Monday, March 11, 2013

Review of Otherborn by Anna Silver and INT giveaway!

I am so thrilled to introduce Otherborn by Anna Silver. Anna is a terrific new YA author, with a wonderful book to share with all of you.

Otherborn (Otherborn, #1) Goodreads Book Description: London and her teenage friends live in a reprocessed world.

Confined within Capital City’s concrete walls, London has done the impossible and the illegal. She’s created something New- a song. But her mentor, club owner Pauly, is not impressed. Since the historic Energy Crisis forced everyone behind walls generations ago, the Tycoons have ensured there is truly nothing new allowed under the sun. Pauly warns London to keep her song to herself, if she knows what’s good for her.

What he doesn’t know is that London is keeping an even bigger secret: she dreams. And she’s not alone. London’s band-mates and friends have begun dreaming as well, seeing themselves in “night pictures” as beings from another world. As Otherborn, they must piece together the story of their astral avatars, the Others, in order to save their world from a dreamless, hopeless future.

When Pauly is murdered and an Otherborn goes missing, London realizes someone is hunting them down. Escaping along the Outroads, they brave the deserted Houselands with only their dreams to guide them. Can they find their friend before the assassin finds them? Will being Otherborn save their lives, or destroy them?


Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing 
Release Date: April 4, 2013

Pages: 290 

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

My review:
For those of you who have been following along on my reviews, you know that I love discovering new authors. Finding a gem in such a deluge of novels is pretty difficult, but Otherborn is definitely one of those gems. I was approached by the author to review her book, and I'm glad she sent me a copy!

Otherborn by Anna Silver is an amalgam of genres-- I would describe it as a YA science fiction dystopian novel. We are introduced to London, a hardened young girl who has to live in a world where nothing is New. No one ever dreams, except for her. She and her band of friends (who have also started dreaming) start to realize there is a lot more to their world than they realized. The Tycoons rule their world, and because of war and lack of resources, everyone lives in squalor. They barter, steal, and trade to stay alive. When one of their gang gets brutally killed and another kidnapped, the friends journey to find their missing companion, and discover secret upon secret along the way.

I was actually reading another similar and well hyped book at the same time, and put down that one in favor of this one. The world building is fascinating and not one I've seen yet. The characters are all very distinct, and as the reader will find out, have more layers than one. The pacing is great, and I was surprised more than once with some terrific twists to the storyline. Silver is very good at description-- I could distinctly imagine the surroundings and what their journey looked like.

The one issue I had with this book was London herself. She is a very prickly protagonist, and Silver takes a risk at making her the main character. I had a hard time liking her. That said, I know this is likely to be a trilogy, so her growth has to come in three books. So I'm willing to wait.

Overall, a terrific first installment by a new author with wonderful world building and fascinating characters. I'll be picking up the next book, for sure!



Author Bio:
Anna Silver grew up with a passion for words, books, and storytelling. She began writing as a child and eventually landed at St. Edward’s University in Austin where she studied English Writing & Rhetoric. She has always nurtured a vivid imagination and a love for art, expression, and fantasy. Currently she resides in the greater Houston area with her family and pets where she continues to read, write, and dream. Otherborn is her first published novel.


Book Links:
Otherborn book trailer on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fiWzY-jTRg
Otherborn listing on Amazon:
Author Blurbs:
"Anna Silver weaves a dark new world full of taut suspense and characters that leap off the page." –Sophie Jordan, NYT bestselling author of the Firelight trilogy

"Travel to a world where dreaming is a radical act that can save the world… Anna Silver’s post-apocalyptic vision is rich with imagery and metaphysical ideas, grounded by vivid, three-dimensional characters. A truly fresh take on dystopian." –Nina Berry, author of the OTHERKIN series

“Silver built the right amount of conflict and tension to draw readers into her dystopian world, and created characters who are leery, yet determined to embrace New.” –Natasha Hanova, author of Edge of Truth

And now... enter to win this great book OR a $20 Amazon GC!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

34 comments:

  1. Im proud of you..ive placed copy on amazon to order whn i get prkd...over n md n va area...

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  2. Sound like an awesome book! Looking forward to the release in April!

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  3. And here's the link to OTHERBORN on Amazon! http://ow.ly/iQwyo

    Make sure you stop by facebook to be a part of my launch party online April 4th. Participants will get a boost of entries in my month long Kindle Fire HD giveaway!

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  4. Can't wait to read your book!

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  5. Ooh, good review! Very high rating! I've had my eye on this book for a while, as the description immediately drew me in - and I tell ya, something about the cover just freaks me out!! (hmm, now that I've said that, I hope it's *supposed* to...) This is actually one of those giveaways where I'd RATHER win the book than the $20 gift card!! [Although, since chances are I won't win, I may as well ask, will there be a Kindle version available? I just didn't see it on Amazon as of yet, but note that one of the prizes is actually an e-copy.]

    Congratulations, Anna, on the publication and on the great early reviews!! Everything I've read has been very good so far :) That must be a wonderful feeling! I know I'm looking forward to reading it, for sure.

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    1. Yes Holly, it's okay if it looks creepy to you!

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  6. I also feel fortunate when I find a hidden gem and a new author. Thanks for sharing. The cover art is fascinating and I look forward to reading Anna Silver's Otherborn.

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    1. Thanks, Laura! Can't wait to hear what you think. :)

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  7. Ooh, great review! Very high rating! I've had my eye on this book for a while now, as the description just drew me in. And, I must say, there's just something about the cover that freaks me out!!! (hmm, now that I've said that, I hope it's *supposed* to...) Will there be a Kindle version? I see that one of the prizes is actually an e-copy, but when I looked it up on Amazon this evening, only the print copy showed up.

    Congratulations, Anna, on your debut publication and on all the great early reviews! Every one I've read so far has given the book high marks. That must feel great! I am very excited to read it myself.

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  8. Interesting book blurb. Count me in please :)

    penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Thanks so much for the review and giveaway! :)

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  10. Love the cover and looks like an amazing book!!

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  11. This sounds like a fantstic read and one that i am really excited about, hence i have added it to my to-read list! I would like to thank you not only for a brilliant author interview and post about this book, but a way to find out more about something new.

    Thanks x

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  12. Thanks to Susan, dar, Holly, Laura, Penumbra, Joanna, Brian, Ash, & Miss Lucinda for the wonderful comments! I hope you all get a chance to read and enjoy OTHERBORN.

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  13. This cover is simply amazing. Drew me into the story without even having to look at what the book was about. I think i'd enjoy this book :) Thanks for your giveaway!
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thanks for the cover comps, Sarah! I hope you love it!

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  14. The book looks great. I hope to be reading it soon. Thanks!

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  15. What a great book! Good reviews! I don't usually read this kind of books but reading about Otherborn I'm hooked. Just reading what I have I want more. Can't wait to read the whole book and next ones. Thanks!
    Donna Harris

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  16. Thank you Arnis, Ty, & Donna! I hope you love reading OTHERBORN as much as I loved writing it. ;o)

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  17. Seems like such an interesting read! If I don't win the book, ill just go ahead and buy it. But, I hope ill win it. Fingers and toes crossed! :P

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    1. Thanks, Ellie! I'll cross mine for you too!

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  18. The book sounds really interesting!

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  19. Otherborn sound like a very great book. I would love to read this one as I am into dystopian genres at the moment.

    Thanks for the fantastic giveaway.

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  20. Can I just say, I love the name of the main character!

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  21. This book sounds really interesting, thanks for sharing!

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  22. You're welcome, Susan! Thanks for entering!

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