Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Blog Tour: Review of ASTRAL TIDE by Anna Silver


Hey, guys! I'm excited to be part of Anna Silver's blog tour, for ASTRAL TIDE, the sequel to OTHERBORN! If you've been following along, I really enjoyed OTHERBORN last year and have been waiting anxiously for this follow up.

Book Description:

London and her friends are fugitives in a reprocessed world where anything New is illegal. But as Otherborn, they’re different. They can dream and create, which hasn’t gone unnoticed. After fleeing Capital City with an assassin on their heels, the Otherborn found nothing went according to plan. 

Now, they are down by two and on the run in the Outroads, but the Tycoons keep mysteriously gaining on them. And seven months later, London is no closer to her promise to go back for Rye, if there is anything left to go back for. But Zen is teaching London that there may be more to her heart than the pieces she left behind, and London can’t help but feel guilty about not looking back since they fled New Eden. Should she hold on to hope that Rye is more than just a memory, or embrace a new life and love with Zen?

In their race to outrun their enemies, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: they can only run for so long. Eventually, they’ll have to face what waits when the road runs out. Eventually, their fates will catch up to them.






Author Bio:
Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She's freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon's "Bestsellers" lists. She is represented by Rebecca Podos and Nicole LaBombard of Rees Literary Agency.

My Rating: 4 Couches

My Review: After greatly enjoying OTHERBORN, I was eager to get my hands on this followup. Anna Silver does not disappoint.

We immediately get thrust back into the story, where our main character, London, and her friends are on the run from the Tycoons. We see the aftermath from the first book's cliffhanger ending, and London doesn't know who to trust or where to turn. Along the way, the gang meets new people, new adventures, but never lose sight of why they are there-- to get people to start dreaming again. Plus, London may be developing a new love interest in this installment. Will London be able to stay true to her goals and her heart?

There are many wonderful things about this book. I always admire authors who write second books in trilogies because so often they sink where their predecessor succeeded. I liked the development of several of the secondary characters, including the hilarious Kim. I liked learning more about the Astral, and especially the introduction of a new character that teaches them more than they could ever thought was possible in the Astral. The last half is very well paced, and I couldn't put it down once I reached that point in the book. London was very prickly in the first book, but she was easily to identify with and like in this installment. Furthermore, the world building is fascinating, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the characters.

Some issues I had-- the first half wasn't as gripping as the second half. I think part of my problem is not a lot happens, and there's a lot of internalization of London's feelings and thoughts. I would just say hang in there, and once you reach that mark, you won't be sorry. I also wasn't thrilled with the development of the love triangle because I thought it was rather convenient for the plot and seemed kind of random.

Issues aside, I think that second books are really tough to write, and this one ends up succeeding. I can't wait to see where Silver takes her characters in the final book of the trilogy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Astral Tide book trailer on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbehpsKV4zA
Astral Tide  paperback listing on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/149599919X
Astral Tide ebook listing on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/411645
Astral Tide ebook listing on Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/astral-tide 
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3 comments:

  1. Thank you again, Christina! Great post and review!

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  2. I just started reading it this morning! Great post!

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  3. Great review! I'm reading this right now as well.

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