Between the Lives Blog Tour – Author Guest Post: Jessica Shirvington + Giveaway

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Hi Treasured Tales followers.  I am so excited to have Jessica Shirvington visiting the blog today as part of the Between the Lives blog tour.  I recently read Between the Lives and I loved it.  You can check out my review here.  Jessica has written a guest post about Sabine and dealing with big issues as a storyteller.  Thank you for the awesome guest post, Jessica.  Also,thank you to Amanda from Harper Collins Australia for arranging the blog tour.

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Dealing with big issues – and a bit about Sabine’s story.

Okay, so there are some pretty confronting issues/scenes that come up in this book and in many ways they are even more confronting than the big “end-of-the-world” problems because they are focused on the state of mind of one girl, Sabine. The issues that come up are not ones I envisioned myself, as a writer, necessarily tackling. But when I had the initial idea for Between the Lives, the story quickly took on a mind of its own.

So many elements of Sabine’s dual realities are linked to normal life experiences of any teenager who feels like they need to be the person that is expected of them rather than taking a step back to discover who they really are to themselves.

Most people, at some stage, go through a bit of a dark stage and every single person responds differently. When writing Sabine’s story about the choices that she faces, it was never about those dark days being dominated by the dangerous experiments she begins, but rather the spiral of her mind and emotions that push her so far that she considers ending everything.

Despite how it might appear, Sabine’s story is not death. Just the opposite. It is one girl’s intense desire to live fully. She is exhausted by her existence but she never gives up hope for more. And it is in this quest for more that she loses her way. As a writer these were the elements that made this story so interesting to tell.

Another big issue that is explored in Between the Lives is what can happen when one person’s view of the world becomes entirely, dangerously, insular. Sabine is dealing with extreme problems but at the same time, she becomes so obsessed with making everything right in her world (worlds) that she fails to see the very serious things going on around her in both of them – and the consequences for that carry a very high price.

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Between the Lives is definitely a must read.  I could not stop reading.

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More information about Jessica Shirvington and Between the Lives:

website ~ blog ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ goodreads

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Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Book description (from Goodreads) –

Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is…

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life – a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted… But just what – and who – is she really risking?

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Giveaway

Thanks to Harper Collins Australia, I have two copies of Between the Lives to give away.  Here’s how to enter:

Just fill out the entry form below.

You must be an Australian resident to enter, and you must also be a blog follower to enter.

Extra entries are available:

+2 entries for commenting on this post

+3 entries for commenting on my review of Between the Lives

+3 entries for liking the Treasured Tales for Young Adults facebook page

Please read the competition policy (found here) before you enter.

The competition is open from now until Monday 20th May, 2013 11:59pm Australian EST.

There will be two winners who will be chosen using random.org.  Winners will be notified by email.

Good-luck

Entry Form

Name(required)

Email(required)

Are you an Australian resident?(required)

Are you a blog follower? How do you follow the blog? (If you follow the blog via email, you must activate your subscription before you will be considered a blog follower via email.)(required)

Did you comment on my review of Between the Lives? (+3 entries) Yes No

Are you a Treasured Tales for Young Adults facebook fan? If so, what is your username? (+3 entries) Yes No

Did you comment on this post? (+2 entries) Yes No

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Check out the next stop on the tour:

May 8th – Novels on the Run

“Waiting On” Wednesday: Belladonna

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that book bloggers are looking forward to.

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Belladonna (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #2) by Fiona Paul

Book description (from Goodreads) -

In Renaissance Italy, love, lust, intrigue and secret societies converge to stunning results!

In the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.

So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?
Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

To be released:  16th July 2013

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I loved the first book in this series, Venom, so I am eagerly awaiting Belladonna.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

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More information about Fiona Paul and the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series:

goodreads ~ blog ~ facebook ~ twitter

Review: Between the Lives

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Book description (from Goodreads) –

Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is…

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life – a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted… But just what – and who – is she really risking?

ARC Review

Between the Lives is the first novel by Jessica Shirvington that I have read, and I loved it.  I read the entire novel in one sitting because I was so engrossed in the story that there was no way I could stop reading.

Between the Lives has a very interesting and unique storyline.  Main character Sabine has two lives – two different families, two different social groups, two different lifestyles.  The only things that are common to Sabine’s two lives are her name, her memories, and her physicality.  Sabine experiences each day twice: once in the town of Roxbury, where she lives with her parents and younger sister, Maddie, and once in the town of Wellesley, where she lives with her mother and has two older brother’s, Ryan and Lucas.

Every night at midnight Sabine Shifts from one life to the next, and when she Shifts lives, that life will pick up right where it left off – like no time has passed.  Living two lives has never been easy for Sabine but she does manage; however everything changes when Sabine breaks her arm.  Usually if Sabine is sick or injured in one life it will transfer to her other life…except this time it hasn’t.  As Sabine wonders what has changed, she also begins to wonder if she can finally have one life – that maybe, somehow, she could choose her Roxbury life or her Wellesley life.  But if it is possible, which life will she choose?  As Sabine beings to test her theory that she may be able to choose one life, everything begins to unravel.

In her Wellesley life, Sabine has a boyfriend, Dex, and while things are far from perfect between them, she feels that Dex is right for her – at least in her Wellesley life.  In Roxbury, Sabine meets Ethan and begins to develop feelings for him.  Sabine does not want two relationships and having feelings for two men is adding to her already stressful lives.

I was most definitely Team Ethan.  I thought he was so kind and compassionate.  He was a great influence on Sabine.  I disliked Dex; I thought he was selfish and an all-round jerk.  I did not like the way he treated Sabine.  Sabine is a complex character with many layers.  While she is essentially herself in both her lives, there are some differences in her personality, in terms of how she interacts with people in one life compared to the other – which is only natural considering that she does have two lives.  I instantly liked Sabine in her Roxbury life, although it did take me a little while to warm up to her in her Wellesley life.  I think the reason for this is that I felt she was a little more relatable in her Roxbury life.  In Wellesley, I couldn’t understand some of her decisions.  I kept thinking: why are you with Dex, Sabine?

I very much enjoyed Jessica Shirvington’s writing style.  She explains the Shifts from one life to the other that Sabine experiences so well.  It’s very easy to understand what is happening, there is no confusion.  I experienced so many emotions while reading Between the Lives.  It was heart-breaking and heart-warming.  I found myself reaching for the tissues.  After I read Sabine’s story, I found myself still thinking about it days after.

Emotionally raw and intense, Between the Lives emphasises the power and hope of love and highlights just how precious life is.  Unforgettable.

5/5

*Thank you to Harper Collins Australia for providing me with a copy of Between the Lives to review.

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Published by:  Harper Collins Australia
Release date:  1st May 2013

Shadowed Blog Tour – Guest Post by Sarah Alderson (Locations)

Hi Treasured Tales followers.  *waves hello*  Today, I would like to welcome author Sarah Alderson back to Treasured Tales.  Sarah has written a guest post about some of the locations that feature in the novel Shadowed, the third and final novel in the Fated series.

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Locations

Shadowed is set mainly in LA, though it does start off in Riverview, Evie’s hometown.

I set the Fated series in California because I was there when I first started writing it. I love California. It’s one of my favourite places in the world. Riverview was based on some of the towns we drove through on our way to San Francisco and Yosemite. It’s so beautiful, really rural with lots of orchards. We went swimming in this stunning swimming hole, which inspired the location for the swimming hole in Fated.

When it came to trying to think of a good location for the way through/Gateway I was inspired by the movie Blade Runner which was filmed at the Bradbury Building. When I started researching it I thought that it would be perfect because it does in actual fact house the LAPD’s Internal Affairs department, which I thought would be hilarious. The fact that the police are sitting above it was kind of funny.

http://trespassparade.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/BradburyBuilding.jpg

http://www.greatbuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_1160284087_Bradbury_Building_01.jpg

Can you not just imagine a kickass fight scene happening in here with Thirsters baying for blood and Vero wielding a flamethrower?

I took some liberties with the parking lot out the back and added some fast food restaurants too in order to help the plot along. I also completely invented the Costume Shop in the basement. As far as I’m aware there is no costume shop in the basement hiding a secret doorway through to other realms.

The house where Victor is living in West Hollywood I based on the house I stayed in when I was there. It was actually the house used in a Steve Martin movie “LA Story” and it was perfect – and I liked the incongruousness of it.

At one point in Shadowed they head to the Getty Museum, which is one of my favourite places in LA. It’s this incredible art museum on top of a hill overlooking LA with sweeping views across the city.

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sandiway/blog/getty/getty1.jpg

http://www.palosstudioblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/los-angeles-getty-engagement-1(pp_w860_h573).jpg

I also thought it would be funny to have The Originals hanging out in Beverly Hills. I mean if you were a thousand year old Thirster who could choose where to live, you’d probably choose a mansion in BH too, right? Though there are other reasons too.

Imagine them all walking down a street like this, armed to the teeth with blades and flame throwers.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Beverly_Hills11.JPG

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Thank you so much for the guest post, Sarah.

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Wasn’t that an awesome guest post about the locations that feature in Shadowed?  Have you read the Fated series?

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Check out the Fated trilogy:

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Author bio (from Goodreads) -

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing by the pool and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.

She finished her first novel, Hunting Lila, just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel on the beach in India and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they had reached Bali.

More information about Sarah Alderson and the Fated series:

website/blog ~ goodreads ~ twitter

Review: The Farm

The Farm (The Farm #1) by Emily McKay

Book description (from Goodreads) –

For Lily and her twin sister, Mel, there is only the Farm . . .

It’s a prison, a blood bank, a death camp – where fear and paranoia rule. But it’s also home, of sorts. Because beyond the electric fence awaits a fate much, much worse.

But Lily has a plan.

She and Mel are going to escape – into the ravaged land outside, a place of freedom and chaos and horrors. Except Lily hasn’t reckoned on two things: first, her sister’s ability to control the horrors; and, secondly, on those out there who desperately want to find and control Mel.

Mel’s growing power might save the world, or utterly end it. But only Lily can protect Mel from what is to come . . .

The Farm takes you into a terrifying future where civilization has ended, and leaves you there – fearful, gasping and begging to escape.

Review

I loved this novel.  I could not put it down; I became addicted to it.  The Farm by Emily McKay is full of suspense, action, and horror, and I could not stop reading.  It was one of those novels where I wanted to know what happened, yet at the same time I didn’t want it to end because I was enjoying it so much.

In Emily McKay’s The Farm, the United States of America has changed; it has become overrun with Ticks.  Ticks are grotesque creatures, and the best way for me to describe them is that they are mutant humans who act like mutant vampires.  Everyone was lead to believe that Farms would be safe places for teenagers; a way to protect them from Ticks – who prefer the blood of teenagers.  The government told parents it would be safe.

However life on the Farm is not easy – you donate blood, which is given to the Ticks, you keep your head down and your contact with others to a minimum. You just don’t know who you can trust.  For main character Lily, she takes every precaution to avoid trouble.  If you get in to trouble on the Farm…you die.  Lily’s main reason for avoiding trouble is not just to protect herself, but also to protect her twin sister, Mel, who has autism.  Lily would do anything to protect Mel, and that means leaving the Farm – because once a teenager turns 18, they disappear from the Farm – never to be seen again.

Lily doesn’t know what happens to teenagers once they turn 18, but she suspects that they are thrown to the Ticks – and with Lily and Mel’s 18^th birthday just around the corner, Lily is taking no chances.  She doesn’t know what life is like outside the walls of the Farm – how life has changed, if people are fighting back, who is still alive – but she can’t risk staying there any longer.  All she can think about is keeping Mel safe.

I loved Lily.  She is protective, loyal, stubborn, quick witted, and very self-less when it comes to Mel.  Lily does feel a huge responsibility to look after Mel and sometimes she resents it, but at the same time she would not have it any other way.  She loves her sister and is extremely protective of her.

While Lily is the main character and the story is told mostly in her point of view, there are also chapters in Mel’s point of view and that of another character – Carter.  I adored Mel; she has such a beautiful soul.  She is kind, caring, brave, and she deeply loves her sister, Lily.  I loved the chapters from her perspective.

As mentioned earlier, there are also chapters from Carter’s point of view.  Carter has arrived at the Farm with a mission: to rescue Lily and Mel.  He knew Lily in the Before (before the Ticks), when they went to school together.  Carter has his reasons for wanting to get Lily and Mel off the Farm, but he can’t tell Lily why – at least not straight away.  He is desperate for Lily to trust him, but she is hesitant.  She wants to, she would love to trust him, but she hasn’t kept herself and Mel safe on the Farm for the past 6 months by trusting people.  Lily needs Carter to prove that he is trustworthy.

Carter is one of those gorgeous male characters that you keep turning the pages for.  You want to read more about him.  He is strong, kind, loyal, and honourable.  He occasionally says the wrong things to Lily but he has the best of intentions.  He is keeping secrets from Lily but he does have his reasons.  He wants to keep Lily and Mel safe.  I do believe that Carter’s feelings for Lily are his own and not what he feels is being projected onto him.  I know that doesn’t make much sense, but it will after you have read the novel.  I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone.

The Farm is an action packed dystopian novel but at its core it is a story of love.  The love Lily has for her sister, Mel; the love Mel has for Lily.  The love Carter feels for Lily; the feelings Lily has for Carter.  There are also two other characters that love each other (but again, no spoilers).

I experienced so many emotions while reading this novel, and I was left in shock by an event that occurred towards the end of the story.  I can’t wait to read the sequel.

The Farm by Emily McKay is absolute brilliance.  A must read.

5/5

*Thank you to Penguin Australia for providing me with a copy of The Farm to review.

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Published by: Penguin Australia
Release date: 21st November 2012

Feature and Follow Friday

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Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, that allows bloggers to spread the word about their blog and gain new followers. Each week bloggers also answer a book related question. This week’s question is:

What is a book you didn’t like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn’t popular?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.  It wasn’t that I disliked it, but I didn’t love it either.  I had heard so many wonderful things about it, yet after I had read it, I felt disappointed.  It just didn’t captivate me.

Feature and Follow Friday

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Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, that allows bloggers to spread the word about their blog and gain new followers. Each week bloggers also answer a book related question. This week’s question is:

Confess your sins!  Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you’ve done, that as you gained more experience you were like – oops?

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Absolutely.  When I first started blogging, I really was learning with every post that I published and every review that I wrote.  When I first started reviewing books, I thought my reviews were long enough, but after a while I realized that maybe they were too short – that I wasn’t delving deep enough into the story.  Now, I review the story and the characters.  I just make sure to not reveal any spoilers.