{ARC Review & Giveaway} Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz

Title: BREAKING GLASS
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: July 2013
ISBN: 978-1937053383

Goodreads   Indie Bookstore   Barnes & Noble   Amazon

Facebook     Twitter     Website

Blurb:

On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he’s not sure whether they’re real or if he’s losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.

Wow! What a debut, Mrs. Amowitz! Breaking Glass is a fast-paced, what-the-hell-just-happened, cement truck full of suspense ride. So grab a drink, get comfy, and hold on. 

One thing YA is not overflowing with is an abundance of thrillers, so it's always refreshing to me when I get my hands on one, especially one this well written, with characters who hold my attention. The one thing I do despise; however, is attempting to review them without giving away the entire plot, but I'll do my best. 

The small town I graduated high school from is what came to mind when I first read about Riverton in this novel. A place where nobody escapes, and those who do are eventually drawn back for one reason or another (so far I have escaped this destiny, knock on wood). They still have the same friends, their kids are all friends, heck even their grandkids are friends; and when lineage stretches that far into the past, there are likely to be a few skeletons skulking in the closets. Just ask Jeremy Glass, or Ryan Morgan, or Susannah Durban. 

Jeremy Glass, our narrator and protagonist, finds himself in the epicenter of lies and deceit. It appears people are talking to him from the grave, his best friend might be a murderer, the girl he loves is not only taken but a tad bit psycho and the adults, well, they're even worse. I mean, why would Jeremy want to quit drinking when his mom is dead, his dad is always workingg; Ryan's dad is a freak; and Susannah's mom is just a straight up trip. Come on, you'd drink your life away, too...right? So what happens when he's forced to sober up?

Nothing good.

People disappear, accidents happen, secrets start spilling, and people die. And every. Single. Person. Seems suspicious. 

Slowly, the secrets unravel and the layers peel apart until you're left with the horrible, naked truth - which is much too little, much too late. Those left living are damaged beyond repair, both physically and emotionally. And, as I've already said, others are dead.

I admit I obsessed over how Breaking Glass would end. I'm a little gun-shy with authors lately. Some seem to enjoy torture just a little too much, but  Lisa wrapped the story up in a fitting manner. Not in a happily ever after, because there's just no way to pull that kind of ending off in a thriller, but I wasn't horrified. The only reason I'm not throwing the fifth star in there is because I felt there were so many great things happening in the story, that some of the characters didn't shine as much as I would have liked them to, other than that, perfect.

I highly recommend Breaking Glass, especially if you're looking for something a little bit different. Lisa Amowitz combined excellent writing with that "dark and twisted" imagination referred to in her bio, and created an edgy and captivating story. 

***Besides the sponsored giveaway below the author bio, I'm also giving away 2 paperback copies, just leave a comment and let me know you stopped by to enter. I'll use Random.org to pick a winner on or about August 1st. My dad will be having surgery on July 31st, so if I'm a day or so late, please be patient.***

Author bio:

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot.

When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure.

On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window.

Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

BREAKING GLASS which will be released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art.

Giveaway items:

(1) custom pendant like the one pictured on the book cover

(2) signed ARCS

(1) original work of Breaking Glass related art created and signed by the author.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find an illustrated preview of Breaking Glass called Shards below.

Here are a list of Lisa's upcoming events:

July 18th: Book Launch Party; 7PM @ Womrath Book Shop, Bronxville, NY

July 26: Summer Thriller Chiller Event with Barry Lyga, Kate Brian, Elizabeth Kiem, Alan Zadoff and me!  6:30 PM @ The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY


August 18: The third anniversary event of the Hudson Valley YA Society: 4PM @Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Website  Goodreads  Twitter  Amazon  Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:


Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

Ah, what to say about the illusive Mara Dyer. She's unequivocally broken, traumatically haunted, and a tad bit in love with the mysterious Noah Shaw.  

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer begins on the day Mara awakes in a hospital, surrounded by her family. She has been unconscious for three days and has no memory of how she was injured. She questions the whereabouts of her friends, learning that she was the only one who survived the collapse of an abandoned building they visited late one night. The shock of losing her friends is enough to drive Mara over the edge. Mara convinces her parents to move her to Florida for school in hopes of escaping the haunting memories of that fateful evening.

We get a front-seat view of how Mara's life will unfold and the many strange and chilling events that surround her even in Miami. There's always the school witch to contend with, especially when she catches the eye of the eclectic Noah Shaw. The rumors that surround this boy are enough to send any girl running in the other direction, but Mara sees a different type of person in Noah. Hes' protective, caring, and comes with his own set of mystery and intrigue. Noah does his best to help Mara deal with her past and face her future head on...not an easy task, that.

Even in Miami, Mara is haunted with visions of her past. She begins to remember what happened at the abandoned building and realizes that she possesses powers far from normal. When she begins to hallucinate that one of her friends survived and now follows her she fears she is seriously loosing her mind. However, is it possible that perhaps one other person survived the collapse? Hmmm...

I loved this book beyond words. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and full  of surprises. I loved Mara in all her brokenness. I loved Noah in all his sexy, quick-witted, and mystical glory. I truly loved Mara's older brother Daniel who went above and beyond to help his sister in any manner he could. He is the older brother I always wanted but never had. And the ending...oh the ending. I wish I could tell you about that, but I can't. You must read every word, relish them, sit back and analyze what you read, and then think some more.

There is a creepiness that surrounds The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but only in the best way. This is a book you do not want to pass up so go...go now and buy it, check it out, borrow it. Do what you have to do but be sure you read it.

Teaser Tuesday - Hushed by Kelley York

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: December 6, 2011

Synopsis:

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

My Teaser:

...what did he do now? Wait around to see if the murder was linked back to him? He'd flat-out lied about his night. All it would take is a visit to Evan's to confirm.

Just finished my Hushed Review. Check it out HERE.

Hushed by Kelley York

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release: December 6, 2011
Genre: YA Thriller

Website ǀ Facebook ǀ Twitter ǀ Goodreads ǀ Amazon ǀ Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption

So, if you have read the synopsis, you are probably asking why anyone would want to read a book where the protagonist is obviously a killer? A serial killer at that. The answer is simple...Archer, though far from perfect, has his redeeming qualities. He loves Vivian unconditionally, does anything for her, and takes care of her when nobody else can. Problem - Vivian is as toxic as they come. Only running to Archer when there is no one else for her to run to. When he starts pulling away, she decides that she cannot let him go that easy.

Oddly, Archer's dysfunction was easy to get past. He wanted to change but didn't know how. His neurosis was obvious. The signs of OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder combined with a little Post Traumatic Stress Disorder never makes for an easy life. However, when he met Evan, his life started turning in a new direction. He was peaceful, happy, and had the love that Vivian could never give him. He began to see her for the energy sucking parasite she was. (Nope, don't like Vivian even a little bit.) He trusted Evan in ways he had never trusted anyone. Archer and Vivian both had difficult childhoods. Each dealt with it in their own way. Archer had the capacity to make his life better, to change.Vivian...not so much.

Everything Archer did, he did for Vivian. Everything Vivian did, she did for Vivian. Only Evan ever cared about what Archer wanted or needed.

I enjoyed the relationship between Archer and Evan. Evan brought light into a very dark story. He was proof that just because bad things happened, you could remain good. Evan was stability in Archer's life where no other stability existed. He defined love, friendship, and trust. I laughed at Archer when he was near Evan because he would just say whatever he was thinking while simultaneously thinking "why did I say that?" I adored his inability to hide from Evan...even when you knew he really wanted to.

Everyone is going to have their own take on Hushed. Much like the characters in the book, you can choose to see the light behind it, or you can be taken in by the darkness. I walked away feeling that justice was served, that bad things happen to everyone but they don't define anyone. You define who you are with the choices you make. It's never too late to change.

If you are see-sawing about reading Hushed, keep an open mind and do it. I think you will be surprised. This is another of Entangled Publishing's phenomenal books. Kelley York wrote an excellent thriller with the perfect amount of suspense. Always enough to keep the pages turning.

Be sure to look for my interview with Kelley York on December 21st as part of the Hushed Virtual Book Tour. As always, I would like to thank Entangled Publishing for including me in one of their promotions.

*I was provided an e-book from Entangled Publishing in return for my honest review and participation in the Hushed Virtual Book Tour. Hushed does contain a male/male relationship and a graphic murder scene.