually she learned to direct her creative energy into writing, and it’s been a downward spiral ever since then. When she’s not writing she’s probably either dancing or reading batman comics. She also loves running away to the mountains of Utah and Montana. Nothing gets more fantastic that those views.


Website: https://saraetallbooks.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraETall

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraEatough

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18726933.Sara_E_Tall

Sara E. Tall will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Read an excerpt from The Last Game by Lance S. Taylor

Welcome to the Book Tour for

The Last Game 
by: Lance S. Taylor

Keep on reading to find an excerpt from this fantasy! And be sure to check out the rest of the tour for even more.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: Feb 4, 2021

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Cael is a bridger, someone whose job consists on saving people who get trapped in the Bridge, the ethereal space between the real world and VirtuaNet, the world’s leading online game. His high genetic compatibility with the online world allows him to bridge, but it comes at a price. Any injury his character sustains in the game, he will suffer in the real world.

Cael is also committed to reform a society that forces blind adherence to dissonant values in exchange for a comfortable existence. But this commitment exacts a heavy toll on Cael, a declining client base and a starving family.

So just when Cael is ready to forsake his beliefs and risk his soul in order to save his family, an influential young woman in need of someone who’d risk his life in VirtuaNet, offers him the opportunity of a lifetime. Wealth beyond his wildest dreams and social influence to implement the needed reforms.

But some things are too good to be true.

AMAZON * GOODREADS

Read an excerpt:

Prologue 

It was the first time Aisha Lexington experienced unbearable pain. Raw. So overwhelming that tears streamed down her cheeks, and she’d do anything to stop the agony, even risk that which  she loved most. The young woman had waited loyally for a brother who would not return, a  fraternal promise that would not be fulfilled. For a father who pretended everything was all right,  that nothing had changed since the day the pandemic struck, since her brother vanished out of  hatred for his own blood, out of sheer rebelliousness and a desire to cause mayhem. For a mother  she could only talk to atop the Heavens. 

But she would wait no longer. 

Aisha Lexington didn’t know why sorrow had slashed her soul when she did not see her  brother return, but not when her mother gave her last breath. She didn’t know why grief had seared  her heart when she heard her father crying in secret once he realized his son would not return, when  she overheard her father and her brother arguing to the point of fist fights, but not when she was  told she only had a month to live and would soon join her mother. 

She didn’t know when her home had turned into a three-story gothic mausoleum cocooned  by the hills and mountains of North America’s Pacific Coast, where Renaissance and Enlightenment  paintings hanging from ivory marble walls gave way to achroite hallways, oak staircases, and a  multitude of rooms from which no more laughter sprung forth. No more joy or warmth. Only the  cold sound of whispering chandeliers and people exchanging pleasantries at dinner. A museum of  acquaintances instead of a home with a family. 

She didn’t know when her manor’s fruitful gardens had begun to wilt, to serve solely as a  reminder of an age that would soon end. Or depending on the perspective of those who believed in 

the Chairman’s vision of progress, an age that was just beginning, reborn from the ashes of the past.  But to the young woman, the withering meadows that sheltered her were nothing but the stench of  all the rotten things in the world she thought was perfect, in the world she thought would never hurt  her, of the brother she thought would never make her suffer. 

All the young woman knew was that her father and brother had been lying to her, trying to  protect her, to take care of her, to be her rock, to be strong for her, and that she’d have to break her  father’s heart to mend her own. That was what made her waver. That was what made her hesitate. 

The young woman had tried talking to her father, assisting him as she did in the family  business, where her keen business acumen had increased the company’s profit margin by fifteen  percent. She had managed to increase the money earmarked for social responsibility—to help those  less fortunate than them—but all she got was a reply that she shouldn’t worry. That he’d take care of  everything. 

But that only meant yelling at the Lezavres, saying that they were Lexingtons, and that this  type of thing shouldn’t happen to them. It only meant more sleepless nights of tears, where the soft  Pacific breeze wafting against her home’s clerestory windows was the sole respite of peace in a mire  of agony and distress. 

But the young woman wouldn’t let her father needlessly suffer. She would not let herself  needlessly suffer. She knew her plan was outrageous, folly even, and perfectly understood why her  father didn’t think it would succeed. She doubted at times, but all other avenues had failed. All  conventional plans had failed. All interventions had. So now, only foolishness remained. 

Perhaps to find her brother, she’d have to stop acting like her father and act more like her  brother. Reckless. Emotional. Without a care for her own safety. Without the slightest sense of how  things were supposed to be done. She had always found that sort of thing endearing in her brother,  and sometimes she thought of molding her personality to be more like him, but now that he had  hurt her, failed to keep his promise of returning after a week in VirtuaNet, she wasn’t so sure if his  way was the right one. 

A part of her wanted to believe her brother had not done that to her. A part of her wanted  to believe that something had happened to him. That he was hurt somewhere. Kidnapped. Dead.  And she didn’t know which was worse. That the brother who understood her fully and could  decipher what she’d do before she even made a sound had hurt her. Or that the only person who  treated her as herself, instead of just the daughter of Lexington Bank & Trust’s founder and CEO,  was lying somewhere as vermin food, forgotten by all but his father and sister. It was a fate that 

clawed at her soul, because the same thing had happened to an acquaintance of hers due to a drug  overdose. 

The young woman knew what she had to do, even if it meant sneaking away without her  father knowing. Even if it was the first time she’d disobey him. But he had taught her well. He had  taught her to stand up for herself, to fight for what she believed in, even if it gashed her heart into  myriad pieces. She was not a little girl anymore, but a young woman. Capable. Strong. An Achroite,  the best of humanity, at least according to the government’s propaganda, but she didn’t think herself  better than others. 

So, leaving a tear-soaked note in her father’s studio, telling him where she was going and  what she was planning to do, the young woman skulked away, past the servants in a house whose  every nook and cranny she had memorized. Once at the heliport, she ordered the pilot to take her to  Wessex, the capital of the United States of the North, or USN, the newly formed nation east of her  own. She lived in the Jointly Administered Territories of the Pacific, where the laws were more  flexible than in the USN, where the USN’s ideology had not fully taken hold yet, but where it’d soon  be adopted. Soon everyone would believe the same things, behave in the same way. An ideological cleansing of our own making. Because we were too distracted to notice. 

The young woman didn’t know if that was for the better or worse, though, as she had never  ventured abroad. For the first time, she would dare to go into the lands she’d only known through  holographic screens and books. For the first time, she’d brave the heavily shelled cities of the  Eastern seaboard, go to the capital by the Atlantic, to the Capital of Rebirth, where the Chairman of  the nation had declared a new world arisen, a future that was now. 

When the pilot started the plane, she hesitated for a second and almost told him to stop, that  she wanted to get out. What her father had told her pounded through her mind. That for all its  importance and haughty title, for all the appeal the government tried to bestow upon it, the capital  city Wessex was nothing but a repository of crime-prone refugees from the Unification. People who,  no matter what, the Chairman would not have been able to civilize. People of a nascent terrorist  movement who would kidnap her for ransom and soon cause a civil war in the political powder keg  that was the capital. That no one in their right mind would visit that wretched city unless they  absolutely had to. 

As the jet took off, the young woman gazed upon the ash that Yellowstone had brought  upon the land. The radiated rivers that made up the free lands of the Rim and the poisonous smoke  rising from the country’s many Eugenex generators. She took a deep breath and projected a 

hologram through her smartwatch. She looked one last time at the hologram of the young man who  she thought … who she knew would help her find her brother. At the bridger who was her last hope.  Her family’s last hope. 

The world’s last hope. 

Cael Cavanaugh.

About the Author: Lance S. Taylor is the pseudonym of an author who preferred books to toys as a toddler and was already writing short stories in grade school. Soon, he discovered anime and video games, especially JRPGs, which led him to write original scenarios that he still hopes will get adapted into a Tales series videogame. He’s been always creating worlds of his own, for others to leap into. He lives in a tropical paradise, where he spends his time deciding which of his many ideas gets written into a novel and creating characters whom you’ll get to know and care about as if they were your lifelong friends.

If you want to write to him, he appreciates your comments. Contact him at: lancestaylorauthor@gmail.com.

                                                    Author Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20852932.Lance_S_Taylor

Email: lancestaylorauthor@gmail.com

 

Alex McKenna & The Academy of Souls by Vicki-Ann Bush

 

Welcome to the book blitz for 
Alex McKenna & The Academy of Souls
By: Vicki-Ann Bush

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Summary:

After surviving a harrowing case, Alex McKenna just wanted to rest. Unfortunately, his plans are interrupted by the ghost of Seven-year-old Haven, who is lost in an in-between realm.

 Despite his great-grandmother's warning, Alex crosses the bridge between the living and the dead, sending him and his girlfriend into the world of the Academy of Souls, a high school for dead teens who are unable to complete their journey.

 There, Alex meets Ophelia, Haven's teenage sister, who's been searching for her for more than a century. Together, with a few friends he meets along the way, Alex must cross the treacherous terrain of the Underworld in-between, to save Haven from the clutches of the Soul Gatherer and reunite the sisters. 

 

Buy Links:

Amazon * B & N * Rakuten/Kobo * AppleBooks * Google Play * Indigo

(affiliate link included) 

Author Info:

Originally from New York, I currently reside in Nevada. Writing Young Adult paranormal, I find my inspiration from events that have been in my life for as long as I can remember. Inheriting my sensitivity to the supernatural from my family, they continue to be an endless source of vision.

 

Author Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2947321.Vicki_Ann_Bush

Website: https://www.vickiannbush.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickiAnn.Bush.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiAnnBush
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickiannbush/

This tour created by YA Bound Book Tours 

Review of Altered Helix by Stephanie Hansen

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

It's a new type of dystopian novella! Welcome to the blog tour for Altered Helix by Stephanie Hansen. Read my review and then follow the rest of the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the great giveaway!

Altered Helix

(Altered Helix #1)

By Stephanie Hansen

Young Adult Fantasy Novella

Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 96 Pages

May 19, 2020 by Hypothesis Books

I didn’t want to take the traditional path. First, I wasn’t ready for college. Second, I was going to live with my best friend, Tiff, and work at the Haunted House. Third, did I mention the hot guy Josh that works there too?

The most exciting thing about Austria’s new job, at a local haunted house, was the fact that the toughest looking people screamed the loudest. But when she meets the boy without a home, Josh, Austria's life takes intriguing and eventful turns. Up until now, Josh has managed to hang with his Street crowd, but they’re in danger, and so is Austria, the girl Josh recently fell for. The group finds themselves joining forces with previously considered enemies who also now find themselves in danger.

Deeply compassionate and full of twists, Altered Helix captures the struggle of polarized people that must work together for the greater good.

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**My thoughts**

Right off the bat, I was drawn into the story with the main character and narrator, Austria, pretty much insinuating that she was dying. And then the questions began. Why is she dying? What is going on in this world? And of course, is she actually going to get out of this?

Some of those questions were answered. I can't tell you which ones because of spoilers. But I can tell you that the setting seems to be in the relatively near future, based on some pop culture references. The federal government no longer exists and now states are fending for themselves. People are pretty much divided up into about four different groups. But I want to understand more about what got society to this point. What actually happened? I feel like I missed that part.

I have a lot of questions about Austria's father. Then again, so does she in some ways. We explore those questions together through the novel.

I admit I glazed over a little bit as they were setting up the haunted house. I know the purpose was to introduce the different groups of kids to each other and to set up Austria's psychic abilities. I will say it is an interesting way to bring a group of kids together. And I think there is more to come with what was really happening at that haunted house in later installments of the series.

And I will say that many aspects of this story do fit in with current situations in society. But to get into the parallels would be giving away too much of the story. It did get my brain churning at some points.

I did find this story interesting. I will warn readers that if you want resolution in one installment before moving on to the next or are adverse to cliffhangers, don't start this one. It does end with a lot of questions and a cliffhanger. You're not going to feel satiated without continuing on. I may do so to find out what happens.

I received a requested review copy of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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About the Author

Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft Award Winning Author. Her short story, Break Time, and poetry has been featured in Mind's Eye literary magazine. The Kansas Writers Association published her short story, Existing Forces, appointing her as a noted author. She has held a deep passion for writing since early childhood, but a brush with death caused her to allow it to grow. She's part of an SCBWI critique group in Lawrence, KS and two local book clubs. She attends many writers' conferences including the Writing Day Workshops, New York Pitch, Penned Con, New Letters, All Write Now, Show Me Writers Master Class, BEA, and Nebraska Writers Guild conference as well as Book Fairs and Comic-Cons. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community.

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