BLOG TOUR: There Once Were Stars by Melanie McFarlane (REVIEW & GIVEAWAY)

Peace. Love. Order. Dome. That’s the motto that the Order has given the residents of Dome 1618 to live by. Natalia Greyes is a resident of Dome 1618, a covered city protected from the deadly radiation that has poisoned the world outside for four generations. Nat never questioned the Order, until one day she sees a stranger on the outside of the dome. Now Nat wants answers. Is there life outside the dome and if so, what has the Order been hiding from everyone?

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

MY THOUGHTS
There may be a lot of dystopian novels out there (though, the genre is beginning to simmer down), but I still love reading them and there are still so many with new ideas. This one caught my eye from the first time I read the synopsis. This book, while having dystopian themes we are used to, brings a new idea to the table and does a great job.

Nat lives inside a dome with her grandparents. Her family and others has lived in the dome for generations, ever since a disease spread outside and they had to bomb the world to rid of it. Live in the dome is controlled and strict, but the government has their reasons. That doesn't stop Nat from sneaking off into the (forbidden) forest everyday since her parents died. It's on one of these days that she notices two strangers outside her dome. But that can't be possible. There's nothing alive outside the dome, there's too much radiation. That is how her parents died. But Nat will discover the truth behind the two strangers, the dome, and even her parents death.

Like I said, I never seem to tire of dystopians, but there's something about dystopians involving domes that just demand to be read. Maybe it's because of the Gone series, one of all-time favorite series, who knows. Anyway, I thought the world-building in this book was very well-developed. McFarlane described the dome, and even the outside of the dome, very well. I was able to get a clear picture of the world. The history was also explained (slowly, no info-dump here) and made sense.

I liked Nat as a main character. She's a strong and smart MC. She had trouble seeing what was right in front of her at times, especially when it came to the romance, but I liked her as the MC.

The romance was something that I was okay with, but not too wild about. First of all, I would like to mention that while there are two guys interested in Nat, one of them is kind of in the friend-zone and it's obvious from the start, so that wasn't a problem. I also happened to like the love interest. My problem was that the romance was a frustrating boomerang. They would be into each other, then they weren't talking (because they were unsure of "feelings"), and back again. It got tiring, especially when I just want them to get together and kick government butt.

As for the ending, it felt abrupt to me. Though, that may be my fault. I thought I had 20 pages left (ending up being 1 1/2, I was reading an ebook and I guess the page count was off) and I was hurrying to finish it before I had to go somewhere. So I might have rushed it. But I remember thinking "Oh my gosh I'm almost done and so much is happening" only to turn the page to find a few paragraphs left...
Will there be a sequel? Because I want one now.



IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! I loved the story and I was able to become immersed in the world! The romance bothered at times and I kind of what more books (wish is a good thing), but I overall liked this book. So, I'll keep my eyes peeled for any more books.

I hereby give this book

3.5 Stars

Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

AUTHOR BIO

Melanie McFarlane is a passionate writer of other-wordly adventures, a little excitable, and a little quirky. Whether it’s uncovering the corruption of the future, or traveling to other worlds to save the universe, she jumps in with both hands on her keyboard. Though she can be found obsessing over zombies and orcs from time to time, Melanie focuses her powers on writing young adult stories to keep the rest of the world up reading all night.
She lives with her husband and two daughters in the Land of Living Skies.

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GIVEAWAY

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

Five (5) ebooks of THERE ONCE WERE STARS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where you talk about whatever book you are IMPATIENTLY WAITING for!

This week I am waiting for...

Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game . . .

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

Then, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation to Caraval finally arrives. So, Tella enlists a mysterious sailor’s help to whisk Scarlett away to this year’s show. But as soon as the trio arrives, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nonetheless soon becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with her sister, with Legend, and with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Release Date: January 31st 2017

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Why am I waiting?

I've heard so many great things about this book!

What book are you waiting for this week?

New Releases in YA! (August 14th-20th)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

Here's what you get to look forward to this week:

P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!

What books, if any, do you plan to buy?

PROMO & AUTHOR POST: Anomaly: The Soul Prophecies by Caitlin Lynagh

Penny for your dreams?

Have you ever heard the saying ‘find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck’? It is a popular proverbial expression and old wives’ superstition that has stuck with us to the modern day. Pennies are the easiest coins to lose, whether they remain forgot at the bottom of a bag, dropped on the street or wedged down the side of the sofa, I can guarantee you’ve probably found pennies in the strangest of places.  

Throughout my debut novel Anomaly (The Soul Prophecies), I use the penny to symbolise lost dreams. Life is unpredictable, and everyone goes through life with dreams and wishes. Some people have grand dreams of becoming rich and famous, others may wish for a job promotion, and some simply wish for the traffic to speed up on their daily commute to work.  

At some point in your life you probably gave up on or changed a childhood dream. Even when you were going through the education system, your dreams were probably knocked aside in favour of something you were told would earn you money. With all the pressures in life and opinions from other people, making decisions about what subjects to take and which career path to follow is never an easy thing.  

Kyle Hunter is not like his university peers, who have never given thought about their own mortality, and why would they when the young should have decades left to live? Kyle knows all too well how fragile and unfair life can be and how at any moment everything can change. One traumatic event can knock you from the path to your dreams and sometimes it feels too difficult to get back up again. Like a penny thrown into a well, dropped on the street, or wedged down the side of the sofa, people discard their dreams for one reason or another.  

In Anomaly I write about these lost dreams and the reasons and circumstances behind people’s decisions. Anomaly also explores love, life, death and the consequences of even the smallest decisions. The dreams you gave up on because someone told you they were unrealistic, too risky, or wouldn’t earn you enough money. Those people were most likely friends, family and teachers who cared and were just trying to look out for you, but did their advice really help you make the best decisions? 

Even when you have walked down a particular pathway in life and you have a successful career, do you still occasionally throw your loose change into wishing wells? You are not alone; tourists throw away millions in pounds sterling into wishing wells every year, and we’re all secretly hoping that those dreams, we whispered over a shiny coin, will somehow magically happen. Those same dreams we gave up on, or can never find the funds or time to make them a reality.   

If your life is a tangled web made from the decisions you make and the decisions your ancestors made. Then every decision is one decision in a line of multiple decisions that may or may not have a huge impact on the world. Think about how different the world would have been if certain dictators hadn’t been born, or if certain individuals hadn’t been murdered. Realising that even your smallest decisions may have directly or indirectly been a part of something much bigger, begs the question, can you really afford to not follow your dreams? Despite the hardships and complications you may endure during your life, despite the many times you may fail, do you really want to look back on your life with a ‘what if?’ hanging from your lips?  

The characters in Anomaly are set on paths to find the answer to that very question, and Kyle will have to search beyond his past and negative emotions in order to pick up his dreams, find happiness, and just maybe, he might change the world. 


Interested in the book? Click here. 

About the Author 

Caitlin Lynagh is a blogger, writer and author of Anomaly (The Soul Prophecies). She currently writes the blog series ‘Diary of a Young Writer’ where she discusses her experiences with publishing a book and gives out writing advice and tips. She won the North West Writers Grant and graduated from Keele University with a BSc in 2013. She enjoys learning new things and skills, and is always looking for her next creative pursuit. She has travelled both to the Amazon and to Hong Kong, but spends most of her time letting her imagination run wild and tapping away on her laptop. Despite having long and unusual working hours she never fails to make time for friends and family, and above all else she confesses she is a stereotypical author who loves bookshops, reading and cups of tea.