Zondervan's YA Imprint Blink launches...
The Blink Tour!
Each stop on the five-city tour will feature a combination of seven prolific YA authors, including Golden Heart finalist Carey Corp and HonestlyYA blogger Lorie Langdon (DOON); Christy Award finalist Lisa T. Bergren (REMNANTS); co-founder of readergirlz Lorie Ann Grover (FIRSTBORN); Robert Treskillard (THE MERLIN SPIRAL series); Christy Award winner Jill Williamson (THE SAFE LANDS series); and Jonathan Friesen (AQUIFER), whose first YA novel Jerk, California received the ALA Schneider Award.
Events will feature a reading and Q&A, tons of swag up for grabs, and even bigger prizes to win in the grand prize giveaway at every stop.
Can't make it in person?
Meet the authors on the virtual Prism Tour!
Enter to win copies of each featured book...
Sunday, May 11 - Tour Launch Blitz
Contact PrismBookTours@gmail.com to share this post!
Monday, May 12
– Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings: Lorie Langdon & Carey Corp: Doon (Doon #1)
The base of this book is "Brigadoon "- a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards. The story involves two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Tommy, one of the tourists, falls in love with Fiona, a young woman from Brigadoon. The original production opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran for 581 performances. It starred David Brooks, George Keane, and Marion Bell. Brigadoon then received a West End production opening in 1949 that ran for 685 performances, and many revivals followed. A 1954 film version starred Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A 1966 television version starred Robert Goulet and Peter Falk. Thematically, the musical depicted the contrast between empty city life and the warmth and simplicity of the country, focusing on a theme of love transcending time.
With this citation I also creating the connection to one of the main characters in the book - Mackenna, who is going to accomplish her dream to be an actress on Broadway's stages .
Now for the book - Doon is a out worldly place of contradictions. On one hand , they have modern ways, toilets and showers, combined with the mindset of the ancient world. People have been traveling to Doon throughout history, from our world to theirs through a magical bridge. As a result, Doon has modern conveniences like the aforementioned toilets; it has Asian inhabitants, Indian inhabitants, black inhabitants, as well as sushi and pizzerias. On the other hand, they are still firmly ingrained in the mindset of the past, despite everything they have seen and known. They believe that magic is witchcraft, they believe in predestination, a soul-mate, a Calling. They are still willing to burn witches at stakes. Same as they attribute their continued existence to the Protector.
The main characters are - Veronica (Vee) and Mackenna (Kenna). Vee and Kenna are each other’s biggest fans, as they don't exploiting each others’ weaknesses, but in complement each other, they form a synergistic team. Vee's lifes is going from bad to worst and Mackenna invite her to spend the summer in Scotland in a house that she inherited from her most loved aunt, Grace. Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months, but just a little before this, Veronica has visions of a handsome guy in a kilt. In Grace place they find a journal which ensure Vee about a mythical place there she will find her guy in a kilt. Kenna thought that she is over due with troubles and just hallucinating. She keep believing this, till Vee find two magical rings which transfer them to Doon.
As any good fairy tale it Doon also comes with a build in of a dark side. As I mention before The people of Doon believe that magic is witchcraft. When the protector separated Doon from the rest of the world it killed all its witches, except one that succeed to run away. The witches represented all the evil in their world, and they are sure (and rightly so) that this witch conspire to destroy their kingdom. Destroying the kingdom means that the it will return to the rest of the world or it will disappear into the mists lost forever. In the past, they caught people that the witch used in her attempts to do so. They fear that our girls are another pawns in the witch, because they appear in Doon before the magical bridge was open. This ugly suspicion casts big and dark shadow on the visit and on their relationships.
I must admit that, despite the fact it kind of fairy tale, Vee and Kenna are, certainly, no damsels in distress. They drive the plot, they resolve the conflict and they save the beautiful dudes in distress.
I did love the way the two authors weave the contemporary worldviews of their heroines that are juxtaposed with the fairy tale realities that they encounter. They both turned the reading to pure fun, along with kind of humor, that kept me laughing and turning the pages in purpose to have some more.
I really love to read more about it!
View all my reviews
Tuesday, May 13
- Meet the authors in person at School Events in the Atlanta Area
- Kathy @ I Am A Reader: Lisa Tawn Bergren: Season of Wonder (Remnants #1)
Wednesday, May 14
- 6:00 pm at THE BOOKSELLERS AT LAURELWOOD, 387 Perkins Road Extended, Memphis, TN 38117. Robert Treskillard, Lorie Anne Grover , Jonathan Freisen
Thursday, May 15
- 7:00 – 9:00 pm at SALT LAKE CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 210 East 400 South, Conference Room A, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Lorie Ann Grover, Jill Williamson, Jonathan Freisen, Lisa T. Bergren
Friday, May 16
- School Events in the Phoenix Area
– Laura @ Colorimetry: Jill Williamson: The Safe Lands Series: Captives & Outcasts
Saturday, May 17
- 4:00 pm at CHANGING HANDS, 6428 S McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283. Lorie Ann Grover, Jill Williamson, Jonathan Freisen, Lisa T. Bergren.
thoroughly enjoyed how the author described this dystopian future of a world without freshwater on the surface. AQUIFER is a story of highly controlled society, lack of water, children educated by government, lies, family secrets, and betrayal. It’s also a story of friendship and learning to trust. There is violence, death, and dead bodies in this story but it creates a sadness in the reader instead of horror. It was nice to find that the plot takes place around the coast of Australia and it's center New Pert.
There is none explanation how the world came to be so dry, but that was likely due to the lack of knowledge of Luca, who tells the story in first person narrative. In this world, the written word had all but been destroyed, as it is seen as a method that could incite rebellion.
The control of the society rests with the Council of nine above ground, a group that has people following without hesitation, and which has forbidden all emotion in the name of keeping the peace. Everyone had been told lies to keep their emotions in check and daily lifestyle uniform for the greater good of peace and harmony. In a world that demands conformity there are the fearsome Amongus (the council "Law enforcers") tasked with stamping out any hint of individuality or emotion. Every one fear the Amongus who go around with Emotional Detectors ( the Dails). The consequences of these "crimes" warrant either a debriefing, which is a brainwashing, the result of which makes one a numb, walking slave; or the March of the Undone, where the targeted person/persons are marched to the docks, board a boat, row to a certain point of the ocean, clap weighted shackles to their wrists and ankles, and jump overboard. Any reference to a dead person, or to death at all, is referred to as undone. The only people who can go under the dials - are the Wishers, with their faith in the prophecy. They help Luca with whispers into his head.
Luca is a Deliver's son and when he is 16, he is a Deliverer. Generations of one family that goes below once a year to form an agreement to supply water to the "toppers". He will one day have to descend to the underground Aquifer each year and negotiate with the reportedly ratlike miners who harvest the world's fresh water.
One day everything changes and all that has been becomes the biggest "wrinkle" (emotion create wrinkles). When his dad, Massa, disappears Luca knows that something is wrong. His father always knows the way back. As he investigates, someone tries to kill him. Luca suspect that someone decides to force Massa to give up the route.
He know that his father never will give the secret and this is why he probably held alive somewhere. He must complete the task of going underground and bringing water to his world or everything will turn to chaos and everyone will die. He also must find him, because, the only thing that he is missing for being deliver is the start point to the Aquifer.
Along the way, he finds a lot about his history and his family. The life of a deliverer is not all it appears. The Council tried to break his father's spirit, while also forcing Luca to hide every feeling that rules his heart.
Seward, is a pirate and one who occasionally works for the government, retrieving the ones who have been undone. he and Luca meet when Luca need help in retrieving stash of books that he found. Luca then find that Seward is on an expedition for recovery of a body that is dressed like Luca's dad, but they found that it doesn't have the same markings. the council tried to prove the Massa is undone. Seward is both clever and sneaky, he’s also the comic relief in the story. I felt like he was one of the few adults in the book who risks his life to protect Luca and only cares about Luca’s best interest. Seward is not afraid of Amongus and he’s good at tricking them.
Wren - the museum director with her own secrets. She helps Luca and also has no fear of the government. She inspires Luca and teaches him to read.
Walery - One day, when Luca is about to witness the undone of some people, he saves one of them: Walery. He doesn't know Walery that well, but he still decides that it's not right for him to die. Luca keeps Walery in his house and tries to keep him alive whilst his father makes the agreement with the Water Rats.
Lendi, one of Luca's friends from school. Lendi was really awesome and was there for Luca most of the time.
Talya, the daughter of a Water Rat, was pretty nice. When Luca meets Talya (Her), a Rat girl, she stirs feelings inside him he’s never before felt. She fell for him too and her trust in him didn't waver till they meet Walery .
About Blink: Blink brings true stories and fiction to YA readers. The literature published by Blink is a positive reflection of what is inspiring and heartening while maintaining a tradition of imaginative and exciting storytelling that will bring readers to the edge of their seats, immerse them in a heartrending love story, or engross them in a story of a life well-lived. Readers will see themselves in all facets of Blink’s literature and will find new levels of entertainment that enrich and uplift. For more information please visit http://blinkyabooks.com/ or visit us on facebook and Twitter.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/blinkyabooks
Tour-Wide Giveaway
May 11 - 27, 2014
Must be old enough to enter (see Raffelcopater).
USA/Canada only. 6 Winners!
Season of Wonder
(Hardcover)
Aquifer (Hardcover)
Captives + Outcasts (Paperbacks)
Doon (Hardcover)
Firstborn (Hardcover)
Merlin’s Blade + Merlin’s Shadow + Merlin’s Nightmare (Paperbacks)
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