Wednesday, January 29, 2014

{BLOG TOUR+Character Interview+Giveaway} Grimnirs: Ednah Walters

Book Title:  Grimnirs
Series: A Runes Novel
Author:  Ednah Walters
Release Date:  December 2nd 2013
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Firetrail Publishing
Presented by: As You Wish Tours
Banner Made by:  Jamie Turner-Norton


INTERVIEW WITH ECHO

Interviewer: Is there a nickname that you're known by? Do you prefer it?

Echo *cocks his right eyebrow*: Do you really think someone would dare give me a nickname? I’m Echo. End of story.

Interviewer: What is your height, weight and build?

Echo: Seriously? Why would anyone want to know my stats?

Interviewer: I’m the one asking questions here, Echo, so play nice and answer them.

Echo *grins*: Oh, a spunky Mortal. I love that. Six-five, tall, all muscles. *Pulls up his shirt and bares his washboard abs* Want to touch?

Interviewer “blushes*: I don’t think Cora would approve. Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings? What do they mean to you?  

Echo *stands and pulls off his shirt to show his back”:  Scars, a constant reminder of my dark past and my dark soul. Cora calls them badges of honor. She’s a total sweetheart. *sits down*

Interviewer: You love her?

Echo *sighs, a faraway look in his eyes*: Love is too tame a word. I adore her. She’s my anchor, my harbor, my crutch when the world of off kilter. She completes me.

Interviewer: Wow, lucky girl. What is currently your biggest responsibility/commitment?

Echo: Cora and reaping, in that order.

Interviewer: Really? What will your goddess say if she hears that?

Echo *shrugs*: I don’t care. Probably throw me on Corpse Strand to remind me she’s the boss, but I’ve come to learn that there are other things worse than torture.

Interviewer: Like?

Echo: Seeing Cora unhappy

Interviewer:  Who is your biggest rival/enemy? Describe them briefly.

Echo: Enemies, hmmm. Too many to count. Most of them are my fellow Grimnirs. In my defense, I really don’t consider them my enemies. They are the ones who consider me their enemy. As for rivals, I used to think a certain god-child was my rival. I’m his opposite in every way. He’s fair while I’m dark. He’s golden hair, pretty face, and pampered existence while my story is out there for all to see and it’s not pretty. But he’s no longer my rival. I won. I got the girl. “smirks smugly”

Interviewer *chuckles*: What is your favorite food, drink, musical artist, song, and movie/play?

Echo *closes his eyes*: Pies. Cora’s mother makes amazing pies. I don’t drink, but I like my coffee black and unsweetened. Songs? I have an eclectic taste in music. Some Classical rock. Some heavy metal. Some pop. I don’t watch movies. Don’t have the time.

Interviewer: How deeply does your job/social role define you as a person?  

Echo: What I do doesn’t define me. My past may have shaped the man I’ve become, but what defines me comes from here. *taps his chest* My essence.

Interviewer: What do you dislike most about your life? What is missing?

Echo. Hel. The place is colder than dry ice. Now that I have someone to warm me up when I come back, it’s not so bad.

Interviewer: What is the driving force/motivation in your life?

Echo: Doing right by those I love. It’s gotten me in more trouble than I care to admit, but that’s who I am.

Interviewer: What is your biggest character defect?

Echo *grins*: I’m a vindictive bastard. You hurt someone I love and I’m a coming after you. It doesn’t matter how long it takes or who I have to go through. I will make you rue the day you hurt those I love.

Interviewer *shudders*: I hope I never piss you off. How hard is it for you to admit when you're wrong?

Echo: I have no problem admitting I’m wrong. Rather face the music right away than stress about it.

Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a moral/ethical person?

Echo *shrugs*: I’d like to think so. Don’t take my word for it. Read my story and decide for yourself.


BLURB

One lost love.

One lost best friend.

One hot soul reaper.

Straight out of the psyche ward, Cora just wants her life to be normal. She doesn’t want to see souls or the reapers collecting them. The love of her life, the guy she’s loved from a distance for years, has moved away without saying goodbye. So yes, she’s nursing a serious heartbreak. It’s no wonder love is the last thing on her mind when Echo storms into her life.

The chemistry between them is mind-blowing. The connection defies logic. It doesn’t help that Echo is the poster boy for everything she hates in a guy—hot, beautiful, and cocky. A general pain-in-the-butt. Being around him makes her feel more alive than she’s ever felt before. But more important, the souls leave her alone when he is around.

Echo is perfect for her. Echo might even be her soul-mate. There is only one problem. Echo is a freaking soul reaper. A Grimnir. The very beings she wants out of her life. Maybe normal is overrated because Cora wants it all. Answers. Love. A life. You see, once you fall for a Grimnir, your life will never be the same again.


AUTHOR BIO
EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, was released April 2013. She’s currently working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN. Visit her at www.ednahwalters.com.

Ednah also writes YA paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. IMMORTALS is book 2. She is presently working on book 3, GRIMNIRS [Book 2.5] was released in December 2013. Read more about this series and the world she's created herewww.runestheseries.com.

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published five more books in this series. She's presently working on book seven. You can visit her online at or www.ebwalters.com.

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REVIEW
*I was given this book for a blog tour in exchange for a review which does not in any way affect my honest review of my own individual opinion in any shape or form*

Rating: 7.75/10. 4 stars

When I signed up to review Grimnirs, I did not know it was book 2.5 in the Runes Trilogy. I ended up really enjoying this book, despite not knowing it was part of a series, and think it could be read independently from the rest of the trilogy with little or no confusion to the plot of the rest of the trilogy. 

The plot itself was very interesting, and although there were gaps that would usually make me rate it 2 or 3 stars, they are details that I am sure are explained in the Runes Trilogy itself. As Ednah Walters said, she wrote "Grimnirs" as a book that would focus solely on Cora's and Echo's love and back story so that the third book, Seeress, wouldn't be side-tracked with the story of their love and how they came to be. I was quite fascinated with the Norse mythology angle the book had, as well as all the soul-reaping (that doesn't make me sound weird...does it?). I also think the way that Walters added her own spin to it when incorporating her characters into our own boring world was done very well, kind of how Rick Riordan has with both the Kane Chronicles and Percy Jackson, although with a lot more kissing.

Besides most of the characters being supernatural creatures from Asgard and Norse mythology, the main focus of the book was romance. This might have just been my not knowing, or the book itself, but it seemed like one moment Cora was talking about being locked up in the mental hospital, and the next Echo was making out with her. After some explanation, and Cora's own confusion, I came to really like her and Echo as a couple. Their bond was so strong and unique, and let's face it, Echo is a gorgeous hunk that if he and Cora weren't together, I would want to snatch right up because of his yumminess. That makes absolutely no sense, but the point is that he is the ultimate to-die-for, swoonworthy male specimen...I mean character. Don't tell his Coramio I said that.
"Echo was cocky, bold, badass, and unstoppable. He was Hel's best reaper. What could have happened in the past that was so horrible he couldn't share?"
The best part about Echo, my favorite character in the book, was that he wasn't just a hot guy that had made seducing skills and looks that would make any girl faint. What I liked about him was that he was deeper, and more layered than us as the readers thought he was.
"I always have an agenda and I'm good at what I do. I lie, I bend the laws, and play dirt to win. That's who I am, and I've never had a reason to change."
Of course, that was before Cora came along, and because of her, he learned to truly love and feel.
"Don't you ever put your hand on her, Chapman. You don't look at her wrong, raise your voice, or give her a reason to cry. You laugh and cry with her. Worship the f**king ground sh walks on. If she's hurting, you better be hurting ten times more because her pain."
That is just one more example of how great of a boyfriend Echo is
A book in between books is supposed to fill in/connect the dots between two books and that's exactly what Grimnirs did. If this had been a standalone, I would have been very upset at the ending because it seemed to just...end without explanation. But because this was book 2.5, the ending drew a perfect line between point A and B, or books 2 and 3.

Now there was this one quote that has absolutely nothing to do with the story itself, but I loved it because I know a lot of my book blogger friends can easily relate, and this is probably all that my friends say about me too.
"All they ever talked about were books and their character crushes. They all had blogs and did reviews."
Overall, desipte not knowing Grminirs was 2,5 in the Runes trilogy I thoroughly enjoyed it because of the interesting plot, wonderfully strong romance, and everything else that made this story great. I will definitely be reading books 1-3 now.


Monday, January 27, 2014

The Sunday Post (2) + Stacking the Shelves (4)

The Sunday Post (2): I've been sick! :(



The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
 
Loving the Language of Literacy News:  
  • I am so sorry about this week, I had so many posts planned, and wanted to just read, and (just maybe) have some free time for myself. Sadly a little thing called a cold got in the way. I was sick, because I am not invincible as I would like myself to believe. I have just felt bad, and tired, and just not in the mood to read or write reviews like I really wanted to. I am still not in tippy top shape, so I'm not so sure how this week is going to go on the blog. Again, I am sincerely so sorry if I let you down, but I just needed to put my health in front of blogging.
  • I was nominated for a Liebster Award!!! I want to say thank you so much Emdawg's Book Blog for the nomination and that I will be posting my nominations for other people extremely soon :)
  • I am one of the worst mini-bloggiesta participants, and didn't do any challenges because I was sick. 
  • I did my first "Spontaneous Saturday" posts! *Throws confetti up in the air then regrets it because I have to clean it all up* 
  • If you have any suggestions for "Spontaneous Saturday" or anything else on "Loving the Language of Literacy" please leave your opinion in the comments below because I really want to hear what you have to say (plus I need some serious inspiration).
  • I'm sincerely not trying to brag, but I want to say thank you so much for getting me to 50 followers on Bloglovin. I never imagined having so many followers after less than two months of blogging, and I wanted any of you that followed me to know that I am so grateful and appreciative that you did :) I was literally got the email and I had to check on both my iPad and computer saying, "What!?! I thought I just reached 40!"
Last Weeks Posts
Projected Posts 
*I'm still sick, so cross your fingers these posts can happen, although my blogging career may suffer because Netflix has new episodes of The Lying Game which I have been waiting for about six months
  • 1/27/14~ REVIEW BLAST: Final Life: Rose Garcia 
  • 1/28/14~ TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In OR (since some of you might not read stuff with different worlds) Top Ten Characters I'd NEVER Want To Trade Places With
  • 1/29/14~ BLOG TOUR: Grimnirs: Ednah Walters
  • 1/30/14~ *TENTATIVE* BONUS DISCUSSION THURSDAY: Why are there so many love triangles?
  • 1/30/14~ Liebster  Award
  • 1/31/14~ BOOK REVIEW: Otter St. Onge and the Bootleggers OR Ednah in the Desert
  • 2/1/14~  SPONTANEOUS SATURDAY: It's spontaneous so I won't know until that day when I'm sitting at my computer wondering what to write :)
 Six Books I want to read, but will probably only read three
EKHO: Marie D. Jones
Unite: Jamie Campbell
Reaper's Rhythm: Clare Davidson
Ednah in the Desert 
Otter St. Onge and the Bootleggers
Steelheart: Brandon Sanderson

Future Blog Tours/Review Opportunities/Review Blasts:
1/27/14: Final Life: Rose Garcia 
1/29/14: GRIMNIRS: Ednah Walters
1/31/14: EKHO: Marie D. Jones
2/3/14: Unite: Jamie Campbell
2/10/14: Reaper's Rhythm:
Karolyn James
Cervantes

Stacking the Shelves (4):
"Stacking the Shelves" is a meme when you list the books you've added to your shelves,virtual, physical, or whatever shape or form you get them. I am now combining "Stacking the Shelves" with the "Sunday Post" because it is so much a personal preference about when and what you post "Stacking the Shelves" with.I am doing this meme once a week, so you will probably see nothing but library books because originally, I only did "Stacking the Shelves" as an every-time-I-go-to-the-library thing. As people may know, “Stacking the Shelves” posts are hosted by “Tynga's Reviews” 
{Disclaimer: I am in no means trying to brag about what I got, and merely shared this post for the benefit of my followers seeing what I so generously received, and as a favor to the lovely people that sent me things}

Books I recieved for Review:
Ghost Hand: Ripley Patton
Ednah in the Desert: Maddy Letterman


Books I recieved for Blog Tours:
Always and Forever: S.P. Cervantes


Books I recieved from Netgalley:
The Tyrant's Daughter: J.C. Carleson
Learning to Swim: Annie Cosby
Ten Tiny Breaths: K.A. Tucker

Books I Bought:
Perfect Ruin: Lauren Destefano

Again, I am so sorry that I have been such a bad blogger this week because I've been sick and still am, but I hope to be better this week

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Everything you need to know before you read Champion: Spontaneous Saturday (1)

Everything You Need to Know Before Champion Comes Out; Literally EVERYTHING

Spontaneous Saturday is a new weekly post on "Loving the Language of Literacy" where I post anything I want to. Whether it's another review, character spotlight, or even something like this, it will be spontaneous where I won't even know what I'm posting until that Saturday.


We ALL should know I'm a crazy wackjob for The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. I transcribed around 25 minutes of footage from "Meeting Marvelous Marie Lu". There you can find out about "Pantsers vs. Plotters", interrupting Marie Lu, a new series with the Black Death leading to magical powers, the history of paper clips, and Day being named after Daniel Radcliffe. 

This is just some news about "The Young Elites"


Now I want to focus on the Tri-Fold I made in May 2013 for a book report and all the information on it. Basically this is the post you could read if you were going to skip straight to Champion without reading Legend or Prodigy, although I highly suggest you don't do that. Maybe even if you need a refresher on the books before reading Champion. 

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the great Republic of America to our Elector Primo, to our glorious states, to unity against the Colonies, to our impending victory!” — The Republic Pledge
Introduction to the Republic:

Plagues-
Thousands of feet underground,there are meat producing factories that killed thousands of animals because of because of viruses. Then Congress remembered the Colonies War. Every time a new virus appeared, scientists took samples and crafted them into human viruses, and at the same time developed a vaccination and a cure,They handed out vaccinations to everyone but the poor sectors. They pump the virus into the sectors through a system of underground pipes, into the water, or directly into a few houses to see to see how it would spread. When there was enough evidence for what that particular strain could do, they would prick everyone with a cure during one of their routine sweeps. The plague wouldn’t come back until the next strain. Congress would run individual plague experiments on children who failed the Trial and died. All of the Republic’s people with weak genes were killed off. Congress also used the plague against the Colonies.own people are lab rats. Someday a virus will get out of hand, no vaccine or cure will be able to stop it.


Trials-
“You’re worried about a bunch of renegade Trial takers who managed to escape their deaths?”—- Legend, Day at Batalla Hall
Scores:
1450-1499- it’s instant access to 6 years of high school and 4 at the top universities in the Republic: Drake, Stanford, and Brenan. Then Congress hires you and you make lots of money.
1250-1449- you get high school and are assigned a college.
1000-1249- Congress doesn’t let you go to high school and you join the poor people working with water turbines or power plants.
Below 1000- you fail (most that fail are from the slum sectors), the government orders your parents to sign a contract giving the government full custody over you, tell your family you’re going to the “labor camps”, and then give your family 1000 notes as condolence.

In the beginning of the Republic, the Trials didn’t favor the rich, given to children, and were taken by choice, but the Elector won lots of support by making it a mandatory test for all children on their 10th birthday. It became so that this one test could decide your future. It consists of a written portion, physical, and an interview in front of a panel of judges . It is said by the Republic that the Trial was to encourage athleticism and hard work, enticing the fittest and best for more military-like people. When in reality, the Republic is lying to weed out the weak, defiant, and eventually, to control overpopulation because they were considered a waste of resources and space.Your family thinks you’re sent to the “labor camps”, if you fail, when in reality, they will just kill you or send you to the labs to be experimented on.

Republic:
“We have risked our lives for this country- not the country we live in now, but the country we hope to have. People  of the republic, know your enemy, the republics way of life, the laws and traditions that holds us down, the late elector, congress. I don’t want to see the republic collapse. I want to see it change.”—-Prodigy, Day’s support speech for Anden

The Republic was originally formed in the middle of the worst crisis North America. The eastern half of North America was underwater because of floods, so millions of people flooded into the west because they had nowhere to go. Because of so many people, it was pure anarchy with  no jobs, food, or shelter, and the entire country was in utter fear, panic, and rioters, with everything in absolute disrepair. The federal government had no money to contain and maintain crisis after crisis. The first Elector seized power by declaring the Republic a separate country under martial law that allowed soldiers to fire at free will, giving them a newfound power that they openly embraced so much that it became the military versus the people. Afterward, the Colonies declared war on the Republic.

Characters:

Daniel Altan Wing “Day”:

“I’ve fought the same injustices that you’re here to protest right now. I’ve suffered the same things you’ve suffered. I’ve watched my friends and family die at the hands of the Republic soldiers. I’ve been starved, beaten, humiliated, insulted,suppressed  and humiliated. I’ve lived in the slums with you. We have risked our lives for this country- not the country we live in now, but the country we hope to have. People  of the republic, know your enemy, the republics way of life, the laws and traditions that holds us down, the late elector, congress. But the new elector is not your enemy. You think your congress wants to end the trials or help your families? Its a lie. The elector is young and ambitious, and he is not his father. He wants to fight for you, just as I fight for you, but he needs you to give him that chance. He will lift us up, change things for us, one step at a time, build that country that we all hope to have. I came here tonight for all of you-and for him. People of the republic, do you trust me? Raise your voice for your elector and he will raise his for you. I don’t want to see the republic collapse. I want to see it change.”—- Prodigy: Day’s acceptance speech to Anden which prevented a ‘full scale’ uprising against Anden

Day, the beautiful blonde-hair, blue-eyed boy   is the most wanted criminal in the Republic because he irritatingly has defied every attempt of theirs to capture him. He isn’t layered like June, there are no double sides defying each other in his personality. His opinions are black, and white, he and the rest of the poor sector people are the victims of the cruel, power-hungry Republic. When he took the Trial at age 10, he was told he received  687, because the Republic wanted to take him away and experiment on him. When in reality, he received 1500, which June discovered when looking over his file in Legend. He stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall, with incredible intelligence, tinged with stubborn resilience and has astounding agility skills that June says are “up to par with those at Drake”. He has lost almost his entire family to the Republic’s deadly wrath. Besides being a wanted criminal, he can be very sweet, and loving to people who have been unjustly treated by the Republic. His status and popularity had the power to prevent the revolution that was at Anden’s door.  
    At the end of Legend, it is said that Day and June are the same person in two different bodies, and that is very true. Even though June is a rich prodigy, and Day is a criminal from the slum sector, they are the same in personality, ideas, and the way they think. They both are extremely athletic, intelligent, diligent, outspoken people that won’t stand for anything unless it’s their way.


June Iparis (ih-PAIR-uhs):
“I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine. I have no sympathy for a criminal. Just a score to settle.” —- Legend: said by June, directed at Day.
“I want a partner who has her finger on the pulse of the people, someone extraordinarily talented at everything she does, You were born to shake the Republic.” —- Prodigy: Anden, directed at June at the request of her being his Princeps  
“Do you remember then I trusted you, even though everything I’d ever known told me you were an enemy? I sacrificed everything for what I believed, I’m here for your sake, and I gave up everything for you.” —- Prodigy: June, in her argument with Day in the bunker  
June is never seen without a flawless high ponytail that screams no-nonsense just like her character. She is a deep and layered character, with a personality that is completely her own. June is a 15 year-old military prodigy who is one of the two people in the entire world that has scored a 1500 on her Trial. She is 5 feet, 4 inches of amazing agility, combat skills, and endurance, all while  being graceful, but full of action at the same time. June has the charisma of a true politician and leader, with undeniable poise when she speaks, that make everyone want to hear and obey what she has to say. With her piercing, gold-flecked eyes, she picks up every single detail of her surroundings, and stores them in her extremely intelligent brain. This is how she appears to most of the Republic, a strong, dedicated soldier, that desires to do her absolute best at all time for her country. June has been faithful to the Republic, and believing everything she has been told since birth, like a good Republic soldier.
Another reason why June is such a layered character is because she takes the brunt of internal conflict unlike any other. On one hand, the Republic has given her so much, made her their darling, little prodigy, and on the other, she is introduced into a world she never knew existed until she started her search for Day. June has an absolutely astoundingly concrete sense of right and wrong, and her ability to act on decisions is superb. Just because she believes in Day’s innocences, she gives up everything to side with Day. Her money. Her status. And everything she has ever believed in for one boy.  
June and Day’s relationship is a very complicated one, especially viewing the fact that she is the reason Day got arrested in the first place. She also gets a lot of grief from Tess and Kaede because she is the reason Day’s mother and brother are dead. But Day didn’t kill Metias, June decides to get Day out of the jail she put him in.

Tess:
“I’ve done nothing but help you-I have been at your side ever since the  day we met. But I can’t bare to watch you choose a girl that’s done nothing but hurt you.”—-Prodigy: Tess right after she kissed Day
She is a A 13-year-old girl was rejected by her family at the age of ten, and becomes Day’s accomplice, caretaker, friend, and falls in love with him in Prodigy. She then leaves Day after he deviates from the assassination plan, making sure he knows exactly how she feels.



Eden:
Day’s 8 year-old brother that is sick with the mutant plague, and very close to death. He is the reason why Day is blamed for Metias’s death because Day broke into the hospital to get plague cures for him. He is used as a bio-weapon slash lab rat by the Republic, and finally gets released by Anden in Prodigy.

John:
“I would rather die than see them hurt you”
Day’s 19 year-old brother that is captured along with Day and buys time for Day’s escape because by taking Day’s place in front of the firing squad.

Commander Nathalia Jameson:
“When his execution date came, the court granted me permission to kill him personally instead of putting him in front of the firing squad. I think he would’ve preferred the firing squad.”—- Legend: Commander Jameson, directed at Day in Batalla Hall
The cruel head of one of Los Angeles’s patrols that requested that the prodigy with the perfect trial score join her patrol. Commander Jameson did many bad things that include: ordering Metias’s death, taking part in Anden’s assassination, and being responsible for Day’s execution date being changed last-minute in order to see where June’s loyalties lie.

Thomas Alexander Bryant:
“I’m from a poor sector too. But I followed the rules. I worked my way up, I earned my country’s respect.”—-Thomas directed at Day’s Batalla Hall interrogation
“Metias loved you, but you still turned him in.”—- June directed at Thomas in her detention center
His best friend Metias, is the one responsible for Thomas getting into a good college and being in one of the city’s patrols. Thomas is basically a lapdog to Commander Jameson, that accepts killing his best friend without hesitation, and in Prodigy when he is the one chosen to capture and interrogate June.

Anden Stavropolous:

“The elector is young and ambitious, and he is not his father.  He wants to stop the Trials and the plague experiments he needs to win the Republic’s favor first. He wants to fight for you, but he needs you to give him that chance. He will lift us up, change things for us, one step at a time, build that country that we all hope to have.”—Day’s acceptance speech to Anden
The Elector Primo’s dashing, regal, six-foot-two son that in Prodigy inherits his father’s position . Anden is just a 20 year-old man who came into power at a really fragile time in the Republic’s history. He is needs to prove to the country that he is not his father, and that he will change the country in his people’s best interest. To do this, he is determined to get Day and June on his side because he knows they have the power to repair, or destroy the country.
Metias:
“If you want to rebel, rebel from inside the system.”—-Metias directed at his sister June inside his diary
June’s protective, 28 year-old brother that is an expert hacker, and the head of one of Los Angeles’s patrols. He and his parents were murdered by the Republic because they had classified information that they were going to reveal to the Republic. His character is pretty small with probably 30 lines of dialogue, but on a higher level, he is the main reason there is a story. It’s because of him that June and Day meet when June is given the job to hunt Day down, and his journals are very helpful, giving a lot of answers to June.

Kaede:
A dark haired fighter pilot for the Patriots that is originally from the Colonies. She doesn’t play a very big part in Legend, only being the person that gets in a skiz fight with June. In Prodigy, she acts as Tess’s mentor and mother-like figure, while working with Razor and is by Day’s side for most of the story. Her biggest impact in the series is when she goes across the border to warn Day about Razor’s betrayal, and helps June and Day get back to the Republic. Unfortunately, she dies in a brutal jet chase  from the Colonies.



Razor/Commander De Soto:
He is the double agent for the Republic and Patriots that is actually working with the Republic and is hired to make it seem like the Patriots are the instigators of Anden’s assassination.


Legend:
Timeline:
  1. Day watches his family’s house while soldiers mark  his family’s door with a three lined x.
  2. June gets temporarily suspended from Drake University for leaving campus. Metias,  comes to pick her up, and is very upset. Metias drops June off at home and leaves right away for his job.
  3. Day breaks into the Los Angeles Central Hospital, to try to get plague cures for Eden. He then makes a run for it, and escapes. Metias is there, and catches Day near a sewer opening. He’s about to shoot Day, when Day throws his knife at him, and goes down into the sewer.
  4. Thomas, relays to June that Metias is dead, and Day is blamed for it. Thomas drives a shocked to the scene of the crime.
  5. After being promoted to Commander Jameson’s squad, June has her first mission, where she tries to lure Day into buying a plague cure.
  6. On another mission to find Day, June disguises herself as someone who lives on the streets,  but during her mission, she gets caught in a Skiz fight and is wounded.Someone throws a dust bomb, that gets rid of all the people coming after her. June doesn’t know it, but the boy who saves her is Day. Day allows her to travel with him and Tess, thinking that she is a street girl, and not a Republic soldier.
  7. June tells Thomas through her microphone that she has found Day, so he sends a squad of soldiers to Day’s house. After June tells Day that the plague patrol is coming for his house, he runs all the way back to his house, surprising his family that thinks he’s dead. Day futilely tries to hide his family, but the soldiers find him anyway. During his arrest, Day finds out June is a Republic soldier, and that she is the one that turned him in. Day’s mother is killed, and his brothers are taken, along with him to Batalla Hall.
  8. June is personally thanked by the Elector Primo and meets his son Anden at a celebratory ball held for Day’s capture
  9. When Thomas tried to kiss June, she disgustedly pushes him away because he killed Day’s mother. After he leaves, J  une looks at Day’s profile and learns she isn’t the only prodigy with a 1500 Trial score.
  10. After Day’s death sentences, people cause riots outside Batalla Hall. Later, when June logs onto her computer to review Metias’s death report, she realizes that Thomas killed Metias, not Day.
  11. June looks thru her brother’s journals, and realizes there is a hidden message. She follows his instructions were Metias tells her that he has uncovered the truth about their parents’ death
  12. June is determined to help Day escape so she gets the patriots to help. The plan she and the Patriots have is altered when she realizes Commander Jameson moves Day’s execution day up.
  13. June gets confronted by Thomas about the missing electro-bomb and almost gets put under arrest when the missing electro-bomb goes off . Then she races to the front of Batalla Hall where Day’s execution is about to take place. John gets executed in Day’s place in order to give June and Day enough time to escape Batalla Hall.In order to stall, John takes Day’s place and dies for him.
  14. . June and Day have to run as far as they can from Los Angeles, where June’s commander will be furious at her, and they would be searching for Day

Setting:
The Story starts out in the crumbling and poor Lake Sector where Day’s family lives. June, meanwhile, lives in the wealthy, upper class Ruby Sector. She works as Republic soldier at Batalla hall, where the majority of the later half of the story takes place, the events there all having to do with Day and his imprisonment. Legend in Barstow where Day and June reached when they ran from Los Angeles. The story Legend takes place all over future Los Angeles from the  plague-infected sectors, to the glorious gem sectors, and the sparkling military section.

Theme:
The theme throughout the story is determination, for both June and Day. June is determined to avenge Metias’s death that she thought Day caused by capturing him. Later that determination for vengeance is turned into the determination to do the right thing which is helping Day escape his execution. Day is determined for so many things, the biggest being to get plague cures for Eden, and later being determined to escape his arrest, and to free John and Eden.  


Prodigy:


Timeline:
  1. June and Day arrive in Las Vegas, where they hope to receive help from the Patriots. On the JumboTrons, they see that Los Angeles is quarantined for the alleged plague. The pledge gets interrupted when the whole country gets the news that their Elector Primo is dead, and that his son, Anden Stavropoulos is the new Elector Primo.
  2. Day and June’s identities are almost revealed, but Kaede, saves them from being discovered and they are taken to the Patriots headquarters.
  3. In the patriot headquarters, June and Day request assistance in exchange for the promise of helping in the assassination of their new Elector.
  4. June, Kaede, and Razor discuss the situation and plan of Anden’s assassination which will involve June warning Anden about the assassination plot against him and then leading him to the real one.
  5. After parting ways, June purposefully gets captured by Thomas and interrogated. The interrogation turns into a cutting conversation about Metias and the reasons why Thomas killed him. She is then shipped off to the capital.   
  6. When June arrives at the capitol in Denver, Colorado, she has dinner with the Elector Primo, Anden. After feeding the assassination story, June realizes that Anden may not be the person she thought he was.
  7. In an underground bunker in Lamar Colorado, that is one of the Patriot’s strongholds, Tess and Day have a falling out. where Tess’s true feelings about Day and June’s relationship is revealed. She accuses Day of being faithful and loving June no matter what she does and tells him that June will break Day.
  8. Anden trusts June completely now and he has a private very intimate talk with her where he kisses her. After he leaves the room, June realizes that Anden is nothing like the Patriots said he would grow up to be. So she lifts two fingers to the side of her brow, the signal they used in Vegas. The signal that meant: Stop.
  9. Day and the other runners plan to detonate a train full of supplies for the war front. Day’s job of being seen so that people know that he is alive. Day gets distracted when he sees a train car with the plague symbol. He enters it in hopes of finding Eden, but instead he finds a little boy that like Eden. is being used as  a bioweapon against the Colonies.P. 206 fury quote
  10. June gets released, and her decision about siding with Anden is even more enforced when he tells her of the Republics history. Tess kisses Day, and their previous argument resurfaces, ending with Day realizing his relationship with Tess, romantic or otherwise is over.
  11. Even though June tries to delay Anden’s journey to the assassination location, Razor’s orders override it, and the plan continues as usual. Day waits for his cue, the third grenade going off, and when it does, June tumbles out of one of the jeeps and signals to Day, putting herself in full exposure of the Patriot’s and Republic’s soldiers. Chaos follows her act, full of grenades, and frantic decisions made by both sides with Razor commanding Day to stay on course and to ignoring June. They then run to another underground tunnel, but instead of following like she has always done, Tess makes her own path, by joining the Patriots and leaving Day forever.
  12. June and Day have a huge argument that consists of biting remarks about the trustworthiness of the Elector, accusations of trust, and sacrifice.They are forced to evacuate soon after, but by that time June is sick with fever. So Day carries June through the tunnels until they reach the Colonies of America.
  13. June is brought to a Colonies hospital because she’s extremely sick, she then has a dream with Metias in it where she finds out that that Razor was hired by the Republic to assassinate Anden. Day meets with Kaede who brings him the good news that Eden is released, the bad that the Colonies aren’t all they hoped for, and most importantly, Kaede confirms June’s discovery. Day, Kaede, and June then escape from the Colonies in a fighter jet, but not without a price: Kaede’s death.
  14. Day delivers a glorious speech that prevents the Republic from launching a full-out rebellion. Afterward both Day and June are met with some news. Anden comes to June and offers her a job as Princeps, the second highest position in the country. Meanwhile Day is reunited with Eden, but gets delivered the news that he is dying.   
  15. Day comes to June’s apartment, meaning to tell her of his condition, but ends up telling her to accept the job as Princeps-in-training, and that they would never have worked out. The book ends with one last parting kiss, that means goodbye.
Setting:
Unlike Legend, Prodigy’s setting is all over the United States in both Republic and Colonie’s land. The story starts in Vegas, which is the Patriot’s headquarters. When June and Day split, June goes to Denver, Colorado to meet Anden, and Day goes to the Patriots stronghold in Lamar, Colorado. When June and Day meet up again in Pierra for Anden’s assassination. The two then journey through underground tunnels all the way to the sparkling Colonies across the border. They go back in a stolen fighter jet to Denver Colorado , the current Republic capitol.

Theme:
The theme is the search for truth because June and Day are both being fed lies by the Patriots, and they’re just trying to sift through all of them to find the reality of their new Elector. The Patriots said Anden’s assassination would stoke the fires of the budding revolution. But June realizes that he isn’t the  ruthless, dictatorial leader like his father, but someone that can provide peace, prosperity, and freedom, everything she and Day need. So June goes against the Patriots plan, and does everything in her power to stop Anden’s assassination because she believes in Anden and knows he can change the Republic, yet another demonstration of June sacrificing circumstances in order to  do the right thing. Day only knows what he’s being told by Razor, and what he’s seeing from June, and they are both extremely contradicting. On one hand, Razor is the leader of the Patriots, and guarantees that he will get Eden back. Then on the other Day sees that June has changed her mind and told him to stop, but he doesn’t know what to stop. He chooses to believe June, and his decision is the right one when Kaede tells him that he was being tricked, working for the Republic instead of the Colonies.
I have to admit that I could not have done this Tri-Fold without the help of Paige and Erica, the two friends that helped me with this Tri-Fold after a lot of prodding. So I want to say "Thank you so much for all your help"

The Elite: Kiera Cass

Rating: 5 out of 10. 2 stars.
Series: The Selection Trilogy #2 
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Dystopian Romance 
Publication Date: April 23, 2013  
Recommended For: Fans of the Bachelor (this isn't a book, but it is exactly like the show ) 
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Page Count: 323 
Format: Physical Hardcover Book lent to me by a wonderful friend

Goodreads Synopsis:
The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.


*I normally do not have spoilers in my reviews, but on this particular reviews, I have spoilers for "The Selection" and a few other miscellaneous ones*
*I'm really sorry I haven't been posting this week, but I have been sick and miserable, and its a miracle I've put together this review without saying, "Get me tissues" for my ever-conjested nose or "Make me hot tea" for my sore throat. On a 99.9% basis I'm a nice person, but when I'm sick I turn into all the evil Disney stepmothers combined* 


My Background: So I was in love with "The Selection" when I read it last August, but "The Elite" is a whole different story (in more ways than one). I am going to try my very hardest/best not to make this into a negative rant, but I was extremely frustrated with this book. Let's just say I would have been happier if the romance had been removed, leaving only the plot, but that isn't possible because the plot is centered around romance.

Plot 6/10:  Romance, and Characters aside, the plot was okay. Although anyone who says that the Selection Trilogy is dystopian is sorely mistaken. I admit that I did like the idea of  "The Selection" a Hunger Games-without-the-blood seeming very interesting to me, and I really wanted to see how the author would set everything up. "The Selection" was a 4 star book for me,  although I now want to change that rating to 3 stars, and it was a very good book when I read it back in August of 2013. Now my feelings about the plot itself of "The Elite" are very mixed because when reading the book, I kept saying "this romance is annoying me so much, but the plot was good" that reigned true for the first half of "The Elites", although after that point, the book became a battle between Aspen and Maxon for America's two-timing little heart. 

Without completely bashing the book, I will say that "The Elite" is a fun. A fun story. Fun concept. Fun relationships. Because there were not many eliminations, "The Elite" wasn't really needed, and although I haven't read "The One" I believe "The Selection Trilogy" could have been "The Selection Dystology". To enjoy this book, I believe one has to go into it with little or no expectations, merely thinking of it as a quick-read and an almost filler second novel.

Characters 4/10: America Singer COULD NOT STOP whining, and acting like a little brat.  She was weak, spineless, and rash, three qualities the supposedly strong female heroine in a book should have. She was too indecisive, but when it came down to the things that mattered, she made the wrong, impulsive choices. She pushed away Maxon, then wondered why he was avoiding her, all while making out with Aspen behind supply closet doors. I cannot say enough about her, and why I didn't like her. She didn't pass as helpless, far from it actually, and she didn't pass as an independent being either. The problem also associated with her character was that she was the only remaining girl in the "Fives" caste. At the same time she wasn't stooped TOO low being a six, seven, or right. This is the part where I would ramble all day. 

Maxon is a big sissy that happens to wear pants. His knowledge about his own kingdom seemed smaller than something you would get in a history textbook. He was too timid, too shy, and too nice for his own good. I couldn't feel sorry for him, although I could sort of understand where he was coming from, but not enough to actually feel like I wanted to ride in on my white stallion and save him from destroying himself.

If there was one character that I changed my mind about in "The Elite" that character would have to be Aspen. I didn't like him one bit in "The Selection" because he broke up with America, but when he became a palace guard, begged her to take him back, I thought he was horrible. In this book, we get to see other sides of him, and some of his good qualities, which include overprotectiveness, courage, spirit, and acceptance. Which is a hec of a lot more than Maxon portrayed.

*Spoiler Alert for this paragraph* My one saving grace was actually the villain of "The Elite". What we learn in "The Elite" is that Maxon's father beat his son on multiple occasions, and is a total dictator, totalitarian that thinks Maxon is as unfit to be king as a piece of raw lettuce. He was just one of those bad guys that we Fangirls/boys love to hate. We love wanting to have the main character overcome evil, and seeing them being defeated. I can't find it, but on someone's Goodreads compared Maxon's father to Uther from the five season BBC drama "Merlin". I think this is the best analogy/connection someone has made about a villain in a 'dystopian' novel. If you have seen the show, I needn't say any more. I was passionately angry about Maxon's dad and his decisions. This one character evoked so much emotion from me that should have been coming from Maxon, America, Aspen, and pretty much anybody else.

Romance 4/10: So I started out as a Maxon+America shipper, and while that fact still remains true, I like Aspen a whole lot more now. In the romance category, I flat out hated America. One moment, she was saying, "Oh my gosh I love you Maxon. You're so dreamy and kind and compassionate." The next she was saying, "How could I ever have thought about Maxon, when Aspen is the one I truly love. He knows me so well, we're destined to be together." That was LITERALLY the story. For 20 pages she likes Aspen, 20 pages she likes Maxon and all of that doesn't change or get resolved in the slightest by the end of the book. When you think about it, this books romance should have been Kiera Cass's TOP priority, making the story suspenseful, and to keep the readers guessing. We already know America is destined to be with Maxon. But what we should have been doing was asking ourselves, "What about Celeste, what about Chris, what about Marlee? Besides the main America/Aspen/ Maxon love triangle, there were the five other 'elites' fighting for the crown and Maxon's heart (although Celeste made it obvious she only wanted the crown). All things considered, I think the romance was the most ungripping, poorly-written one I have read since...I don't even know when. 

Cover 8/10: I may not think this trilogy is the best thing since sliced break, or new books, but the cover is certainly a fun thing to look at. I personally have always loved fashion, and especially elegant ball gowns I would never have an event to go to. Personally, I like the third book "The One"'s cover the best because the white makes her look like a swan...in a good way. The petal-looking details on the skirt look too much like my garage roof slats for my own taste, but is still beautiful nonetheless.

 

Title 7/10: My feelings about the title "The Elite" are...shall we say, mixed. I understand 100% how this could have been very creative if you're going with the whole Selection theme: The Selection, The Elite, The One. Yet, if they were trying to follow that trend (and although I understand the reasoning-both with the plot and grammatically-it still doesn't make sense) of the people in the selection, with the "Elites" and the "One", but wouldn't the first book have to be titled "The Selected"? I actually think that sounds better and more mysterious, but I'm leaving it open for discussion.

Feels 3/10: If he 'feels' category was based on how agitated, bothered, displeased, and exasperated I was with this story, then it would receive a whopping 10 out of 10. Although, I am sorry to say that this category is not based on negative feels. I wanted to feel emotion about this novel. I wanted to feel compassion for characters when compassion was due. Hec, I wanted to route for the guy in the oh-so-cliche love triangle.

Writing Style 2/10: Basically, this book was not written for anything other than entertainment purposes, and is not going to be on-par with Shakespeare any time soon. Everything I didn't like about America was translated through the seemingly flat, emotionless void that was her character.

Ending 7/10: The ending was one of this story's saving graces. Without spoiling it (I seem to say that every time I'm writing this category) I will admit that Kiera Cass almost had me fooled, and that the ending was somewhat of a surprise. To sum my thoughts up, I thought it was...well...the end, but there is a third book so we all need to watch out for that coming out on the 6th of May.

Quotes 2/10:  I have to say I was not impressed with the quotes in this book. The lone two-even on what I consider a non-quotable book, there's always more than three-I used when describing my annoyance with the plot and the characters, so there's really nothing to put in this category.
 
Continuation: 75% Despite the many qualities of this book I wasn't very fond of, I still want to see how Kiera Cass wraps up the plot, leaving America with the man she is obviously destined to be with *HINT* Maxon. The plot and events in it were interesting, and although the sequel was no where near my expectations, I do hope that the conclusion it better.

Conclusion: Even though I think Kiera Cass hit the horrible sophomore slump in her second novel "The Elite", some people may enjoy this book if they're just looking for a fun novel, without any thought to writing style, character development, and a good love triangle. 
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