Haven 6 Blog Tour Stop! Guest Post

HAVEN 6 by Aubrie Dionne

Blog Tour!

September 11th - October 11th

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed, which will release in November 2012. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras. She's a big Star Trek TNG fan, as well as Star Wars and Serenity.

Twitter / Website / Blog / Goodreads

~ Guest Post : Why is the Commander a brain in a box? ~ 

When I first started this series, I wanted to experiment with the cohesion of man and machine, and what percentage is still human if you merge the two.
Paradise 21 has a character that’s connected to the mainframe of the colony ship by tubes and wires. He still had arms and legs, and can move about in a hover chair. He can see, speak, think for himself, yet he also has a cool, calm demeanor that is almost computer-like.
Tundra 37 goes a little farther. There are twin sisters that have been attached to the mainframe for hundreds of years. Doctors have taken painstaking effort to keep them alive, since they are the sole drivers of the ship. They've lost most of their body functions: eyes, legs, and arms, so they are more joined with the computer. Does logic rule their actions even more than the character in the first book? Maybe. You’ll have to read to find out!
Haven 6 goes even further. The captain of the ship is so old, she’s lost her entire body, and her brain is preserved in a pink liquid on the main control deck. She has complete control over the ship, and becomes very controlling when her people leave. Is she controlled by logic? Not always. She’s driven by her mission objectives, even if they conflict with morality.

To see this gradual transformation in my characters and their relationship with the machines that keep them alive, you’ll have to read the entire series! Happy reading. Hope you enjoy!

~ HAVEN 6: A New Dawn #3 Synopsis ~

A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears it's final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that's supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them. When Eri's team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth's colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. 

Aubrie Dionne is an amazing author of science fiction! I recently got into the, A New Dawn series, and am loving it so far! Look for my upcoming review of Haven 6. Also, be sure to look for her new novel Colonization, coming November 7th from InkSpell Publishing! 

CURSED Release Day Blitz!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!!

Today is the release of 

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 To celebrate this AMAZING book Spencer Hill Press is hosting a release day blitz! If you have a review of Cursed or just want to post about how awesome it is, be sure to leave a link to your post so we can all check it out :D

Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. 

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. 

Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time. . .

~ MY FAVORITE CURSED MOMENTS ~

'"Olivia, what's all over your face?"
She turned away quickly. "Nothing."
"Whatever. There's white powder all over your lips and--oh, my God!" I glanced around quickly, thankful no one was around us. "Did you eat the doughnuts again? They're not free, Olivia!"'

" It was the simplest touches that got to me the most. Just being able to be this close to him felt a thousand times better than anything I could ever imagine--like lightning shooting through my veins each time he whispered my name.
Amidst all these wonderful sensations, my heart swelled so big I was sure it would explode from my chest. I knew what it was. I knew what I was feeling.
I was in love with him."

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

(I received an ARC of this book from Spencer Hill Press, where I currently work as a copy editing intern. My position with the company in no way influences my review of this book)

Jennifer L. Armentrout has done it again ladies and gentlemen! Cursed is another superb work of young adult fiction. The premise is fresh and intriguing. The constant revelations and twists keep you fixed in place. I read this book in one sitting. I think her books tend to have that effect on readers. You don't want to stop until you have to. 
*** That said: I would like to say that I have read more than a couple reviews saying that the premise of Cursed was not original... While I can see where there might be some merit to that (I am familiar with plot lines involving kids with abilities living together), I did not feel that way upon finishing this novel. I became committed to these characters and their story. I'm pretty sure you could nit pick any book and find similarities to other works out there. I'm just not sure why you would do that. I read for the story and the enjoyment I get out of it. Cursed kept me turning pages, and that to me means it is well written and all around exceptional. *** 
I really enjoyed Ember's character. Although, her power is more a curse than a gift, Ember has an unwavering strength to press forward in her search for control and understanding. She is fiery and at times unpredictable which is something I loved about her. You get to watch her battle not only the outside forces that threaten her but also her inner demons as well. Ember must learn to accept herself and acknowledge her gift before she can be granted the control she so desperately seeks. More than a couple things get in her way. Cromwell being the foremost antagonist in her story. Her distrust in him and what he offers for others like her creates many hurdles along the way. I wasn't quite sure what I thought of Cromwell's character. I had many conflicting emotions about him. Although, I absolutely approve of where his character stands by the end of the book. 
Ohhhh, Hayden. Can't forget about him. Another scrumptious muffin JLA has cooked up for our reading pleasure. His patience and confidence in Ember will melt your heart. He is a gentleman even in the most swoon worthy of moments. I am not sure he quite compares to Daemon from the Lux series, but he definitely has a delicious charm about him. 
As always, there is outstanding moments of tension between Hayden and Ember. All that pent up sexual frustration, coupled with the gnawing feeling that Ember might just drown in all the deceit that is piling up, makes for an 'on the edge of your seat' type read. Not to mention, you will be dying for them to quite arguing and get on with the romance ^^ I have to say, they make a well paired couple! 
I think JLA is a top notch writer! She knows exactly what to deliver to her readers which makes her books irresistible! Her fans are bound to love this book as will just about any lover of YA. I know I did. 
Cursed has everything you want from a book in this genre. I am so hoping this will turn into a series! The ending leaves it wide open for another installment and there are more than a few unanswered questions. Keep it coming JLA!