Dissolve Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Thank you A Tale of Many Reviews for the opportunity to be a part of the Dissolve Tour. Also a big thank you to Andrea Heltsley for providing the book for me to read. Make sure to check out the Linky below to see the other stops on this tour.

Dissolve
by Andrea Heltsley
Published: April 4, 2012
Formats Available: Paperback, eBook ~424 pages

Synopsis:
Everything seemed to be going right for Cora. She had a wonderful fiance, a great best friend and a fulfilling life. One day, a tragic event caused that life to crumble around her. She turned to her best friend in her time of need. They embarked on a search for answers, delving deeper into a web of magic and destruction. The closer they got to the truth, the more questions they had. To Cora, magic was the stuff of fairy tales. Immersed into a very different kind of world, the real storm was just beginning to take hold.
“It felt like I was nowhere yet everywhere all at once. I was invisible and completely panicked. The millions of pieces I had dissolved to drift on the breeze and away from my nightmares. It was kind of like floating weightless in a pool, perfectly relaxing. The warm breeze from the window embraced and soothed me. I let the air current carry me as far as it could through the summer city.”
“Defeated, I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths trying to relax myself. I pictured the dandelion in the park today and took a deep breath as to blow the fluffy seeds in all directions. I pretended I was light and fluffy and started to feel a tingling in my body. I began to feel as light as the dandelion seeds and soon I felt like mist floating. This time, I tried to keep myself in the room, swirling in a humid block.”

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Cover: I absolutely love the cover to Dissolve. I would buy the print copy just to have this on my shelf. Everything that Phatpuppy Art creates is amazing.

My Thoughts:
Cora was having a bad night. She was supposed to be out having fun dancing with her friends, but she ended up on the dirty floor of a public restroom, head spinning and stomach heaving. Not exactly what she had planned. She didn't even remember drinking that much, but if she felt this bad then she must have...right? Nessa, Cora's best friend, makes sure she gets home safely both thinking that sleep should help. However, when Cora awakens the next day, she doesn't feel any better. In fact, she feels worse - not a good thing when she is supposed to be meeting with her fiancé Tom and both of their mothers to go over wedding preparations. And things seem to be getting worse. After passing out, Tom takes her home and holds her while she rests. But when she closes her eyes, the worst nightmares come to life. Literally.

Cora finds Tom dead, blood everywhere and has no recollection of what happened. What makes matters worse is that somehow she disappears. Her body becomes particles; she dissolves and reappears at Nessa's completely naked and covered in blood. Not knowing what to do, the girls make a plan to run. But when Nessa is pricked with a needle and starts to have similar symptoms that Cora experienced, well needless to say, things just got weird. Now they are not only running from the police, they are running for their very lives.

The premise to Dissolve was like nothing I had quite seen before. It is a mix of magic and super powers. Think X-Men meets the Fugitive. The story was extremely fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. There was mystery, intrigue, and a little romance. I liked the relationship between Cora and Nessa. There are very few people who would do anything for one another and they are the ultimate BFF combo. There is also some unpredictable plot twists and the book starts out very differently than it ends. I can't really elaborate because I don't want to give anything away.

I had such high hopes for Dissolve, but it just didn't grab me like I thought it would. The concept for the story was great, but I wish that there was more back story. We are shoved right into the action without much character building. I wanted to see more of Tom and Cora's relationship and have a chance to get to know the characters. I never felt like Cora was really sad about Tom's death. I also never got that connection to the MC like I usually do so despite the fast paced plot, I felt the story dragging. There were a few editing issues, but nothing too distracting. The ending was a big cliff-hanger and questions will be answered in book two that will release in 2013. Overall, Dissolve is a good book and people who like action, adventure, science fiction, fantasy and something a little different should pick this one up.

★ ★ ★ ½

Stalk the Author:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Pinterest

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

*****Giveaway*****

5 eBooks(INT) 2 Signed Copies (US/CA)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Doorknob Society

The Doorknob Society
The Doorknob Society Saga #1
By M.J. Fletcher
Published: February 9, 2012
Available Formats: eBook ~290 pages

Synopsis: 
Chloe Masters’s world changed in a heartbeat - and all she did was touch a doorknob. When she was young Chloe’s mother vanished. Wracked by feelings of abandonment and anger she lost herself traveling with her father's magic act, where illusions were part of her everyday life. Yet everything changes when they are pursued by a mysterious man in black out to kill her father. Touching a doorknob activates abilities she never knew she had and she finds herself thrust into a world of ancient societies and secrets.
When her father disappears it is a race against time to find answers before she loses what is left of her family. Now Chloe must choose who to trust, the man who will do anything for her or the one she can’t stop thinking about.

Cover:
The cover reveals tiny pieces of information. I love the glowing doorknob and the lion key hole. I like that we get to see a version of Chloe in her hoodies. What I really thought was great was the reference to only doorknobs and doors. The rest of what we read about is a surprise and I loved that!

My Thoughts:
The Doorknob Society has the makings to be a fantastic book. There are  hot boys, good friends, magic,  and a world very reminiscent to my beloved Harry Potter. It wasn't a copy of HP, don't worry, but there were similarities. Chloe is the daughter of a magician and they are for unknown reasons are detained in Paris. Chloe, being who she is, decides to get their passports back. While trying to not get caught in the act she turns a doorknob from one room and ends up back in her hotel room miles away from where she was just seconds ago. Great start to the book, I was instantly intrigued. What happened? Was it magic? I was hooked and had to keep reading.

Come to find out, Chloe is part of a secret society, one that she had no idea existed until now. Her father, the one person she could trust kept so much from her. She still doesn’t even know why her mother left. I was expecting more information to be given throughout the story, but it was never enough. I think that if a few extra chapters were added to give more backstory and flesh out the characters I would have felt more. As it was, the book is a whirlwind of battles, escapes, fights, and very little dialogue.

There are five distinct variations in the societies and each group can do very specific things. The Skeleton Key Guild, my favorite, can use keys to get anywhere and their keys are their power conduit – just like a wand would be. All five organizations are as follows: The Doorknob Society, The Honorable and Venerable Order of Detective Inspectors, The Impossible Engineers, The Mapmaker’s Union, and The Skeleton Key Guild. There were originally seven groups, but nothing is learned about them.

Chloe doesn’t know where she belongs and is undeclared so she must attend the super-secret school Paladin Academy where she will learn the in which society she belongs. Her father is from the DS and she could be too, but there are other factors that Chloe doesn’t know about and she is on a mission to find out everything she can, especially when her father goes missing. She and her friends band together to help figure out the mystery and find an artifact that some in the society are willing to kill for.

I really liked the fact that Chloe wasn’t perfect. She knew she was broken and made sure that those who wanted to be around her knew it. Very insightful for a teenager, but that is about the most depth we get. On the other hand, I didn’t get into her and Slade. I liked James so much more because the chemistry was there, not a sudden need to be attached but genuine interest – a spark. James also had a past, something readers could relate to and sympathize with. I also enjoyed reading about the crew they assembled. No one was quite sure of one another and there was some genuine dislike in the group, but they worked together.

All in all, the story was interesting and kept my attention. The biggest issue I had is with the general copyediting. The grammar was lacking, but the punctuation was atrocious. There were so many question marks at the end of sentences that were not needed. I had to go back and reread to make sure it wasn’t a question so much that it interrupted the flow. Run-on sentences were a problem too, but didn’t distract as badly as the question marks did. I also did not like that the story seemed rushed throughout the entire book. I didn’t feel like adequate information was provided to the readers for the basic “Why” and “How” and “What” questions. I still have questions now and will be reading the second book, The Impossible Engineers, to find the answers.

Favorite Quote: "I envied that surety, that ability to know your place in the universe."

★ ★ ★ ★ 

 
FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from an ARR program from Goodreads for an honest review. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

Where to Buy:

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Stalk the Author:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Book Trailer:

Review: At First Touch

At First Touch

by Mattie Dunman
Publication Date: May 28, 2012
Formats Available: eBook ~182 pages

Synopsis:
Liz Hannigan has been on the run since she was twelve years old.
Her mother is dead. Her father has lost his job. And thanks to an experimental procedure, Liz is now able to ‘download’ the contents of every brain around her with a simple touch. Forced to hide from both the federal government and a darkling group of morally deficient scientists known as the Coalition determined to exploit her abilities, she moves with her father to the bucolic coal town of Pound, West Virginia.
But the hunt for Liz and her abilities hasn’t ended, and her hopes for peace are shattered when she inadvertently downloads the enigmatic Carey Drake, whose unusual good looks and charm conceal a secret as shocking as her own. Stunned by the knowledge that she has found someone else who has extraordinary abilities, Liz finds herself drawn to Carey, discovering a deep attraction, and dares to hope for the first time she might find love.
But when an agent of the Coalition begins stalking her, Liz must find a way to work with the government agency she most mistrusts as she strives to build a longed-for normal life and take down the agent who has tracked her down. Caught up in a struggle to save herself and those she loves, the girl who sees all is blind to true danger until it is too late.

Cover: The cover is very simple; two hands reaching towards one another. Nothing with a "wow" factor, but as you read the book, you will find out just how meaningful this simple gesture can be.

My Thoughts:

Liz Hannigan isn’t like other teenagers. She can “download” people; their past, present, and their every thought and desire. Once she touches them she has the ability to open their “file” at any time. She wasn’t always a human computer though. She was in a coma for a year after being in an accident that killed her mother. The doctors weren’t sure she would ever wake up, so they tried an experimental procedure on her; one that worked too well. Now she is on the run from the people that created the ability, a group called the Coalition, and the FBI.

Liz is a strong and smart girl who just wants a normal life, but knows that one might never be in store. The relationship with her dad isn’t quite normal, but that is what makes it more believable because their lives are not normal. They are constantly on the run and looking out for danger and neither one can make any meaningful connections; they only have each other.

Carey, the overall good-guy is exactly what you would expect from someone with a hero complex. I like his propensity towards truth and doing what is right. I also like that he has to learn and grow right along with Liz – in order to be in her life – that what is seeming “right” isn’t always as black and white as he thinks. Preston gave me the creeps from the beginning. I don’t like guys that are clingy from the get go. And he just was too much and has a few screws loose.

At First Touch really hits home from a teenager’s perspective. What girl doesn’t want friends, a boyfriend, to go to a dance? Plus, the fact that Liz is different – has to dress different – doesn’t make for an easy high school experience. So now that she has best friend V.J. – something she never thought she would have – she wants to hang on to the life she has built.

I loved this book. Mattie Dunman has created interesting characters, both good and bad, and kept the pace quick and exciting. The writing was witty, thought provoking and stimulating. I would recommend to anyone who likes Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and Action and Adventure. If you like Buffy and the Avengers, you will definitely love At First Touch! I cannot wait to see more from Ms. Dunman! 

Favorite Quote: "I had known the ugliest parts of people's minds for so long it was sometimes hard to remember that real kindness still existed."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

Where to Buy:

Amazon

Stalk the Author:

Website

Goodreads

Murphy's Law Release Day Blitz + Review

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.