Defiantly Deviant

[Author Interview + Giveaway] One Tiny Lie Feature Tour with K.A. Tucker

14 January 2014

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Title: One Tiny Lie (Ten Tiny Breaths #2)
Author: K.A. Tucker
Release Date: Janaury 14, 2014

Published by: Atria Books

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

In line with the paperback release of One Tiny Lie, I have K.A. on the blog today for a short interview:

Can you please take us through your writing process?

I've tried everything from outlining to just writing and I find that my ideal process varies for each project but generally lands somewhere in between (closer to the "just writing" side of the scale). I spend an excessively long time on the first three chapters, as getting the beginning of a story right makes all the difference. I write linearly, meaning I don't write chunks from all over the book and paste them together. Inevitably, as I get further into the book and plot, I realize how many things I need to change in the first half. When I start dwelling on those, I stop and go back. It's a mental thing. I need to see the right story progression before I can finish a book. Even if I know what must be changed, I get to a point where I just can't continue until I fix it.

Where did you get the idea for the Ten Tiny Breaths series?

The idea for the first book just kind of hit me (I know people who have been involved in drunk driving incidents). I didn't see the entire story for what it was at the time; I just knew I wanted to paint a picture of how dangerous and life-altering drinking and driving could be.

While writing Ten Tiny Breaths, did you ever think that you would be writing an entire series?

LOL NO! I didn't realize how much people would love all of the other characters from the series until after TTB was released and the reviews started coming out.

What can your readers expect from One Tiny Lie?

ONE TINY LIE is different from TEN TINY BREATHS. It's set three years after TTB, and it's told in Livie's voice (which is very different from Kacey's voice) as she goes through the growing pains of learning that the life she mapped out for herself isn't the one she truly wants.

And finally, just for fun, what would you consider to be your guilty pleasures? :)

Chick-fil-A breakfast combos, bakeries, and reruns of Two-and-a-Half Men (the old ones, with Charlie Sheen)
Thank you for hosting me! xo ~ K.A. Tucker

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Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

08 January 2014

Title: The Chaos of Stars
Author: Kiersten White
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Published by: HarperTeen
Source: Finished Copy from the Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | The Book Depository

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

THOUGHTS:

As familiar as I am with Greek and Roman mythology, I know absolutely nothing about Egyptian mythology. And when I say absolutely nothing, I do mean exactly that. I don't even know who the gods and goddesses are, I most definitely have no idea about their character traits, and the stories themselves are not the least bit familiar. So yeah, believe me when I say that I am in no way being modest of my knowledge of Egyptian mythology. I honest to goodness had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up this book. While I was reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, there was always a hint of recognition whenever a new mythological being was introduced, but for this book... nada. And you know what? I liked the feeling. I liked the fact that I had no idea who the characters were. Simply put, I liked not knowing what to expect.

I consider The Chaos of Stars a refreshing read. As a whole, I feel like the book did a very good job of introducing Egyptian mythology to new readers and weaving the mythos into present day. While it was true that I didn't recognize any of the characters' names when I first read them, White wrote the book in such a way that readers would be aware of the more important stories of Egyptian mythology without distracting them from the main plot of the book. So again, I stress that even if this is your first time seeing all these names and whatnot, you have no reason to worry. You'll get to experience the mythology at a well thought out and balanced pace.

As much as I enjoyed the book's background and the story itself, I did have my fair share of misgivings with The Chaos of Stars. While not a particularly dark novel, it took me longer than usual to finish it, and I'd have to attribute this fact to the main character, Isadora. To be perfectly honest, Isadora is one heck of a difficult character to read about. I actually had to stop reading once every few chapters because I swear her negativity was just seeping into me! She was just so angry, so negative, and so eager to think the worst of anything and anyone all the time.

Let me be clear - I do get where she is coming from. I understand why Isadora hasn't let go of the pain and hurt, and why she is angry at her parents. I understand her disdain towards her filial background, and her desire to simply be Isadora, and not Isadora, the daughter of Isis. I understand her burning need to just go out and do something without the shadow of her ancestry looming at her every step. However, I can't and won't deny that eight times out of ten I found her completely unreasonable. Things would have been so much simpler if she just sat down and actually talked to her mother.

Then again, I supposed that every child has felt that he or she can't talk to his or her parents. Isadora has made that clear oh so many times, and I remember feeling that way a handful of times too. I remember feeling betrayed, and thinking that my parents can't possibly understand me whatever I do. I remember feeling completely alone, and yearning to just go somewhere far far away. So yes, while I most definitely didn't like Isadora for the most part, I can't find it in myself to hate her. Heck, sometimes, I even found myself relating to her! Moreover, I do appreciate the fact that White took the time to develop Isadora's character, and to ultimately allow her to mature. The character development wasn't instantaneous, but rather slow and subtle. Isadora at the end of the book as opposed to the beginning were almost completely two different people, and I can't wait to find out how this new Isadora will go forth her next adventures in the next books!

All in all, I did enjoy The Chaos of Stars. While I wish that the story itself was more fast-paced, I still believe that this take on mythology made for an entertaining read, as well as the budding relationship between Isadora and Ry. It's not insta-love (though it really seemed like that at first), and I just love how supportive and understanding Ry was of Isadora. I'm not exactly sure what the next book in the series has in store for us, but hopefully, we get more of Ry's background, as well as scenes of Isadora (finally!) communicating with her parents!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Stacking the Shelves [13]

05 January 2014

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's a great way to show other people the books that you've bought or received for the past week.

I just realized that I neglected StS for the longest time, and as a result, most of the books I received for review have yet to be featured. I'll be playing catch up in the next few weeks just to make sure that everything's featured, and hopefully I'll be all caught by when February rolls along!

(PS I suck at taking/editing photos. Sorry!)