3 Year Blogversary Celebration - Triple Review Extravaganza!

The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet

Published: February 1st 2016 by Entangled Publishing

Number of Pages: 334 Pages (Paperback)

Series: No

   Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend's death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he'll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she's hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble. 

   Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life's story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets-even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after. (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Entangled Teen for proving me with an 

eARC in exchange for my honest review *

   The Secret to Letting Go was quite an interesting read with lots of secrets and emotions. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it took me forever to finish it, but that's due to my overwhelming reading slump.

   This story follows Daniel and Clover, two very interesting and three dimensional characters. The both of them have secrets and both went through bad things in their past so reading about them meeting and slowly developing into something more was awesome.

   I really enjoyed Katherine Fleet's writing style and the pace of this book. She managed to create two different voices for Daniel and Clover, which is something I love to see, and it totally helped with making me get attached to this characters and wanting to know what they are hiding and what exactly happened.

   All in all The Secret of Letting Go didn't disappoint me and had a lot to offer, even though it did struggle with keeping my interest in a few tiny places. So, if you're looking for a read with lots of secrets and heartbreak then this might be for you.

I give The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet 4 out of 5 Stars.

* * *

Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana

Published: August 2nd 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Number of Pages: 306 Pages (Paperback)

Series: No

   Forget the ghosts, Mica. It’s real, live people you should fear.

   Tragedy has brought Micaela Burgos back to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. It’s been six years since she chose to live with her father in Miami instead of her eccentric mother. And now her mother is dead.

   This town will suck you in and not let go.

   Sleepy Hollow may be famous for its fabled headless horseman, but the town is real. So are its prejudices and hatred, targeting Mica’s family as outsiders. But ghostly voices carry on the wind, whispering that her mother’s death was based on hate…not an accident at all. With the help of two very different guys—who pull at her heart in very different ways—Micaela must awaken the hidden secret of Sleepy Hollow…before she meets her mother’s fate.

   Find the answers.

   Unless, of course, the answers find you first. (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Entangled Teen for proving me with an 

eARC in exchange for my honest review *

   When I read the synopsis of Wake the Hollow I immediately knew I wanted to read it but unfortunately I didn't quite get what I was hoping to get from it. The biggest issue I had while reading Wake the Hollow was the definitely the fact that the story struggled to keep my attention so I found myself zoning out of not really caring about what was happening in various places, which really is a shame.

   I liked Mica and the other characters, wanted to see where the story would take them, and felt majorly sorry for Mica because she lost her mother, but that's where my sympathy ends. I wanted to really get invested in everyone and root for them, but I never really did. Some of the relationships between characters felt a bit underdeveloped though and something about Dane really irked me from the start.

   The mystery element of this story surrounding Mica's mother's death and the manuscript she wasn't even sure really existed was interesting enough and well written, but just not intriguing enough more often then not. Gaby Triana's writing style is good and I can see that she's a good writer, but the story unfortunately simply wasn't quite it for me.

 I give Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana 3 out of 5 stars.

* * *

True Born by L.E. Sterling

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Number of Pages: 304 Pages (Hardcover)

Series: Yes, #1 in the True Born Trilogy

   Welcome to Dominion City.

   After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated…and their genetics damaged beyond repair.

   The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…

   And then there’s Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.

   When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?

   As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood. (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Entangled Teen for proving me with an 

eARC in exchange for my honest review *

   The initial reason why I wanted to read this book was, honestly, the amazing, eye-catching cover. The second was the description. I must admit though that I went into this story worrying that it might disappoint me, turn out to be just another generic dystopian but luckily, it wasn't the case.

   True Born is a dystopian showing us a point of view we usually don't get, that of two girls from a wealthy and powerful family. But it also shows the reader that even that wealth and power doesn't necessarily help Lucy to uncover secrets about herself and her twin sister. I really liked her voice and narration, following her through the story, navigating this plague-ridden world.

  Besides Lucy I also really liked Jared who was a fascinating character and I absolutely loved his relation to Lucy, his personality, even though he caused a lot of aggravating moments and the fact that we didn't know, for a long time, where him and Lucy stand basically drove me crazy.

   The world building was amazing, the whole plague aspect intriguing and unique, and I really cannot wait how the story will continue. L.E. Sterling has a really good writing style that I enjoyed a lot and she managed to create characters with layers and different personalities along with an amazing world. Sterling added so many interesting and complex ideas into what could've become only yet another dystopian setting, but thanks to Splicers, True Borns and Lasters, it had a unique twist that I enjoyed and appreciate so much.

I give True Born by L.E. Sterling 5 out of 5 stars.

Ask the Author: Gaby Triana (Wake the Hollow)

   After a one moth pause I'm finally back with new interviews! 

   Today I'm bringing you Gaby Triana, the author of Wake the Hollow and other amazing books. She was so lovely as to take some of her time to answer my questions for you guys. 

   Find her book and her amazing answers below:

Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana

Expected Publication: August 2nd 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Number of Pages: 304 Pages (Paperback)

Series: No

   Forget the ghosts, Mica. It’s real, live people you should fear.

   Tragedy has brought Micaela Burgos back to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. It’s been six years since she chose to live with her father in Miami instead of her eccentric mother. And now her mother is dead.

   This town will suck you in and not let go.

   Sleepy Hollow may be famous for its fabled headless horseman, but the town is real. So are its prejudices and hatred, targeting Mica’s family as outsiders. But ghostly voices carry on the wind, whispering that her mother’s death was based on hate…not an accident at all. With the help of two very different guys—who pull at her heart in very different ways—Micaela must awaken the hidden secret of Sleepy Hollow…before she meets her mother’s fate.

   Find the answers.

   Unless, of course, the answers find you first. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Gaby Triana

   1 – Describe Wake the Hollow with a haiku.

   I’m not much of a poet but how’s this?

   Journal hidden near

   First to find wins money, fame

   But beware the ghosts

   2 – What was the first initial thought or thing that sparked the idea of Wake the Hollow? And in what way do you think does Wake the Hallow stand out and offer something that should make readers even more interested in it?

   The Disney short film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, was one of my favorites growing up. I used to show this in my classroom to all my students too when I was a teacher. I loved the autumn vibe and spooky feel, and I loved reading “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and discovering that it wasn’t so much a story about the Headless Horseman as it was about a love triangle. I thought how cool would it be to write a modern-day version through the POV of Katrina Van Tassel, only in my book she’s Micaela Katerina Burgos. My book stands out in that it’s not a straight retelling of an old classic. It’s a reimagining with a modern mystery crime twist, where the ghosts are spirit guides and the real live people are the ones we should fear. It also features a Cuban-American character in a tale as American as apple pie.

   3 – What was the most challenging about writing Wake the Hollow and which scene was the most fun to write?

   The research was challenging. There was a lot to learn about classic author, Washington Irving, who features in his own story’s retelling. Also, evoking a spooky feel in first person POV was challenging, because I wanted to vividly describe the entire town while still staying true to “teen think.” The chase through the cemetery is one of my favorite scenes. Also the one at the safe deposit box at the bank.

   4 – What do you like most and least about your main character, Micaela?

   What I like the least is that she didn’t bother to learn more about her mother before she left town six years earlier. She could’ve learned a lot about her heritage at that time, but what I love is that she redeems herself throughout the book and grows closer to her mother even after death. It’s never too late to change ourselves.

   5 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal?

   This book took me the longest, because it was conceived, written, shopped, rejected, then…it sat around collecting dust. Revived. Revised multiple times, shopped again, and overall it took 7 years from idea to publishing deal.

   6 - How do you feel about the fact that in only a few more weeks (August 2nd) hundreds of readers will be able to hold and read your novel?

   I’m probably going to cry, because this is my favorite of all my books. I’m a big Halloween freak, so it’s the one that allowed me to write what I love, which is a good ghost story. For a while, I thought it would never be published, but I kept the faith, and now everyone will get to read it.

   7 – What led you to writing and wanting to be an author? Is it the way you imagined it would be?

   I’ve been writing stories since I was in 3rd grade. It was always a natural progression for me. I won writing contests in high school and always wrote, even though I went to college to become a teacher. In that way, I felt I had sidetracked myself, but I was always slow in figuring out what I wanted from my life. Now I live the dream of writing every day for a living.

   8 – What do you think about the cover? Is it anything like you imagined it being?

   The cover is the farthest thing from what I ever imagined. I always thought there would be darker black and orange tones with a headless horseman in a forest or something. When I first saw it, I thought it was beautiful but was concerned about how it would tell the story within. Then I realized it doesn’t need to tell the story within, it just has to capture your imagination, and I feel it does exactly that. It’s GORGEOUS!

   9 – Book adaptations – movie or TV series?

   Definitely a movie! This is a story that is told in one powerful burst, not spread out. That said, I can see a sequel being told in segments over time.

   10 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?

   Write every day. Write even if it’s terrible, because you can always go back and fix it, but the important thing is that you got it down. Don’t judge yourself as you go, just tell a story, and always, always revise and revise before you share. That’s the point of writing versus talking. You don’t have to get it right the first time.

   11 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

   The ability to destroy hatred. Imagine what a wonderful world we would live in.

About the Author

   GABY TRIANA is the award-winning author of six YA novels—Wake the Hollow (Coming 2016), Summer of Yesterday, Riding the Universe, The Temptress Four, Cubanita, and Backstage Pass, as well as thirteen ghostwritten novels for best-selling authors. Originally a 4th grade teacher with a Master of Science in Elementary Education and ten years teaching experience, Gaby earned Teacher of the Year in 2000, wrote her first novel, Freddie and the Biltmore Ghost, then left teaching to launch a full-time writing career. She went on to publish young adult novels with HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, win an IRA Teen Choice Award, ALA Best Paperback Award, and Hispanic Magazine’s Good Reads of 2008. She spends her time obsessing about Halloween, Christmas, and Disney World, as well as hosting parties, designing mugs, making whimsical cakes, and winning costume contests. When she’s not writing, she might also be watching Jurassic Park movies with her boys, posting excessive food pics on social media, or helping run the Florida region of the SCBWI. Gaby lives in Miami with her three sons, Michael, Noah, and Murphy. She has one dog, Chloe, and two cats—Miss Daisy, and the reformed thug, shooting survivor, Bowie. Visit her at www.GabyTriana.com.