Today I'm glad to be one of the blog stops on the STITCH BLOG TOUR to celebrate the release of Stitch (#1 Stitch Trilogy) by Samantha Durante.
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.
Here's a little info on the book!!!
STITCH (#1 Stitch Trilogy)
By: Samantha Durante
NOW AVAILABLE!!! (Order here)
Source: Finished copy from author
Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:
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…
About the Author:
As an avid lifelong reader of fiction of all sorts, there’s nothing I find more engrossing than an epic sci-fi/fantasy/romance series. I’ve whiled away countless weekends of my life immersed in richly-woven worlds that someone else was kind enough to put on paper, and I’ve always felt a debt of gratitude to these wonderful authors – J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Christopher Paolini, Sharon Shinn, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, and most recently Lauren Oliver and Veronica Roth, to name a few.
Stitch – my very first novel, and part one of an upcoming trilogy – is my humble attempt to return the favor. My dream is to bring the same enjoyment and delight to readers that these authors have brought to my life. If you find yourself staying up just a little too late to finish another chapter, or sneaking into the bathroom at work to read when things are slow, I will know I have done my job!
Contact Samantha:
My Thoughts:
I have NEVER read anything like Stitch.
Durante has taken the popular genres of today's YA, (i.e. Dystopian, Romance and Sci-fi) and put her own unique spin on them, with a bone-chilling plot that combines the harsh society of Divergent with the cruel "Reality" T.V. experience of The Hunger Games and Truman Show.
I found myself sympathizing with Alessa throughout my reading of Stitch, not just for her loss, but her loneliness. She's attempting to reinvent herself, after suffering through a year of guilt and grief, once an A student, she's now forced to go to the one University that would accept her, after her disastrous final year of high school. She lives with a bunch of Sorority sisters but finds a companion in her one sister, Janie and a ghostly, blue-eyed figure that continues to pop-up at the most unexpected moments. She feels this magnetic pull towards this ghostly figure, Isaac, that she doesn't understand. Along with Alessa, I to was feeling confused and even frustrated over these feelings. I was so desperate for her to figure out why this boy kept appearing, but once I did I was blown away by the twist in Stitch's plot. The synopsis does not even cover HALF of the depth of this book! (I'm not going to go into depth regarding this twist because I think it's essential to the mystery of the book).
While a large portion of Stitch is narrated from Alessa's third person point-of-view, we're given a few chapters from Isaac's perspective, which was a nice change of pace and gave the reader a look into Isaac's side of the story, and we find out he's just as confused as Alessa! I kept wanting to scream WHY???? I'm a huge fan of romance, as I state quite frequently, so I would've liked more development between Alessa and Isaac on the physical side, but I understand it's hard for them both knowing that their memories have been stripped.
While there isn't that much action in the first half of this book, Durante certainly does a great job of building up the suspense to a very dramatic, and unexpected climax. I believe that it's predecessor, Shudder will have much more action and hopefully a more developed romance! I also wouldn't mind the return of Nikhil. :)
Durante's debut relies heavily on descriptive prose. There is dialogue, of course, throughout Stitch, but we're mainly given descriptions on characters internal thoughts and emotions and the environment surrounding them, one might worry that the story might grow stale. But Samantha's writing stays fresh throughout the story, that the reader isn't distracted by any repetitive verbs or adjectives, and has a clear image of the events surrounding Alessa and Issac.
After reading Stitch, I'm kind of left wondering, what's real and what's created to make me believe it's real, is Sarah really my sister, is my house REALLY my house? Do I really have privacy, who's watching me? What century is it, really?! Yes I know paranoia galore, but once you've read the book you'll understand what I mean!
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of Dystopian and Sci-fi, the twist of this book is just so innovative and refreshing. Can't wait to get my hands on Shudder, let the showdown commence!
Special thanks to Samantha for allowing me to participate in this blog tour!!!
Happy Reading!!!
This is another book I want to read! I won a copy for my Kindle back when it first came out, but it seems to have disappeared =(
ReplyDeleteOhhh, a book that could make me paranoid??? Even better, and it definitely sounds interesting! I'm not a big fan of romance so I think the lack of physicalness (haha, is that a word) wouldn't bother me.
PS - I love your writing style on your reviews =)