Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Blog Tour: Stitch - Samantha Durante, Guest Post & Book Review (150).



Genre/Keywords: Paranormal Romance, Ghost, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, New Adult
Length: 75,000 words (314 pages)
Sample chapters: Ch1-5 (38 pages) http://www.samanthadurante.com/stitch/sample-chapters/
Release date: August 1st, 2012
Blog tour dates: August 15th – October 31st, 2012

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…
The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
My Thoughts...
WOW! This book was amazing, after reading the extremely intriguing synopsis I jumped at the chance to participate in this blog tour, and I'm so glad I did.
Not only did I love the characters and the setting of this book but the way Durante has the talent to draw you in and to keep you constantly guessing, I lost count of the number of different theories I had about what was going on, and I didn't guess it, Durante is just that good that I sat there gobsmacked when the twist was finally revealed, and it's a huge one!
Alessa is a student at college, since her parents died a year earlier she has closed off from everyone, from being the popular girl at her previous school to being somewhat of a loner at college her only friend is Janie who was new the same day as Alessa, she starts to see the ghost of a boy who keeps reappearing in her room, but only for a few seconds at a time, no one else has seen him and Janie is sceptical about Alessa's story, especially when it starts to impact in a major way in Alessa's studies and general well-being, she becomes obsessed and investigates the history of the sorority house she's in and finds out the tragic story of the ghost Isaac's life.
Alessa has the sense that she knows him but since he died in 1917 she knows that can't be, and then one time he appears he finally notices her and that's when the story starts, I don't want to say anything more because that would ruin the experience for everyone who has yet to read it.
And read it you must, it starts off as a paranormal book then as the story goes on we get dystopian and sci-fi and it all works so well together.
And that teaser for the sequel at the end of the kindle book edition? Well if I hadn't of been sitting in the tea room at work eating lunch I would have shouted out some very unladylike words and chucked a hissy fit!
I'm definitely seeking out a paperback copy to add to my keeper shelf, and I hope that the next book will be released a.s.a.p.
A fantastic start to a brilliant series!
I give this a huge 5/5.

Guest Post (Character Interview)....


“This or That” With Janie from Stitch

Samantha: Hi everyone!  Samantha Durante, author of Stitch here, with one of the stars of the book, Janie!

Janie: Hey guys!!  So excited to be here at Head Stuck in a Book today!

Samantha: Very excited to have you!  So are you ready to jump in?  We’re going to play a little game called This or That – I’ll name two things, you pick one and tell me why.

Janie: Sounds like fun!

Samantha: Okay, here we go.  Action movie or rom com?

Janie: Action!  I just can’t get into that romance stuff – cooties.

Samantha: Haha, you’re ridiculous.  What is this, third grade? 

Janie: (shrugs)

Samantha: (laughs) Okay, next one.  String cheese: string it or eat it in bites?

Janie: STRING IT!  Oh my God, it drives me NUTS when people just bite into it!!  String cheese is practically a delicacy!  You’re supposed to savor it!

Samantha: (laughing) I knew that one would get you going…

Janie: (frustrated sighs) You all just take string cheese for granted!  Where I come from it’s impossible to find – if you’re lucky enough to get some, it deserves the time and attention of being stringed. (exasperated puff)

Samantha: Haha, okay Janie… Before people start asking where you come from that string cheese is a delicacy (you’ll have to read Stitch to find out!), let’s move on to the next question.  Older or younger?

Janie: Older or younger what?

Samantha: Interpret as you may.

Janie: That’s not fair!  That could mean anything.

Samantha: Exactly.

Janie: (smirks, then in her best Jurassic Park imitation) Clever girl…

Samantha: (laughing)

Janie: Okay, fine, I’m interpreting this as younger or older sibling and since I’m the youngest, we’ll go with younger!

Samantha: Do I detect a little bitterness in your voice…?

Janie: No!  I’m not bitter – I get to be the fun-loving, spunky one.  And I’m way funnier.

Samantha: Interesting how that always seems to work out that way…

Janie: Yeah, younger is awesome.  (considering)  But I guess it is kind of annoying to always be in the shadow of A–

Samantha: No spoilers!

Janie: Oh!  Sorry.  What I meant to say was, it can be difficult to be in my older sibling’s shadow my whole life, especially when she’s super overprotective and won’t let me do anything cool, like help with the rebellion, even when she’s doing it… (grumbles)

Samantha: Hmm, well, I’m an oldest sibling so I don’t know if I really empathize – she’s trying to keep you safe, after all.  But I read – well, wrote – the book, so I know you’re super capable regardless of what your sister may think!  And I know she knows that too, even if she’s always trying to protect you anyway.

Janie: (smiles sheepishly) Thanks.

Samantha: You’re welcome.  Okay, last question!  Dystopia or utopia?

Janie: (raises an eyebrow) Do you even have to ask?  I’ve lived through a dystopia – which evolved from a failed attempt at starting a utopia – so I know from experience that this is a trick question.  Obviously no one would pick dystopia, and there’s no such thing as a utopia in the real world.  So I choose neither – give me a normal, “non-topia” world any day.

Samantha: Sharp as always!  Great answer, Janie.

Janie: (grins)

Samantha: Well that’s all the time we have for today! 

Janie: (pouts) Boo!

Samantha: Check out the other stops on the tour to hear more from Janie and her friends from Stitch!  (Full schedule here.)

Janie: Thanks so much for having us, Sarah!!
Stitch Purchase Links
Amazon (print $9.99 & Kindle $2.99): http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Trilogy-Book-1/dp/0985804602/
Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $2.99): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/208278
Barnes & Noble (Nook $2.99): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stitch-samantha-durante/1112193442Also available in the iTunes store ($2.99 e-book)


Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her fiancé, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.
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