Blog Tour and Giveaway: Forsaken by Kristen Day

And the day has finally arrived! What day? The day of Project Read and Review's first ever blog tour! And what an amazing tour to be part of. In this post you'll find out a little bit about the author (Kristen Day), my thoughts on this captivating read, and an exciting giveaway of 7 eBook copies!

About The Author


Kristen Day is a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity.  She loves all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky.  She’s been told she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, but she prefers to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something she can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

She is the author of the Daughters of the Sea trilogy, which includes Forsaken, Awaken (October 2012), and Chosen (Winter 2012).  She loves all books, but really enjoys writing young adult, paranormal romances.  She’s loved to write for as long as she can remember.  Her first published work was her poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, right?) that won her 5 gold stars and a spot in her elementary school's poetry book. That's when her addiction to the written word officially began.  She was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.

When she’s not writing she’s making jewelry, painting, feeding her addiction to sweet tea, watching the Discovery Channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with her amazing husband. She was born in Boone, NC and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Marketing in 2001.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Title: The Boyfriend List
Author: E.Lockhart
Publisher: Corgi
Released: January 1st 2005
Pages: 256 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon


15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver.

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it's unusual, but give her a break—she's had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:

* lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list)
* lost her best friend (Kim)
* lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket)
* did something suspicious with a boy (#10)
* did something advanced with a boy (#15)
* had an argument with a boy (#14)
* drank her first beer (someone handed it to her)
* got caught by her mom (ag!)
* had a panic attack (scary)
* lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie)
* failed a math test (she'll make it up)
* hurt Meghan's feelings (even though they aren't really friends)
* became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
* and had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the boys'!?!).

But don't worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

Blink Once by Cylin Busby

Title: Blink Once
Author: Cylin Busby
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: October 11th 2012
Pages: 304 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon


West is a high school senior who has everything going for him – until an accident leaves him paralysed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, moving in and out of consciousness, West is isolated and alone. Until he meets Olivia.

Olivia is the girl next door – though not the typical girl next door. She is in the hospital room next to his, and before long, she’s sneaking into his room to talk with him. Only Olivia seems to know what he’s thinking, and even dreaming about. Yet certain questions haunt him: Why is Olivia in the hospital? And how is she connected to the terrible dreams he’s been having? But the biggest shock of all comes when West must face the possibility that the girl he’s fallen in love with – and who’s done more to aid his recovery than anyone else – may not even be alive.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Definitions
Released: March 14th 2006
Pages: 584
Buy: Amazon


It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.

Waiting on Wednesday (#23)

'Waiting on Wednesday' is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Book Haul (#11)

This week I haven't gotten as many books as last week, but I still am stupidly excited about reading all this. A few are requests, so look out for reviews coming soon!

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart (from the library)
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (borrowed from my mum)
Blink Once by Cylin Busby (from Bloomsbury publishers)
Phantom by Laura DeLuca (from author)
Song To Wake To by J.D. Field (bought myself)

Follow Friday (#13)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

There are a certain few, for sure. Firstly, I've got to say that for how many copies have sold, Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely made out to be better than it is. It is poorly written, lacks a proper story-line, and is frankly just a bit odd. Other books include The Selection, Twilight, and Pure. I wouldn't suggest avoiding these reads, not if you're curious, but I personally thought they were all a bit disappointing.

So what did you pick? Anything I should avoid? Leave a comment below!

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Released: February 8th 2012
Pages: 480 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost--how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run. 
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked: Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss--maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Book Haul (#10) - Birthday edition!

It was my birthday on Saturday (I'm finally 16! Woo!) so naturally I got gifted a lot of books - as well as a Kindle! So I have a pretty big - and pretty amazing - haul today.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (from Mum)
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (from Mum)
1Q84 (books 1,2,3) by Haruki Murakami (from Mum)
The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle (from author)
Forsaken by Kristen Day (from author)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (bought myself)
Zombicorns by John Green (which has been published for online download legally)
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (from Dad)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (from Dad)
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (bought myself)
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (bought myself)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (bought myself)

So what have you gotten recently? Leave a comment below!

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Title: To Kill A Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: Vintage
Released: July 11th 1960
Pages: 307 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice, —but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

One-Year Blogaversary Winner!

August 21st 2012 marked the day of my first blogaversary, so to celebrate it, I decided to host my very first giveaway. This was also to celebrate my reaching 100 followers - yup, a drop in the ocean, but it still meant an awful lot to me.

And after two months and many entries, we have a winner! The winner of my first ever giveaway, at entry #74, is Vero V, and she has chosen Looking For Alaska by John Green.

I just want to thank you all again for entering my competition. It was small, but I still got over 150 entries, which meant an awful lot to me. So thank you for following Project Read and Review, and watch out for the Halloween competition I am currently planning. Keep your eyes peeled, and happy reading.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey
Author: E.L.James
Publisher: Arrow Books
Released: June 20th 2011
Pages: 514 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon


When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind - until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.

Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.

But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden way from public view.


I feel like I need some kind of award for having finished this book. It's been sat on my shelf all summer, and if I'm being honest, I was avoiding reading it because I had a nagging voice in my head saying, What if you like it? What if you really enjoy it, and you become one of the people who can't get enough of it? It's fair enough to say that my worries were silly - there is no way on Earth that I would ever like a novel like this. Please prepare yourself for the rant of a lifetime.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Title: Boy Meets Boy
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: September 9th 2003
Pages: 185 (Hardback)
Buy: Amazon

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance. 

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

Book of the Month: August

This month, like always, I have read a range of different books, and I have enjoyed many of them. But only two really stood out for me - and for very different reasons. Firstly, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, which is a dystopian novel based around the idea that love - amor deliria nervosa - is a disease, and needs to be cured. The other is I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, which is based around the Lorien Nine, a race of aliens who came to Earth to grow up when their own planet was destroyed by Mogadorian's.

It is a very close call, but I know it's got to be I Am Number Four. I read a lot of dystopian novels and I love them all, but IANF was my first ever alien novel, and I absolutely adored it. The two authors completely created two new worlds, and did it so convincingly that I felt as if I was watching it all unfold right in from of me. I cannot give it enough praise, really. I'd definitely say that it is just one of those novels that every teenager should at least give a try, no matter what their genre preference may be. Luckily, I have The Power of Six sitting on my shelf, which is the sequel and I will be reading sometime this month - and I honestly cannot wait. My hopes are set high.