TWO Blog Tour: Review + Favourite Quote!

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for TWO by Leigh Ann Kopans, organized by the ladies at Pen And Muse Press!

TWO is the awaited sequel to One and came out on October 8th. I was so very excited to read this one since I absolutely loved One and its unique premise and voice. I was also very much in love with the cover and with the fact that we'd be getting this story book from Elias' POV! I'll be sharing with you all both my review and my favourite quote.

I had trouble picking my favourite quote cause I loved so many, but then thinking about it, I just remembered something that really resonated with me, and I wanted to share this particular quote with all of you:

"I feel safer on the ground, but being safe is not what we're always meant to do. I know that now."

Curious already? Check out the stunning cover and the blurb!

 Elias and Merrin’s story continues in TWO, coming October, 2013...

Elias and Merrin are on the run.

After escaping the Biotech Hub, they thought they could breathe easy, or at least a little easier. But when bombs slam into the Social Welfare Hub only hours after their arrival, it becomes clear there's nowhere to hide - and no end to what Biotech will do to get them back.

Their last chance for safety and answers is the Clandestine Service Hub. CS has intel on the real, broader purpose behind Fisk’s experiments , and the newfound knowledge of the horrors hidden deep within Biotech’s walls sends Merrin back to recover a secret formula that could ruin the Supers’ world forever—and might just save the lives of the Biotech victims spiraling out of control.

Elias' sisters are counted among the victims of Fisk’s experiments, and if Elias can't find and help them, their powers will destroy them--sooner rather than later. Returning to the place it all began terrifies him, but with Fisk ready to make an example out of Merrin, and his sisters’ lives --and the lives of all Supers--hanging in the balance, he might not have a choice. If he can't find the courage to face his worst fears, Elias might lose more than his newfound powers.

He might lose everyone he loves.

Two on pre-order from author’s site: http://www.leighannkopans.com/index2.php#!/Order_TWO

Two on Amazon:
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Two-One-Universe-Volume-2/dp/1492176486
Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Two-One-Universe-ebook/dp/B00FKLKQNU/ref=la_B00DAIZ3HY_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381260053&sr=1-3

Two on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/two-leigh-ann-kopans/1117016442?ean=9781492176480

About the author: Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.








Leigh Ann on Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439443.LeighAnn_Kopans

Leigh Ann on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeighAnnKopans

Leigh Ann on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighAnnKopansbooks

Leigh Ann on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/leighannkopans/one-two/

Leigh Ann’s website: http://www.leighannkopans.com/index2.php#!/HOME

Leigh Ann’s blog: http://leighannkopans.blogspot.com/

My Review:

After finishing ONE, the debut for LeighAnn Kopans and finding out that there was gonna be a sequel (there had to, with that ending!), I was extremely impatient to get to read it and when the author gave me the chance to get an ARC I jumped at it! I got the ARC in exchange for an honest review and my opinion is my own.

TWO is the sequel that takes up right where ONE left us, and even though I'm gonna try my best to avoid spoilers for the book, I don't think I can avoid spoilers for ONE.

Where ONE was told from Merrin's perspective, TWO is told from Elias' and that took a little while for to get used to. His perspective is so different from Merrin's and I was quite used to being in Merrin's head, but seeing how the story progresses it had to be told from Elias' perspective.

The Biotech Hub was severly damaged once Merrin rescued Elias, his sisters and her own brothers with the help of her parents. Merrin and Elias are on the run, trying to find a safe place to hide and find some answers to all the questions the information they got at Biotech prompted. They know their best bets are the other Hubs cause Supers, not even Ones, aren't entirely welcome amongst the general population. Social Welfare Hub is their first pit stop but it's clear that they're not safe from Biotech there so they fly to their best option: the Clandestine Service Hub or CSH (or the Supers CIA equivalent).

Elias is more damaged and rattled from the experience in Biotech's lab and all the revelations they had to face there than he even wants to acknowledge and that is the major motivation of how he deals with their immediate present and future. He's so worried about everyone's safety, Merrin's and his sisters' most of all, and he seems to carry the world on his shoulders, always worrying about how to keep everyone safe while Merrin keeps on trying to find answers and solutions.

The relationship between Merrin and Elias does take a bit of a toll due to their different focus and Elias keeps on having some insecurities about what Merrin's feelings really are and what their different outlooks might mean for their relationship, which are very real concerns and a way to keep both their characters and the relationship itself growing and changing.

We get some old friends back, like Leni and Daniel, and they also make some new friends with different Supers that make Merrin want to learn and push more and that get Elias to worry even more.

There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot, with some quite unexpected surprises thrown for good measure. There's a fight against time and a daring rescue again, and despite his wish for staying safe, Elias has the key to save everyone if he decides that risks are worth taking.

A fantastic sequel that closes the series but that could leave some openings for spin off stories, that I do hope the author will take, cause I'd love to read more about the ONE & TWO universe!

Very well deserved 4 and a half stars!

Ultraviolet Catastrophe Blog Tour: Review + Favourite Quote!!

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop in the Ultraviolet Catastrophe blog tour! I am quite excited to share this book and both my fave quote and review of it! Ultraviolet Catastrophe comes out September 24th!

I had such a blast reading this book that I had quite a hard time choosing just one quote, but this one was hilarious and totally geek (and Whovian!) friendly!


"It's bigger on the inside", I whispered.
 Dad chuckled and ushered me into the building. "Just another one of QT's specialities. Spatial adjustment. Inside, it's a five-story building. Outside, visitors only see a normal, unobstrusive house."


Intrigued already? Do check out the gorgeous cover and the blurb!

 Quantum Electrodynamics. String Theory. Schrödinger's cat. For sixteen-year-old Lexie Kepler, they’re just confusing terms in her science textbooks, until she finds out that her parents have been drugging her to suppress her outrageous IQ. Now Branston Academy, a school run by the world’s most powerful scientists, has tracked her down and is dying for her to attend - as a research subject.

She takes refuge at Quantum Technologies, a secret scientific community where her father works as a top-notch scientist, and begins her new life as girl genius at Quantum High. But the assignments at her new school make the Manhattan Project look like preschool - and Lexie barely survived freshman algebra.

Her first big assignment – creating an Einstein-Rosen bridge – is also her first chance to prove she can hold her own with the rest of QT's prodigies. But while working with the infuriatingly hot Asher Rosen, QT’s teen wonder, Lexie uncovers a mistake in their master equation. Instead of a wormhole, the machine they’re building would produce deadly ultraviolet rays that could destroy the world. Now Lexie and Asher have to use their combined brainpower to uncover the truth behind the device. Before everyone at Quantum Technologies is caught in the ultraviolet catastrophe.

About the author: Jamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.

Jamie lives in Michigan with her boyfriend and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games. You can learn more about her at www.jamiegreybooks.com, or follow her on twitter via @jamie_grey.

Jamie on Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/Jamie_Grey

Jamie on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jamiegreybooks



My review

I discovered this book by reading the first chapter at the end of One by Leigh Ann Kopans, and it hooked me up from the starting line: "You know your life is never going to be the same when your mom pulls a gun at the shopping mall".

I added it to my TBR list and when I had the chance to get an advance copy from the author in exchange for an honest review, I just jumped at it, and I'm so glad I did.

Ultraviolet Catastrophe is a YA mix of contemporary and science fiction, with loads of actual science and many brilliant geeky references mixed in.

Lexie is a normal teenager that lives with her mum and has some serious abandonement issues with her mostly absent brilliant scientist dad. But she discovers that maybe she isn't such a normal teenager after all, after a massive freak out from her mum at the mall, getting some weird flashes of knowledge in her brain and having to move with her dad for her safety. Turns out her parents had been lying to her to protect her and supressing her incredible genious level brain with medication.

It is not exactly unexpected that Lexie does completely freak out on her parents and refuses to see reason or even try to understand what's at stake or the reasons her parents might have had. Teenagers are not usually very good at perspective, and Lexie is a very genuine teenager on her reactions and her hurt, but never going overboard. I did shake my head at her reactions and her temper on occasion, but never really felt like shaking her into common sense!

Now on top of having who she thought she was being completely shaken, she's moved in with her dad and starting at a new school in QT (Quantum Technologies) the institution where her father works, and a school for geniuses. She's the new girl, and she's not even sure if she's good enough to try to fit it. And when her group of students is included in the newest project from the institute to build a Einsten-Rosen Bridge, she feels like she might not be up to it.

The relationships with her fellow students feel really genuine, starting with some reservations from some, to curiosity and acceptance from others. There's also romance but it keeps on building along with the plot and it never seems to be at risk to overtake it.

Lexie does grow up during the book and we learn that the past hides many more secrets that she could even imagine, and that there are traitors where you wouldn't expect them to be. The climax might have been resolved a bit quickly, but the build up was pretty good, and I kept on waiting for the shoe to drop. Thankfully it was neatly resolved but the ending was open enough for a future series but also with enough closure for it to be a stand alone. I'm rooting for more books though!

Ultraviolet Catastrophe is a very solid 4 stars and if you like science fiction and science references with added geeky goodness, this is your book. It's a very solid 4 stars and it made me want to go do some reading and researching on physics. Only for that and the Doctor Who, BSG & HP references I feel like I should give it another half star!