Review of Imposter by Antony John and US GIVEAWAY!

Dear All:
So excited to introduce the next book of a dear friend and amazing author here in Saint Louis, Antony John. With no further ado, here's a little blurb of his newest book, Imposter.

Goodreads description: Nothing in Hollywood is what it seems…

Seth Crane is a nobody, just an eighteen-year-old community theater actor who’s been in a few small commercials. So when a director stops him after a show and offers him the lead role in a huge indie film, it seems like a dream come true. Suddenly he’s swept up in the glamorous Hollywood life, with fancy parties, press junkets, and flirtations with two beautiful stars.

But something’s a little strange on the set. And when his costar’s darkest secrets start popping up in the media—secrets she’s only told Seth and that could destroy her life—Seth realizes that fame may have too high a price.

Antony John’s twisting, turning, suspenseful novel will keep you on the edge of your seat until the shocking end.

My Rating: 4 couches

My Review: I've been actively following Antony John's career since I read his wonderful Five Flavors of Dumb, and waited in anticipation year after year for each Elemental trilogy book to come out. What I love about his writing is other than his terrific talent of fleshing out three dimensional characters and eloquent prose, is the fact that he takes risks.

Imposter is yet another example of this. He started with YA contemporaries, moved to YA dystopian, and now he maneuvers through a YA thriller with style and grit. Seth, the protagonist, is an 18 year old guy who is trying to make it big as an actor like so many other teens. But Seth lands the opportunity of a lifetime-- to star in an indie film that two big name Hollywood stars dropped out of after much speculation and drama. Seth knows this will make his career. But nothing is as it seems, and as he wades deeper into the Hollywood scene, and falls for a famous movie star, he realizes that he may have bit off more than he can chew.

The plotting of this book is deliberate and well paced. I was sucked in from the first page and read the whole book from cover to cover in an evening. John has shown skillfully again how he can make you believe his characters, and even when they bridge into typical teen territory, there's just something about them that makes you want to keep turning the pages to find out more about them. I loved the hook and setup of this book-- the way John sets up the movie and how it works and fits with the plot is so fascinating. Not to mention it's hard to know who to trust (if anyone at all).

I'm glad I took a while to think about this book, because to be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about it initially. This is a huge departure from John's previous books, and I think there is something safe and happy-making about status quo. But John didn't want to play it safe, and I think he really succeeds here in pushing his comfort zone. Second, I think I was so wrapped into the characters that when it didn't end up the way I wanted to, I was disappointed. But that's the whole point of a thriller-- to turn your expectations on its head and surprise you. It definitely did that in spades.

Overall, a well plotted and intense thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish-- while it wasn't my favorite of his books (not saying much as I've loved every one of his books), it is definitely a worthwhile read, and like any great thriller, will keep you guessing until the bitter end.
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Now, I have the pleasure of doing a giveaway for this fun book. Sorry to my INT readers, I promise an INT giveaway is coming soon!

I will be giving away an ARC of Imposter by Antony John and a signed hardcover copy of Imposter that is being donated generously by Left Bank Books, my local St. Louis bookstore. Please support your local bookstores whenever you can... they do amazing things!

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