Book tour: Shadow of Deception

Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'Shadow of Deception', hosted by Dark World Books. To view other stops on this tour just click on the banner.

SHADOW OF DECEPTION (The Kazumi Chronicles #1)

by Sophia L. Johnson

YA Dystopian/Sci-fi

Published on April 19^th, 2015

2153, Toronto, United Nation of North America (UNNA)

A horrific plane crash kills all five hundred and forty-two passengers except one. Kazumi emerges from the wreckage physically unscathed but has lost all her memories. Her miraculous survival has the whole city buzzing but all she wants is to go home, wherever home is.

After waiting a month in the hospital with no one to claim her, Kazumi is deemed homeless. She is about to be sent to a nearby teenage shelter when the nurse she grew to trust ushers her down a mysterious path, one that promises safety and maybe even the chance to recover her memories. With no better options available, Kazumi takes her chance and finds herself in the headquarters of the Sarcomeres, a secret society of genetically advanced humans hidden deep inside the Rocky Mountains. The Sarc’s heightened physical abilities and high-tech gadgets are not the only things that fascinate Kazumi. Finnegan O’Riley, a fellow Sarc she meets along the way also gets her heart racing. When Kazumi discovers that she possesses the genetic potential of a Sarcomere, she jumps at the chance to train with them, not knowing the death defying tests that are involved.

Meanwhile, a centuries-old nemesis of the Sarcomeres begins to stir in the dark, setting their dark plans in motion. Just when Kazumi thinks she can help protect her new found home, past memories surface to threaten her new identity. She soon realizes that layers of deception run deep and everyone has a secret agenda, including herself.

Who can she trust when she can’t even trust herself? One wrong decision could bring forth consequences worse than death.

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All royalties made in the first year will go to a charity called Covenant House, to help homeless youth.

Review
This was a unique and inventive story for a sci-fi/dystopian novel. Without giving too much away from the story, it's easy to feel bad for the main character. Kazumi wakes up from a plane crash with no memory of who she is. In the beginning, I did find her character (or Gabi, who she is being called at the beginning) a little bit annoying and making some really dumb choices that have dire consequences, but once her memories start coming back her character really started to grow.

Then there's Finn. Such a badass, and powerful both in his leadership and his fighting. He's the character that really made the story.

As for the plot. I really liked that, for a sci-fi, the technology was explained and the reader got a deeper understanding of the world. Things didn't just happen, they were thought out and explained, such as why the genetically advanced humans are better.

This story did hold my interest from beginning to end, and I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good dystopian or sci-fi story.

About the Author

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With a degree in International Business Management, Sophia has worked in a major marketing firm where she realized the corporate world isn’t one she wants to be in.  She then made the switch into the healthcare industry as a Registered Massage Therapist by day and a writer by night.  She is now a Massage Therapy instructor and a published author living with her husband and daughter in Toronto.  Her go-to genres are science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian; or anything that sweeps her away into a foreign world that promises adventure.

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Book Tour: Spinner Tour

Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'Spinner Tour', hosted by Dark World Books. To view other stops on this tour just click on the banner.

SPINNER
by Michael J Bowler
YA Horror/Paranormal
Published on August 5th, 2015 

Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.

In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.

They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.

The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.

The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.

If he survives…

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Review

Alex is a teen in a wheelchair, and he can easily get foster homes, he has a hard time keeping them with his special ability. Alex is a Spinner. He has the ability to take on others' pain and heal them. It was only a matter of time before someone sought to use his powers against him. Alex forms a tight connection with the other misfits from his classmates (all with learning disabilities) as sinister events start happening, starting with the murder of their teacher. 

The blurb is what originally drew me into wanting to read this story - a story with such a diverse cast of characters, especially with a main character with such a challenge from the first page - and I wasn't disappointed. Bowler has created an interesting story that has elements of horror mixed with a strong and diverse cast. Even being in a wheelchair, I was glad that Alex did not let his disability define him, or stop him from doing what needed to be done.

It was a thrilling read from start to end and I would definitely recommend to anyone that loves horror.

About the Author

--> Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of eight novels–A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time (Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), Running Through A Dark Place, There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner. His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition. He grew up in San Rafael, California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies. He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook. He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed him and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office. He is currently working on a sequel to Spinner. His goal as a YA author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.

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