Upcoming Event: Apocalypse Tour!

The dates and details, if you have trouble reading the poster: (This info was taken from Maureen McGowan's blog)

Tuesday Nov 6, 7pm – Indigo Yorkdale, Yorkdale Mall (Toronto) – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe,
Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield.RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 10, 2pm – Chapters Belleville, Quinte Mall – Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield, Courtney Summers. RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 17, 2pm – Chapters Brampton, 52 Quarry Edge Drive – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield. RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 24, 2pm – Chapters Barrie, 76 Barrie View Drive – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield. RSVP on Facebook!

So, that covers the practical details. Now, let's talk about the books! 

The Way We Fall

by Megan Crewe

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.

When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.

My Thoughts: The Way We Fall was a Waiting on Wednesday selection for me and I purchased it earlier this year. I actually can't believe I haven't read it yet, and I am trying to correct this before Saturday. So far it's going very well and I am extremely excited about meeting Megan at the Belleville event. 

Starling

by Lesley Livingston

Mason Starling is a champion fencer on the Gosforth Academy team, but she's never had to fight for her life. Not until the night a ferocious, otherworldly storm rips through Manhattan, trapping Mason and her teammates inside the school. Mason is besieged by nightmarish creatures more terrifying than the thunder and lightning as the raging tempest also brings a dangerous stranger into her life: a young man who remembers nothing but his name--the Fennrys Wolf. His arrival tears Mason's world apart, even as she feels an undeniable connection to him. Together, they seek to unravel the secrets of Fenn's identity as strange and supernatural forces gather around them. When they discover Mason's family--with its dark allegiance to ancient Norse gods--is at the heart of the mystery, Fennrys and Mason are suddenly faced with a terrifying future.

Set against the gritty, shadowed back-drop of New York City, this first novel in award-winning author Lesley Livingston's epic Starling Saga is an intoxicating blend of sweeping romance and pulse-pounding action.

My Thoughts: The theme with me and Lesley Livingston seems to be "How did I miss this?". I love Norse myth and the sample I've read of Starling (I downloaded a sample for my Kindle.) is really good. Yet this book somehow never made my radar until I started researching this event. Further, I did not realize that Lesley was at the Ontario Blog Squad Meet Up on Saturday, either. (D'oh!) No matter, though. I'll meet her at this event, with her book, and that will be very awesome. 

Deviants

by Maureen McGowan

In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must protect her younger brother and escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.

Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.

My Thoughts: I got to have a nice chat with Maureen at the Ontario  Blog Squad Meet Up on Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her again at the Apocalypse Tour. Her book, Deviants, seems very interesting from the sample I've read on my Kindle, but I must admit I think I'm more likely to be interested in her (very quirk and original sounding) Twisted Tales. 

Hunted

by Cheryl Rainfield

Caitlyn is a telepath in a world where having any Paranormal power is illegal. Caitlyn is on the run from government troopers, who can enslave, torture, or even kill her, or make her hunt other Paranormals. When Caitlyn settles down in a city, she falls for Alex, a Normal (someone without Paranormal powers), which is dangerous because he can turn her in. And she discovers renegade Paranormals who want to destroy all Normals. Caitlyn must decide whether she's going to stay in hiding to protect herself, or take a stand to save the world.

My Thoughts: This sounds really interesting! I could not find a sample for Hunted, and I did not want to read the bonus story and risk ruining the actual book. But I did download a sample of Cheryl's other novel, Scars, and it sucked me in so fast that I'm planning to order it via Amazon tonight. If Hunted is as well written as Scars (and why wouldn't it be?) I'll be thrilled to get both (hopefully!) signed this Saturday. 

This Is Not A Test

by Courtney Summers

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actuallywant to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

My Thoughts: If I had to list my five favorite books I've read this year, there is no doubt that This Is Not A Test would be on there. The book is simply amazing on so many levels. (My review can be found here.) I'm extremely excited that I will be able to bring my copy and have it signed. (And to break my own rules and ask the unthinkable: will we see more from these characters?) I can't wait! 

Above

by Leah Bobet

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

My Thoughts: Alas, not everyone can make the Belleville event. A shame, because Above sounds totally fascinating and I would have loved to buy a copy to read and get it signed. But I don't feel this article would be complete without listing this book and making sure people know what novel Leah is bringing to Apocalypse Tour. 

To say I'm excited about this Saturday would be an understatement. In a week, I've gone from never having met an author who wrote something I liked, to preparing to meet five who have written things I've read (and loved), am reading, or am excited to read. I'm always really happy to get to have a day out. I don't get that all the time, because I don't drive. But getting to do such neat stuff two weekends in a row almost seems like I'm becoming spoiled. :D 

Are you planning to attend the Apocalypse Tour? Which author are you most excited to meet? I'd love to know!