This Side of Salvation Superfan Contest Final Day!

Hey all!

Today is the last day of the superfan contest for This Side of Salvation. I'm really hoping people have looked at my posts, read about the book, and now want to go out and pick it up. Jeri Smith-Ready is one of the sweetest authors out there. She is always there for her fans and this contest just proves how much she cares about us. If you haven't read any of her books, go read the Shade series or just go pick up This Side of Salvation, and you will not be disappointed.

Here's the post about the contest! And the rules are here. It's easy to enter and looks like it'll be a lot if fun. Jeri is great with her fans and I'm excited to participate in another one of her contests. Her Shade series is easily one of my favourites and I can't wait to read this new book as well!

 Here's the book summary from Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Today's trading card features Mr. Ralph, David's homeschool teacher. Jeri woke up with this quote in her head and she knew it was the novel's central truth.

For Superfan contest details, including rules, prize list, and entry form, see this post. If you already know what to do, here's a direct link to the entry form, which contains helpful instructions on how to link to your posts. To see a gallery of trading cards (and other interesting stuff from the book), visit the TSoS Pinterest page.

Review: Panic

Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 4, 2014
Hardcover, 408 pages
4.5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

When I heard Oliver had a book coming out, I knew I needed it right away. When I heard it was a contemporary book, I immediately thought about Before I Fall, her debut that blew me away. And while this book has the same prose as her others, it is so completely different that I can't even compare it to the others. Panic is so different from anything I've read, by Oliver or otherwise. When I saw that it was written in third person, I was worried. I'm so in love with hearing characters come to life in their own words, but I bit my tongue and took my words back after the first chapter. Panic came to be one summer when the graduating students got bored. There's no much else to do in Carp anyway, so they may as well make it interesting. Panic is a game that lasts all summer, only graduates may play. You don't have to, but the prize waiting for you at the end makes me hard not too. But Panic is not easy. Panic makes you face your worse fears or worse. People have been injured, people have died. But Heather needs to the money so she can get out of Carp and Dodge needs the money so he can help his sister. 

This book was so hard to put down. Even the parts between the challenges, the parts where not much was happening, kept me anticipating what would come next. Just like the contestants of Panic, I didn't know what was in store for me next. Each word Oliver used made me second guess anything I thought might happen. With each day,  a new Panic challenge would arrive anonymously, sending fear through the contestants. Heather was relatable, coming from a not so good home life and realizing that the money could help her get her sister out of the small town. She is certainly not your typical YA heroine in her looks. She's bigger and taller, while it's her friend, Nat, is the cute pretty one. And Dodge is so far from the normal YA hero, it's a breath of fresh air. He's dirty and conniving, but it's all for a reason. Both are trying to do what's best for their families, even if they risk their own lives doing it, and both are also wading through the waters of love, hoping against all hope that they will still have a chance when Panic is over.

Oliver's characters were not perfect at all. Their flaws only made their motives more thrilling and made me rooting for both Heather and Dodge to win Panic. The secrets they kept from each other, their reasons for playing, gave me a thrill that I don't get very often in other books. Even in the last few chapters, there was no telling who would take the prize home and who would actually survive to tell about it. Everything about the book was unique and I was engaged all the way to the end. The Delirium series fell short for me, but Before I Fall still reminds one of my favourites. This book was reminiscent of her first novel and I was glad to see that side of her back again. Can't wait for more, Lauren!

“It was so strange, the way that life moved forward: the twists and the dead ends, the sudden opportunities. She supposed if you could predict or foresee everything that was going to happen, you’d lose the motivation to go through it all. The promise was always in the possibility.” 

This Side of Salvation Superfan Contest Day 8!

Hey guys!

I'll be participating in a contest hosted by Jeri Smith-Ready for her new YA contemporary, This Side of Salvation, which comes out April 1st!

Here's the post about the contest! And the rules are here. It's easy to enter and looks like it'll be a lot if fun. Jeri is great with her fans and I'm excited to participate in another one of her contests. Her Shade series is easily one of my favourites and I can't wait to read this new book as well!

 Here's the book summary from Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Today's trading card features Eve Decker, one of David's homeschool classmates. Overshadowed by her obnoxious older brother, Ezra, she's a bit of a wallflower when we first meet her. But then she develops, in every way. Like David, she's pissed at her parents for hiding the truth and denying her choices. Unlike David, she's really good at chess.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we talk about bookish topics and share the love.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Most Unique Reads

1. Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane: A mystery involving books that made my love for books even deeper.

2. Mind Games by Kiersten White: Just as the title suggests, this book played games with my head and it stood out from the rest because of it.

3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette's voice is unique one of a kind, that you'll never forget it.

4. Pivot Point by Kasie West: Two completely different worlds and realities playing out at the same time made for a really fun and unique read.

5. Imaginary Girls by Nova Suma Ren: It was hard to tell what was real in this book and as far as unreliable narrators go, this one has the best one.

6. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: Cute and quirky, this book takes the email world to the extreme and I loved it!

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: The grief in this book stands out above the rest and the notes and poems scattered through the pages made this book feel very real.

8. Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt: Two narrators, one counting down to something and the other just trying to get through. The titles of the chapters and the way that it played out in one evening gave this book a nice, unique quality.

9. Panic by Lauren Oliver: The concept was cool and different and the writing was very different from what I've been reading lately.

10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: I'm a big fan of books written from the stand point of a dead character (morbid I know) and this one was heartbreaking and touching with a bit of mystery involved.

What are some fun, unique reads you've had the pleasure of reading?

This Side of Salvation Superfan Contest Day 7!

Hey guys!

I'll be participating in a contest hosted by Jeri Smith-Ready for her new YA contemporary, This Side of Salvation, which comes out April 1st!

Here's the post about the contest! And the rules are here. It's easy to enter and looks like it'll be a lot if fun. Jeri is great with her fans and I'm excited to participate in another one of her contests. Her Shade series is easily one of my favourites and I can't wait to read this new book as well!

 Here's the book summary from Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Today's trading card features Sophia Visser, leader of the Rush cult. A widow with a sordid past, Sophia dreams of eternal peace and salvation. But what will she sacrifice to achieve that dream, and at what cost to her devoted followers and their families?

This Side of Salvation Superfan Contest Day 6!

Hey guys!

I'll be participating in a contest hosted by Jeri Smith-Ready for her new YA contemporary, This Side of Salvation, which comes out April 1st!

Here's the post about the contest! And the rules are here. It's easy to enter and looks like it'll be a lot if fun. Jeri is great with her fans and I'm excited to participate in another one of her contests. Her Shade series is easily one of my favourites and I can't wait to read this new book as well!

 Here's the book summary from Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Today's trading card features Jennifer Cooper, David's mom. Devastated by her older son's death, se goes to great lengths to save the rest of her family, but ultimately it's David and Mara who must save her.

This Side of Salvation Superfan Contest Day 5!

Hey guys!

I'll be participating in a contest hosted by Jeri Smith-Ready for her new YA contemporary, This Side of Salvation, which comes out April 1st!

Here's the post about the contest! And the rules are here. It's easy to enter and looks like it'll be a lot if fun. Jeri is great with her fans and I'm excited to participate in another one of her contests. Her Shade series is easily one of my favourites and I can't wait to read this new book as well!

 Here's the book summary from Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Today's trading card features Mr. Cooper, aka Dad. A recovering alcoholic, he replaced booze with religion after his older son, John, was killed in Afghanistan.