Rating: stars
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: young adult thriller
Format/Source: finished copy, from the publisher
Status: Book 2 of the Vicarious series
Links: Girl Against the Universe review
Links: Girl Against the Universe review
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 Jean Book Nerd book tours. The full tour schedule can be found HERE. Please go give my fellow tour hosts some love!
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. This does not affect the content of my review.
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. This does not affect the content of my review.
Paula Stokes returns to the world of Vicarious in this sequel, a high-action psychological thriller with a protagonist out for vengeance.
When Winter Kim finds out that her sister is dead and that she has a brother she never knew about, only two things matter―finding what’s left of her family and killing the man who destroyed her life. Her mission leads her from St. Louis to Los Angeles back to South Korea, where she grew up.
Things get increasingly dangerous once Winter arrives in Seoul. Aided by her friends Jesse and Sebastian, Winter attempts to infiltrate an international corporation to get close to her target, a nefarious businessman named Kyung. But keeping her last remaining loved ones out of the line of fire proves difficult, and when all seems to be lost, Winter must face one last devastating decision: is revenge worth sacrificing everything for? Or can she find a spark of hope in the darkness that threatens to engulf her?
When Winter Kim finds out that her sister is dead and that she has a brother she never knew about, only two things matter―finding what’s left of her family and killing the man who destroyed her life. Her mission leads her from St. Louis to Los Angeles back to South Korea, where she grew up.
Things get increasingly dangerous once Winter arrives in Seoul. Aided by her friends Jesse and Sebastian, Winter attempts to infiltrate an international corporation to get close to her target, a nefarious businessman named Kyung. But keeping her last remaining loved ones out of the line of fire proves difficult, and when all seems to be lost, Winter must face one last devastating decision: is revenge worth sacrificing everything for? Or can she find a spark of hope in the darkness that threatens to engulf her?
Excerpt:
I flop down on the living room sofa and Baz sits in a chair across from me.“So,” he says.
“So,” I repeat.
“Back to Ramirez. If you’re not into him, why do you keep stringing him along?”
“This again? I don’t do that,” I say. At least I’ve been trying really hard to keep from doing that.
“Even I can see that you totally send him mixed signals.”
I pull my legs up on the sofa and fold them behind me. “What do you mean?”
“You two were inseparable in St. Louis. Now you’re acting more like cousins who’ve just met for the first time.”
“It’s complicated.” I run the tip of my index finger along the edge of the sofa, hoping that maid shows up sooner rather than later. “I have sent him mixed signals, but some of that is because of my condition.”
“Ah,” Baz says. “Right. I almost forgot that the two of you—”
“Don’t,” I say through clenched teeth. “Don’t say it.”
Baz holds his hands up in self-defense. “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Why do you care, anyway?” I ask. “It’s not like you’re friends. You treat him like a pet.”
“That’s a little extreme.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Is it?”
Baz stretches his legs out in front of him and crosses them at the ankle. “When I was his age, I was a lot . . . harder than he is, so maybe I don’t always take him seriously. But that’s why I have to look out for him. He’s the sensitive type. I don’t want to see you rip out his heart and toss it in front of a packed express train.”
“Now who’s being extreme?” I pick at a loose thread on the sofa. “I’m not messing with him. I do care about him. I’m just not sure how to reconcile that with who I am.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m broken,” I say. “And I don’t know if there’s a way to fix me. Why would he want to be with someone so screwed up instead of a normal girl?”
“No one is normal.” Baz makes air quotes around the word.“Sometimes love is about finding a person you connect with to a degree where you don’t mind putting up with their issues.” He pauses. “But you just found out about your condition. Don’t write yourself off as unfixable before you even try.”
“Good point,” I say, touched by Baz’s words. “I’ve been meaning to do some research about it, but I can’t focus on anything else right now. Still, even if I could get better someday, I came here to kill someone. That should feel wrong, but it doesn’t. It’s like I’m... blinded by hate.” I grab a throw pillow from the back of the sofa and hug it to my chest. I rest my chin on the edge of it. “I don’t feel very lovable. Sometimes I don’t even feel human anymore.”
“Hate is a very human emotion,” Baz says quietly.
Purchase Links:
Book Trailer:
Praise for Vicarious:
"Combining elements of sci-fi and mystery, Vicarious is an expert blend from an author gifted with the ability to jump genres and stick the landing every time." ―Paste Magazine
“A total mind-bending thrill ride, with a heroine who’s as smart as she is strong. Readers will love Winter!” ―Lindsay Cummings, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zenith and The Murder Complex
"Reading Vicarious is like tiptoeing across a field of landmines. Blindfolded. Stokes delivers enough adrenaline to make readers beg for mercy.” ―Victoria Scott, author of Titans and Fire & Flood
"An action-packed thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end--I couldn't put it down!" ―Kristi Helvig, author of Burn Out and Strange Skies
"Vicarious by Paula Stokes is a fast-paced thriller that grabs your attention on page one and doesn't let go. The main character is a fresh take on the usual heroine in YA novels." ―Julie Bond, Sales & Marketing Manager/YA Specialist, Read Booksellers
“This is the thrill ride you’ve been waiting for all summer.” ―PopCrush
“Pulse-pounding adventures and high-tech blend masterfully with romance, intrigue, and current issues, making this book completely captivating for any audience." ―VOYA, starred review
"Stokes delivers fans of suspense a story full of twists and turns...The author admirably handles graphic and disturbing material in a subtle way." ―School Library Journal
“A powerful kick-ass girl caught up in a high-tech, twisty mystery…Buckle up, this thrill ride travels at breakneck speed.” ―Justine Magazine
"Smart twists and turns...smart sci-fi worldbuilding. Complementing the mystery is a slow-burn love story between Winter and Mexican-American Jesse Ramirez, a fellow stunt artist. Their relationship is tender and complicated, with enough tension to sustain itself and enough heat to pop when things pay off." ―Kirkus Reviews
“A total mind-bending thrill ride, with a heroine who’s as smart as she is strong. Readers will love Winter!” ―Lindsay Cummings, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zenith and The Murder Complex
"Reading Vicarious is like tiptoeing across a field of landmines. Blindfolded. Stokes delivers enough adrenaline to make readers beg for mercy.” ―Victoria Scott, author of Titans and Fire & Flood
"An action-packed thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end--I couldn't put it down!" ―Kristi Helvig, author of Burn Out and Strange Skies
"Vicarious by Paula Stokes is a fast-paced thriller that grabs your attention on page one and doesn't let go. The main character is a fresh take on the usual heroine in YA novels." ―Julie Bond, Sales & Marketing Manager/YA Specialist, Read Booksellers
“This is the thrill ride you’ve been waiting for all summer.” ―PopCrush
“Pulse-pounding adventures and high-tech blend masterfully with romance, intrigue, and current issues, making this book completely captivating for any audience." ―VOYA, starred review
"Stokes delivers fans of suspense a story full of twists and turns...The author admirably handles graphic and disturbing material in a subtle way." ―School Library Journal
“A powerful kick-ass girl caught up in a high-tech, twisty mystery…Buckle up, this thrill ride travels at breakneck speed.” ―Justine Magazine
"Smart twists and turns...smart sci-fi worldbuilding. Complementing the mystery is a slow-burn love story between Winter and Mexican-American Jesse Ramirez, a fellow stunt artist. Their relationship is tender and complicated, with enough tension to sustain itself and enough heat to pop when things pay off." ―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author:
Paula Stokes is the author of several novels, most recently Vicarious and Girl Against the Universe. Her writing has been translated into eleven foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading, and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. She also loves interacting with readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.
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Giveaway:
Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
3 winners will receive finished copies of Vicarious and Ferocious
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