Blog Tour: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/2015/02/tour-schedule-salt-stone-by-victoria.html


Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: February 24, 2015
Publisher: scholastic
Genre: young adult sci-fi, contemporary fantasy (at least, that's what I categorize it as!)
Format/Source: ARC, from the publisher
Status: Book 2 of the Fire & Flood series
Links: Fire & Flood review (also 4 stars)

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour, which was organized & hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. The full tour schedule can be found HERE.


Summary:
In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

Book Blitz: Invaded by Melissa Landers

http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/

This week, one book I'm REALLY excited about is Melissa Landers's Invaded, the full sequel to Invaded, which was one of my favorite books of 2014! It's this fun, sexy sci-fi featuring a kickbutt human girl and the alien exchange student who moves in with her family. There is kissing, and it is GOOD kissing. Invaded is the sequel in which the girl, Cara, goes to the alien planet alone while the boy, Aelyx, has to stay on Earth to do some serious PR work after an interplanetary disaster. Melissa has a quick message to share, and then make sure you scroll to the bottom for an amazing Invaded giveaway!

17316770
Author: Melissa Landers
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: young adult sci-fi romance
Status: book 2 of the Alienated series

Summary: Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?




Author's Note:
Hey, fiction lovers. I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series (YA sci-fi from Disney-Hyperion), and today I’m bouncing with excitement because THE SEQUEL IS FINALLY HERE!

It’s been a year since we left Aelyx and Cara onboard the intergalactic transport, and INVADED begins with an emotional goodbye as they part ways—Aelyx returning to Earth to salvage the alliance, and Cara continuing to L’eihr to serve out her part of the student exchange. While they’re apart, our star-crossed lovers will face assassination attempts, betrayal, crippling self-doubt, and a sadistic alien Phys Ed class. (Because there’s no escaping PE, even in another galaxy.) When Aelyx and Cara finally reunite…well, let’s just say it’s combustive. ;-) 

What do reviewers think? I’m glad you asked!

“Readers will love the seamless blend of suspense, humor, and romance set against an interstellar landscape. Dual narratives and a tightly plotted mystery keep the suspense running high, and the chemistry between Aelyx and Cara smolders.” –Booklist

“Excellent character development and integration between modern reality and science fiction. Teens will be rooting for the galactic couple while enjoying the action and suspense that runs through the two volumes.” –School Library Journal

“The protagonists' forced separation gives greater depth to their romance. Each earns to turn a critical eye upon the flaws of their native societies while onfronting genuine obstacles to a future together. These complications only underscore the growing sense of menace that propels the narrative to an action-packed climax.” –Kirkus 
I hope you’ll make tracks to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Invaded! If you’re snowed in, here are some easy links to bring the sequel right to you:

Available from:
   

Cara & Aelyx's story begins in Alienated!
Pub Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: young adult, sci-fi, romance
Status: Book 1 of the Alienated series
Summary: Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.


Book Buy Links:
   


Check out my 4 star review of Alienated here!

Cara & Aelyx share a special Christmas...
but only Until Midnight!
22614886  Pub Date: December 23, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: young adult, sci-fi, romance
Status: Book 1.5 of the Alienated series
Summary: Cara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx's home planet, L'eihr. Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship. When Aelyx learns that Cara is forgoing her favorite holiday, he tries to recreate Christmas in space by researching traditional earth customs…but a few things get lost in translation.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22614886-until-midnight

Book Links:
   


About the Author:
Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives just outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, "Sweetheart of Ohio" and writes adult contemporary romance as Macy Beckett. For more information, or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

Author Links:
  


Giveaway:
To celebrate my book birthday, I’m offering one lucky winner a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble and an autographed swag pack, completewith mini posters of BOTH books! This giveaway is open internationally, and due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.

Best of luck, and happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Many thanks to Jaime & Rachel of Rockstar Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to be part of this blitz. You ladies are awesome!

Weekly wrap-up: January 25-31

This is one of those weeks in which I actually read a lot, but I don't finish much of it.

Completed:
Fairest (Lunar Chronicles #0.1) - Marissa Meyer: ?? stars. I sometimes have difficulty rating books when they're different from other books in the same series, and Fairest is definitely different. Enjoyable, but I'm still trying to figure out how I feel because dang. That was some crazy stuff!

Currently Reading:
The Young Elites audio - Marie Lu. I don't feel like I'm engaging well with the audio because I find I don't want to listen to it very often. Of course, that might also be because I just bought 1989 so all I want to do is listen to Taylor Swift non-stop.
Soulprint - Megan Miranda
We Can Work It Out (Lonely Hearts Club #2) - Elizabeth Eulberg. I think I can see where this is going, and it is not going in a direction that's good. Tread with caution, Penny Lane!
"The Moth in the Mirror" (Splintered #1.5) - A.G. Howard. Jeb is everything. Step off, Morpheus.

New to my bookshelf this week:
Library:
All Fall Down audio - Ally Carter

Bought:
Half Price Books:
Dare You To, Crash Into You, and Take Me On (Pushing the Limits #2-4) - Katie McGarry
Vampire Academy (VA #1) - Richelle Mead
Goddess (Starcrossed #3) - Josephine Angelini
Every Day (Every Day #1) - David Levithan

Aaaand I'm about to go buy a bunch of books at B&N for Marissa Meyer's Fairest signing this afternoon.